Upper Red Slot- DNR News Release

News Release from the Minnesota DNR:

Upper Red Lake walleye regulations to change Dec. 1

Upper Red Lake walleye anglers still can keep four fish beginning Dec. 1, but all walleye 17-to 26-inches in length must be immediately released. Anglers can keep one walleye longer than 26 inches.

“Winter angling pressure has been consistently higher than open-water fishing pressure, making the adjustment back to the 17- to 26-inch protected slot limit for the winter season a necessity,” said Gary Barnard, Bemidji area fisheries supervisor for the DNR. “Anglers still will have good success because walleye abundance remains high and there are good numbers of fish smaller than 17 inches.”

The change from the open water 20- to 26-inch protected slot limit to the winter 17- to 26-inch protected slot limit that begins Tuesday, Dec. 1, will continue through Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010.

The estimated open-water walleye harvest from state waters of Upper Red Lake for 2009 was 147,000 pounds. That harvest level is 21,000 pounds below the threshold that would trigger a more conservative three-fish limit.

Regulations for the 2010 open water fishing season will be determined later this winter and announced in advance of the walleye opener on Saturday, May 15, 2010.

Any ideas why the top is 26″ and not 28″ ???? Isn’t a 26″+ eye pretty much always a female ???? I know a trophy is in the eye of the beholder, but would you put a 26 1/2″ walleye on the wall ???? Or fry it up ???? I find this top end weird ???? Is it just me ???? Maybe they have a plan…..

big G

Actaully I am one of the guys that voted on that as I am on the advisory committee. We needed to leave an opening for trophy fish potential, trouble with Red at the time of the installed slot limit was large opposition came on a higher end limit from the public. The feeling was Red did not have the trophy potential for 28″ walleye and fish of that caliber would never happen, to appease public demand they backed the slot limit down to 26″. This still worked well in the projection models and was accepted by the community both local and fishing. Although now we see Red has more then enough potential to grow trophy fish with the current management plan although I doubt that upper slot of 26”will ever move as it works well with the growth rate of Upper Red Lake Walleye along with the fact you have to remember not everybody is a pro. Many of Upper Red Lakes anglers are novice or from regions where walleyes are 100% put and take fisheries so a 26″ fish is a very fine fish.

What might see changes in slot sizes is the pike fishery as Upper Red lake continues to evolve in what might be one of the first mid forty trophy pike lakes or a true trophy pike managed water..

Hey Jonny, has the netting started again on the eyes? I read somewhere a while back what the quotas were. Amazing fishery to be able to support that amount of take each year.

What are the rules for pike caught in the nets?

Not sure excatly, best to contact the tribal fisheries office directly for solid answers.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/08/03/red-lake-walleye-fishing/

Does this mean if there is walkable ice before Dec 1 we can keep 4 under 20 still?

That would be my interpretation of the rules.

Quote:

---

That would be my interpretation of the rules.

---

Lets go……..

Can you get solid answers from the tribal fisheries????????
Enough said, I do not want to get into this topic.

Quote:

---

Can you get solid answers from the tribal fisheries????????
Enough said, I do not want to get into this topic.

---

Actually yes, they have been very good to work with as it is there livelhood also.

PS if you don’t want to get into a topic, don’t get into it.