M Lacs W/E nearly triples

[Lee Borgersen]

  Mille Lacs walleyes nearly triple

  10/30/18

  ......
The number of walleyes over 14 inches long have nearly tripled in Minnesota's Lake Mille Lacs over the past five years, the state's Department of Natural Resources revealed Tuesday, an improvement that will again allow ice anglers to keep one fish daily this winter.

The one-walleye limit starts Dec.1, the third winter where some walleye can be kept after a series of summers that have been catch-and-release only for all walleyes.

  ....
Anglers this winter will be able to keep one walleye between 21 and 23 inches long or one over 28 inches long.

The DNR said the number of walleye 14 inches and longer jumped from about 250,000 in 2013 and 2014, after the population crashed, to about 727,000 this year. The DNR estimates the population through test netting and through marking fish, releasing them and seeing how many are re-caught by anglers.

The DNR's fall gill net assessment also showed that the total pounds of mature walleye sampled increased significantly, from 18.9 pounds per net last year to 27.7 pounds per net this year, mostly due to an increase in mature females.

But not all the news is good as some year clases — fish hatched in a specific year — have remained below average.

"It's good news that anglers will be able to harvest walleye again this winter," said Tom Landwehr, DNR commissioner, in announcing the news Tuesday. "We're also encouraged to see evidence that our conservative approach to Mille Lacs is paying off to the point that we're seeing population increases on this renowned fishing lake."

The DNR believes the population of mature female walleye can sustain harvest because their numbers are at sufficient levels to ensure good production of fry (newly hatched walleye) in the spring.

It's unclear if or when anglers will be able to keep summer-caught walleyes on the lake.

The DNR is taking a cautious approach to interpreting the results of the population estimates. The 2013 year class continues to dominate the population, accounting for about 40 percent of the fish caught, but year classes hatched since 2013 show mixed results. The 2014 and 2015 year classes remain below normal. The 2016 year class, which is now 13-15 inches in length, appears close to average compared to the last 15 years.

The DNR hopes to eventually allow anglers to keep more Mille Lacs walleyes, but only after the lake shows it can sustain the harvest, said Brad Parsons, DNR fisheries chief.

"We've seen promising year classes in past years fail to survive to older ages,'' Parsons said. "Opening up additional harvest too fast or too soon could jeopardize the population increases we're seeing."


In other less than good news, fewer perch in tullibee in the big central Minnesota lake means less food for walleye and resulted in walleye being skinnier than they should be.

Complete winter regulation information for Mille Lacs is available on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/millelacslake.

A Lake Mille Lacs walleye. Winter anglers on the lake will be able to keep one walleye daily starting Dec. 1 after a summer of catch-and-release only fishing. The DNR says bigger walleyes have nearly tripled in the lake, but fisheries experts are worried that some recent classes have been poor.

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[glenn57]

That's one more then boar can catch!!! what a friggin joke!

[LPS]

boat can catch????

[glenn57]

boat can catch????

fat fingers on a phone. Fixed it.

[Leech~~]

Yeaa, one Walleye for us. Better increase the Netting amount this coming spring!       

[Lee Borgersen]

Yeaa, one Walleye for us. Better increase the Netting amount this coming spring!     

 ...
Do I seance a bit of anger here or what?  

Yust yoak- in But it's really a sad  situation. 

[Leech~~]

Yeaa, one Walleye for us. Better increase the Netting amount this coming spring!     

 ...
Do I seance a bit of anger here or what?  

Yust yoak- in But it's really a sad  situation. 

Well um, yeah.    Click on the picture if your one of the blind who can't see the "real" picture of this issue. But, hey if you look close they did filet the Walleyes in the pile. At least!  Hard to do needed "subsistence living" by eating the rest of those crap fish though! 

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[mike89]

ouch    hate to see that ever...

[glenn57]

  that kind if sheet really pizzez me off.

[LPS]

Yup BS.  Lots of meat there. 

[Boar]

their preping for a garden, thats all fertilizer, the they will plant vegetables and live off the land, i hear glenn will help them witb tomatoes...

[glenn57]

their preping for a garden, thats all fertilizer, the they will plant vegetables and live off the land, i hear glenn will help them witb tomatoes...

you putz!!!

[Leech~~]

that kind if sheet really pizzez me off.

Lots of good Nords there and we know how you like the Nords! 

[glenn57]

that kind if sheet really pizzez me off.

Lots of good Nords there and we know how you like the Nords! 

yep pretty much why it jerks my chain.

[delcecchi]

Isn't that the same picture that has been floating around for years?

[glenn57]

Isn't that the same picture that has been floating around for years?

even if it is..........still an issue and bet it still happens!!!!