Winter Pike spearing on Slot Lakes in MN

Monday a bill was introduced in the House that would allow winter spearing of any size Pike on lakes with Pike slot limits. Summer anglers would still need to obey the rules. The reasons stated by [email protected] who authored the bill is that Pike under 24 inches are too small to eat, and that if you spear a Pike that is in the slot – you can get a ticket. His point is that you can’t catch and release a speared Pike. There are about 120 lakes that have some sort of Pike special regulation.

So, as winter and summer anglers; what are your thoughts on this ??

I’ve never done any spear fishing, but I think its a valid point. Most fish that I’ve seen at the end of a spear have a “terminal” condition, if you know what I mean. If you were to try to release a fish like that it would simply die and be wasted. I don’t think there is any real way to judge the size through the ice…

I guess what surprises me the most is when the DNR put slots into a lake they are trying to upgrade the general size of that species, this bill would go against that very thing.
We already have enough hammer handle pike in our lakes. We need those 4-8 pound pike to keep the stunted panfish in check. Of the spearers that I know, most will not take those smaller fish.

Ron

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Of the spearers that I know, most will not take those smaller fish.

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There is no chance of those fish surviving. That’s one less big fish for me or my sons or grandsons (none yet btw) to catch. There shouldn’t be any spearing on those lakes. Guess i’m too much the catch and release guy. I think if they need to do slots they should net thew slot fish out and put them into lakes that need that size fish. Kind of like the lakes that freeze out. Take those about to freeze out fish and put them into lakes that don’t freeze out and are in need of the fish.

Part me says if a lake has special restrictions, then no spearning. I mean, it’s only 120 lakes, right?? Then part of me says, how many fish are speared in MN each year? Aren’t these lakes managed for a certain amount of harvest?? Maybe the lakes with special restrictions, limit it to one fish per day??

But what if it’s a out of the slot fish? How do you throw it back?

I still wonder…. what is our beef if the natives spear, why do we allow ourselves to do it. After a period of time, I am not even sure why (beside tradition) we allow spearing of sturgeon in Winnebago and its chain lakes on the Wolf in WI. Just my two cents…

Mark

Obviously you don’t. It’s just simply a harvest season. I’m honestly not sure where I stand on this. I’ve only speared a few times and it was boring until that monster gator came through, then the adrenaline kicked in.

However, I wonder how many pike are coming out of a lake like Pelican where there are hundreds of spear houses.

btw…how that lake doing? Will it winterkill?

From my experience, the protected slots on pike really reduce the overall intentional pressure on the fish. When I fish a lake like Pelican, by Orr, I seldom see many people out tip-uping and never see spearers any more. We speared Pelican in the 70’s and 80’s. There were hundreds of shacks out there then. We always saw a lot of little fish and took our 5-12 lb fish. In the days since the slots came, I have made a few trips and still say lots of little ones, and the same numbers of 5-12 lbs fish……the big differences that I have seen are the total lack of spear fisherman, and the longer, skinnier fish.

People get all excited that there are more pike in the lake, but they forget that the fish need a lot of bait to eat. It was the last year the slot was 24-32. Since then, the slot was changed to 24-36….effectively elimininating spearing. Having a lot of nice pike in the lake is only good if you can KEEP THEM FED!!!! Look at the attached pic – this is the average shape of a pike out there now, from what I have seen. Long and lean……too lean.

This fish was only 8.5lbs but was 35″ long and sure does not resemble the healthy looking fish we used to take……..

I would much prefer a special reg of 1 over 24″ on lakes like this so I could at least take a meal for the family. A 24″ skinny pike is useless to me except for pickling…..

Tim

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There is no chance of those fish surviving. That’s one less big fish for me or my sons or grandsons (none yet btw) to catch. There shouldn’t be any spearing on those lakes. Guess i’m too much the catch and release guy.

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Slot limit fish are unintentionally killed both though angling and darkhouse spearing. Niether method of selective harvest is perfect.

Darkhouse spearers unintentionally kill slot limit fish though misidentification when using the look and release method. According to the look and release method listed on the MnDNR website a darkhouse spearer can only be 98% sure that they are not misidentifying the length of the slot limit fish.

Anglers unintentionally kill slot limit fish though the hooking mortality when using the catch and release method. There are many studies on the hooking mortality rates of catch and release fish but most point to a rate higher than 2%.

Knowing that both anglers and darkhouse spearers unintentionally kill slot limit fish at somewhat similar rates, it becomes very hard to make the argument that the 15 thousand darkhouse spearers statewide, fishing only in the winter, can unintentionally kill more slot limit fish than the 1.4 million anglers fishing in the winter and summer, especially considering that darkhouse spearers are out numbered 99 to 1 in the winter season and 100 to 0 in the summer season.

Why is it OK for anglers to continue to kill more slot limit fish every year and yet darkhouse spearers, who are only asking for fair and equal access of the public resource, a resource that they pay twice the MnDNR fees for, are met with calls for more and more outright and effective bans?

One look at how darkhouse spearers and anglers are treated when an unintentional kill does happen and it is no wonder why darkhouse spearers have to resort to self imposed bans on slot limit lakes.

Remember we are talking about the same “crime” and the same dead fish here.

Darkhouse spearers who unintentionally kill a slot limit northern though misidentification are instructed by the MnDNR to
– Turn themselves in to a Conservation Officer
– Get issued a ticket for spearing an illegal length fish
– and be subjected to the following punishment
—-> Maximum fine of $1000 and up to 90 days in jail.
—-> Any gear used to take the fish could be confiscated (such as rods/reels, spears).
—-> License revocation is a possibility if two or more violations in a 3 year period, or if restitution value is over $500.
—-> Criminal record for the offender.

Anglers who unintentionally kill a slot limit northern though hooking mortality are instructed by the MnDNR to
– Return the fish to the water immediately
– face no fine

It only makes a guy wonder how many anglers would be out there on slot limit lakes if they faced the same “time” for the same “crime”