January 1 Trout Opener: What to Expect

The winter season’s roughly a week away and snow continues to pile up throughout southeast Minnesota. Streams will be clear and very fishable come J-1. The one real issue many anglers will face will be streamside snow both in drifts and general piles. Punching holes along a trout stream through the snow is a tough task if you’ve never done it, so taking your time is esential.

Trout will typically be podded up in the deeper parts of the pools this time of years, so whatever your method of anlging is, be sure to get your presentation down to where they are lying.

If the weather warms (and the water temps spike), then fish will become more active and feed and will someiimes move towards the heads of the runs as well..

A reminder that all wiinter season stream are catch and release/barbless hooks. Bait is allowed on streams that only allow it during the regular season. A synopsis of season dates, streams that are open and their boundaries can be found here:

D.A.

I just might have to try this. I don’t know if I can wait until spring. Hopefully the “ice age” relents and provides some reasonable weather for us.

Dave I don’t know my way around down SE very well, so I’d probably head for a State Park. Do they plow the roads in the parks during the winter?

Merry Christmas!

Rootski

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Do they plow the roads in the parks during the winter?

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Yes, for the most part. Once you venture onto minimum maintenace, township roads, and the likes, all bets are off, especially considering the weather pattern we’re in. State highways and county roads are all usually decent.

Thanks Dave

SE MN C&R Winter Trout season History In a Nut Shell!

(some might find this interesting)

The DNR implemented the original NON HARVEST C&R Winter Trout Season in SE MN back in 1985 or 1986. The DNR opened only two streams at that time to try it as an experiment. The first two streams opened were the Middle BR & South Br in Whitewater. The DNR had some worries about hooking mortality so they imposed “Artificial Lures & Flies Only” restrictions for Winter Season angling. They also implemented a two year research study that fishery Biologist Mike Hayes from Lake City Fisheries was in charge of. The study was initiated to see whether or not anglers were going to negatively impact natural reproduction and adult trout abundance. At the conclusion of that study the DNR found there was no evidence of any adverse effects from opening a C&R Winter Trout season. Once the study was completed the DNR decided to open more streams to winter angling. The expansion of opening more streams to winter angling has occurred at least three times since and has brought us to where we are now, which is thirty two streams.

The change to allow bait angling during the Winter Season occurred some time in the early to mid 1990’s the exact date I’m not sure of. The DNR did not propose or were they in favor of that change. The change was FORCED on them by legislation. A group that wasn’t a conservation group at the time had a legislator draft a bill which he attached to another bill as a RIDER and got the change done under the radar before the DNR could have a chance to publically oppose that legislation.

The current Winter Season regulation that allows bait angling isn’t something the DNR wanted, so just for the record I wanted to make sure people knew that!

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The change to allow bait angling during the Winter Season occurred some time in the early to mid 1990’s the exact date I’m not sure of. The DNR did not propose or were they in favor of that change. The change was FORCED on them by legislation. A group that wasn’t a conservation group at the time had a legislator draft a bill which he attached to another bill as a RIDER and got the change done under the radar before the DNR could have a chance to publically oppose that legislation.

The current Winter Season regulation that allows bait angling isn’t something the DNR wanted, so just for the record I wanted to make sure people knew that!

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Dear Tom, do you know the name of the group responsible for getting the law passed allowing bait anglers to fish the pre-season?

Tom I recall you telling me Twin Cities TU came up with the proposal to make the Vermillion catch & release, yet allows the use of bait which is now currently in place. It appears we must compromise to accommodate all types of trout anglers.

Trout populations are at historic records, trout pressure is flat if not declining for both MN and WI. The average catch rate is only one trout per/hour because WILD trout are much harder to catch than hatchery trout. Under these circumstances why do we give more opportunity to the catch and release (coined by TU) angler, and less opportunity for the bait angler?

I asked Steve Klotz about creel surveys including the pre-season. Klotz told me this is rare and the only one he has on file is old, likely outdated. My guess though is a small number of bait anglers fish Jan 1 – March 31 or the C&R April 1 – April 14 second “pre-season” (something I never understood). Yet I bet bait anglers would love more opportunities in the fall if not winter season. Sounds like only AO anglers will have such opportunities.

The group that is responsible for sneaking in legislation to allow bait angling during the C&R NON HARVEST seasons was the MTA back when they were just another fishing club. However, the MTA is now a conservation group which NOW puts the resource first when making decisions that effect our trout resouce.

DNR Metro Area Fisheries proposed the regulations on the Vermillion, NOT TCTU. The only reason some special Regs allow bait angling is because other game species are present in those streams and SOME anglers fish for those species also. Remember the Vermillion is C&R No Kill JUST for trout, you can harvest pike and the other species.

The DNR implements “Artifical Lures & Flies Only Regulations” during NON Harvest Seasons or on CERTAIN streams they are trying to manage DIFFERENTLY to attain different goals than General Reg streams would allow.. This is done to provide diverse angling opportunities for anglers who don’t all want the samething for trout management. Excessive hooking mortality is taken into account when the DNR is trying to provide those different angling opportunities.

Your idea that fishing pressure is declining is true, However, That is true in every state and has NOTHING to do with different angling regulations. Your comment on that is just an assumption nothing more.

I really don’t get where your coming from with this idea that certain angler aren’t allowed opportunities to fish in the fall or winter. They are ALL allowed those opportunies, they just have to use different gear on SOME streams.

The excuse that one can’t fish simply because they can’t use bait is a weak excuse and getting VERY old. Even kids can learn to fish with lures and flies quite easily! I would severely question someones IQ if they can’t lean to fish by using other methods. Personally, I don’t know of anyone that just fishes using one method all the time!In other words there is NO excuse for not trying winter season fishing because the opportunity is there for everyone!