Mille Lacs Fish Condition

[REW]

I was just curious as to recent catches on Mille Lacs with respect to Walleye fish condition.

According to recent MN DNR reports - there have been a significant Tullibe, and young perch die off due to the heat last summer.
This in combination with the slot limit of leaving lots of very large fish in the lake - have resulted in a decimated prey population.

The DNR is currently reporting that "caught Walleyes" have been extremely "skinny".

I personally haven't noticed this phenomena on any of the fish that I have caught recently.

I am wondering if others have seen the "thin" fish that the DNR speak of.

Since, I have also seen the dead tulibee and small perch lying on the beaches last summier, I certainly agree with their comments about the prey reduction.

It would also make sense as to why the fishing has been so good last summer and into this winter.

If anyone has first hand experience of this "thinner" fish phenomena, let us know - and also from what section of the lake.

I am wondering, that since Mille Lacs is so large, and certainly all of the fish don't hunt everywhere - if it is a localized phenomena??

Thanks for the updates.

REW

[Bad Finger]

I’m not totally convinced there is a low prey population. Here is my theory on the “Skinny Fish Phenomena”…. Disclaimer: I’m not a lake biologist, just fish the lake a lot and talk to people who fish the lake a lot…..

Those skinny fish are caught and released fish. Fish that were caught as long ago as 4-5 weeks ago (maybe longer) that have not eaten. Just lying around recovering using up all of their energy and body fat to stay alive. When they finally decide to eat, or a meal is too easy to resist they bite…..Skinny Fish!

It has been reported that ONE MILLION POUNDS of walleye were caught and released during the open water season of 2001

[EYESCHOOL]

I agree with Bad Finger's analogy 100%. I know it's only speculation but, but it makes perfect sense! Our Mn. DNR should be able to figure this out but, NO! They will have to spend about 90 kagillion tax dollars to figure it out?

[Jack G]

September was the last time I was at Mille Lacs. The fishing was a bit slow but the eyes we caught were healthy looking. None appeared to be skinny.

REW may be right about a tulibee and perch kill causing good fishing results for anglers. Several years ago when Oahe lost 75% of the smelt population the management people predicted significant and negative impact on fishing quality and success. I think they were right but for about the next two years the quality of fishing actually improved from my point of view. During that time I experienced what I consider the finest walleye fishing trip I have ever enjoyed. I found the eyes to be willing to bite, easy to locate and decidedly on the large side.

As I thought back about that time period I came to the conclusion that a shortage of prey and a good population of walleyes made the eyes eager for a meal and consequently contributed to great fishing. After the period mentioned the size of the walleyes began to drop off significantly, in my estimation, and I started to look for other hot spots.

Jack

[Pitts]

Rew while we were out on 8 mile during the night last weekend we had so many very small perch or walleye at our baits or near the bottom that we could not see our baits on the vexilar. The bottom 2' was solid small fish that obliterated our baits in small green lines about the same mass as our shiners. I would have to say that there was a lot of food at that time under us.
As for the eyes we caught and took pictures they looked real healthy and fat the exception being the eye I caught on the flat in Vineland Bay had a gill plate missing which exposed it's gills to the outside and one eye was blind.
This leads me to believe from previous fish I have caught and released with damage to there skin, eyes, gills, tail, and fins that catch and release is hard on some of the miss handled fish well being.

My .02


Pitts

[reddog]

I dont know if the theory that fish that are caught and released dont feed for that long. While prefishing a tournament in Minnesota , I caught a walleye with a slightly broken back, and it only had two spines on the dorsal fin when it was flexed. Needless to say, it was an easy fish to remember when I put it in the boat the next day during the tourney. 16 hours later, same spot, same fish? I think so. I'm with Dick Knutson: genetics.

[biofish]

Well after quietly watching this web site from the sidelines, I've decided to dip my feet in the water just to see how hot it is. I AM A FISH BIOLOGIST. and although I am indirectly involved in Mille Lacs, I am not one of the acting biologists. I do have a vested interest in the lake.. I've guided out of it, I've actually lived in an ice house of one of the pro's of this site, I have an ice house on the lake where I've spent the last 3 weekends. I was planning on getting with the wc get together last weekend, but I wanted to fish in barnacle's fishing tourney. This is the problem with Mille Lacs... it's the resort owners vs. the native americans vs. the biologist vs. the fisherman vs public opinion, vs the size of water.(POLITICS) Mille Lacs is a fishery that's over 132,000 acres. It's one of the most fished bodies of water in the state.
The ONE THING THAT EVERYONE HAS IN COMMON IS THAT NOONE WANTS TO DECIMATE THE FISHERY. As biologists, we do a couple walleye studies a year. We do a spring survey, where we assess adult population and size class distribution, and concurently take fish for spawn. This is difficult for a body the size of mille lacs. We also do a recruitment study in the fall to find out level of recruitment of juvenille fish (success of this year and last year's Year classes.){THIS YEAR IS AN EXCEPTIONAL YEAR CLASS) This year the Mndnr, usfws, glifwc, and the ceeded territory tribes are taking part in a huge population (mark/recapture)study, which is the biggest population study effort to date. We are targeting 40,000 walleye to mark, before our recapture run. ( I work for one of those agencys) But believe me, as a biologist.. depleting the Mille Lacs fishery as a resource does not benefit any parties involved. and every party involed has people working so that the upper and lower red lake senario will never happen again. Bio...

[KG]

BIOFISH WERE YOU AT THE DNR--MILLELACS LAKE ADVISORY MEETING LAST NIGHT(WEND. NIGHT) WE ARE ALL WAITING FOR THE OPEN WATER SCENARIO..

[Bad Finger]

Biofish....so what is your take on the occasional "Skinny Fish"???

[Bad Finger]

Reddog, I agree, not every fish caught goes on a diet!

When you have thousands and thousands of fish caught and released, some die, some get injured and don't eat for a while, some turn right around and get caught again.

[Goldpig]

I have noticed that the fish on the southern end of the lake are much skinnier than those caught on the mud. I actually kept track of this for awhile last summer and on an average an 18" fish from the mud was a quarter pounder heavier than those caught on the gravel or rock reefs.

[CJHughes@Norstan.com]

If what you say is true about fish that are released think of what the Cabelas and MWC tournament will do to your lake !

[Jbob]

I know that the fish we have caught this year were NOT skinny. They looked real healthy and fat.

[Fish-on]

The walleyes I caught in early June looked skinny. Some of them were very skinny. I did not fish it until fall and the walleyes I caught in the fall looked healthy. These were fish from different locations and they were probably feeding on different prey.