Sad sight to see

Went to Everetts on Tues and as we were cleaning our less than 17 inch keepers for the day, I noticed all the skins and bodies of other fish caught during the week. I gotta tell ya when you see fish in the 20 to 28 inch range laying in a bucket with eggs, it really xxxxxx you off. If your reading this and are one of these inconsiderate people who dont know what this does to a fishery, than maybe you better take lessons first. Its not a crime to do this nor is it a crime to keep a wall mounter but why butcher your source of pleasure. There are so many smaller fish to make a meal. Please reconsider next time.

i agree also. the big ones dont taste very good anyway. the smaller ones are the best eating. put them back for our future. make redwing a place that wont ever bee forgotten for its walleye factory….

Fishinfool, I can’t agree more…..

I’d sure like to see some changes. The way things are now, a guy can legally keep 6 ten pounders if he chose to.

We are all getting a heck of a lot better at fishing the river at Red Wing. I was shocked at some of the fish I saw taken last weekend. Changes in the law are needed now. And don’t give me “The DNR says….” line! I don’t buy it and I beleive it is based on old data and studies.

I hope we can go to a Rainey River rule for the months of March and April soon. A 2 fish limit, none over 19.5 inches. Let these spawners have their day

With the inland waters closed to keeping walleye from late Feb till the May opener, the river is the only game in town. This change just plain makes sense.

Jon J.

Minnesota has the “one over 24″ rule” that seems to be unknown , ignored and not enforced. Does Wisconsin have anything like this? As a group , we need to lobby for a conservation effort that would slow down the keeping of the breeding stock. There seems to be plenty of “eater size” fish available.
Dino

Dino,

Unfortunately, the one over 24 rule only applies to inland waters. You may harvest 6 fish with no maximum size, only a 15 inch minimum on boundary waters.

J.

When you have experienced excellent fishing in the past and then loose it,then you know what your missing,but the game is overby then.Rumor has it that Iowa is going to implement a slot limit next year to protect larger spawning fish.Maybe your state should consider this.

I think the boundry waters in general are an under-regulated, under-enforced area that needs to be taken a close look at. Wisconsin has done some pretty impressive things with selective harvests and slot limits, but the regulations on the Mississippi seem to get overlooked or undermanaged in my opinion. I know we don’t want them to shut things down and some people probably think there are too many regs in too many places already, but changes could be made based on scientific research with input from advisory boards and a concesus of the states involved to help ensure that the fishery stays intact. I have seen previous discussions about people being willing to foot some of the bills associated with enforcement, etc. and I applaud these attitudes.

A week ago I was over there too and saw some guys haul a pail full into the cleaning shack. I poked my nose in there to see what they had and it was obvious they really didn’t want me to see too much but they had several in the 5# range laying on the table. I kept 2 – 17 inch males that day, just enough for dinner but I sure didn’t like to see those fat females being used up.

This is sad to see. I agree totally with selective harvest and practice this. But, if anyone to blame it is the DNR. You can’t expect everyone to understand selective harvest. Many of these are guys that don’t fish much or old timers used to keeping everything and have never been educated with selective harvest. I see the same thing, but 10x worse it seems at Devils Lake in ND (no close season in ND either)…

I guess this is part of the price we pay for having no close season on the river… I hope they will put in some slot limits to protect the females (not a Mille Lacs type slot, but a slot to protect fish over 20″). That would be nice. I sure like the fact that it is open year round and we have a place to fish during the off-season. I’m sure this is something we all take for granted, but some could argue that closing the season during spawn would be an answer…

I was going to comment in my post from yesterday… Ive seen over the last few trips the rise in intelligent informed fishing pressure is unprecedented at Red Wing… this is a recent thing but I agree with you that think it WILL take its toll… I could not believe yesterday how many were doing the right things in the right spots… instead of just rushing to the dam in a big crowd… in fact the area from the Y up was one of the least crowded areas I found to fish!!… I even took a picture yesterday and would post it.. but I dont think that works right now…. WE have spread the word and many have listened… and even though not everybody has it all figured out yet… its just a matter of time… I hope as a group our ethics mature as fast as our fishing ability or there could be some severe damage done to the fishery…..
also there IS evidence in some river studies done not long ago that the size of the spawning population DOES have an impact on spawn success…. its not as big a factor as environment conditions… but it IS a factor… how could it NOT be… I dont care of conditions are perfect… if there are insufficent fish to spawn you have a problem!!

i agree with everyone here, seems like to me when i talk to most of these guys they hardly get out fishing, so they keep whatever they catch that is legal. There have been a couple chances that i have been able to persuade them to let their big ones go for a fewer smaller ones with some older guys that i know. They went for it. The thing is that they look at it as being one fish compared to how many are on the river. It would be great if there would be some kind of program to educate some people about it, but they would probably not go. Is there anything that has been proposed to the dnr or anything that has been shot down at all?

i got an idea.

how about we make everyone that reads this site take a pledge before they can get any info. regarding fishing the river. have some kind of window pop up when they click on the reports sectoin that explains the importance of C&R. they then would have to agree to release every fish over 20″ they catch before they could read any fishing report .

i know that a lot of people wouldn’t take it seriously and it would be impossible to enforce anyhting like that, but at least you could get the information out there better then just on a few threads here and there. if you put it before every report you could educate all the more people that don’t take time to read the post about it in the disscusion forums .

i’d have to think that most of the people that have logged on here as members already use C&R and selective harvest techniques. it’s those who are just looking for the hot bite and just want the report of where the big ones are biting that you have to worry about. these are the people we need to educate better .

just a thought (pretty rainbow)

A slot limit I think would do the system real good. How about 20″-28″ and only one over 28″ …maybe those sizes aren’t the perfect sizes but you get the idea. I’m looking to protect the most productive spawners in the system.

Maybe fishsqzr could enlighten us with the size limits that would most benefit our resource….

Hi ecnook,

I’m sure you mean a protected slot! But, at this time of year, March and April, I’d like to see all fish over 20″ go back. After May 1st, go ahead and get one for the wall!

Jon J.

Anyone opposed to shortening that even more? Say……….to 18″? Anything between 15 – 18″ would be the keeper slot.

As for size and benefit to the resource, didn’t fishsqzr just give us a briefing on another thread? It was when we were talking about all the paddlefish. Not that I wouldn’t want to read his input again…………..it’s GREAT STUFF! Anyway, it crossed my mind.

I have to agree with Jon J. on this one. No fish over 20” in March and April for a period of X number of years to see if it would bebefit the fishery. I think it could really help make pool 4 a better fishery than it already is. Alot of people have digital cameras so pics can be taken and then the fish are released. Thanks, Bill

15 to 18 is good eating size. Personally, I kept saugers last year because I could keep them smaller than 15 inches for eating.

I believe that most people that surf the web or visit a board like this are informed (I’m using a wide paint brush here).

It’s generally, fishermen (and woman) that don’t have frequent access to large numbers or large sizes of fish that want to take as many and as large of fish that they can because they aren’t use to it.

Most people do follow the rules, so we and the DNR need to ensure the rules are correct the body of water. I’m not against C&R during the spawn, if fact now that I think about it, I’m in favor of it.

15″-18″ keeper slot with NO others all year long would suit me just fine.Just because a female doesn’t have eggs in her in July or September doesn’t mean she won’t have them again next spring….

If….no ……WHEN, i get that 12-15 pounder I will take some pix, get a length and girth on her and back she goes…It’s a replica for me, with my picture of me holding it next to it…..

My personal eating habits mostly are down at Fort Mulligan’s down town PdC with a cold Killian’s Irish Red on tap…..

I’ll see ya there on friday 5’ish

Has the walleye fishery on the river started to decline? I agree that it isn’t acceptable to harvest these big fish especially when they are in the spawn. But I also have seen a great catch and release ethic being practiced on the river. Education is the key. Let every catch and kill fisherman you know the importance of releasing those big fish. Remember when you were a kid and you wanted to keep every fish you caught, and how you had to learn to become a C&R fisherman. I’m not sure further regs would work, because basically there is no enforcement anyway. Now if anyone would like to introduce a resolution to stop this harvest you may do it at the Wisconsin DNR spring fish and wildlife rules hearings on Monday April, 14th at 7:00 pm. The meetings are held in every county of the state. The meeting for Peirce County is at the Ellsworth Middle School. Also you can vote on proposed rule changes, and elect your Conservation Congress Representatives. Maybe we should take a poll and ask if there is a decline in the fishery on the river.

Baitcaster,

Just a couple comments….

1. I don’t think it is any of my business to say anything to an angler who is keeping a legal fish….even though it may be a bucket full of 5 pounders! (That’s the current situation that I’d like to see changed.)

2. I don’t buy the argument that the law won’t matter because it won’t be enforced. Catch and keep an illegal fish near me and I see it happen, there will be enforcement! I can assure you of that. I don’t go out any more without my camera and cell phone. Something to keep in mind.

All of us can help enforce all of the game and fish laws and it is our duty to do so.

Jon J.

I think this is why I like Pool 2. Everything goes back. I thought I wouldn’d like it at first but now that I photo my catch and then release it all makes sense. Besides it makes me feel good to see that EYE swim away to be caught another day.

As someone who lives in the area, it burns me up whenever I see a livewell running or people falling all over themselves so they can plunge the net in to land a 12 inch sauger. I would like to see the river made “catch and release” from 1/1 to at least 4/15. That way the people that wanted to fish could fish and the meat fisherman would have to adapt or find something else to do. My 2 cents worth.

Until the limits of possession, and the size limits of fish kept, are made uncomfortable for the sportsperson to live with, the slaughter of reproductive fish will continue. The information provided on how to, where to, and when to, catch a fish, are too accurate, too precise, and too final. The fishing world is too technical, for the survival of the larger fish. The meat hunters are having a go at it now, because of loose possession, and size limits. Change the laws so that 6, 10 lb. fish, or 25 slab crappies or white bass , or 10 catfish, cannot be harvested.

I do not like to keep big walleyes nor do I like to see others keep them — that is just my personal feelings. The DNR has stated they don’t plan to change any laws until the sampling data shows the fishery is getting worst – could be too late then. So don’t expect any action until we are in trouble for several years.

A question for those of you that what to put limits on the size/number of walleyes. Would you still support these changes if they also pertained to the tournament fishermen?

Dave Gulczinski

I think that falls into the MEATHOG catagory!
It’s 2003 and hard to believe people still do that.
It’s a personal thing with me but I’m C & R on the Sippi.
What do people think of the fish consumption advisory?
As far as the river(s) being under enforced I’d have to disagree. You’ve got CoastGuard, MN/WI DNR, MN/WI sheriffs, and the National Park Service (Croix) 5 or 6 agencies involved and I’ve seen all of them on the river checking people.

Ferny.

as much as i like to keep a few fish to eat around this time. I guess my mom could go buy her fish if it meant that none of the bigger(spawners) were kept. I would be willing to sacrafice that. The thing is is that nothing like this will ever happen. Maybe a slot limit could occur like most lakes have. I believe this would be great for the mississippi.

Dave G,
That is the major downfall of slots in my opinion – tournament fishing… who wants to fish a tournament that is largely dependent on luck (if your fish fall in the 14-16″ class for example on Mille Lacs). Slots are great, but they suck for tournament fishing. They can’t and won’t make exceptions for tournament anglers.

I understand the tournament concerns… it seems to me we need the ability to be flexible for tourneys….. or we need some other answers… a way to have a tourney without harvest of fish…… there must be a way.. and it will evolve, Im sure

I think a digital scale and digital camera in every boat with time/date stamp for tournaments would possibly work. Or, worst case you have patrol boats that you call to certify your catch on the water. I think the main reason they don’t make some changes is because they want to make the weigh-in such a big deal.

I know many of these tournaments won’t allow you to even weigh a fish in early and return to fishing… Once you weigh in, your done. They seem to want everyone to come in at the end of the day with a basket of fish for the spectators… Even though keeping them in the livewell all day pounding waves, in my opinion kills a lot of fish…

I hope to see changes in this area. I like to fish tournaments and think they all make a good effort to save fish, but I just think it stresses out the fish and I know many don’t recover. Especially later in the year with the warmer water…

I don’t see anyone bending the rules for tournament anglers, but I do see more of a catch and release style of tournament fishing in the future. Maybe they will capture these releases on video and have the video clips shown to the audience at the weigh-in while interviewing anglers..

Education and pressure from fellow anglers Works. I agree with most of you on this subject for it has been years since I have kept any fish from the Miss. I would like to see it handled amongst ourselves. My point is we are being regulated to death.
I fish tournaments and if you want to see the fur fly make special concessions for tournament anglers.