Nets not getting much

[fishnpole]

I was down to Malmo Public Access today right after the nets were pulled for the morning. Only 5 nets set with a total of 20 fish. The only band netting is the Mille Lacs Band, currently.
Also talked to Steve Lawrance, supervisor of the Creel Crew, who was on hand at the landing, as were GLIFWC C.O.s.
Also had a chance to speak with the MN DNR survey net crew, who were pulling their own survey nets. Although they had lost one net to the ice, which had shifted during the night, they DID retrieve the net with help from Dean Fisher from Fisher's Resort. Of the remaining 4 nets,(there were no fish in the destroyed net) they got a count of 26 fish with only 2 males. 3 of the females were already spawned out.
There is still ALOT of ice on the lake. and it's moving quickly with the higher winds we've been having.


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[kenhuntin]

Thanks for the good info

[snow1]

Thats a good thing,Karma has a way of "pay back"...Lets hope the ice stays until opener like last year~

[HD]

They'll just move onto the next lake and suck it dry...

[Mayfly]

Thanks for the update.... keep'em coming if you have them!

 

[fishnpole]

The north has been getting spoadic ice and if there's any nets up here I haven't seen, they'd be in danger. The ice is realy unpredictable right now.

[snow1]

fishpole,

I thought the natives had netting restrictions when the lakes have ice? any truth?Thats all we need is more gill netts geting lost like we had a few years ago~~~and when that happens they (the netts continue to kill walleyes and other fish)~

(1) of many lost nets that year.Recoverd.



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[dew2]

 I read the DNR has lost one net to ice forsure already, and 2 they are searching for.May have been on the DNRs site itself??I read it 2 days ago just cant remember where?

[snow1]

Yup,they lost one and it was recoverd the next day w/o any fish in it,unlike the gill nets the natives use 100' long,the dnr are using test/sample nets for their spring survey.

[snow1]

fishpole~

Any updates from the weekend? I suspect the shifting ice kept the netters off the lake...Hope so anyway~

[MNRealtree]

I drove by the west side (169) at about 7 pm last night. Unfortunately, I couldn't see any ice left until I got to the south side, and then it was all broken up. There were quite a few boat trailers in the access north of garrison...

[snow1]

thanx for the update,curious who's watchin the hen house tho,the tribe gets 17k pounds this year and then they get shut down,hopefully big brother is watching and weighing.

[fishnpole]

The netting this year has been the lightest I've seen in the last decade and a half. Our DNR are all over it this year, with the lawsuit bearing down on them, they have the spotlight on them and I've never seen them perform their job better. GLIFWC COs are also on the spot. The numbers I'm hearing for the harvest are low, but I haven't got a current count although you can bet I'm all over THAT, too. I'll try to get a poundage count in the next couple days.
They were setting a few nets up by Malmo last night.

[Lee Borgersen]

Our DNR are all over it this year, with the lawsuit bearing down on them, they have the spotlight on them and I've never seen them perform their job better. GLIFWC COs are also on the spot.

It never ceases to amaze me when somehow people are able to kick it up a notch in performing their duties when they are under the microscope.

[snow1]

Thanx fishpole,its better late than never in regards to our dnr,after their lack of performance in recent years its good to here they're jonny on the spot,hopefully that'll curb the  netters boats being emptied and trucks driving off un accounted for like the videos you collected in years past.

Thanx again!

[Mayfly]

The netting this year has been the lightest I've seen in the last decade and a half. Our DNR are all over it this year, with the lawsuit bearing down on them, they have the spotlight on them and I've never seen them perform their job better. GLIFWC COs are also on the spot. The numbers I'm hearing for the harvest are low, but I haven't got a current count although you can bet I'm all over THAT, too. I'll try to get a poundage count in the next couple days.
They were setting a few nets up by Malmo last night.

Are low numbers just because of ice and weather? Or is that a sign that the lake is in more trouble than we suspected?

[snow1]

MNO,

These #'s confirm what our dnr found out last fall and the fall before and the fall before that,this why the lake (mille lacs) is in stag 4 near collasps(stagges 1-5,5 being the worst) So before a complete shut down like we had on url,enter the fire drill,restricted slot,two walleye daily and 49k for non natives,our take down about 300klbs from last year.

Its sad that the native spoke person for the glifw glorifies that the tribes has'nt fulfilled their bag limits the last two years,infact the last two years of gill netting amounted to the lowest harvest since the netting began in 1999,and believe me it was'nt because of lack of effort,the fish are not there,but they paint a rosey picture,does'nt take a rocket scientist to figure out why?

For those of you that are just tuning in to this feasco,the mille lacs walleye population has been declared the lowest level in 40years and the data shows the steady decline in the walleye spawning bio mass every year since 1999.

Example;in 1999 surveys showed the walleye spawning bio mass@ 3.3 million,the lake was healthy and thriving by 2012 this # dwindled to less than 1.5million,have'nt seen the survey for 2013 but we know its much less than 2012 and now the gill netts are proving it...

We have some folks that live away from whats taking place that clamber for other reasons why,some cry "conspiracy" but the fact remains as proven not long ago on URL,leech,cass and LOW gill netts are dentramental to the safe well being of our lakes.

Some say "what about the zebra muscels!" great,its amazing how well they clean up the water,take lake erie for example,infested with zebs since the 1990's,cleanist great lake waters we have and the largest wallleye population in north america,the mississippi is another,zeebs cleaned the water right up and our gamefish have adapted,the down side to zeebs is how they take over our other native aquatic life.

All the data I touched on regarding mille lacs can be found on our dnr website,these #'s are fact.

[Mayfly]

The lake is a big mismanaged mess!!

I 100% agree that the nets have taken their toll over the years and years of over harvest.

BUT... I also blame the muskie and the smallmouth bass. These fish are big and they are abundant in the lake. Consider that with the low bait fish numbers. The tullibee are gone and the perch numbers are WAY down. The walleye do not stand a chance with these predators roaming the water in such big numbers.

[dew2]

snow1 why dont you put up the data showing what the tribes took and show what the hook and liners took yearly since 1999.It will open some eyes to see hook and liners always come right to the qouta and the tribes who get a tad less than 1/3ed of hook and liners never have taken their qouta.they in fact never take 2/3s and mostly less than that.show all data let people decide for them selves.So many facters in the eye drop besides humans taking their share.The list is long!
 

[fishnpole]

Remember, there are 1,500,000 anglers in Minnesota and only 35,000 tribal members, which includes ALL the bands from the 1837 treaty, even those from Wisconsin.
Bob Kangas, retired game warden
On Thursday, April 24, 2014 Bob Kangas, wrote:
I want to thank you for going forward with a lawsuit against the Minnesota DNR for negligent management of the walleyes in Lake Mille Lacs. As you probably know, the Fond du Lac band is also going to spear spawning walleyes in 13 lakes this year in Northeast Minnesota. The band said they will not gill net in 2014 in these lakes. We must get the DNR to have some guts to say no to this method of taking. I've attached a letter I wrote to Outdoor News and a few other papers. It amazes me as to how few people are aware of this. Keep up the good work.
---Bob Kangas, Minnesota Game Warden, Retired.

[dew2]

1,500,000  where did you get that number?? 2010 was a record year for fish licenses sales in Minnesota.1/3 of what you state and not all license holders fish MilleLacs.From the DNR

>>Whether it's the warmer-than-usual spring, an improving economy, good fishing reports or something else, Minnesota's fishing license sales are booming.

The Department of Natural Resources has sold more than 565,000 licenses this season -- the most at this point in 10 years and 65,000 more than at this time last year, a 13 percent increase.

Resident fishing licenses account for most of the increase, but non-resident license sales are up, too. Resident individual licenses are up more than 30,000, and combination licenses (husband-wife) are up nearly 14,000. Non-resident license sales have increased by 9,500.<<<

  So really streaching it and saying 1/3 of license holders in the whole state fish that lake you wind up with 188,000 and 1/3 is a guess way up on the high side.See there are not 1.5 million fishing that lake
 I will look for the info but I believe I read 1 out of 6 or 7 license holders fish MilleLacs that would drop that total to around 90,000 fishing the lake

[snow1]

Thanx fishpole,good info,well dew,anyway you cut the #'s we non tribal members are 10x's more than the 8 tribes all together,we are more restricked,pay money for our licenses,pay taxes and the tribes pay for what?

And it seems you left out all the license paying folks in the state that purchase the combination license/sportsmans.

Bottom line its very sad watching the once walleye crown jewel in the upper midwest going down the tubes along with the community that surrounds mille lacs,just take a drive up the west shore folks and take a look for yourself,all the mom&pop motels,resorts and resturants are all boarded up.

[The General]

My whole take on this is if our military to protecting you.  Follow our laws.  If you want to be a sovereign nation.......well their is that Putin guy we could probably hire so the politicians wouldn't have to get their hands dirty.   

[snow1]

I would like to point out that "fishpole" has alot of inside information relating to this issue as he lives on the lake and guides on the lake,the fellegies both Steve and Joe has more history than any of us,infact Joe has written a book about his life and times on mille lacs,just these guys alone have forgotten more things about this great lake than I'll ever know~Joe also writes weekly articles for the Mn Outdoor News.Steve headsup a website called c.a.s.s.t.com,check it out,fishpole headsup another site called "savemillelacs.com"

[Lee Borgersen]

I sent one of the boys a donation for a court action pertaining to Lake Mille Lacs a year or so ago. He was a retired warden if I remember correctly. I don't live in MN. but, I fully support what these folks are trying to do. I've never fished Lake Mille Lacs and prob never get a chance to. But that don't matter.

The way I look at it is that this group is not just representing Lake Mille Lacs but, the whole country. If things continue the way they are now every outdoorsman in the USA is being targeted if they know it or not.

Keep up the good work guys

[Mayfly]

I sent one of the boys a donation for a court action pertaining to Lake Mille Lacs a year or so ago. He was a retired warden if I remember correctly. I don't live in MN. but, I fully support what these folks are trying to do. I've never fished Lake Mille Lacs and prob never get a chance to. But that don't matter.

The way I look at it is that this group is not just representing Lake Mille Lacs but, the whole country. If things continue the way they are now every outdoorsman in the USA is being targeted if they know it or not.

Keep up the good work guys

Lee - You being a smallmouth guy you should really try it out for a day. You need a place top stay I have a place in the SEcorner. Lots of rocks and lots of smallies down in that area. On your way back you should make a pit stop.

Let me know. 

[snow1]

Thanx Lee...."You get it" your spot on,the more we chat on sites like this the more folks read into whats taking place here and across the nation,as this site continues to grow I've noticed the increase in membership and I see more and more folks reading these threads,this site alone went from just a few visits on this issue to a few 100 for far,another site close bye triggers 1000's of views on every thread we bring up and many more PM's,some folks don't care,some just don't want to be involved but sooner or later we will all be effected.Well actually we are now as tax payers by funding the reservations for education,medical and basic living needs,that on top of casino gifting they get, living on the rez makes it tax free as well.

[snow1]

Yeah Lee,never knew you did'nt live in Mn??? And to say you never hit mille lacs for smallies is a sin!! What state do you live in?

[Lee Borgersen]

I'm just another Minnesota wanna-be from the land of Lincoln 

Folks from Wis. call me a fib-wob and if anyone wants to know what that means just PM me.

[fishnpole]

Lee........ Have I got a spot for YOU for smallie fishin'. PM me about it. 20+ inchers and then some. You like smallies? I can show you some of Babe Winkleman's favorite haunts.

By the way, I don't head up savemillelacssportfishing.org, snow, I'm only a member. The only thing I head up is my boat.