Every man to their own opinion.. I do apologize, I did not have my facts straight about Steve Fellegy writing negitive comments about Mille Lacs muskies. He was not the author of the article that I refered too and I should of had my facts straight. Another Fellegy wrote about the GPS and I should have not included it in the first place as it had no point. I am also told that Steve Fellegy did win a Hartman musky tournament several years ago, once again, if this is true than I am sorry.. Good luck this weekend…

I’ll be more than happy to ask those questions. When you are talking nets are you refering to tribal nets or nets set by the DNR? Tribal nets catch several muskies and they do kill the fish. I am not happy about it, but not in a million years would I go fish for muskies right now to prove a point. The muskies are spawning and the last thing I want to do is disrupt my future 50″ fish. This action would not only harm the fishery I love, it is unethical. Catching walleyes while they are spawning DOES harm the fishery. Yes it sucks that the netting takes place, but it doesn’t make much sense to harm the fishery more knowing that your “point” is never going to be proven.
As for a “law broken” with the lost nets, this is not true. A BAD choice was made and a decision was made to allow netting to take place, even though their was a strong risk of wind shifting and blowing ice back over the set nets. This did indeed happen, however unless you have some further insight, no laws were broken, just a bad choice was made..

Chomps,

This was not a personal attack on Steve, this was a attack on the extreme tactics that are doing no good, unethical and illegal (that is a fact). If some feel this is a good avenue, fine.. I believe that all muskies should be catch and release only. Many others felt the same way and a group of intelligent musky anglers work hard WITH the MN DNR and created a comprimsed to a 48″ size limit (fact). This group continues to work hard to increase the size limit to 54″ (fact). Screaming the loudest does not always get you what you want(opinion). Do you really think that this tactic is going to do a whole lot of good? It’ll get some media attention, it may create a long drawn out court case that will last for years, but in the end the Indians are still going to have the right to net(Fact). Do we think the Indians do not have lawyers and are just going to lay down? And let say we live in a far fetch fantasy world where the Indians are no longer allowed to net, what is this going to do for you? The lake has a great population of walleyes, and it really is not a problem to go out and catch a limit of fish on any given day(fact)..

You are absolutly correct that Steve has done more good for the lake than harm, however I believe if he is poaching fish out of season to prove a point, he is creating more harm than good.

Kooty,
I did not mean for a personal attack on Steve Fellegy, however I do believe his extreme opinions and tactics are doing nothing for the netting issues. I do not agree with the netting, but every year everyone gets all fired up about Indians netting. Even though they are netting, we still have the one of the best walleye lakes in the country. Resort owners and guides like to scream so loud on that lake, but the fact is, the lake has a phenominal walleye population. What will change if the netting stops? Now we can catch our limit in 2 hours vs. 4 hours? The fact is that the DNR has done an excellent job at managing the lake for several different species of fish.
By the way, your pictue does look great.. Those are the perfect days for a daytime musky bite..

“Steve and a handfull of other people have seen exactly what their pressence in the lake has done thru the years and he is more entitled to his opinion than most, because he has witnessed it all from day 1, and can speak from a point of fact. Can you?”

Please enlighten me on what exactly their presence has done to the lake? By the way one of my fishing buddies is one of the lakes DNR biologists, and I think I have some pretty good insight of truthfully what these fish have done to the lake.

It is amazing to me that many people will believe “opinions” from anglers versus fact based data collected through extensive research by the DNR fisheries..

Please tell me of one musky tournament that Steve Fellegy has won on Mille Lacs?? You said he won several, just post one!

By the way, Muskies are native to Mille Lacs, they may have been there in low populations, however are indeed native to the lake. A resort owner introduced more muskies in the 60’s, than the MN DNR stocked and managed the lake in the 80’s.. First with a Wisconsin strain fish and later with the Leech lake strain.

Does Steve like musky fisherman? well if he does he sure has a strange way of expressing that in his writings…

Point is, two wrongs does not make a right..”I hate that Indians catch fish in nets, so I am going to fish them out of season while they are spawning.”

You wrote “Steve is not a person who would even make wanton waste of any natural resource” If a person is poaching fish out of season to carry them around in a bucket to try to get arrested to pove a point, seems like a waste of a natural resource to me! Poaching is poaching and I do not agree with his tactics. I think we can all agree that we do not like the netting, but poaching fish out of season is not going to stop the netting.

Just because you are in the “fishing hall of fame” does not make you above the law…

Mid-May I think I would save the hassle and leave the boat at home. The upper rivers of the north shore should have some great steelhead fishing opportunities at that time.. I am sure the southern rivers will still have plenty of fish, but the upper stretches may be in the prime..

Had a change of plans and we will now be fishing opener on the east side gravel. Hopefully catch a limit fairly quickly, have a fish fry, grab a nap than off to North Dakota paddle fishing for a couple days.. Weather forcast is looking good and water should be warmer. The walleyes should be in the normal opener spots, unlike last year where we had to spend 4 hours searching to find fish..

“Don’t believe me, ask Steve Fellegy. He’s done it more than once, trying to get arrested or ticketed so he could have his day in court, but they would not do a thing to him.”

HHmmm.. That seems to be an interesting concept, Do something against the law and unethical is some eyes to show that a group of people are doing something wrong. From my understanding, Mr. Fellegy does not care for muskies or musky fisherman. What will be his next tactic? Snag spawning muskies out of season and rip the gills out and throw them on shore to prove a point? Some people need to understand that because they have fished Mille Lacs for 40 years, does not automatically entitle them to owning the lake.. I do not agree with what goes on with the netting, but I think if Mr. Fellegy is doing what is stated above, it reconfirms that he is way over the top.. Didn’t he go on a rant about GPS mapping technology, because now anglers can find “HIS” fishing spots?