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I got real issues with guys that look down on others for mounting the actual fish they caught!!
I got issues with the opposite. I don’t kill just for antlers either (no difference).
Killing to eat is one thing. Killing to throw the meat away and put the rest on the wall is another.
Any good taxidermist will give you the meat from the fish you want mounted. Just sayin…. 
-J.
“Eliminate them?” Really, so we have a big walleye-only lake? Some of us hold smallmouth in higher esteem than walleyes…yet I would never support eradicating my favorite smallmouth lake of walleyes…
Sorry, seems harsh to me…
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I got real issues with guys that look down on others for mounting the actual fish they caught!! So you never ever keep a fish to eat? and look the same at everyone that does?
I agree. Some day I hope to catch a fish I find worthy of putting on my wall and when I do I want to tell people that I caught that fish, not “I caught one that looked just like that”. Its been said before, a dead fish is a dead fish. If caught and kept legally nobody should look down on a mounted fish
I wonder what our lakes and rivers would hold for big fish if we all kept that trophy fish. True its your fish and no one has the right to tell anyone what to do but for the sake of the sport wouldn’t one want to let it go? I have seen a lot of trophy rooms and the coolest ones are where the owner says that fish is still out there for you!!
every fish is gonna die … it’s only a matter of when
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I wonder what our lakes and rivers would hold for big fish if we all kept that trophy fish. True its your fish and no one has the right to tell anyone what to do but for the sake of the sport wouldn’t one want to let it go? I have seen a lot of trophy rooms and the coolest ones are where the owner says that fish is still out there for you!!
You almost reeled me in on that one!
But then I said to myself this guy isn’t that ignorant. 
I think our lakes and rivers would have more big fish if nobody kept the “eater sized” fish and let them grow. Imagine how great fishing would be if people stopped trying to fill their freezers and only kept 2 or 3 trophy fish in their life time.
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You almost reeled me in on that one!
But then I said to myself this guy isn’t that ignorant.
set the hook
SET … THE … HOOOOOK
Back now to the original post…Is this something you are trying to propose Buzz? Is this aimed at helping the walleye issue or just trying to get some tournaments on mille lacs?
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I think our lakes and rivers would have more big fish if nobody kept the “eater sized” fish and let them grow. Imagine how great fishing would be if people stopped trying to fill their freezers and only kept 2 or 3 trophy fish in their life time.
Seriously, That has to be the most asinine thing I’ve ever read.
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“Eliminate them?” Really, so we have a big walleye-only lake? Some of us hold smallmouth in higher esteem than walleyes…yet I would never support eradicating my favorite smallmouth lake of walleyes…
Sorry, seems harsh to me…
My point is that years back, there were very few smallies and the DNR reps loved it. Were they wrong? There were so few until the 90’s and in recent years that guides who were on the lake for a lifetime never caught one if they died or quit fishing before the late 80’s. So–if given the choice, I would take the make up of the Lake Mille Lacs fishery that thrived as a walleye fishery versus what we have now–relative to the big smallie numbers. Harsh as that might be for some…but not most.
Now if there would be a way to build the walleye numbers back and keep the smallie thing as it is….all power to ya. I just don’t see how that can work.
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Seriously, That has to be the most asinine thing I’ve ever read.
Really? I think the DNR would agree that that woud make fishing better…isn’t that why you can only keep trophy smallmouth on mille lacs? In all seriousness I don’t really think nobody shoud keep smaller fish. I just think sometimes people need to get off their high horse about keeping trophy fish. The fish is the trophy, not the replica of the fish. There are some exeptions I suppose. I wouldn’t keep a 54″ muskie out of a smaller lake. I would, however, keep a 32″ walleye from LOW.
I only take pictures and my poop does not stink 
Seriously, I hope we can all get down to the river soon. Fishing is a great way to relieve stress.
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Back now to the original post…Is this something0eas4 you are trying to propose Buzz? Is this aimed at helping the walleye issue or just trying to get some tournaments on mille lacs?
Josh, the bass tournaments on Mille Lac now, are “paper” (measure, record, release) catch, hold, release bass tournaments stay away from slot limit lakes.
I think there is a growing body of evidence that the lack of harvest of Smallies, might be or will become an issue. But in my mind, it isn’t as simple as the Smallie population goes up and the Walleye pop. goes down. Aquatic eco-systems have hundreds of moving parts. The big pieces are spawning success and areas, water quality and temperatures, density, recruitment fish survival and aquatic plants. Harvest is one of the smaller rocks. I think the jury is still out on how Zebs are factoring into fish pop. changes. I suspect that with all the sand in the lake, it might be another one of the small rocks.
A great book which has been recommended on this site before is: Beneath the surface : a natural history of a fisherman’s lake / Bruce M. Carlson
You can request it from the library, I highly recommend it.
Get rid of the special regs!
If the lake cannot support a healthy population of smallmouth trassh on its own, maybe it shouldn’t be a lake “mis”-managed for them.
How many thousands of lake without special regulations and suitable habitat support healthy populations of bass?
Fry a smallmouth.
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I wonder what our lakes and rivers would hold for big fish if we all kept that trophy fish. True its your fish and no one has the right to tell anyone what to do but for the sake of the sport wouldn’t one want to let it go? I have seen a lot of trophy rooms and the coolest ones are where the owner says that fish is still out there for you!!
I see what you are saying, However, Not everyone will do keep every single big fish. 8 years ago I mounted a 29″ walleye and a week later caught a 29.5 that was let go. Not everyone that mounts the actual fish will do that every time. Also, I don’t fish walleyes that are spawning in the springtime. To me, I’d rather catch and keep 1 29″ fish for my wall than to catch and release 15 big fat females that are full of eggs. Tell me that doesn’t stress out those fish bigtime? Maybe I’m wrong.
Save a Wally
Spear a Smallie
(when we gonna see that T-shirt show up here ? ) —–> ——–>
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I wonder what our lakes and rivers would hold for big fish if we all kept that trophy fish. True its your fish and no one has the right to tell anyone what to do but for the sake of the sport wouldn’t one want to let it go? I have seen a lot of trophy rooms and the coolest ones are where the owner says that fish is still out there for you!!
I see what you are saying, However, Not everyone will do keep every single big fish. 8 years ago I mounted a 29″ walleye and a week later caught a 29.5 that was let go. Not everyone that mounts the actual fish will do that every time. Also, I don’t fish walleyes that are spawning in the springtime. To me, I’d rather catch and keep 1 29″ fish for my wall than to catch and release 15 big fat females that are full of eggs. Tell me that doesn’t stress out those fish bigtime? Maybe I’m wrong.
I’m sorry to deviate off topic but this is so important to the health of any fishery IMO. How is the walleye pop. In pool 2 lately? Or maybe the small mouth in the Monticello ostego area? Or muskies statewide? CPR works and with growing populations of people and thus fisherman, even keeping that one out of 10 trophy fish for every single fisherman results in very few trophies. I grew up in the keep everything you catch type of environment and its SO important that we start the attitude change of that right now. I really think muskies inc. Has done an incredible job with the overall attitude of catch and release and that type of mentality needs to transfer over to all species for the sake of everyone’s chances out on the water.
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Would a 16-21 + 1>21 work for Smallies on Mille lac, six fish limit? Would you support it?
I would like to see an 17-21″ protected slot.
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I have seen a lot of trophy rooms and the coolest ones are where the owner says that fish is still out there for you!!
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