Walleyes out of Deep Water

I was recently reading an email regarding a walleye tournament, and the article was outlining how the winner caught his fish. I couldn’t believe what I was reading, leadcore trolling in 35′-45′ FOW. Now, if I were fishing a tourney I might feel the pressure to catch fish wherever and however I can within the rules, which in this case, is not illegal to catch fish deep.

But to publish that in a widely publicized email blast and since that tourney, the local guides have all been advertising fish coming in from 34′-37′ FOW. All dead by the way, or at least a very high percentage of them in this very warm weather and water.

I’m not anti-tournament, but wow! This really flies in the face of many many a post on this site and others. Here is an excerpt,

“Caught his fish running Sufix 832 Lead Core — with 8′ and 10′ 15-lb Sufix fluorocarbon leaders — 200′ and 220′ back to get his crankbaits ticking the tops of rocks in 35-45′.”

Imagine going to P4 in the spring and advertising on here that you caught a 40 lb stringer from 35-45 FOW. Pitchfork nation would be at your door. Anyone else see this? Why is it ok to suddenly promote fishing in that deep of water via the internet.?

I’d rather they lie and say he got ’em on crappie minnows in 15′ !!

They had to pay for permission to catch them. I don’t care how someone else catches their fish.

How would that work in a tourney with the dead weight? That would be a big penalty.
DT

deertracker wrote:

How would that work in a tourney with the dead weight? That would be a big penalty.
DT

Was thinking the same thing.

We get a lot of big walleye in The Bay Of Quinte in the fall but a lot of them come down deep,I am talking 50 feet or more I don’t think 35 feet is deep but probably borderline. as a fisherman who doesn’t eat fish, ethically I can’t fish for them because the survival rate of a fish with the airbladder sticking out their mouth can’t be good. If I ate fish no issue.

I’ll admit I read that too and thought the same thing. $$$ and ethics don’t mix.

In the state of Minnesota, it is illegal to have a catch and release walleye tournament after June 1 because of warmer water temperatures. Let’s be realistic, most walleyes are going to die pulled from that depth in this heat anyways. Generally, if it is a multi-day tournament, they donate their catch on the first day and they are allowed to keep it on the last day. This is one of the negatives to having walleye tournaments rather than bass or muskie ones – the bass and muskies are released and mortality is low whereas almost 100% of the walleyes die.

How are the mudflats on Mille Lacs any different?
Downrigging the basin on lotw?

I guess we could quit fishing walleye after July 1st, and then listen to everyone cry about the resorts not having business

gim wrote:

In the state of Minnesota, it is illegal to have a catch and release <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleye tournament after June 1 because of warmer water temperatures.

Is this true? What about the AIM & MTT?
The Leech lake walleye tournament was on June 2&3 2018 and they claim 95% survival rate on the fish caught.
Walleyes can be pulled from 30+ ft and survive. IMO, Most anglers just don’t have the patience and experience to pull them up slowly enough.

We need more laws!

Seriously this is a non issue. Who kills more fish? A guy who bangs out a limit one afternoon fishing deep or someone that slip bobbers all day and catch/releases 50 or more fish? Maybe we should just stop fishing all together. (Facepalm)

What would be the effect of an entire tourney field signing off they will not fish deeper than 30′?

Not sure how much of a trickle down effect it may have, but I can say with certainty that since many of the big wig shows, whether it’s youtube or television, really amped up their messages of healthy releases, quick CPR, etc that overall there has been much more talk “around the water cooler” about it. And that’s a good thing.

AJW, I don’t think anyone wants more laws here. Healthy conversations on ethics in our sports we love are always needed.

grubson wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Grant Ruis wrote:</div>

In the state of Minnesota, it is illegal to have a catch and release <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleye tournament after June 1 because of warmer water temperatures.

What about the AIM & MTT?
The Leech lake walleye tournament was on June 2&3 2018 and they claim 95% survival rate on the fish caught.
<em class=”ido-tag-em”>Walleyes can be pulled from 30+ ft and survive. IMO, Most anglers just don’t have the patience and experience to pull them up slowly enough.

Grant That is NOT true and nor is most of what you posted. Please don’t post without either linking to facts if you’re going to make those statements….. Otherwise our AIM Walleye Championship in a week wouldn’t be happening. AIM is all catch record release, and I would be willing to bet most will be trolling deep water.

To be honest, I have yet to have a fish die on me in 4 years fishing the series. We as anglers are pretty good at taking our time and not horsing a fish in from the depths which I believe helps a lot. I have had a fish not want to take off right away and have wasted tourney time turning around to grab it again and keep it upright till it was good again. I don’t like seeing that happen so we do everything we can to keep them alive. Up slow and take your time on the release.

There is a reason I choose to fish AIM and that’s because of the Catch Record Release format.

Chris Messerschmidt wrote:

That is NOT true…. Otherwise our AIM Walleye Championship in a week wouldn’t be happening

AIM would not be affected by this rule.

Many tourney permits are issued as kill permits during the JUNE/JULY/AUGUST months. Meaning no fish brought to the scale can be released. This is a big reason AIM and other C&R tourneys came about.

TO the OP – the big difference in my mind is as long as the fish are kept and utilized, I have no problem with it. Its the guys who dig 10 inch saugers from 30-50 FOW scouer hole and toss them back. Those fish are not being utilized.

-J.

“Grant That is NOT true and nor is most of what you posted. Please don’t post without either linking to facts if you’re going to make those statements….. ”

Also, I think what Grant was saying is fish brought to the scales can’t be released. Not the AIM – Catch / Photo / Release format.

-J.

The Devils Lake NWT was not a release tournament so they were not penalized for dead fish. I challenge anyone to catch a few fish, dump them in a livewell that’s pumping 82 degree surface water and weigh in with a live fish. Now the AIM series being a catch and release tournament, these fish are not even being boxed. That’s where ethics can be brought into the conversation. devils lake chamber puts on a fish fry for the community after the nwt event. The fish are not going to waste.

Jon Jordan wrote:

“Grant That is NOT true and nor is most of what you posted. Please don’t post without either linking to facts if you’re going to make those statements….. ”

Also, I think what Grant was saying is fish brought to the scales can’t be released. Not the AIM – Catch / Photo / Release format.

-J.

I can see the confusion then.. If that’s the case I apologize.

DMHEID wrote:

devils lake chamber puts on a fish fry for the community after the nwt event. The fish are not going to waste.

Info that makes these threads welcomed and needed.

grubson wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Grant Ruis wrote:</div>

In the state of Minnesota, it is illegal to have a catch and release <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleye tournament after June 1 because of warmer water temperatures.

Is this true? What about the AIM & MTT?
The Leech lake walleye tournament was on June 2&3 2018 and they claim 95% survival rate on the fish caught.
<em class=”ido-tag-em”>Walleyes can be pulled from 30+ ft and survive. IMO, Most anglers just don’t have the patience and experience to pull them up slowly enough.

Grant’s comment threw me off too as I know there are MTT Tournaments on Mille Lacs and Leech that were after June 1 and were C&R. Which raises another question about the MTT tournament on Winni that are not the same CPR format like AIM. Are those “kill” tournaments and do they do a fish fry at those events?

And how do you know if you’re pulling them up from deep water slow enough as to not cause barotrauma. And what is the biggest mortality factor, the barotrauma or warm water temps?

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>grubson wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Grant Ruis wrote:</div>

In the state of Minnesota, it is illegal to have a catch and release <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleye tournament after June 1 because of warmer water temperatures.

Is this true? What about the AIM & MTT?
The Leech lake walleye tournament was on June 2&3 2018 and they claim 95% survival rate on the fish caught.
<em class=”ido-tag-em”>Walleyes can be pulled from 30+ ft and survive. IMO, Most anglers just don’t have the patience and experience to pull them up slowly enough.

Grant’s comment threw me off too as I know there are MTT Tournaments on Mille Lacs and Leech that were after June 1 and were C&R. Which raises another question about the MTT tournament on Winni that are not the same CPR format like AIM. Are those “kill” tournaments and do they do a fish fry at those events?

And how do you know if you’re pulling them up from deep water slow enough as to not cause barotrauma. And what is the biggest mortality factor, the barotrauma or warm water temps?

MTT’s up there are kill tournaments. fish fry afterwards.

If walleyes were all dying from being caught 30’+ down on leadcore you would see thousands floating around Mille lacs every summer. Same goes for pulling spinners or rigging.

Fact is, I have fished Mille Lacs several times this summer and not seen one floater out in the basin. NOT ONE! Every floating fish that I saw were tullibee.

There is a huge difference in burning a 14″ sauger up from the scour hole on P-4 and slowly reeling in a walleye on leadcore.

And how do you know if you’re pulling them up from deep water slow enough as to not cause barotrauma. And what is the biggest mortality factor, the barotrauma or warm water temps?
[/quote]

If you see a swim bladder in the fish’s throat, you reeled too fast.
Barotrauma happens regardless of water temp, I see it more often in winter actually.
I’ve seen walleyes release well in mid summer heat in 34-35ft and also had one die on me last year that was lip hooked in 24ft for no apparent reason.
The size of the fish, overall health of the fish, and where it’s hooked all play as big of a part in the fish’s survival as the depth it was caught in.
Within reason of course, I personally ignore fish deeper than 35ft just so I don’t end up killing a fish I can’t keep.

That’s where ethics can be brought into the conversation. devils lake chamber puts on a fish fry for the community after the nwt event. The fish are not going to waste. [/quote]

I’m less concerned with one tournament and what happens to the fish caught in that tournament. As I said, I’m not anti-tournament. It’s good to see they recognize the probability that these fish are dead and do something positive like a fish fry.

I’m more concerned with the post-tournament press release that advertises the method and specifically spells out the depth, in this case which was 35-45′. To top that off, a group that sells GPS waypoints on the lake is now touting that walleyes are being caught in 35+’. This is the masses of fisherman now coming to this lake and even if the fisherman typically returns fish of 20+ to the water, there’s no way the majority of those 20+” fish are going back and surviving for the long term.

This tournament could have occurred and the press release could have simply said the winner did well on leadcore. Period, end of story.
For those selling GPS waypoints in 35+’, to me that’s wrong.

Fishing tournaments are for dorks! Never been in one, wish they didn’t exist.

Deleted wrote:

Fishing tournaments are for dorks!

Ouch! I am not a tournament angler myself so I don’t take your comment personally, but I do know some and there are a few that are members here on this forum. I would not put them in the category of “dorks” unless we just assume all people who fish are “dorks”…

Deleted wrote:

Fishing tournaments are for dorks! Never been in one, wish they didn’t exist.

I guess I am a dork then…. do I care??? NOPE!

My dad and I love to fish together and we’re competitive. I hope to do this with my daughter when she gets old enough.

Yes, thank you for clarifying that Jon. I meant to say that the tournaments where they actually bring fish to a weigh in are not catch and release. There are some that are going to CPR which is catch/photo/release. I guess the point I was trying to make is that mortality is quite high this time of year on those fish.

A dead fish is still a dead fish utilized or not or for ones entertainment or for food on the table or to make money. Pick and choose which one you prefer but with this combination of choices someone is going to lose out as supply will diminish further.

Was reading another email post by a Hall of Fame fisherman today and again, it is mentioned that big fish this summer are coming from depths of up to 40′.

I don’t ever recall reading so many posts than I have this year advocating deep water fishing! And in the heat of the summer no less. These fish have next to zero chance of being returned to the water.

This was not tournament related. I’m starting to think though that these guys need to post this info to make money! Why else would you post that? No mention was made of easing the fish up slowly. Only thing mentioned is what lure was used, aka marketing.

Guess they have to pay for those big boats somehow?

Every single fish I saw on Mille Lacs this summer that has been a floater was a Tully. People waaay over exaggerate the hooking mortality on eyes.

brian_peterson wrote:

Every single fish I saw on Mille Lacs this summer that has been a floater was a Tully. People waaay over exaggerate the hooking mortality on eyes.

X2, it happens every year. “there are dead walleyes all over Mille Lacs” Nope, they are tullies, look closer

Deleted wrote:

Fishing tournaments are for dorks! Never been in one, wish they didn’t exist.

That’s a matter of opinion, and an uneducated opinion

Tournament anglers are some of the strongest proponents of preserving the resource, for some it’s their livelihood, so it only makes sense to preserve it.