Please fill my bag full with your feelings of barriers.
Our primary goals for the Summit — identify the barriers that prevent better fishing and the strengthening of fishing’s economic benefits in Minnesota, so we can begin working together to eliminate them.
Geez, of all people you are the last that should ask. You know more about the DNR, policy & the needs than anybody working in the DNR.
Here is what I want to know. Is this “summit or pow wow” any different than what the DNR has going on Mille Lacs? There they formed a input council so they could say that sportsman opinions were considered and then ignored any and all input they received. Will this be different? Or is this just about trying to grab some money before Walz pisses it all away?
I don’t think this is about the DNR Dutch. Although like I said in the other post, I don’t know anymore then what was in the invite. I don’t even know how all is invited.
I’ll be reporting back with hopefully something positive on the 3rd or 4th.
This is the question that I’m asking anyone that would like to give feedback on. I’m pretty sure they don’t want MY answers.
Our primary goals for the Summit — identify the barriers that prevent better fishing and the strengthening of fishing’s economic benefits in Minnesota, so we can begin working together to eliminate them.”
I emailed you a pertinent question to that topic, hopefully you or someone in attendance will ask. There’s a bunch of things I would add to the end of improving MN fishing, but this governor and commissioner don’t seem to care what regular citizens think, especially pertaining to rocks and cows country.
I’m not sure about “barriers that prevent better fishing” – for most that is an individuals access to a boat,money, etc. There is excellent fishing here, now. I would be more concerned with preserving it.
Without turning it into a gripe-fest, I would rank my issues being
1. Limits, reduce them.
2. Enforcement, increase it.
3. Do away with mundane, feel-good, ineffectual AIS checks, I’d rather pay $20 per year for an AIS sticker like ND and forget about it.
4. Fish cleaning stations at landing (like ND).
“Strengthening of fishings economic benefit” – I guess I’m not interested in the states ability to make a sporting heritage a better* revenue stream. My opinion is that the sport is at a carrying capacity based on the launches and litter I see.
Maybe this spring is wearing on me, but I have little faith in the state doing anything sensible.
Issues that prevent better fishing and strengthening an economy based on fishing…
1. Netting and spearing of fish during the closed spawning season.
Worm, I’ll be taking your question to the Summit.
Pike,
It’s interesting to see how different people read the same words. I’m not saying I’m right, but I took “Strengthening of fishings economic benefit” to mean spending money at gas stations, resorts, sporting goods shops, boat dealers, ect. Never thought it had anything to do with the State’s pockets…but I guess if theirs’s more people driving, buying ect we will sell more licenses.
It’s on the list.
Mark- 
1. Netting and spearing of fish during the closed spawning season.
This X a Gazillion!!
On Pools 4 and 5 for sure…significantly lengthening the excluded area beneath dams for fishing (at minimum during the Spring).
It costs next to nothing outside of signage, and would increase the survival of thousands of dinky walleye and sauger ripped from scour holes. It could also keep things safer in the event of an emergency being further from the dam.
BK, I’ll offer these suggestions for you to seamlessly slide into this crowd.
A) Take a knee and bow to Walz. (he believes himself to be highly educated and above us normal tax payers, unless he’s buying votes, so make him feel good)
B) Tell the members of MNFISH they are doing a fantastic job and the sportsman of Minnesota are 100% behind their agenda err case.
Maybe you and Tommy Nuestrom can slide off to the side and you can ask him a question for me. Ask him why if MNFISH is so pro fishing why haven’t they ever done anything with one of the largest fishing forums in the state? Never made a announcement here, never tried to recruit members here, never did anything here. Personally I think we are all beneath that bunch but lets see what they say.
As always, these are my opinions and everybody ought to think for themselves.
If talking Southern Minnesota, a barrier for me is water quality. Too much phosphorus and nitrates making their way in, mostly from agriculture but also from lakeshore property (and I own lakeshore property so please don’t take this as an attack). Bottom line is that most lakes in southern Minnesota become deep swamps by mid-June. Yes, there’s fish there, but I don’t enjoy it when I can’t see my lure 3″ below the surface, my line is coated in slime and the smell is often unbearable. I’m in my mid-40s and even I can remember a time when it was much better and I always hear tales from the previous generations of mow much better the lakes in Southern Minnesota used to be.
BK I have one off the top of my head even though it does not effect me too much as I am usually on the river or backwaters.
Namely try to prevent lake associations from turning lakes into their own semi private playground through their invasive species rules, inspection and enforcement that limit access.
Along with this stronger over site of weed Eridication chemicals that can decimate habitat.
1. Stop netting in general. For any reason. Sustenance fishing is a thing of the past. No one should be able to run commercial operations on a public resource like fish (Walleye) on public lakes in Minnesota.
2. Let us use 2 lines in the summer. Why can we use 2 in the winter but not summer? It doesn’t change how many fish we can keep.
3. Decrease the walleye limit to 4 statewide.
4. Do something about these wake boats ruining weed beds and shorelines.
5. Save the money spent on the AIS workers at all of these public accesses, and use the money to research ways to get rid of invasive species. (Fishermen aren’t the problem here)
6. Open walleye season up year around. Make it C&R only during the currently closes season (March-May). Only around 200 lakes have walleye reproducing naturally.
I’m sure I can continue to come up with ideas.
Brian
I think the elephant in the room is us. People. Fishermen. Sportsmen. Baby-boomers. Native Americans. I’m one of them, all of the above, though just a smidge Dakota Sioux. So are lots of guys on IDO. The population “boom”, plus the technology boom, is really peaking at this time. The results speak for themselves. Smaller and fewer fish than the good old days.
I’m all for technology and really want to get the latest and greatest stuff. Probably will get 360 or a live version. But I’m also all for reduced bag limits and size restrictions. I don’t need to eat my bag limit every day. Should listen to Mom and eat more vegetables.
I love catching fish. The tug is the drug. But I can release slot fish. And I can keep fewer fish.
And I can someday take my grandkids fishing for fun. And Native Americans can teach their grandkids their traditional technology.
We, all of us, are the problem. And we can be the solution. No exceptions, no excuses, no finger pointing.
Please fill my bag full with your feelings of barriers.
Our primary goals for the Summit — identify the barriers that prevent better fishing and the strengthening of fishing’s economic benefits in Minnesota, so we can begin working together to eliminate them.
Identify the barriers that prevent better fishing…Ahem…politicians.
Our primary goals for the Summit — identify the barriers that prevent better fishing…
Lakeshore and aquatic habitat improvement:
1. Stopping cabin and lakeshore owners from decimating aquatic habitat by stripping the lake and lakeshore down to bare sand and rip-rap.
Tens of thousands of acres or more of aquatic habitat have been devastated by lakeshore property owners who have illegally extended their property into the lake itself.
2. Re-naturalizing lakeshore and aquatic habitat that was destroyed by lakeshore owners. Place hard limits on developing structures that extend onto the lake.
3. Establish continuous improvement rather than crisis management.
Conservation and enforcement.
1. Support and fund the hiring of over 100 more conservation officers and enforcement personnel for Minnesota. Laws are of no consequence unless they can be enforced and right now enforcement is massively understaffed.
2. Decrease limits across the board.
Changing the fishing culture in Minnesota.
1. Replace the emphasis on catching and keeping fish with an emphasis on fishing and enjoyment of the outdoors.
2. Manage lakes for the OVERALL fishing experience.
3. Reduce or eliminate the influence of groups that want to privatize lakes for the enjoyment of wealthy lakeshore owners.
4. Restore access to lakes by making more public access parking available.
Advertise proper catch and release / fish handling techniques!
increase carp reduction efforts
Prohibit boats from Iowa from fishing the river from Feb 1st to May 1st!!!! haha that last one is more for me!
Complexity of the regulations. For example, the DNR has done studies asking why MN anglers don’t fish for trout. The regs are ridiculously complicated. The new Northern Pike rules aren’t much better. A lot of people don’t want to get into trouble breaking a rule they can’t figure out in the first place. I know it’s not fishing, but I was considering a spring Turkey hunt on my daughter’s farm. I read the rules five times and I still don’t know what I can and can’t do. The intention may be good, but I don’t want to take a laptop and a lawyer out in the boat.
SR
Barriers that prevent better fishing?
Without a doubt, having any closed season at any time. Allowing catch and release for everything year round is the epitome of “better fishing”. Quit making people find loopholes in the law to go fishing.
If talking Southern Minnesota, a barrier for me is water quality. Too much phosphorus and nitrates making their way in, mostly from agriculture but also from lakeshore property (and I own lakeshore property so please don’t take this as an attack). Bottom line is that most lakes in southern Minnesota become deep swamps by mid-June. Yes, there’s fish there, but I don’t enjoy it when I can’t see my lure 3″ below the surface, my line is coated in slime and the smell is often unbearable. I’m in my mid-40s and even I can remember a time when it was much better and I always hear tales from the previous generations of mow much better the lakes in Southern Minnesota used to be.
This times a thousand.
Think abbout why so many people drive north to fish, when they already live in an area ful of lakes.
Why cities with a public park on a lake also have a man made pool at the park. Who would want to swim in most of the lakes south of the metro?
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>ThunderLund78 wrote:</div>
If talking Southern Minnesota, a barrier for me is water quality. Too much phosphorus and nitrates making their way in, mostly from agriculture but also from lakeshore property (and I own lakeshore property so please don’t take this as an attack). Bottom line is that most lakes in southern Minnesota become deep swamps by mid-June. Yes, there’s fish there, but I don’t enjoy it when I can’t see my lure 3″ below the surface, my line is coated in slime and the smell is often unbearable. I’m in my mid-40s and even I can remember a time when it was much better and I always hear tales from the previous generations of mow much better the lakes in Southern Minnesota used to be.This times a thousand.
Think abbout why so many people drive north to fish, when they already live in an area ful of lakes.
Why cities with a public park on a lake also have a man made pool at the park. Who would want to swim in most of the lakes south of the metro?
Until something is done about fertilizers, shoreline development, and ag runoff, nothing will change.
Agriculture’s representation and backing with lawmakers could financially swallow every entity other than oil in this country. The United States has sold more fertilizer year on year for decades constantly shattering new records.
…….that’s all for today. I saw some broadleaf and a bare spot 90 yards away in my lawn. I need to go weed and feed. I’ll be back to complain about water quality after.
Conservation and enforcement.
1. Support and fund the hiring of over 100 more conservation officers and enforcement personnel for Minnesota. Laws are of no consequence unless they can be enforced and right now enforcement is massively understaffed.
I know a lot of people who want to be conservation officers, but the hiring process is absurd. It is the most intense background investigation I’ve ever heard of. They send 4 page packets (seriously in depth questionnaire about the applicant) to anyone whose ever spoken to you. They go through all of your financial statements, get access from the BANK to go through your records. Then they require you to go to a 4 month boot camp at camp Ripley. Once you’re done there, you get shipped off to different stations throughout the state and you don’t get to decide where you end up. My fiancé went part way through the background and said enough is enough. The CO that was doing her background drove 3 hours to where she grew up and knocked on doors to ask neighbors questions about her. Then he spent 2 hours going through her phone.
In the end, they are not offering enough $ to make people go through that. Applicants are put on blast and then forced to be away from their significant others & families, or move completely upon completion of the program. For what they’re offering as a starting salary is not worth moving across the state for. Then to top it all off, the CO that was doing her background said that he hasn’t been in the field for 6 months. He was spending all of his time in the Cities doing crowd control for different trials that were happening. So essentially a state trooper.
That being said, they’re way short handed on CO’s currently, but they’ll never fill all the positions at this rate. No one who is established somewhere is willing to flip their lives upside down for this.
Having a job as a conservation officer is certainly not what it used to be.
The new Northern Pike rules aren’t much better. A lot of people don’t want to get into trouble breaking a rule they can’t figure out in the first place. I know it’s not fishing, but I was considering a spring Turkey hunt on my daughter’s farm. I read the rules five times and I still don’t know what I can and can’t do. The intention may be good, but I don’t want to take a laptop and a lawyer out in the boat.
I don’t find the pike regulations to be difficult to understand. There are 3 zones and there are slot sizes/specific limits in each of those zones. Certain lakes have their own regs, just like they do for walleyes.
Just wondering, specifically what did you find confusing about the spring turkey hunting regs?
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Steve Root wrote:</div>
The new <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>Northern Pike rules aren’t much better. A lot of people don’t want to get into trouble breaking a rule they can’t figure out in the first place. I know it’s not fishing, but I was considering a spring Turkey hunt on my daughter’s farm. I read the rules five times and I still don’t know what I can and can’t do. The intention may be good, but I don’t want to take a laptop and a lawyer out in the boat.I don’t find the <em class=”ido-tag-em”>pike regulations to be difficult to understand. There are 3 zones and there are slot sizes/specific limits in each of those zones. Certain lakes have their own regs, just like they do for walleyes.
Just wondering, specifically what did you find confusing about the spring turkey hunting regs?
I think to the average person, the regulations are quite confusing. You hear people talk about bag limits, daily limits, possession limits, gifting, etc. I’m guessing if you got 10 average joe fisherman together they would give you 10 different responses on how many walleyes they can keep during a weekend of fishing…
I really believe the main problem our fisheries face is the fact that we have no where near the amount of officers to actually make sure our regs are being enforced and followed. It’s embarrassing the number of officers we have. We should be trying to fill that void so that the regs we do have are enforced.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
Conservation and enforcement.1. Support and fund the hiring of over 100 more conservation officers and enforcement personnel for Minnesota. Laws are of no consequence unless they can be enforced and right now enforcement is massively understaffed.
I know a lot of people who want to be conservation officers, but the hiring process is absurd. It is the most intense background investigation I’ve ever heard of. They send 4 page packets (seriously in depth questionnaire about the applicant) to anyone whose ever spoken to you. They go through all of your financial statements, get access from the BANK to go through your records. Then they require you to go to a 4 month boot camp at camp Ripley. Once you’re done there, you get shipped off to different stations throughout the state and you don’t get to decide where you end up. My fiancé went part way through the background and said enough is enough. The CO that was doing her background drove 3 hours to where she grew up and knocked on doors to ask neighbors questions about her. Then he spent 2 hours going through her phone.
In the end, they are not offering enough $ to make people go through that. Applicants are put on blast and then forced to be away from their significant others & families, or move completely upon completion of the program. For what they’re offering as a starting salary is not worth moving across the state for. Then to top it all off, the CO that was doing her background said that he hasn’t been in the field for 6 months. He was spending all of his time in the Cities doing crowd control for different trials that were happening. So essentially a state trooper.
That being said, they’re way short handed on CO’s currently, but they’ll never fill all the positions at this rate. No one who is established somewhere is willing to flip their lives upside down for this.
Having a job as a conservation officer is certainly not what it used to be.
Wow, that explains a lot.
I do have a question for mnfish.
Are they concerned about making fishing better for minnesotan’s or for tourism?
I’m gonna get toasted, but here goes.
Eliminate all tournaments other than catch and release. The tech is there to weigh, photo, measure without the fish bouncing around in a live well until the weigh in.
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