Slop Bass,
I agree that the panfish limit should be reduced.The lakes around the Madison Wi,area are just getting pounded basically they are fishing for the meat and not for enjoyment mother nature and being outdoors with family or friends. As you know there are some lake associations in northern Wis on some lake the limit is 10.
We Fish
We Fish, are you referring to the Madison Chain Lakes. These are some cool lakes. I have some time in on 2 of these lakes. They may look like they are getting pounded, but I don’t believe everyone is pounding fish. It took me a few years to get consistent. These are some good sized bodies of water 
Although we had a pretty good year in 2005 panfishing I am still for a limit of 10-12. One of the Mississippi pools already had a reduced limit last year and the size seems to be getting smaller, albeit I did catch some hugh ones last year. Bottom line is my is there are less decent panfish (sunfish) and when you go out with a few friends who wants to clean 75 fish.
I am not in favor of minimum size limits; this just takes the bigger ones out.
I agree. A minimum size limit wouldn’t work. A maximum would but that seems kind of silly as well. I think the main thing is that the DNR and other environmental groups need to pound it home to everyone (not just the elderly) that we should only take what we need and put back the rest. A reduced limit would be great, but the big thing is to educate the people who are taking their limit each day about what is happening to the fish population. WF99, you are correct, it is legal to keep a limit, but if everyone kept a limit every day, we’d be in big trouble, and small pressured lakes would be worse off yet
Just my .02 
Quote:
Cut the sunfish bag limit to ten per person per day on the entire MN-WI stretch of the Mississippi, without any size restrictions. A minimum size limit on bluegills would place more fishing pressure on the large males needed to keep the population size structure intact, while leaving smaller fish to spawn, and thus stop growing. The result of a minimum size limit for sunfish would be a population made up of smaller fish.
I agree………Good Thread…..
I personally think that it’s really only 10% of the total fishermen that are taking full limits and even poaching fish above limits, but that’s really just my opinion based on what I have experienced. Limits can help and hurt a fish species in any given environment.
I have a fishing license in both MN and WI and follow the rules to the letter in both states. The one thing about the limit differences in the two states that I haven’t seen anyone mention is that WI lumps all panfish into one 25 limit group. While MN has separate limits for each species. If any reduction in WI limits is imposed … I would like to see them separate the species out into individual groups.
I went out on Lake Kegonsa last weekend and caught my 25 limit, but it was not just Bluegill in that count. I had Perch and Stripers in there too. So, 25 fish in WI is all panfish. In MN it’s 20 Sunfish, 30 Rock, 30 White, 20 Perch, and 10 Crappie. If WI reduces it’s limit … it should also separate the species like MN.
But then, That means in WI you have to stop at 25 (all pan fish species) for that day. In MN I could come home 110 fish a day (IF, big if, you caught the limit for each species).
Our local lake Menomin went to a 10 fish limit (panfish) number of years ago–when it came down to brass tacks, it was due to the amount of double bagging occurring (mainly by older anglers), which was impossible to control-behind a closed door, it was explained to me that least now they are only taking 20 fish v/s 50 fish(old 25 fish limit). I know this sounds bad, but with only 2 wardens in our county, how hard would it be to get away with anything?? Also, with the advent of better flashers, GPS, fish cameras and the such, people are just plain old more efficient at finding and catching.
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