Trout opener

Does Trout open this wkend? My regs are at home in my truck. Also, anyone hear about the DNR colsing a bunch of places to live bait fishing. There is a pitition floating around for thoes who appose to it.

Yes, the regular trout season opens tomorrow.

Good Fishing,
Mike

……and yes, there is a petition floating around in opposition to the new proposed LTM regulations. It is an extremely controversial issue, and it seems to have sparked growing hostility between a couple different groups of trout anglers……..we’ll see how it turns out

Hey there Mr. Chicken, could you please inform us older folks about whats going on with the LTM regulations?
Thanks, Bill

i’m not going to get into the details of it, but if you want to learn more just head over to the trout board. there has been quite a bit of discussion over there about the proposed LTM.

but in short…..

……those that oppose the issue are saying the rich, snobby, city livin, neopreme wadder wearin, purist fly fisherman folk amongst us are trying to take over all the streams in SE MN and some day will be able to prevent anyone from keeping a trout, EVER!!!!

…….and those that are for LTM are saying the Y-stick lovin, worm dunkin, stringer fillin, meat mongers are the sole cause of the apparent lack of large trophy trout and are preventing SE MN from living up to it’s true potential as a world class trout fishery.

so who’s right???…..who’s wrong???…..who knows

personaly, i would love to see a LTM plan take effect (as the last time i kept a trout was over 4 years ago)……but from what i saw and heard from guys while i was working today, i think it still has a long up hill battle before any new regulations are put in place

Talk about some controversy, here it is. I spent my teenage years growing up in the Caledonia Mn. area, I learned the true value of Trout fishing to me. I am not oppesed to new ways to protect our resources but, I am opposed to someone telling me how I can or cannot fish. I am a crawler man and I love to fish trout this way, amount of time on hooksets and simple fish handling are a couple easy ways to prevent fish mortality, I wish anglers would donate a few more hooks by simply cutting their line and releasing their fish. I do have to laugh at the LL Bean customers with their new tags on the creeks and part of the problem is that these are the people who want this fish recovery wonderland. I say conservation starts right here by the people who love the sport and are willing to educate and be educated to protect our native streams. I feel we have the right to eat a fresh meal of trout and the right to fish them in any sportsmanlike manor. I hope the people trying to change this will take that into consideration and quit trying to make people fish strictly with artificial.

I HOPE IT IS LEGAL TO USE MY MINI BAITCASTER WITH #5 COUNTDOWN BLACK AND GOLD RAPS.

Riggy – anything in your hands should be considered a deadly weapon.

I too am a worm man and soemtimes like to keep a few for a meal. Last year I kept 5 for my son and I to eat while we camped. These were the only trout I’ve kept in about 8 years. If you ask me, SE MN trout fishing is getting regulated to death!

Hey Newt,

i guess i’m not sure how you can say that the SE MN trout streams are getting reguated to death…….if my recollection serves me correctly, as of right now, there are very few regulations in place on any of the streams. i can only think of two little streches of stream that are C&R and only a couple of others with size restrictions.

obviously these new proposed regs would add more streams to the mix……but the vast majority of the water will still remain un-regulated, keep whatever you want streams

and besides…..if you say you have only kept 5 trout in the last 8 years, i would think you would be for the new regs

When I first started trout fishing 24 years ago we had one opener and a fish limit, that’s it. Many people practiced catch and release. Soon there were catch and release only sections of streams, then there were artificials only sections of streams, then there were artificials and catch and release only sections of streams. Then the number of stream sections with specials regs increased to the point that if you wanted to fish a stream you hadn’t hit in a couple years you had to find the sign on that stretch of river that denoted were the special regs started and fish accordingly. Being a younger guy and not seeing the evolution of all this I can see your point. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a quality trout fishery. I seem to remember way back when that the big fish of the week at Mauer Bros. was pretty impressive, even by today’s standards. My frustation comes from continued regulations – the South Branch of the whitewater might become the fly fishers section and catch and release only and the North Branch barbless only worm chuckers – I’m afraid it might come to this! Its seems that every year there is some new reg or a twist on an old one. Isn’t there an indian treaty or something we can throw in here?

aight…..fair enough……..but there’s certainly no need to bring our native friends into this one

By the looks of Jakes hands [turning green] I think he has been hanging around ”Mojo Mike” and getting into Mike’s Mojo Bait. I don’t fish trout streams but if I did and may someday so I would be one of those guys who tosses out a hook, sinker and worm or a spinner. I have no experience with fly fishing equipement but do have to take my hat off to those guys who have mastered that way of catching trout as it is a skill.
Thanks, Bill

Venting is good….I feel better now. My kids and I caught about 4 doz crawlers the other night, I’m hoping to sink some squirmers around Elba this weekend. I’ll report back if catch anything.

I HAVE TROUBLE READING SOME OF THOSE SIGNS BECAUSE SOME WORDS ARE MISSING WHERE THE BULLET HOLES ARE.
ALSO, MOST YOUNGER KIDS ARE NOT AS SKILLED WITH CASTING LURES BETWEEN TREES AND BRANCHES, SO TAKING AWAY LIVE BAIT WOULD MAKE IT LESS ENJOYABLE FOR THEM.

I agree, for young kids this style of fishing is still a few years down the road. I would like to interest my kids in trout fishing but with the new regs. It would make it difficult.

somebody??? anybody???…….please,

sorry guys, but there’s nothing really that difficult about it……..even if these regs go through, there will still be 543 miles of non-regulated stream to fish. that’s close to 80% of all the designated trout waters. if you want to take a kid trout fishing, you’ll still have ample opportunity. all the popular bait fishermen streams/holes are still going to be open for that type of fishing.

the only specific one i’ve heard people grumbling over is camp creek going to total C&R…….but i guess i don’t understand why these people can’t just go fish the root if they want to keep a few.

For me I guess it comes down to this. If I am on a trout fishing excursion in SE MN and check my SE MN trout map and want to try a creek or tributary I don’t want to worry about getting there and finding that I may have to adjust my fishing technique or catch and release ethic for that day to fish that piece of water. You are correct in stating that there is a ton of water that have little or no restrictions on them and that is all well and good. But I think the point that is trying to be made here is that we are seeing an increase (or attempt in increase) in the amount of regulations every few years. This is why I was whinning.

My son and I hit the North and South Branches of the Whitewater river yesterday with only a few fish each. The streams were extremely clear (not the best for worm fishing) and were getting hit pretty hard by the fishermen. We lost more than we landed but it was good to finally get out and wet a line.