Walleye proposals considered

[Lee Borgersen]

      Walleye proposals considered on Big Winnie, Saganaga and Sea Gull


  ......
 Public comments at two meetings in the Grand Rapids area this past week generally favored a proposed regulation that would allow more walleye harvest on Lake Winnibigoshish, said Chris Kavanaugh, Grand Rapids area fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.


Written and email comments on the proposal will be accepted through Nov. 1.

  ......
The current regulation on Lake Winnibigoshish near Deer River requires anglers to release all walleyes from 17 to 26 inches with a daily limit of six fish. The DNR has proposed relaxing the slot limit to 18 to 23 inches with a limit of six fish.

“We think it’s a worthwhile change,” Kavanaugh said. “We’re not trying to fix something that’s broken. We’ve been successful with the (current) regulation. The bottom line is there are harvestable fish out there we can let anglers take without any long-term risk to the health or sustainability of the fishery.”

The current regulation became effective on Lake Winnibigoshish in 2000. A proposed change to an 18- to 26-inch slot limit was considered in 2011, but public comment favored keeping the current regulation. But in 2012, anglers were asked in creel surveys if they would prefer a more liberal slot limit of 18 to 25 inches, Kavanaugh said.

“Ninety percent said, ‘Yeah, 18-to-25 is good,’ ” he said.

After analyzing more data on the lake, the DNR proposed this year’s 18- to 23-inch protected slot limit. That limit would reduce the lake’s spawning stock of female walleyes somewhat, but within sustainable limits, Kavanaugh said.

After the public comment period ends, the DNR will draft a formal proposal for a rule change, which must be approved by DNR officials in St. Paul. Kavanaugh said he hopes to have a decision announced by the end of the year.

People can submit written comments to Kavanaugh by email at chris.kavanaugh@state.mn.us.

Tough fishing this summer

Anglers at the recent public meetings, held Monday in Grand Rapids and Tuesday in Bena, also expressed frustration about the past summer’s slow fishing on Lake Winnibigoshish, Kavanaugh said.

He attributed that to three factors — a poor 2012 year class of walleyes, an abundance of forage fish in the lake and clearer-than-normal water on Big Winnie.

Walleye fishing generally is more difficult in clear water. This year’s readings were about double the normal water clarity on the lake, Kavanaugh said. Biologists don’t know why the lake was so much clearer this summer.

Saganaga Lake, Sea Gull Lake proposals

DNR fisheries officials in Grand Marais are putting the final touches on a proposal that could change walleye fishing regulations on Saganaga Lake, Sea Gull Lake and connecting waters near the tip of the Gunflint Trail, said Steve Persons, DNR area fisheries supervisor in Grand Marais.

Public reaction to a DNR regulation proposal was mixed in written comments and at a September public meeting, Persons said. The DNR had proposed a 17-inch minimum size requirement for walleyes and a limit of three fish, with only one fish over 20 inches allowed. The regulations are being considered in response to concerns from anglers over a lack of smaller walleyes on those waters, coupled with DNR assessment data showing declines in the number of walleye of all sizes.

Persons didn’t hint at what his office will propose. He said a proposal would be sent to the DNR regional office and to DNR headquarters in St. Paul by early November.

“Our choices are: We go ahead and adopt that (proposal), or we don’t and instead we come back next year with a broader selection of options. Or, we just don’t do anything at this time,” Persons said.

There was “fair agreement” from those who offered comments to the DNR that there was a walleye problem on the lakes and that some kind of regulation change might be worthwhile, Persons said. But there was little agreement on what the best approach would be. Many preferred that the DNR make no changes at this time, he said.