Friday: MN DNR Roundtable

Tomorrow morning starts the MN DNR Roundtable.

These meetings are held annually for stakeholders in the wide scope of the MN DNR.

Most of these meetings are a download of information of what the DNR appointed “advisory groups” along with the DNR have been doing over the last year.

I’ll be attending the Fisheries portion of the meeting along with the AIS portion on Saturday morning.

We do have a time for a “back porch” session that allows us to talk about any issues that are out there.

I know of three items that will come up and they are:

1. Use of two lines during the open water season.
2. Use of cast nets to collect bait. (mainly shad on the rivers)
3. Mandatory state wide guide licensing.

Is there anything else YOU as MN residents or non residents like to see discussed? Time permitting, I’ll do my best to make it happen and report back.

Access to public waters and landing inspections.

Transportation of water for live bait and residual water in boats.

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Access to public waters and landing inspections.

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X2 None of the rest of it matters if you can’t get on the lake.

The insanity and danger in the way the law is written and enforced regarding boat plugs having to be removed from boats on public roads.

Then if you have time Brian could you guys tackle the indian netting issue.

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Access to public waters and landing inspections.
Transportation of water for live bait and residual water in boats.

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Can you be a little more specific?

…umm, I’m going to stay out of the netting issues. I’m going to bet we’ll have an update on that either way.

I started to reply but he77 I need to get something done today. I can’t write you a novel.

BK – I am most interested in the two line issue. From your experience, what are the biggest arguments both for and against this that usually come up at these meetings?

I don’t know if I have the time Doug.

The last time this was brought up in discussion, ALL the advisory groups were against it…except the catfish group.

Reasons were:

Delayed Mortality
*(it was said that most people leave fish (walleyes) have live bait too long and they swallow it too far.)
* Most people can’t handle more then one line.
* More fish killed means more stocking in some cases (translated…more money).
* I’m going to quote this the best I can…”people come from all over the US to fish our walleyes because our fishing is so good here. They can go to WI and catch no fish with their three lines if they want to use more then one”.
* Another quote “if you want to use two lines for catfish, go to Iowa”.

There’s more, but I don’t have my notes with me.

Since our catfish group was the only group for more then two lines there wasn’t much for pro’s.

I’m hoping for some kind of two line regulation for the in-land rivers even if there’s a small extra line fee.

What bothered me the most is in taking polls on line, although not scientific, they show the majority of anglers would like the opportunity to use two hooks. However the advisory groups are all against it.

With two lines the limit is still the limit.

IMO you can’t limit the areas where two lines would be legal. Either they are legal or they aren’t.

I’ve been against two lines from the start but I don’t have a vote nor do I work for the DNR so………………

That’s what I thought. Seems pretty insurmountable with the MNDNR. I’d think the only way to sway them and defeat at least one of their arguments is to add a fee for a 2nd line stamp of some kind. Money talks, etc.

Early Bass Season, Begin with statewide gamefish opener.
Allow 1-Trophy Fish in lakes with Experimental/Catch & Release Only Regulations, say for a Largemouth bass, allow 1-bass over 23″, since liekly hood of handling, hook removal, photo time, etc. in hot weather, the fish will die/delayed mortallity anyway.

On the A.I.S. side of things:

Work thru Legislature and revoke Central Inspections Law.
Yes, They (Xmas Joe & CMCW [Lake Associations Group]) are at it again, just heard they want a pilot project between MCWD and Carver County covering a number of smaller lakes.

They just keep coming back, again and again, worse than a group of 2-year old’s in a candy store.

They think there is no problem in requiring people to drive up to 10+/- miles out of the way to get inspected and then back to the lake you drove by. As proposed won’t be open 24/7, thus you could be required to get inspected the day/night before if going our for the early sunrise bite.

When this comes to the Carver County Parks Commission in February, I will VOTE AGAINST IT!

So, getting Roundtable to recommend against Central Inspections would help.

year round trout fishing on catch and release trout streams!!!

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On the A.I.S. side of things:

Work thru Legislature and revoke Central Inspections Law.
Yes, They (Xmas Joe & CMCW [Lake Associations Group]) are at it again, just heard they want a pilot project between MCWD and Carver County covering a number of smaller lakes.

They just keep coming back, again and again, worse than a group of 2-year old’s in a candy store.

They think there is no problem in requiring people to drive up to 10+/- miles out of the way to get inspected and then back to the lake you drove by. As proposed won’t be open 24/7, thus you could be required to get inspected the day/night before if going our for the early sunrise bite.

When this comes to the Carver County Parks Commission in February, I will VOTE AGAINST IT!

So, getting Roundtable to recommend against Central Inspections would help.

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Carrol summed it up much better than I could.

As far as transporting water in a boat the way I have read that law its just tickets ready to happen when ever a DNR officer wants to give one out. Boats are wet. Not much you can do about it. Then throw in boating in wet weather. The way the law is written we are all breaking the law if its raining out. The answers I have gotten back from the DNR on this make about as much sense as the original law. The one reply was rain water will drain out of your boat while being towed. My guess is this reply was from someone that doesnt own a boat or spends very little time around them.

Get them to straighten out the two line issue and lake access/inspections issues before tackling this one.

Just a note… although the “DNR” is an easy agency to point the finger at, many times it’s US that needs to have the finger pointed at.

A good example would be this burning question.

How many anglers were present at the Lake Association/DNR meetings?

Sometimes it’s hard to remember (including me) that we are all in this together.

1. Use of two lines during the open water season. NO
2. Use of cast nets to collect bait. (mainly shad on the rivers) Yes
3. Mandatory state wide guide licensing. NO

What are the reasons against being able to use two lines? Its awful nice sometimes. (slip bobbering, trolling cranks…). Its not like you have to use two, actually its dang near impossible sometimes but for certain occasions/techniques it really helps.

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I’ll be attending the Fisheries portion of the meeting along with the AIS portion on Saturday morning.

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Brian do you have the entire schedule for the weekend? Any info on when the deer hunting meetings will be held?

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What are the reasons against being able to use two lines? Its awful nice sometimes. (slip bobbering, trolling cranks…). Its not like you have to use two, actually its dang near impossible sometimes but for certain occasions/techniques it really helps.

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Specifically slip bobbers were mentioned as a fish killer.

I’ll be honest and mention it here again, the advisory people made up of folks that guide, hall of fame members ect are totally against the use of two lines in MN.

There maybe some traction for the inland rivers, but the lakes? Not going to happen unless the advisory boards change their tune or a piece of legislation passes it.

In my opinion<<<

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I’ll be attending the Fisheries portion of the meeting along with the AIS portion on Saturday morning.

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Brian do you have the entire schedule for the weekend? Any info on when the deer hunting meetings will be held?

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Steve I’ll have to look. I don’t have the agenda with me.

Are you/they planning to talk about the potential statewide sturgeon season?

My opinion is that if they open it statewide for a continuous season, I’d very much prefer to maintain only a 2 week harvest season with a year round c/r season.

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Are you/they planning to talk about the potential statewide sturgeon season?

My opinion is that if they open it statewide for a continuous season, I’d very much prefer to maintain only a 2 week harvest season with a year round c/r season.

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This is pretty much a done deal Mr. B Gill.

Both MN and WI are on board, just working through the paperwork according to the up date from this morning.

I haven’t heard anything about changing the 4 week St. Croix season and the guys up on LOTW’s aren’t concerned about their awesome fishery.

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Just a note… although the “DNR” is an easy agency to point the finger at, many times it’s US that needs to have the finger pointed at.

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Why do they schedule these things on a Friday morning? I’m at work. They might as well have the meeting on Mars if they are going to do it on a weekday morning.

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Just a note… although the “DNR” is an easy agency to point the finger at, many times it’s US that needs to have the finger pointed at.

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Why do they schedule these things on a Friday morning? I’m at work. They might as well have the meeting on Mars if they are going to do it on a weekday morning.

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We (the public) aren’t invited anyway.

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Just a note… although the “DNR” is an easy agency to point the finger at, many times it’s US that needs to have the finger pointed at.

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Why do they schedule these things on a Friday morning? I’m at work. They might as well have the meeting on Mars if they are going to do it on a weekday morning.

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Steve, the Roundtable invites stakeholders from the advisory groups. This is the one meeting that’s not open to the public although there will be a ton of information hitting the media from it.

This meeting covers everything from fish and wildlife, clean water, wetlands, forestry, parks and trails, mining and enforcement.

On that same note, I’ve been wanting to go to some of the legislative functions and they are all weekdays as well.

As part of the Catfish Workshop, all of our meeting that we attended were out in Hutchinson weeknights. Just lately we’ve switched over to conference calls.

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We (the public) aren’t invited anyway.

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Not exactly true B. Anyone can be invited if they are on a workshop group and there isn’t too many from that group already.

I just had a question about the MN State Guide Licensing.

This is not the Coast Guard Licensing. This is a State Of Minnesota Guide License that will be require buy anyone guiding in the state. Resident or Nonresident.

Whats the point of a guide license and who (what group) is pushing for it?