I was wondering if anyone else thinks minnesota should allow two lines per angler? After all your limit is still the same.

I dont think we want that imagine all the musky fisherman casting like crazy and dragging around a sucker rig, no thanks the Minnesota fishery is doing so well i would hate to see that.

I agree. I'm from Wisconsin and will be purchasing Minnesota non resident license in the future. The Minnesota Dept of Resources has done so well in management. I've been fishing for musky for nearly 40 years and have caught my personal best in Minnesota this season. Minnesota is a great state and has a super musky fishery in my book.

NO,NO,NO,###### WAY!!!!!!! theres no possible way to work two lures at the same time so that means that the second line is going to be a sucker rig and thats bad news,,,If you wanted to allow two lines for trolling only I still wouldnt want it but I could accept that part.

What about other type of fishing?: Say perch? My brother-in-law had a line over the side of the boat with no bait on the hook when a DNR guy pulled up tp check us. Since the line was in the water he wrote him a cititation for two lines; cost him $80. Now there were six of us on the fishing trip and we spent over $5,000 in Minnesota, but since that incident and minnesota cutting the perch possession limit to 40 fish starting Nov. 1; we have decided to fish in the south. There is no need for these restrictions on panfish.

Lake Michigan's perch population crashed due to overfishing, South Dakota has announced limits of 10 fish (perch) on lakes that were producing hundreds of jumbos (Waubay and the other prairie pothole "jumbo" lakes.) I would just as soon not wait till our perch populations got so low that we had to go to 10 fish limits. I am very happy with a 40 fish limit. Anyone that needs more than that can stay home or go to another state.

Remember that perch are THE forage base for most predators in lakes where they exist. Without perch, you can say good bye to good populations of muskies and walleyes.

As far as 2 lines... I don't have a problem with it.

Tom B

Did the perch crash because of overfishing or because they cycle with the alewives? The alewwife population was up when the perch came down. I don't think anybody has a clear answer on that one.

I would not mind seeing a two rod rule. Quick strike rigs are really no different than a crankbait and you can troll with two rods. Maybe a maximum # of rods per boat.

Not sure about the alewife crash, wouldn't surprise me if that was a factor, just as over harvest has been a factor.

Tom B

If there was a overharvest in lake michigan it was because of commercial fishing. I don't see that in minnesota. This year six of us took back 110 perch between 10-13 inches. We've always had good fishing and the fishing has stayed the same. The resort where we stayes has 18 cabins. Only two were rented out. The resort owner said the perch population was as high as ever. So, after two days of perch fishing we spent our time fishing walleyes, pike and musky. It just seems that the legislation is not needed and they are trying to discourage out of state fishermen.

Hey musky gary,
I can't believe that 240 perch for your
group isn't enough...I sure hope you don't eat muskie....meat boy! Have fun in the south.....way south!

I sure wish they had some kind of these rules for my home lake in Illinois. You notice the lakes with the tighter rules have more and the bigger fish. So It isn't a bad thing what the dnr is doing.

David Sharer
Osama Bin Laden hates catch and release

I'm from WI and I don't think MN should change its rules at all. You don't try to fix something thats already working. MN DNR has done a great job with its Musky fisheries. WI has a long long way to go. The MN DNR's best interest is for the resource as it should be, and WI DNR's is for the resort owners and money. Thats the problem here in WI. The WI DNR employees might as well have degrees in business instead of biology etc... Maybe they do? My hat goes off to the MN DNR. Keep up the good work and could you please transfer some of your employees accross the state line to WI?


Lockjaw

Perch populations in lakes such as winniebigosh, Cass,Leech and Mille Lacs have been steadily decling for a number of years in both numbers and size. More and more people are fishing for them, and the thing that gets me is how many of these fish are given to other people who may or may not have a liscence, but certainly didn't catch them.

Overkilling hurts fish populations more than anything in nature does, usually because if there is a limiting factor in nature the killing rate stays the same, and the population crashes, then it's to late and takes yearts to recover.

JS

Whatever happened to fishing for pure enjoyment? Why do people think they need to catch a fish to consider it a successful day of fishing? The MNDNR should be commended on the way they have handled the musky fisheries here in MN and adding the ability to use a second line is NOT a good choice. Why change what is obviously one of the best success stories in fishing today? The status of MN musky waters is astounding and adding the ability to use multiple lines will only HURT that NOT help it!
I fish muskies for the opportunity to catch the biggest fish in the foodchain. If I do not put a fish in the boat, but I see fish it is still a successful day in my book. Adding additional lines makes it much more difficult to monitor what is going on with each one and could only cause chaos.
Leave it like it is! The system is working great! Just ask the people who have caught the 54, 55, and 57 inch fish out of Mille Lacs and Leech this year!

You beat me Captain. Same thing I was thinking. I've always felt there where two types of fishermen on a lake. I go to fish, my friend used to go to catch. I often think about dragging a sucker as I cast but I found that I can barely give one line the attention it deserves. If you want two lines you can always 'take a kid' fishing. But then I hope you find that a kid deserves more attention than a line. Fishing is the enjoyment from being there, while catching is a bonus. Sometimes you have to ask yourself why you are in this crazy sport.

yes, 240 perch is more than enough for my group. We only took approx. 100, which was caught in one day. The point I was trying to make is that people who would fish all week for perch are now killing 10 inch walleye and 20 inch northern. On top of everything else the resorts are loosing business from regulars who are not coming back. As far as the two lines bit--tell me which does the musky population more harm-- two lines or spearing which is legal.

Spearing muskie is NOT leagal in MN,
unless your a native american.

Your point was missed because you never
made one...

Limts on pan fish are very important to fish higher on the food chain....If the food they eat is in short supply, their
numbers will suffer as a result of over
fishing.

Minnesota relies on tourist dollars, and I find it hard to believe that the DNR would try to discourage people from other states from coming here.

Over harvesting by anglers is the main reason that perch numbers are down. We as anglers have to do our part to keep them at safe levels......that means not
stuffing your freezer on every fishing trip you take....That is what selective
harvest is all about, put some back!

OK guideman, maybe I'm wrong in my thinking, but tell me this: Why is it OK to use two rods during the ice season, but only one during the summer? perch population is suppose to be down, but we never have to spend more than three hours out to catch 20 jumbos. Mean while I see many resort pictures of guys with limits of 10 to 13 inch walleye. Ask the resort owner why? "Because it's legal for them (fishermen) to keep them" (Winnie has a 17-26 inch slot that must be released) Now I have always released muskie, northern, L. Bass and smallmouth. If I want to keep fish I take bluegill, croppie, and perch; but with a lot of guys they take the limit. When they catch 20 perch they turn to small walleye and northern. I feel it is better to have a bigger bag limit on panfish and put back the game fish. As far as food for muskies, suckers, ciscos and lake minnows and shad are the primary food source. yes, muskies will feed on perch, but not that heavly. Like I said maybe my thinking is wrong but I can't see a bunch of rules that don't accomplish anything. (only one rod) Bag limits that apply only to non-residents (how many times does a game warden come into someone's house and check his fereezer?) I've seen residents catch a limit of walleye, come in, put them in the house and go back to fishing. Mean while I've seen wardens go through a pack of boats, checking only the out-of-state boats. Atr one time the perch possesion limit was 200, then 100, now 50, and in November it's going to drop to 40. Why not put a slot on perch like other fish. Also a "keep" slot on walleye, say 13 to 17 inches and save some of the small ones. Well, I've rambled on enough, I just don't understand some of the thinking that goes on with these regulations.

The question is why? why do we need to go from one rod to two? sure there are lots of things that dont make sense with the current regs, two rod reg with ice fishing is very emmbeded in our fishing culture maybe its not a good one but it would be damm hard to take off the books with out a fight just look at the fight the the dnr went through with new perch regs. Why go to 2 rods, willit strenghten the fishery or harm it? my guess with muskies especially it is the latter.

Musky Gary,
I understand your thinking and you have
the right to to express your opinion, I
just don't agree with it. Keeping 13 or 14" walleye will have very little or no impact on a fishery. On the other hand
keeping 40 9 or 10" perch, will have an impact.

It is also true that perch only make up a small percentage of a muskies diet.
However they do represent a very large
percent of a walleyes diet in many of our lakes. Northern pike also eat alot of perch, it's all connected, you can't
remove one without it affecting all the
rest.

As for the locals keeping fish over the limit, I'm sure it happens all the time
but that doesn't make it right. I fish
with people from out state all of the time, and I haven't heard any of them
complain about harassment by the DNR.
If your following the rules, whether in your opinion there right or wrong, you
have nothing to worry about.

I have been stopped many times in Minn by the DNR. I actually liked the fact that the DNR is out checking and making sure the limits and rules are followed. I see WAY too many poachers here in Illinois..

I would be dead set against the 2 line law. Mn has a great musky fishery and I don't see the need to change anything that might have a negitive impact on the fishery. I do troll from time to time and that is fine,but I don't see the need to troll multiple lines behind planer boards and downriggers. There is enough pressure on the resource without increasing it by allowing 2 lines per angler. If it isn't broke don't fix it.

Someone more diligent than I could probably track this down, but I remember a stomach survey done on a 1000 muskies, by I think University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, that said that perch were the number one fish found inside. I also was pulled over on Labor Day by a Minnesota Game Warden on my way home from Lake Vermilion. (I live in Minnesota) He checked my boat and my coolers. He originaly told me that I had crossed the white line, but after finding no fish, told me that they use that as an excuse to pull people over. I had no problem with anything he did. He was also very courteous. Food for thought.

Good point Big Jim,
At our muskies Inc meeting last night, the DNR muskie specialist....said that perch make up almost 80% of a young muskies diet.

And by the way, I am against the use of
two lines....Believe me....most of my clients have enough trouble with one.

One line per angler - period.