Two lakes off impaired list
June 24, 2010 at 5:00 pm in Alexandria Echo Press
Lake home owners, anglers, bait dealers and more should be happy to know that two lakes in Douglas County have been taken off the infested waters list. Continue Reading
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Wouldn’t it be better to adopt an action that is required of all lakes instead of having different rules for different lakes? It’s already a headache trying to figure out which lakes have special possession or slot limits, or are closed to specific species fishing.
It is reasonable for people to just “pull the plug” always? If they take water from the lake, they need to return that same water by dumping the bait bucket, or live well at shore. IF I bring minnows to the lake, I don’t dump that water into that lake, as it didn’t come from there. However, if one is pulled over, how would the DNR official know that the bait bucket you have, carrying what is left of your bait, is water from the baitshop? To me, taking home those minnows might not be so important but at the same time it can’t be dumped just anywhere either. IMO it is important to treat that bucket of water like it’s potentially infectious regardless of it’s source, thus adopting safer practices and potentially reducing accidental infestations.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant and my garden likes the contents of the minnow bucket just fine. I wouldn’t dream of dumping it at the shore or near any waterway because I don’t want to accidentally introduce something to the body of water. I’ve kept aquarium fish for years and know the negative effects of cross contamination from one tank to the next. When doing water changes, my equipment was disinfected so that I did not pass a disease or pest from one tank to the next. What doesn’t affect one fish can wipe out an entire tank of another fish.
Either way, it’s going to be difficult to keep further infestions from occuring accidentally if people load up, pull the plug and drain the live well, only to drive a few miles and launch out on another area lake. Some of those hitch-hikers can travel a ways and live in a small amount of water long enough to make it to another lake that same day.
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I have to agree with you Reika. Interesting points you made about aquariums. If you have had fish then you also know that the one rule that is super important is to NEVER touch your fish with your hands. I want to scream every time that I see somebody fishing only catch fish after fish and throwing them back into the water just for the pure fun of it. Sounds innocent enough but I would be willing to bet that very few of those fish live. People that fish should be FORCED to take the fish they catch and call it a limit instead of being able to fish several limits per day and throw them back to die. We don’t let hunters shoot and injure game just to release it to die so why do we allow this with fish.
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Good point LL L . What people may not understand is that a fish produces a slime coat as a defense against parasites and diseases. When that coat is accidentally rubbed off in the wild, it endangers the fish and opens them up to infections from waterborne pathogens. In the instance where people catch and release game fish for sport, they are intentionally touching and disturbing that slime coat, thus endangering the future population of large gamefish.
I didn’t realize this fact until I started keeping and breeding fish. I learned the hard way that they do shock from hand handling, and even over netting can harm them.
When I go fishin’ I am going for a specific fish, and count my limit as I catch them. If I catch too many little ones I move my boat. I think the worst impact of catch and release is on the prized game fish that some anglers like to go for. If they play with them on the line, and dawdle with getting them to the boat, in the boat and then dink around with the kodak moment, that fish is going thru severe stress all that time.
I want to hollar at the TV whenever I see some nitwit talking to the camera as the fish is lying there..DYING to be in the water again. GEEZ.
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“When I go fishin’ I am going for a specific fish, and count my limit as I catch them. If I catch too many little ones I move my boat. ”
Now there’s a contradiction if ever there was. If you’re such a proponent of not handling and releasing fish, how do you catch too many little ones if you’re not releasing any? Also, since you’re targeting a specific species, what do you do with the others you catch? Ah…releasing them perhaps?
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LOL, I guess I didn’t clarify that I KEEP those little ones. BTW, you won’t catch me fishing for game fish, and in 30 some years, I’ve never had the luck of actually landing that big old bass, or northern that came along and grabbed my little hook, tied on a light leader. I prefer sunnies and crappies…both of which are specific species that I use a certain tackle and bait for.
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But, Rieka, what do you do with those little ones? If they’re too small to eat, it doesn’t make sense.
I’ve been using a #4 TruTurn hook, and have caught three inch sunnies that have gotten that hook so far down that I just have to cut the line. The DNR booklet says that they will ‘digest’ that hook, but I find that hard to believe.
So, what am I supposed to do with a three inch sunfish?
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bac, where are you fishing? Those fish act like sharks!
I would move to a different spot, it possible…otherwise they will eat you out of bait in a hurry. One cannot totally avoid catching a small one now and again, that is impossible, but by choosing a different place to fish, or dropping the depth, you can get down to the larger fish. The lunkers are closer to the bottom. Also, those really tiny hooks, baited lightly invite them to attack it whole. I put a little more worm or leech on and weight down the bobber so it’s a low rider and any nibbling is quickly displayed by the bobber taking a plunge and I don’t dawdle at setting the hook, nor do I give them whiplash by trying to plant that hook even deeper. I like to hook them in the lip, that way, they stay alive longer in the live well.
i think the point I was trying to make was that I am not fond of people spending the day catching and releasing fish just for the sport. The point of limits is to control how many fish can be taken by each angler. If 10 crappies are removed, and none are thrown back, that is a 10 fish deduction with no losses. If someone takes home 10 crappies, but threw back 5 with one that was hooked bad, it’s possible that one died it could be seen flopping at the surface. Deduct 11 fish. If one has a limit of three and catches a dozen, what are the chances, that a fish didn’t make it if they got hurt?
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I’d be more apt to believe that MOST of the fish don’t make it that are thrown back. I have watched fishermen (I use the word lightly) fish for hours and throw each and every fish back. No intention of saving any. How many limits do you think that they threw back to die without every taking a fish to eat. That should be illegal. If I can’t hook anything but tiny fish I just quit fishing and either find a different spot or call it a day. No point killing fish after fish just to get one that is big enough to keep. Would somebody explain the mentality of three grown men side by side all fishing and throwing back everything they catch! I asked what they were trying to catch and they informed me that they don’t eat fish and were just killing time and enjoying the lake. Sportsmen for sure!
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Mostly from shore or a pier, Rieka. Dad had a boat and trailer, but after he sold it, we discovered that fishing was a lot more fun without all the hassle of getting the thing ready, hauling it to a lake, putting the boat in, taking it out, all that good stuff.
It’s so much more relaxing to just take off with a 5 gallon bucket to sit on and take what you catch home in.
These days, I usually go for bass, but even with the larger hooks, I’ve still caught a few of those little bait thieves. You’re right, they are about like sharks! I’ve had them go after bait so hard that they’ve hooked themselves in the sides or tail.
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Bob, I can’t speak for Rieka but I wasn’t targeting people that get a small fish that needs to be released but rather those people that go and fish with no intention of keeping anything that they catch. You know the ones, they have no bucket, cooler or stringer to keep any fish. Every fish they catch goes back into the lake and they fish for hours injuring many many fish that are going to die. It is senseless waste of one of our natural resources just for the pleasure of the catch.
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Would I be correct then to assume that you all don’t support slot limits?
Speaking of keeping small fish. I have caught walleyes that were smaller than the minnows I was using for bait. In fact, I won a bet once with my wife for catching two of them. We were on Lake Geneva and had a big fish contest. The loser had to take the other one out to dinner. I guess the luck ran in my favor….sort of. I caught two fish and both were walleyes less than 3” long. Not only did I catch the biggest fish that evening but I also caught the first, last, smallest, and most. Would you guys expect that we would keep these as well?
Actually, I did a little online searching and I found that most of the articles I found suggested the mortality rate for released fish to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 10% give or take. It is also important to note that the mortality rate does seem to be higher with tournament released fish, possibly pushing closer to 20%. The reasoning noted was that they were kept out of the lake longer in order to be weighed in. Using the livewells helps but evidence seems to suggest that it isn’t quite the same.
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http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/fishing/specialfish.pdf
I didn’t realize how many bodies of water are affected by slot limits, catch and release, or lowered bag limits. The list is larger than I thought because I didn’t pay any attention to several species, as I choose not to actively persue them at all. 10% mortality seems to be conservative in an estimate, especially if you are fishing in bac’s spot.
IMO, if a species is listed as catch and release, maybe the population is that critical that they should consider closing it for a year. If a population is a certain species is critically low, it would be helpful to NOT try to catch them at all. If northerns(they usually aren’t) were scarce in a lake, one shouldn’t snap on a daredevil and go casting with treble hooks.
Slot limits micro manage populations but come with a 10% cost to the slots they are trying to protect, as people have to take the time to measure them (extra handling) before returning them to the water. Barbless hooks help reduce tissue damage on the fish and make it easier to remove the hook on fish you do not intend to or can’t legally keep.
I agree with LL L…people that just go fishing for something to do and don’t intend to keep anything they catch are causing undue harm to the fish they handle while they are being “entertained” by the sport.
How would the animal rights people feel if trappers could catch and release those furbearers if the mink isn’t just the right size to make a good pelt? They are already on trapping as inhumane in the first place…baiting a equipment to purposefully catch an animal. Equipment that can potentially maim the animal should they choose to chew off their foot to escape.
It’s important that we all be good stewards of our built in renewable natural resource of fishing lakes. It has made MN the famous “Land of 10,000 Lakes”.
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Funny you should mention the treble hook. The information I found regarding walleye mortality indicated that the mortality rate actually goes down when using crankbaits, which have up to three sets of treble hooks. The reason was thought to be in how deep the fish was hooked.
There are many places where certain species of fish are required to be released.
I wonder what you you if you catch a carp or a bowfin. Do you keep them for table fare? Fish are going to be released but I think we have a responsbility to handle them with as much care as possible to minimize potential harm.
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Any roughfish caught, which include dogfish and carp, make excellent organic garden fertilizer. I’m not going to eat them..but I will use them to make the plants I eat grow bigger and produce better.
Now on the issue or those invasive species…is it possible to create a sealed ‘bait dump” of sorts at lake accesses so folks can get rid of contents of their bait bucket, regardless of where the water came from? People who live on small lakes have sealed septics if they don’t have sewer service. We have vaulted toilets at campgrounds and parks. Those sealed septics store and initially breakdown wastes that are then periodically pumped out and spread out to dry. It’s possible that they could be used to hold that old bait bucket water and contents, thus giving people a safer place to dump that water/bait. Powerful enzymes help to decompose the wastes and it would eliminate doubt as to the safety of the water inside that bucket.
Just a thought…
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Makes me think of when we used to catch carp on Schoolgrove lake. The cousin would take them home and give them to his hogs. Seemed like they loved the things!
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Actually, Rieka, I think if you just dump your remaining baitfish out on the grass or in the road ditch, the local critters would take care of them.
But, I remember reading somewhere that you shouldn’t do that with leftover nightcrawlers because some of them aren’t native. Some kind of European things or something. (don’t know if the green ones that were so popular had anything to do with it, though).
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That would work if people could remember to get further than ten feet from the water’s edge before dumping.
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