Statewide NO CULL RULE for Minnesota

Hey! I just noticed I’m not a NEWBIE anymore! I feel like it’s Christmas again!

Hey, why am I still a Rookie—is this a government conspiracy or is it just when you admit to being a catfisherman you are labeled for life!!!!

This reg. is up for the DNR to revue.We talked about it at our last Federation meeting. the no cull rule was put into effect in states before live wells where in almost every boat.As for the comments on this post about walleye tournaments voulenteer no cull it was not to long ago walleye tournament anglers would kill the large walleyes so they would not puke in the live wells[dirty little secrect]. public opinion is what made most catch and release.We do want catch and release in MN on bass. Bass anglers should not be punished by a no cull rule.We have been takeing care of our reasource for 30 years now.I do also beleave that the cull law reads as a cull is taken a full limit of fish releasing them,then replace them with another.My understanding of this law was to stop pan fish anglers from putting pan fish on stringers[before live wells]and returning the fish [almost always dead] and replacing panfish with bigger fish.This is not catch and realease this is culling.

I just finished reading this entire thread. I found it very interesting and found myself jumping from one side to the other after reading the arguments in each post. For me, I strictly fish for pleasure. I don’t eat any fish I catch thus I release everything (That could change if I were to catch a real wall hanger! It would have to be extremly exceptional though… I have released some pretty big fish) From what I see, the main people that would be affected by this are tournement anglers. The meat fishermen that would do this are in my opinion, getting greedy. If it’s big enough to keep to eat to begin with, catching one a few ounces or inches larger would not be the difference in feeding you and the wife or having one of you go hungry! While I am not a big fan of tournements, (my son and I have been buzzed by waaaay too many 18′ 200 hp bass boats while fishing the pool 8 back waters )I can see the problem they would have with it. It’s too bad, with today’s technology, we cant put a computer device in the tournement boats that would measure, weigh, and record each fish caught and list only the top five! All fish would then be true catch and release and not catch, bounce around, stress, and then release. I understand that would eliminate the showmanship of the anglers at weigh in but it would be even better for the fish! (which is what were all after right?) At any rate, I realize this is an old thread, but I thought what better way to get my feet wet on the fishing boards than to jump in on a potentialy hot topic!

Thought I’d throw in one or two points after I called the DNR the other day.
He said that it reads when a “limit” is reduced to possession, that you really can’t fish keep fishing, as you already have a “limit” in the boat. I asked him is that why most tourneys are then 5 fish events, he said yes. as you only have 5 fish instead of 6, you then do NOT have a limit in possession, you catch a 6th, then put back your smallest, so you always keep only 5 in the well. and He said that is not a problem. by only have 5 you then do not have a limit in possession. Jack.

Just wondering? Many of us here enjoy our meals of the various species of fish that we catch…but….at the same time we are also supporters of “catch and release” practices. I know this is a goofy way to put this, but, isnt catch and release basically the same as culling. We take a few fish home to the wife for a meal and enjoy the rest of the day fishing with a buddy releasing fish. So if we are just catch and releasing….which is a good thing…..we would have to stop fishing completely to curb the loss of fish due to temp,hook,depth,mis-handeling(even accidental) or any other intrusion to the fish that we all cause every time we just go fishing??

Hey homme…
The only difference is that culling can potentially put more stress on a fish by having it in the livewell for up to X amount of hours, where C&R is an immediate release, and thus less stres.. That’s how I look at it.

Question,In WS. in individual tournys if I weight in a five fish limit that came out of my livewell then realease them havn t I culled my limit or caught and released them. Culling is the realease of possesion limit not catch realease.Any new laws should help the recource not punish the pusuit of the game if it is thriveing and doing great by proper catch and release by the anglers.