Personally have never met Dan.
If he is within his legal limits, is this really an issue? If someone is good at fishing and has the time to do it, do they need a separate limit? Really? Limits are set and I highly doubt, Dan is ruining the grade curve. If one individual was ruining the curve that much, I would guess they would have to start keeping tabs on his annual harvest, to determine regulations, on the body of water they were fishing. Damp-nation that’s a huge assumption, that one person can have that large of an impact on a body of water, that sees fishing pressure from two bordering states, allows two lines and unlimited open seasons on it’s resource, that continues to thrive. I highly doubt Dan and his clients are going to harm the populations of walleyes or saugers on the Mississippi River System. There are many guys, that fish and harvest huge annual poundage from that river system and have been doing so for years. Both DNR’s keep a close eye on that system. If there was that much concern from fisheries biologist, they would lower the limit. Not just for Dan but the rest of the people who take advantage of the resource that is there. To many sportsman are getting a preservationists mind set towards our recourses. It is way out of bounds imo to the joy of hunting and fishing in general. Sure, there are game hogs but I doubt Dan is one. Catch and release only fishermen have a narrow minded view of the resource. I have the disease. I love to bass fish and it pains me to see a bass caught and kept. But fish don’t live forever. The bass fishing resource, all over MN is thriving, even though there are people who catch bass and keep them. I chose to release them. Am I doing the species a huge favor? I like to think so. But in certain circumstances, keeping fish is better for the resource, than releasing them. If you think what Dan is doing is bad, take a trip up to Lake of the Woods and watch those charter captains fill the boats with fish day, after day. But that resource is thriving. Limits and seasons are set to protect the resource. If someone is within their daily and possession limits and does it day in and day out, I see little harm or foul in it. And wish them all the luck in the world.
Dan,
Nice reports and posts. Keep up the good work of getting your clientele on fish and giving the rest of us reports. If you decied to keep fish or release them, good for you.
Good luck and have a great spring!