Bill Lundeen
01-15-2009, 12:21 PM
Hi
Cold enough for you? Angling effort is WAAAY down on Mille Lacs so far this week - I guess some people draw the line at 26 below! The fish seem to have drawn the same line... they've been suffering lockjaw since the weekend. We did have several groups who really licked 'em up over the weekend, especially on Saturday. The one thing all the groups had in common was the ability to get away from the crowds. Snowmobiles and portables were the "secret". All reported a lot of undersized (8-10 inch)walleye, but most were able to take their 4 keepers in that 16-18 inch range. The Rattlin' Flyer (black or blue) tipped with a fathead appeared to be the ticket, followed closely by Swedish Pimples in the same colors. Look for things to ramp up this weekend as we come out of the deep freeze and people start to move around a little more. Stick to 27-30 feet and try to get away from the crowds for your best walleye action.
Last week I said I'd write more about the "shiner shortage" soon - I'll try to shed some light on that situation here. Over the past few years, the bait business has changed drastically. The statewide supply of bait as we used to know it is no longer adequate to satisfy the jewel of Minnesota's tourism business - fishing. We can attribute the drop in supply to a number of sources including sprawling residential areas impacting and often eliminating the minnow ponds, loss of ponds due to special interests like the duck habitat restoration efforts in western Minnesota, access restrictions by landowners and the Mn. DNR, and to a certain extent the low water levels (climate) and significant snowfalls resulting in "freeze-out". The DNR has a "lock" on the borders of Minnesota that prevent bait from entering from other states - an alternative (importing) that isn't currently available. The shiner shortage is/was the first to hit, although the state's fathead/crappie minnow supply is close behind. Why are the borders closed? Good question. As I understand it, Minnesota fish growers (including the Mn. DNR) can import these same minnows to use as food for walleye stock. These walleye can then be commissioned by the local sportsman's club (or the DNR) and released into Minnesota waters for recreational angling. The origin of these shiners can be traced back to northwestern Minnesota, when they were exported to the southern United States where they enjoy a longer (and more rapid) growing season. These southern facilities face rigid testing criteria in order to keep their rating. There is no room for disease or exotic species to enter the equation... or the facility could be quarantined and loose their fish farm status and ability to export for up to 5 years... pretty good incentive to keep things on the up and up. The minnows can leave these facilities with the disease-free testing and documentation to satisfy the State where they will be delivered to. So why won't the Minnesota DNR allow these minnows in to the bait wholesalers to keep the fishing/recreation/tourism business alive? Is the economy not tough enough that we have to watch another industry struggle or maybe even collapse? I don't normally like to encourage political action - I think people should be able to tell on their own when a subject needs their action BUT... if you like to fish in Minnesota - Mille Lacs, Leech, Minnetonka, summer/winter, serious or recreational this needs your attention. Many folks around the state experienced empty shiner tanks when they went to their favorite bait shop last weekend - some haven't had any all season so far. The fishing industry needs the State to open the border to "tested, certified disease and exotic free minnows". What can you, as an angler do? You can help by IMMEDIATELY emailing or calling the following people: your State Senator and State Representative, Commissioner of Natural Resources Mark Holsten, Senator Satveer Chaudhary (head of the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee), Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson-Kelliher and Governor Pawlenty. Their contact info can be found on the State of Minnesota website . Tell them you like to fish. Then ask them, If we don't have an adequate indigenous supply of bait to service the hundreds of thousands of anglers that spend many millions of dollars in Minnesota, why don't we have reasonable access to allow the importation of certified baitfish? Finally, ask them for a response... you deserve it - they're supposed to work for you. Again - this isn't a "Lundeen's Tackle Castle" or a "Mille Lacs" problem... this is a "Minnesota" problem.
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The weather for the weekend (from the National Weather Service) looks like this:
Friday: A 30 percent chance of light snow after noon. Partly sunny and cold, with a high near 5. Wind chill values between -31 and -41. South southwest wind between 3 and 10 mph.
Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -1. Wind chill values between -8 and -13. South southeast wind at 10 mph becoming northwest.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 17. North northwest wind between 3 and 9 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 8.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 26.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 11.
M.L.King Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 29.
The last quarter moon is 1-17-09.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to check out our weekly "shop special" at http://www.lundeens.com/shop.html .
Once again this winter we will be renting FL20’s, power augers and underwater cameras. Be sure to reserve them ahead to assure availability.
Finally, Grandpa was always going on about the good old days, and the lower cost of living, in particular. "When I was a kid, my mom could send me to the store, and I'd get a salami, two pints of milk, 6 oranges, 2 loaves o' bread, a magazine, and some new blue jeans... all for a dollar!!" Then Grandpa said sadly, "You can't DO that anymore..... they got those video cameras everywhere you look."
Have a great weekend,
Bill Lundeen
Lundeen's Tackle Castle
38752 Twilight Road
Onamia, MN 56359
320-532-3416
lundeens@lundeens.com
www.lundeens.com
© Copyright 2009, Lundeen's Tackle Castle. All Rights Reserved
Cold enough for you? Angling effort is WAAAY down on Mille Lacs so far this week - I guess some people draw the line at 26 below! The fish seem to have drawn the same line... they've been suffering lockjaw since the weekend. We did have several groups who really licked 'em up over the weekend, especially on Saturday. The one thing all the groups had in common was the ability to get away from the crowds. Snowmobiles and portables were the "secret". All reported a lot of undersized (8-10 inch)walleye, but most were able to take their 4 keepers in that 16-18 inch range. The Rattlin' Flyer (black or blue) tipped with a fathead appeared to be the ticket, followed closely by Swedish Pimples in the same colors. Look for things to ramp up this weekend as we come out of the deep freeze and people start to move around a little more. Stick to 27-30 feet and try to get away from the crowds for your best walleye action.
Last week I said I'd write more about the "shiner shortage" soon - I'll try to shed some light on that situation here. Over the past few years, the bait business has changed drastically. The statewide supply of bait as we used to know it is no longer adequate to satisfy the jewel of Minnesota's tourism business - fishing. We can attribute the drop in supply to a number of sources including sprawling residential areas impacting and often eliminating the minnow ponds, loss of ponds due to special interests like the duck habitat restoration efforts in western Minnesota, access restrictions by landowners and the Mn. DNR, and to a certain extent the low water levels (climate) and significant snowfalls resulting in "freeze-out". The DNR has a "lock" on the borders of Minnesota that prevent bait from entering from other states - an alternative (importing) that isn't currently available. The shiner shortage is/was the first to hit, although the state's fathead/crappie minnow supply is close behind. Why are the borders closed? Good question. As I understand it, Minnesota fish growers (including the Mn. DNR) can import these same minnows to use as food for walleye stock. These walleye can then be commissioned by the local sportsman's club (or the DNR) and released into Minnesota waters for recreational angling. The origin of these shiners can be traced back to northwestern Minnesota, when they were exported to the southern United States where they enjoy a longer (and more rapid) growing season. These southern facilities face rigid testing criteria in order to keep their rating. There is no room for disease or exotic species to enter the equation... or the facility could be quarantined and loose their fish farm status and ability to export for up to 5 years... pretty good incentive to keep things on the up and up. The minnows can leave these facilities with the disease-free testing and documentation to satisfy the State where they will be delivered to. So why won't the Minnesota DNR allow these minnows in to the bait wholesalers to keep the fishing/recreation/tourism business alive? Is the economy not tough enough that we have to watch another industry struggle or maybe even collapse? I don't normally like to encourage political action - I think people should be able to tell on their own when a subject needs their action BUT... if you like to fish in Minnesota - Mille Lacs, Leech, Minnetonka, summer/winter, serious or recreational this needs your attention. Many folks around the state experienced empty shiner tanks when they went to their favorite bait shop last weekend - some haven't had any all season so far. The fishing industry needs the State to open the border to "tested, certified disease and exotic free minnows". What can you, as an angler do? You can help by IMMEDIATELY emailing or calling the following people: your State Senator and State Representative, Commissioner of Natural Resources Mark Holsten, Senator Satveer Chaudhary (head of the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee), Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson-Kelliher and Governor Pawlenty. Their contact info can be found on the State of Minnesota website . Tell them you like to fish. Then ask them, If we don't have an adequate indigenous supply of bait to service the hundreds of thousands of anglers that spend many millions of dollars in Minnesota, why don't we have reasonable access to allow the importation of certified baitfish? Finally, ask them for a response... you deserve it - they're supposed to work for you. Again - this isn't a "Lundeen's Tackle Castle" or a "Mille Lacs" problem... this is a "Minnesota" problem.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The weather for the weekend (from the National Weather Service) looks like this:
Friday: A 30 percent chance of light snow after noon. Partly sunny and cold, with a high near 5. Wind chill values between -31 and -41. South southwest wind between 3 and 10 mph.
Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -1. Wind chill values between -8 and -13. South southeast wind at 10 mph becoming northwest.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 17. North northwest wind between 3 and 9 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 8.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 26.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 11.
M.L.King Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 29.
The last quarter moon is 1-17-09.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to check out our weekly "shop special" at http://www.lundeens.com/shop.html .
Once again this winter we will be renting FL20’s, power augers and underwater cameras. Be sure to reserve them ahead to assure availability.
Finally, Grandpa was always going on about the good old days, and the lower cost of living, in particular. "When I was a kid, my mom could send me to the store, and I'd get a salami, two pints of milk, 6 oranges, 2 loaves o' bread, a magazine, and some new blue jeans... all for a dollar!!" Then Grandpa said sadly, "You can't DO that anymore..... they got those video cameras everywhere you look."
Have a great weekend,
Bill Lundeen
Lundeen's Tackle Castle
38752 Twilight Road
Onamia, MN 56359
320-532-3416
lundeens@lundeens.com
www.lundeens.com
© Copyright 2009, Lundeen's Tackle Castle. All Rights Reserved