Wisconsin Size Limit

[Musky Guy Bob]

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to bring up a topic that has been bothering me for a while. I hear all the time about people fishing for walleye or bass and accidently catching a musky and then keeping it because the legal limit is 36 or maybe even 40 inches, and that makes it "ok". I would love to see Wisconsin put up a statewide limit of 55 inches. For the most part I think that we as musky fisherman will let anything smaller go in the first place. I know that I would also choose to let one at 55 inces go, but that is besides the point. My point is that I feel that the people that are keeping the fish when the limit is 40 inches or less are not your typical musky fisherman, and for the most part it is probably people who are fishing for the walleye and bass and who would not have the equipment to bring in a legal fish at 55 inches as opposed to 40 inches. I think this would save a lot of fish every year. I know that Pete Mania has been tryin to get a lager size limit passed for a few years now. The problem is that he can not do it alone. I would love to know how to help out and I would also love to hear some other opinions on this subject. What can I do and what can we all do to help preserve our obsession? I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.

[Gander Mt Guide]

If you really want to help out here's what you have to do

1) Buy the town of Boulder Junction
2) Buy 2/3's of all the resorts in Vilas Co
3) Buy all the taxidermy studios and charge 3x more for a skin mount than a replica.

Not too much to ask hey?

Vilas county is tourist heaven,they will not admit that a 50" limit is going to do any good. They think by changing the limit, they'll lose money...it's all about the CHI CHING!!!

[fishstalker]

Wisconsin thinks that numbers are better than size. They reason that if an Illinois flatlender can't come up there once a year and catch/kill his 1 legal musky, then they will lose tourist revenue. A 36" limit is stupid, and I believe that keeping the size down actually hurts fishery tourism. I mean, who wants to plan a vacation around a chance to keep a 36" fish? I would rather have a shot at a 50" fish, which is why I stay in Illinois, where the average fish is much bigger.

[fishstalker]

Wisconsin thinks that numbers are better than size. They reason that if an Illinois flatlender can't come up there once a year and catch/kill his 1 legal musky, then they will lose tourist revenue. A 36" limit is stupid, and I believe that keeping the size down actually hurts fishery tourism. I mean, who wants to plan a vacation around a chance to keep a 36" fish? I would rather have a shot at a 50" fish, which is why I stay in Illinois, where the average fish is much bigger.

[canuck]

let cool heads prevail. if and i say if the lake or body of water could sustain a trophy fishery why not up the minimum size. some lakes can not grow 50 inch fish. at lake st. clair the new minimum for 05 will go up another 2 inches. who really care as long as we can fish for them and release them.most guides can swing a client into release and this does insure a fishery for years to come. just my 2 cents worth

[canuck]

let cool heads prevail. if and i say if the lake or body of water could sustain a trophy fishery why not up the minimum size. some lakes can not grow 50 inch fish. at lake st. clair the new minimum for 05 will go up another 2 inches. who really care as long as we can fish for them and release them.most guides can swing a client into release and this does insure a fishery for years to come. just my 2 cents worth

[ToddM]

I am with Gander Mountain guide on this one. You will have to do what he said to get it done. Wisconsin is rich in history and lore and it is that time period they want to portray to their tourists. Wrong yes but unfortunately not likely to change any time soon.

With that said, I would not mind taking that 55" size limit and shoving it up a few commerce chambers where the sun don't shine.

[ToddM]

I am with Gander Mountain guide on this one. You will have to do what he said to get it done. Wisconsin is rich in history and lore and it is that time period they want to portray to their tourists. Wrong yes but unfortunately not likely to change any time soon.

With that said, I would not mind taking that 55" size limit and shoving it up a few commerce chambers where the sun don't shine.

[Pete Stoltman]

Just as a point of information the Wisconsin size limit on muskies is 34". This topic is a hot button with me as I live in Vilas County and look at the dead muskies celebrated every week in the Vilas News Review, or displayed in the infamous "cooler of death", or a Musky Feed held in the self proclaimed "Musky Capital of the World". The DNR has its hands tied by the annual spring hearings which amounts to a kangaroo court governed by the experts who claim to know more than fisheries biologists. It will take a huge effort to change the old time mentality that dominates the area.

[Matt Kircher]

Pete hit it right on the head. Old school mentality dominates this area and it is unlikely to change anytime soon. The other side argues that the community will lose money if the limit is raised. What they do not realize is how much money travels through wisconsin to minnesota or canada to catch bigger fish. If wisconsin produced bigger muskies I believe it would actually improve tourism. They also argue that our lakes cannot produce 50 inch muskies anymore and they then say they used to catch them all the time. This is the dumbest argument I have ever heard because the lakes have not changed but the over harvesting over the years has taken its toll. This topic gets me hot so i'll just leave it at that.

[Vilas county]

Lets not get carried away. If I want to keep a 40inch muskie after I paid for my wisconsin License $40.00 and thousands in gear, I will eat it up and mount it. It is my right!

[180FH]

right on Pete! Living in Oneida Co. I see fewer 50" fish caught..like hardly any. When the "kangaroo court" hearings were held to increase the length in 10 or so lakes I didn't attend because I thought it would be a no brainer and it would pass...then I heard of a certain well known guides' speech denouncing the attempt brought the crowd to it's feet....go figure. Kill 'em and grill 'em...that's what they want. Look at the strides Minnesota has made in just a few years...unbelievable the ammount of trophy fish available to catch and release anglers. In the meantime though we in Wisconsin are back in the dark ages of angling with the likes of the "Vilas Co. Idiot".....

[Pete Stoltman]

>Lets not get carried away. If I want to keep a 40inch muskie
>after I paid for my wisconsin License $40.00 and thousands in
>gear, I will eat it up and mount it. It is my right!

Yes, it is your right however I hear the same thing from guys who complain that they can't catch a big fish anymore when they "used to catch them all the time". Keep depleting the resource and it will catch up with you. A fish will never grow to a big size when it gets wacked at 34+ inches.

[180FH]

well said Pete

[Mother]

Vilas,

Fishing,it's not your right - it is a privilege.

A 'sconie' resident license is not $ 40.00, the non-resident is.
Your not gonna spend thousands on gear and tens of thousands on a
rig to keep a lousy tasting fish, much less pi$$ away $500.00
to mount such a meaningless size fish (anywhere but,'Sconie')

A 40 inch statewide size limit would be a great step forward.
Add some higher size limits on known/selected 'Trophy' waters.
I feel we would see a dramatic increase in fishery quality and an
increase in tourism/fishing in the state. With that done, the musky angling pressure would be reduced on heavily pressured waters by
having more improved musky water open to anglers.


If you call yourself a Musky Angler worth your salt, you understand
you can keep a fish but, you choose to be a steward of the resource
and release your fish with the possible exception of fish death
during the fight, severe lure damage or unable to revive a fish
after hook removal. Or spending a half hour hanging over the
gunnel holding a fish in the water past your elbows in 35F
water by yourself slowly moving forward with the TM and find
that IT worked, she came back and swam away strong. You don't
give up when you get up at 4:00 am and fish into the night.
We owe the fish that respect.



Mother

[vilas county]

Your probably the same guy who sits and waits, silently scoping a deer while he feeds. Then bragging as you throw his dead carcass in the back of your 85 ford pickup. Dont give me #### for keeping a fish every now and then when I actually earned it. PS. I never said I keep 40 inchers.