Run over any nets lately?

Friend and I were up to the cabin the weekend of oct 27-30th. Chasing ducks, grouse, and walleyes. Did okay. Closed the cabin down. Sunday morning rolled into the cut foot launch and the motor snagged a net. What a mess. Found out this region has quite a history of neglect. I purchased a government lease here this past year and experienced some very interesting practices being deployed. I’ve been visiting the Lake Winnie area for 10 years now. Now I own. Anyone else run into situations like this on bowstring / ball club / Winnie / leech? Similar? First time poster longtime visitor…

I don’t mean to be a negative Nellie on this forum for my first post. Just trying to see if this is common practice for the region. I do plan on giving updates for the Lake Winnie and Cut Foot Sioux Lake area in upcoming future. I see the last post for Winnie is may.

Normally the nets are marked well but ocasionally they are not. We have gotten tangled up in them twice on Leech and not on purpose as it is alot of work to get out of. Some nets could be anyone neting whitefish as well so you never know whom they blong to.

This one had a lot of good fish in it. Very small white buoys. 50 yards long. Working to untangle the prop we could see it had been there awhile. 2-3 days. The fish were falling apart. No white fish either. Called the local CO. No response. Fishing was good for us. Hard time getting slot fish, but, the action was good and plenty of variety.

Yes you will find that as well. One is supposed to check them each day by law but some just do not and there is just too much area her for our CO’s to cover. Legally one cannot tamper with someones elses net but if it had been ther that long then one should be able to pull it, but once again the law protects the stupid and lazy. We net white fish each year and get some nice fish. One of the best eating fish right out of the cold wate there is but freeze them then they are only good for smoking at that point in my opinion. Cold wet work but it can be rewarding. Too bad all people do not care as much as they should.

Paul Berger wrote:

This one had a lot of good fish in it. Very small white buoys. 50 yards long. Working to untangle the prop we could see it had been there awhile. 2-3 days. The fish were falling apart. No white fish either. Called the local CO. No response.

Now that’s all just rather sad…that story right there. Maybe it was the CO’s net?

How does one locate and dispense nets for white fish? Where do they frequent? Mid-lake? Open water basins and suspended? Just wondering?

Ancient chinees secret!! LOL we try to set off bull rushes and rocky shorelines etc… They are cold water fish so they spawn in the shallows. Find an old timer that has done it and they will show you. That is how I learned and am still learning every time I go out. It is getting to be a lost art.

Sounds like a science??

Kabekonacrazy did I read your commentary in this weeks MN Outdoor News?

I did not notice where was it? I did not submit anything.

This weeks Outdoor News commentary was about whitefish and tullibee netting. Page 3 The writer was from Kabetogama.

Yep. On Cutfoot Last October pulling plugs in the evening. Net was marked on the shallow side, 10 ft from shore and the deep side was unmarked. Buried 2 cranks in it. Pulled it up to retrieve our lures. Luckily it never got in the prop. The little section we got to see had 50/50 suckers to walleyes.