Trout stream reg proposals cont…..

Sounds like less opportunities for bait users and more time for a special interest group on the water.I enjoy fall just like everyone else and would like more time to bait fish in the fall but I see that won’t happen. I like to fish for big trout and am not interested in catching dozens of small fish each outing.I have fly fished and I get and I routinely practice C/R but I prefer the other methods.Xmas eve I was fortunate for my family and I to enjoy a delicious 20in smoked trout as a great appetizer with our meal. Its Xmas day and I’m snowed in and bored so I thought I would visit the trout forum which I gave up on and have not visited in a long time because of stance on live bait fishermen.Reading a couple entries I see somethings never change.

I am glad to see you are in the Christmas spirit, Merry Christmas and God bless you!

Thanks Hybes. Have a great year. I’d be more than happy to have an IM conversation about anything pertaining to southeast MN trout fisheries, including how some things never change, apparently.

Looking forward to your IM.

D.A.

Under the DNR’s proposal there would be no lost opportunities for any trout anglers in the Fall. The reason for that is those opportunities don’t exist now! The DNR’s proposal is for increasing non harvest angling opportunities for anglers who want to fish later in the season. Their plan is geared at ADDING recreational angling opportunities but without allowing harvest. That means those who want to fish that season must fish with gear that severely reduces hooking mortality. A number of studies have shown hooking mortality with bait can be as high as 50% with lures and flies it is normally under 10%. Many times with flies it will be less that 5% and with certain single hook lures (small jigs) it can be that low too.

So, really what the DNR is doing is providing anglers the opportunity to catch fish later in the season but only with fishing gear that reduces hooking mortality. At the sametime the DNR is making sure our trout fisheries are protected from high hooking mortality problens that the use of other gear would create. So really the DNR is ADDING NEW opportunites not taking existing ones away. However, the choice of whether anglers want to fish the NEW extended season or not,is up to them.

Dear Tom,

Nice to have you on this forum. I have missed our discussions we used to have on MNTU (now MNCC) board. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you.

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Under the DNR’s proposal there would be no lost opportunities for any trout anglers in the Fall.

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I spoke with Steve Klotz, Lanesboro Fisheries Biologist Supervisor for 45 minutes prior to the holidays. I understood NO BAIT WILL BE ALLOWED for the pre-season and C&R seasons.

Here is how I see things:

Current bait angler opportunities: 9.0 months
January 1 – March 31 = 3.0 months
April 1 – April 17, C&R season = 0.5 months
April 18 – September 30 = 5.5 months

Proposed bait angler opportunities: 5.0 months
April 15 – September 15 = 5.0 months

This in contrast to ARTIFICIAL ONLY fishermen:

Current artificial only opportunities: 9.0 months
January 1 – March 31. = 3.0 months
April 1 – April 17, C&R season = 0.5 months
April 18 – September 30 = 5.5 months

Proposed artificial only opportunities: 10.5 – 12.0 (parks) months
January 1 – March 31. = 3.0 months
April 1 – April 17, C&R season = 0.5 months
April 18 – October 15 = 6.5 months
October 15 – December 31 (parks) = 1.0

Here is another way of looking at it.

Lets look at the DNR’s proposed NEW seasons/regulations changes.

Sept. 30th to Oct.15th C&R Non Harvest Season. This is a totally new season which creates added opportunities to fish later in the fall with no lost angler opportunities.

Oct.16th to Dec 31 State Parks Only C&R Non Harvest Season.

This is another totally new season which creates added opportunities to fish later in the fall with no lost angling opportunities.

Jan 1st to to The General Trout Opener – Non Harvest C&R Season. ADD more Angling opportunities by opening ALL SE MN streams to the Winter Trout season. This INCLUDES allowing C&R Bait angling on 90% of the streams.

Change the current trout regulation to allow barbed hooks during ALL seasons. This eliminates the barbless hook rule.

This simplfys the regulations for ALL trout anglers.

The EXTENDED C&R seasons are NON HARVEST SEASONS. The DNR is allowing anglers added angling opportunities while still protecting our fisheries which means the gear used during those seasons should to be the kind that provides the lowest hooking mortality possible. That is why the NON HARVEST C&R SEASONS should be Artificals Lures & Flies only seasons.

ANYONE including kids can fish with lures or flies. The excuse that one can’t fish simply because they can’t use bait on every stream is a very weak excuse.

The General Harvest Season for regulations stays as is with the only exception being barbed hooks are now allowed for ALL seasons.

Just got off the phone with Vaughn Snook DNR Area Fisheries Supervisor. I wanted to get a few things clarified about THEIR NEW TROUT REGULATION proposal. Below is what I found out!

1.Bait angling is proposed to be ALLOWED for ALL the C&R Seasons Including: Sept 15th thru Oct 15th, State Parks Season Oct 15th thru Dec 31st and the Winter Trout Season Jan 1st to the General Trout Opener. The General opener is always the Saturday closer to April 15th.

2. Under DNR’s proposal all C&R seasons will allow bait angling BUT NO HARVEST WILL BE ALLOWED DURING THOSE SEASONS!

It appears there won’t be any regulation limitations for anything or anyone that I can see! END of arguement!