Minnesota Anglers: Would You Support Moving The Fishing Opener This Year?

A few random thoughts…

While I daily make every effort to remain open minded, I simply cannot get my head around how this could potentially impact MN commerce.

What would the ROI report look like for resorts? (Powerful group to influence)

Has anyone completed the numbers game analysis of how we’d match up with our neighboring states who never close seasons?

I’d be fun to see a list of the pro’s and con’s of fishing year around.

For the poachers, who will never be caught, how does this impact the overall picture (or can’t we bring that into the conversation? Too real?). How about the anglers who believe fish currency is cool?

I’m from the school of thinking where not many people understand 8 billion anything, let alone the fact our world population odometer is about to trip that number. No school (or very few) taught kids/adults how to compute that level…

But that’s just me… I fish year around. Those little panfish sate my theory that the tug is the drug when Waldo’s season is closed. And I’m fine with that.

Bad idea and shouldn’t even be discussed….Should we move the deer season opener because of the rut?? What about pheasant opener. Be nice to have opener when the crops are in. Duck season too. If it’s 80 and sunny on opener should that be move later??

Could go on and on….The next thing you know fishing opener isn’t on the same day because every year is different and nobody can plan.

kwp wrote:

Should we move the deer season opener because of the rut??

YES! If you want to truly see trophies….

Sorry, don’t mean to distract from this quality topic..

I can’t resist….sorry.

At the hearing in 2012 discussing/debating this “Opener date” topic, the Mn. DNR reps repeated what they say every spring and that I agree with…”we need to protect vulnerable congregated spawning walleyes”. In fact, they used lakes as an example such as Farm Island Lake — a 5 minute drive north of Lake Mille Lacs.

The day they said this in 2012–they said “it makes no difference”–to have over 400 100 foot long gill nets on the spawning grounds of Lake Mille Lacs that same day.

Turn OFF my computer–please….lol Sorry–my tongue was hurting bad from biting it all day on this subject.

steve-fellegy wrote:

I can’t resist….sorry.

At the hearing in 2012 discussing/debating this “Opener date” topic, the Mn. DNR reps repeated what they say every spring and that I agree with…”we need to protect vulnerable congregated spawning walleyes”. In fact, they used lakes as an example such as Farm Island Lake — a 5 minute drive north of Lake Mille Lacs.

The day they said this in 2012–they said “it makes no difference”–to have over 400 100 foot long gill nets on the spawning grounds of Lake Mille Lacs that same day.

Turn OFF my computer–please….lol Sorry–my tongue was hurting bad from biting it all day on this subject.

Until the netting folks use canoes and hand woven nets the treaty is a joke. As for early season…. be happy they allowed the bass season to open with walleye starting last year, that already puts us in the spawn/ pre-spawn and MANY bass anglers will mis-handle and kill the very bass they wish to protect on accident…

BrianF wrote:

Catching walleye at water depths over 30 metres may also increase mortality due to distended or damaged swim bladders (Fletcher 1987).

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a walleye caught at a depth of over 90′. Not sure what you are trying to achieve by posting that info from a report. I’m not seeing how catch and release is going to help a fishery or an industry.

I guess the real question has already been answered. How does it help the industry. It seems they have spoken and agreed it would do no good.

What’s left to gain?

I thought bass was still the same last year did they change that this year?

How about they keep it the same but give us two lines in the water!

Charles wrote:

I thought bass was still the same last year did they change that this year?

How about they keep it the same but give us two lines in the water!

Bass is the same as last year. Open for catch and release fishing for the first two weeks from Opener to Memorial Day weekend for the bottom 3/4 of the state .

I’m waiting on the word on what they are going to do with bass regs on Mille Lacs this year. If they listen to the Mille Lacs Smallmouth Alliance they are going to screw up my bass club’s schedule this year. We will have to find a new date and I’m guessing we probably will pick a different lake altogether.

As for the originals posters question. I am very much in favor of bass not having a closed season in favor of MN going to an all catch and release season just like Michigan did last year. The science is with MI on this, not the “State where nothing is allowed.”

If you walleye fisherman want to believe catch and release fishing with artificial lures in the Spring when the water is cold poses a significant danger to your precious fish, well then bless your lead core trolling hearts.

I for the life of me don’t understand why we close pike fishing in this state.

Timmy wrote:

Although I see the other side, chalk me up as one more in favor of the tradition here.

As a little boy, I remember my dad going with the guys for opener weekend. I wanted to tag along SO badly….. When I was 6-7 I got the chance. How great that was….. Now nearly 40 yrs later, the tradition still lives and I have been the main planner for over 20 yrs. Dad is still co-captain, and an uncle, friend, and my son round out the crew. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The lakes are crowded, the landings are a CF, and the fishing is typically marginal…… and I wouldn’t change it for anything. My crew ranges from 9 to 81 yrs old and the ‘opener’ still means something, even though we all still fish a lot the rest of the year.

That sounds like a great tradition!!

There was too much farming to be done growing up to make traditions outside of farm work. Cattle were hard to walk away from for a few days of fishing.

But that would be a cool thing that your a part of timmy.

If the DNR can’t get the Mille Lacs thing right they don’t have the time to mess with opening dates.

Too many people have plans for opener hard to move. I remember the circus when they tried to do it last time.

My vote is no

Bass Pundit wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Charles wrote:</div>
I thought bass was still the same last year did they change that this year?

How about they keep it the same but give us two lines in the water!

Bass is the same as last year. Open for catch and release fishing for the first two weeks from Opener to Memorial Day weekend for the bottom 3/4 of the state .

I’m waiting on the word on what they are going to do with bass regs on Mille Lacs this year. If they listen to the Mille Lacs Smallmouth Alliance they are going to screw up my bass club’s schedule this year. We will have to find a new date and I’m guessing we probably will pick a different lake altogether.

As for the originals posters question. I am very much in favor of bass not having a closed season in favor of MN going to an all catch and release season just like Michigan did last year. The science is with MI on this, not the “State where nothing is allowed.”

If you walleye fisherman want to believe catch and release fishing with artificial lures in the Spring when the water is cold poses a significant danger to your precious fish, well then bless your lead core trolling hearts.

I for the life of me don’t understand why we close pike fishing in this state.

Mille Lacs smallie make great shore lunch!

I never understood why it closes at all. Lets just make it a 12 month season.

OK, so if the worry about the Fishing Opener is about protecting the fish (Walleyes) while their spawning and vulnerable why don’t they (the state) just shut it down for the period of time they are most vulnerable. I promise they have tons of statistical data to get a pretty good read on when and where this occurs. Deer Hunting opener I believe when I was just starting out in the 70’s was later in November..not the first weekend. I do like what they did with the Duck hunting seasons though because weather controls the season and flights. Tradition is nice though.

fishmantim wrote:

OK, so if the worry about the Fishing Opener is about protecting the fish (Walleyes) while their spawning and vulnerable why don’t they (the state) just shut it down for the period of time they are most vulnerable. I promise they have tons of statistical data to get a pretty good read on when and where this occurs. Deer Hunting opener I believe when I was just starting out in the 70’s was later in November..not the first weekend. I do like what they did with the Duck hunting seasons though because weather controls the season and flights. Tradition is nice though.

Your words/reference to the duck flights is based on weather –which is EXACTLY what , for the most part, determines when the fish spawn and for how long the spawning season is. Managing/fishing around the spawn relative to the weather would be an annual nightmare–to say the least ( one week in one spring, another week the next spring and the next year yet another week) … so as one poster here said–“if it isn’t broke–DON’T try fix it!”

Wade Boardman wrote:

I never understood why it closes at all. Lets just make it a 12 month season.

Like Pool 4? No thanks.

fishmantim wrote:

OK, so if the worry about the Fishing Opener is about protecting the fish (Walleyes) while their spawning and vulnerable why don’t they (the state) just shut it down for the period of time they are most vulnerable. I promise they have tons of statistical data to get a pretty good read on when and where this occurs.

Excellent idea! The spawning period happens between March and May every year based on weather conditions (ie how early the lakes/rivers open).
So, lets propose they close the season end of February until around early May so we can ensure we cover all scenarios.

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishmantim wrote:</div>
OK, so if the worry about the Fishing Opener is about protecting the fish (Walleyes) while their spawning and vulnerable why don’t they (the state) just shut it down for the period of time they are most vulnerable. I promise they have tons of statistical data to get a pretty good read on when and where this occurs.

Excellent idea! The spawning period happens between March and May every year based on weather conditions (ie how early the lakes/rivers open).
So, lets propose they close the season end of February until around early May so we can ensure we cover all scenarios.

Its not worth the carpal tunnel </threadClosed>

BrianF wrote:

With ice out projected to be a month early, and the ‘fishing opener’ a week later than we typically see, I’m wondering if there would be support for a supplemental fishing season prior to the opener this year, similiar to what was done in 2012?

Senate Majority leader, Tom Bakk, who was instrumental in getting the opener changed in 2012, tells me he got blowback from all sides when the bill was introduced. To help minimize that this time around, my thought would be to make this a statewide ‘catch & release, artificial only’ only season for walleye, bass, and pike beginning the first Saturday in May. This supplemental season would also ban night fishing. All previously established regs would kick-in as usual on the normal opener.

What’d ya think??

Heck no, anglers will be out on open water already. Keep any more stupid decisions out of the politicians hands.

There is to much fishing that needs to get done all ready between now and opener. Got a solid month or more of chasing big female river walleyes. Then sturgeon fishing. Then trying to cram in some spring crappie fishing. And if the white bass get going early. All this before the start of fishing season. Maybe if you are looking for something to pass the time before fishing opener try going fishing.

suzuki wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Wade Boardman wrote:</div>
I never understood why it closes at all. Lets just make it a 12 month season.

Like Pool 4? No thanks.

No by a “12 month season” he means you can only fish every other year