New Mille Lacs 2015 regs coming soon (tomorrow maybe)

I’m hearing that it may include a “earn a Pike”.

Mille Lacs walleye limit to 1; night muskie and bow fishing allowed

(Released April 8, 2015)

Mille Lacs Lake anglers will be able to keep one walleye 19- to 21-inches long or one over 28 inches when fishing opens on Saturday, May 9, and an extended night fishing closure will again be in effect beginning the Monday after the opener, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said.

The restrictive walleye regulations are necessary to keep walleye harvest within the lake’s established safe harvest level.

“The new regulations reflect our commitment to improve the walleye fishery as quickly as possible and stay within the state’s 1837 Treaty safe harvest allocation yet continue to provide walleye angling opportunities,” said Don Pereira, fisheries chief for the DNR.

The 2015 regulations for Mille Lacs Lake are:
■Walleye – Limit of one and the fish must be 19- to 21-inches long or longer than 28 inches. Night closure from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. May 11 to Dec. 1.
■Northern pike – Limit of 10. One fish may be longer than 30 inches only if two fish shorter than 30 inches are caught on the same trip and in possession.
■Bass – Limit of six smallmouth and largemouth bass in combination. Only one smallmouth bass may be longer than 18 inches.

Wow, the night closure extends for the entire open water season. Did they do that last year as well?
DT

Yep, between spearing and a 10 fish limit on Pike that will fix the Walleye thing for sure.

This sucks!! I have fished the opener on Mille Lacs for some 20 years and now I really don’t know what to do. My question is what if I decide to go fishing and catch the one in the slot and put it in my livewell. Am I done fishing? Or can I continue to fish and release whatever I catch?

Well…………………..there likely will be 5 DNR boats for every fisherman so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a answer.

tomr wrote:

This sucks!! I have fished the opener on Mille Lacs for some 20 years and now I really don’t know what to do. My question is what if I decide to go fishing and catch the one in the slot and put it in my livewell. Am I done fishing? Or can I continue to fish and release whatever I catch?

your done if you are fishing alone.

Bob Carlson wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Tomr wrote:</div>
This sucks!! I have fished the opener on Mille Lacs for some 20 years and now I really don’t know what to do. My question is what if I decide to go fishing and catch the one in the slot and put it in my livewell. Am I done fishing? Or can I continue to fish and release whatever I catch?

your done if you are fishing alone.

If he has ONE in the livewell I believe he can still fish, just not keep anymore or “cull” the fish in the livewell.

What is the reduction for the non-tax paying net running rights based individuals? Or is this just the middle class tax payers paying more for even less? Wait… it’s run by the State… I answered my own question.

No one should be surprised.

TripleA wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bob Carlson wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Tomr wrote:</div>
This sucks!! I have fished the opener on Mille Lacs for some 20 years and now I really don’t know what to do. My question is what if I decide to go fishing and catch the one in the slot and put it in my livewell. Am I done fishing? Or can I continue to fish and release whatever I catch?

your done if you are fishing alone.

If he has ONE in the livewell I believe he can still fish, just not keep anymore or “cull” the fish in the livewell.

I have been told a number of times by Co’s on Mille Lacs that when you are fishing alone and you keep your last fish…you are done

wow! Not sure why anyone would leave a spot with fish because they have their “personal” limit. I go fishing to catch fish, the food is a bonus. I am surprised they told you that. Not sure on the legality.

They should stop with the regs and quotas. Just fish it out and start over from there.

No, I am not kidding.

according to the 2015 regs…

How many fish can I keep?
Your daily and possession limits are the same unless otherwise noted.
A fish is in your possession once you have caught and kept it. Your possession limit includes any fish you have kept that day plus any fish in storage from a previous day.
Once you reach your daily or possession limit of fish, you can’t release fish already caught and kept and replace them with other fish.
While fishing on Mille Lacs Lake or Wisconsin, South Dakota or North Dakota border waters, you may not release fish already caught and kept and replace them with other fish even before you reach your daily or possession limit.

…..So reading this, I think you can catch and release all day long, just cannot exceed your limit and no culling.

I agree and that’s how I have always interpreted the regulations. 1 Fish though, nice family meal….

G, you are right…that’s how it reads. But I was fishing one day out on the flats and had just iced a walleye which was my forth fish at the time. A warden stopped by my portable just I as was bringing it in. He checked me out and informed me I was done and needed to reel up! Tom Fellegy was along on that trip and may remember this? he was fishing just a short distance away from me.

I honestly don;t know what to think… someday I might actually catch a limit…with this 1 fish limit, this may be my year to do it

well prove what i’m fishing for i would have told that warden i’m perch fishing

pudge wrote:

well prove what i’m fishing for i would have told that warden i’m perch fishing

Exactly, or pike, or smallmouth.

Yep, bob is right. Can’t fish for a specie after you have a limit. That is what the co said. I have been doing it that way since. I guess that question will have to be answered by a co.

I can understand why no fishing after your limit when you can’t cull. They should have allowed a special reg for culling. That way you catch a similar sized fish, but it’s gut hooked or something, you should be able to swap. Which then begs the question, what happens when the one in the livewell is also belly up.

All of this is silly. Its like they are managing it for a recovery that won’t happen. Like I said, fish it out and start from scratch.

God gave me a trailer for my boat, but what’s he doing for the Mille Lacs resort owners?

Pug I have no idea what starting over from scratch would do to help the situation. Mille Lacs is still a phenomenal lake, with Trophy potential that may be unmatched currently in MN. It does suck no one will be able to have a fish fry this year. But the 2013 year class is already showing up in huge numbers, and I would be willing to bet 2014 will also once they are large enough to show up in measurements. I’m sure the DNR would like us to believe the high recruitment #’s are merely a coincidence as there was virtually no netting those years due to late ice. The DNR supposedly has the power to stop netting for conservation, wouldn’t that be justified in this situation? Go 3 more years with no netting, and see what happens to the fish population. If it’s still decimated the naysayers argument is shot, if it recovers maybe we can end the netting DURING the spawn nonsense. Seems like a pretty simple option for such a desperate time.

BigWerm wrote:

If it’s still decimated the naysayers argument is shot, if it recovers maybe we can end the netting DURING the spawn nonsense. Seems like a pretty simple option for such a desperate time.

Maybe even an experiment that might prove something!!!

Mark

Fellegy and Bob,

What is the ice situation up there currently? What would be your guess as to when and if they will be able to get the nets in ? What are dates when they typically rape the lake with the nets if they can?

Thanks,
SKTR

sktrwx2200 wrote:

What is the ice situation up there currently?

This is a good webcam to check ice conditions. Looking black. Won’t be long.

http://www.mnlakecams.com/

-J.

I was listening to the radio today and they had the head of the DNR talking about this subject and he said netting has no effect on the fish population !

BigWerm wrote:

But the 2013 year class is already showing up in huge numbers, and I would be willing to bet 2014 will also once they are large enough to show up in measurements. I’m sure the DNR would like us to believe the high recruitment #’s are merely a coincidence as there was virtually no netting those years due to late ice.

Google 2013 year classes and you will see nationwide that walleyes did very well that year. Only one I couldn’t find was for Devils lake.

Not that I’m for netting, just this particular arguement is invalid. Plus personally I’ve been stunned at how many 8-12″ eyes I’ve caught in the fall last couple years, not at Mille Lacs.

sktrwx2200 wrote:

Fellegy and Bob,

What is the ice situation up there currently? What would be your guess as to when and if they will be able to get the nets in ? What are dates when they typically rape the lake with the nets if they can?

Thanks,
SKTR

The ice definitely got darker yesterday. Won’t be too much longer now. I seen the glifwc trucks and boats yesterday, so won’t be long.

Bob, hope you run your drone with the camera running! Try and get some close-ups of the Minnesota DNR officials standing at the nets when they are reeled in.

One point to remember: If you keep a fish over 28″, and turn it in to a taxidermist for a mount, that one fish is your posession limit until the mounted fish is returned to you.