Lake Winnipeg Crash – IDO as a platform for a unified voice?

I read an article from a local fishing publication I grabbed at the Sioux Narrows Trading Post this winter that discussed Winnipeg’s impending crash. This was news to me and piqued my interest. As I’ve been doing more research, getting reports from my friends fishing this year vs. previous years (lots of smaller fish, fewer, if any 30″+) and even watching this season’s IDO on Lake Winni, it appears to be coming to a head.

As an individual angler, I feel unable to make a difference and helpless. I’m wondering if IDO/James would see merit in using his platform to “turn up the heat” on this topic?

James/IDO/”we” as a collective angling community, represent MILLIONS of dollars to the future of that local economy, if nothing else. Not to mention the jobs we create/sustain through our investments in hotel/food/bait/wheelhouses/portables/etc.

Below, I added a link to a YouTube video from a biologist and an article that are factual and summarize pretty well. Any thoughts?? (would love to hear from James/IDO staffer)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/seafood-watch-calls-manitoba-fisheries-worst-in-world-urges-boycott/article27173668/

I have been following this from afar for several years. I’ve never fished walleye on Winnipeg but know a lot of guys that do. While up there catfishing several years ago I ran into a guide/resort owner that filled us in on the exploding walleye population and how he intended on putting Lake Winnipeg on the map. I don’t know whether or not he did, but I do know that it quickly became THE TROPHY WALLEYE DESTINATION. Everything I’ve read points towards commercial fishing as the key factor in the declining fishery, but I really wonder the overall effect of 1. The amazing pressure it has seen. 2. Zebra mussels and 3. Normal ebbs and flows of a fishery. Maybe….just maybe there isn’t much that can be done to save it. One thing I know for certain. Look no further than the tributary flowing into the lake and the world class catfishery it holds. They put SUPER TIGHT restrictions on the fish, and it has sustained itself for decades. IF you want a trophy destination, then you better be willing to put back every fish you catch and not even allow 1 “for the wall”.

https://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/lake-winnipeg-decline/

Here’s another thread that was started regarding this and the OP shared another article.

TipUpFishOn wrote:

https://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/lake-winnipeg-decline/

Here’s another thread that was started regarding this and the OP shared another article.

Looks like you and I think alike.

The lake is in trouble for sure. Targeting the large eyes is going to hurt the lake for years to come. Email our premier, Brian Pallister, and the minister responsible for natural resources, Cathy Cox. Your voices and the amount of money spent by Americans, needs to be thrown in their face.

I know where you are coming from. On Lake Erie almost 50% of the guys are out of state due to closed seasons. The relentless pursuit of the fish will some day take it’s toll. They say there are plenty, but I have watched Lake Michigan’s salmon fishery literally implode in the last 3 years. Don’t get me wrong, I love walleye dinner as much as the next guy, but they just keep pounding away at them. To add insult to injury, the Canadians commercially net them. Best wishes and I hope the voices get heard before it is too late.

Unified voice?

Good luck with that one in this day and age. I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I haven’t seen the “unified voice” at work on Mille Lacs.

In all sincerity, good luck.

I think it’s too far removed from us to expect much support here. We have our own similar problems in this country that need to be addressed. I wish them luck.

I find it ironic that he’s out there to protect the fish, however he’s holding one out of the water for the entire 55 second intro.

jarrod holbrook wrote:

They say there are plenty, but I have watched Lake Michigan’s salmon fishery literally implode in the last 3 years

This is totally a different subject than Winnipeg, which is overharvesting…
The Alewife population crash is the big reasons for the Salmon……The states are not planting fish that will just die because of a lack of food…..

Always good to see somebody passionate enough to want to fight for a cause. Like was mentioned here we can’t fix Mille Lacs and I doubt that many here want to get involved with Winnipeg’s problems.

I can’t speak for James but businesses such as In-Depth rely on sponsors and need to be very careful on any public issues.

Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

Its sad but true, I think the golden years on Lake Winnipeg are behind us. Was up there this year and had the same luck as the IDO staff. You can catch a ton of the eater size walleyes, but the big girls are few are far between, especially compared to other years. The commercial nets are all over the place and are targeting the bigger fish. Using 6″+ nets to catch them to fill out their quotas and/or go over their quotas as sell them out the back door.

I just got back from Winnipeg today, and while there watched some of the commercial guys pull in their catch. They had a box with at least a dozen 10+ pound fish in it, the biggest ones about 29 inches with around 20 inch girths. It was pretty upsetting considering we fished hard for three days and only managed one 29.5 incher in terms of big fish. Pretty sad stuff.

I have a friend with a cabin on Winnipeg… he said that the local Amish/Menonites (or whatever they are there) will catch their limit… and with no slots, they keep 10 pounders, because 6 fish is 60 pounds as opposed to 12 with 2 pounders. He told me this about 10 years ago… the whole community/clan is there almost daily on the ice and each member keeps limits like this. Nothing lasts forever….

Feathers wrote:

Mille Lacs and Winnipeg are apples and oranges. From my understanding the Canadian government can set the quota for netting on Winnipeg. Minnesota cannot due to treaties. That said, I do not blame nets for the Mille Lacs issue but that is a whole different topic that has been beat to death.

Mille Lacs and Michigan both have similar problems with forage. Perch for Mille Lacs and Alewives for Michigan. It sounds like Winnipeg has a crashing rainbow smelt population which will compound the issue with overharvest by nets. Maybe zebs are the main culprit in these lakes forage issues.

Sadly action is not usually taken in these situations until it is too late. It sounds like Winnipeg is on the verge of repeating history from the 60’s-70’s.

Feathers…, back for a cameo?
Yes, Mille Lacs is an apple to orange comparison. You may not blame the nets for the Mille Lacs issue, however can you truly believe it is a non factor? Let’s leave that alone for now.
The Winnipeg…Lake Michigan is I think another apple to orange comparison. Michigan is not commercially harvested for salmon…I dont think. And also looking at the life span of salmon…5 years? These walleye’s on Winnipeg, 25 years!! Sounds like these big “greenback” trophys were most all from a huge 2001 year class. Something else that was enlightening learning more about this Winnipeg concern is that historically this fishery was managed as an almost entirely commercial fishery. That sport angling was just a novelty for some and has been dismissed by the provincial government up there as of no importance!

big_g wrote:

I have a friend with a cabin on Winnipeg… he said that the local Amish/Menonites (or whatever they are there) will catch their limit… and with no slots, they keep 10 pounders, because 6 fish is 60 pounds as opposed to 12 with 2 pounders. He told me this about 10 years ago… the whole community/clan is there almost daily on the ice and each member keeps limits like this. Nothing lasts forever….

That’s called poaching. You are only allowed one fish over 21 1/2 inches in your limit.

then they were poaching… this was about 10 years ago so maybe something changed since then. That I don’t know.

Targeted Population & Unsustainable Management

Sad to see this happening. A yearly trip may be coming to an end. All before I have a chance to show my kids the trophy fishery I knew as Lake Winnipeg. I realize this is not the first lake that this has happened to but sad that a government can’t figure these things out before it is too late.

gonehunting wrote:

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Targeted Population & Unsustainable Management

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Sad to see this happening. A yearly trip may be coming to an end. All before I have a chance to show my kids the trophy fishery I knew as Lake Winnipeg. I realize this is not the first lake that this has happened to but sad that a government can’t figure these things out before it is too late.

Many of us are aware of Lake Winnipeg issues, but for your update…I don’t think the link you posted works. Try again?

^^^^ Holy Moly, now look at the virus you just released.

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

^^^^ Holy Moly, now look at the virus you just released.

.

LOL. I tried again and didn’t work. Google “Lake Winnipeg Death Spiral? Hooked Magazine”. I hadn’t seen much on this issue since last spring but things don’t be improving any time soon.

Link:

http://www.hookedmagazine.ca/targeted-population-unsustainable-management/

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/walleye-fishery-running-out-of-time-454389433.html

gonehunting wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:</div>
^^^^ Holy Moly, now look at the virus you just released.

.

LOL. I tried again and didn’t work. Google “Lake Winnipeg Death Spiral? Hooked Magazine”. I hadn’t seen much on this issue since last spring but things don’t be improving any time soon.

For links, delete everything before “www”. Then it should automatically create a link.