kill all walleyes ?

[135 guy]

I fished a tournament this weekend on Petenwell Lake in central WI. It was a multi species that included walleyes and bass. At the meeting it was announced that the bass that were in good shape would be released, but any walleyes brought to the scale would have to be kept by the anglers and a fine could be issued if they did not comply. The tournament host held up and made the permit available to read for anyone interested. It stated clearly that any walleyes brought to the scale could not be returned to the lake. This was signed and dated 7/10/02 by the area fish biologist Scott Ironside working out of the Adams/Friendship office.It also was stated that he wants to instill this policy for any tournaments held in his jurisdiction for the months of June, July, and August. The hosting club really didn't like the new rules imposed by Scott Ironside and asked at the rules meeting if the contestants would like to fish next year in May or September and overwhelmingly they said yes. To say the least the field was appalled. I really needed to vent and ask if anyone else has had this happen.

[Bad Finger]

Darn good idea. Nothing worse than having a bunch of dead walleyes floating around the weigh in site. All tourneys in August should be catch and keep.

It's nothing new on Petenwell either. Most every tourney I have fished there has been a kill tourney.

[Hawgeye]

So what is worse, several dead walleyes on shore with several living to be spawners and caught again or kept in freezers until freezer burnt and then in the trash? Maybe walleye tourneys should be held in spring and fall and not in the summer. I am against any tournaments in the middle of summer for walleye. After my last trip to Mille Lacs, why kill all those walleyes? I suppose if we are sure that these walleyes will be consumed, fine.

I like the idea to donate them to a local nursing home or something. Then you know they get used.

[Juls_OH]

I think that this rule should be applied to ALL lakes where tournaments are held during those hot months.

After all, when you put it in perspective, tournament anglers will always take less than their legal limit out of the lake during these events. Most tourney anglers will practice catch and release during prefishing, and then only keep the 5-6 fish that they will take to the scales. You have to figure that there are usually two people fishing out of one boat, so really they would be legally allowed a two person limit, but more often than not, they bring in less. In the states where culling is not allowed, some tournament directors only allow the 5-6 fish in the livewell, and when you reach that number your done fishing for the day. Some other directors allow you a two person limit and let you weigh your biggest 5-6 fish. Personally, I think during those hot months all tournaments should only allow the weigh in limit in the boat. That insures that less than a two person limit in each boat would be taken out of the lake at each event.

I would rather see a catch and kill tourney that would donate the fish to the hungry, than to see those fish released back into the system where they will more than likely end up floating. It's a waste if they end up floating, and usually gets the tournaments into a "bad press" situation with the hosting community.

Juls

[yesmam]

juls, like always - good post.

[DeepVHull]

That is bull****. Walleyes for Tomorrow were able to release 85% - 90% of the Walleyes back to Lake Winnebago alive and healthy, for the Fleet Farm Tournament this past weekend. To say you can't release the fish is a very niave.

[fuzzie]

>That is bull****. Walleyes for Tomorrow were able to
>release 85% - 90% of the Walleyes back to Lake Winnebago
>alive and healthy, for the Fleet Farm Tournament this past
>weekend. To say you can't release the fish is a very niave.

What's bull is the so called live release rate that tournament people talk about. You should stick around after one of these events and check the water around the release site for a couple of days. I have seen hundreds of dead walleye around the Gladstone launch and out in Baydenoc along the shore line, after MWC tournaments, and I'm not the only one who has. A lot of the fish were on the bottom and there were a lot more on the rocks just outside the harbor. Just because a fish swims off when put back in the water doesn't mean it will live for long. Every year it's the same thing when the weather is hot. This year will see even more dead walleye. The water temp in the bay right now is bumping up to 74 degrees, and with the MWC coming up this month it will be really bad. Another thing that kills fish is the no boundary rule. Some of these fish get a really rough ride of 60 plus miles. That is really rediculous. Time for someone to get their heads out of their keester's.
I think all tournaments should be catch and kill. At least that way we won't have to look at all the dead fish.

[Airwave(OH)]

There is alot of speculating on these kind of post. 1st. one guy says he rather see them Maybe live than freezer burnt. What if they went right to the frying pan. 2nd. A guy says that 85% lived. (15% wasted) Just because they swam away and you did not see them doesn't mean they lived. Most the PROFESSIONAL BIOLIGIST feel they do die due to delayed mortality especially in Aug. warm waters. There is no clear cut answer and NEVER will everyone agree on this one. This has been a topic here on Erie since Walleye Central first started up and before. I would think the guys making the rules had somekind of thought behind their thinking. Somewhere we just have to take a deep breathe and hope. Who knows? Theres a 50/50 chance either way I guess.

[ufda]

Let's see. A guy buys a cabin on a decent walleye lake, let's say 2,000 acres. According to the 1997 study in In-fisherman there are about 10 mature walleyes per acre. He spends $100,000 on it. He gets to use it say 9 weekends and a couple of weeks vacation during the summer. Since he has a cabin there and therefore doesn't fish anyplace else, he considers it "HIS" lake. He knows its public and anyone with a license can fish it, but he feels some relationship so he picks up trash and supports the local CO and walleye club chapter. Then a tournament comes. Say 75 boats X 2 guys per boat X 3 fish X 3 days X twice a year. So, 2700 fish killed or 270 acres of fish killed by guys getting paid to do it! And you wonder why people are against tournaments and don't want them on "their" lake? C'mon guys. We need to hold the tournaments spring and fall or find a way of returning 80% to the water healthy.
I know I'm going to get bashed for this one, so have at it!

P.S. Picking apart the numbers misses the entire point.

[who cares]

not me eat them walleyes yum yum yum

[All For Ufda]

I have to agree with ufda. It's just like with the slot on Mille Lacs right now. Everyone is pi$$@d off about the mortality pounds of released fish being higher than the catch and kill pounds. BUT, the catch and kill rate is 100%! I think that if at least a percentage of these fish live, even 30%, it provides spawning for the future. And I agree that tourneys should be kept to a minimum in the heat of the summer. That way the mortality rate will be MUCH lower. Also, each lake should be looked at differently. Lake Erie has a very sustainable fishery, as compared to say a smaller lake that can be more easily impacted. And as for those fish going to the nursery homes, they can't gum thoses fillets too well, so most of them will still end up in the garbage!

[FJH1]

I think the DNR rep. has a very good idea. I fish a walleye circuit called the Chain Walleye Series. This is in northern Illinois. A couple of years ago we had a summer tournament with very high mortality (many fish were dead at weigh-in, I'd guess that the balance died with a couple of days after release). The anglers were upset and I'm sure that spectators were upset as well. After that tournament the organizers decided to suspend summer tournaments. This year we had a June 2nd tournament and we are having an August 25th tournament. All other tournaments were held earlier or are being run later. A summer release rate of 85%+ is only numbers. In actuality the mortality rate will be MUCH higher within several days. Several years ago Walleye In-Sider published a study on summer walleye mortality in catch/release tournaments. As the water temperature climbed, so did the mortality. Most mortality was delayed. So, if you are going to run a summer tournament I personally believe that it should be a catch and kill tournament. Otherwise schedule it in the cooler months where a higher survival rate is almost guaranteed. I'd guess that they are allowing the release of the bass due to the fact that bass can tolerate higher water temperatures for longer periods of time. I also think that this may be a positive way for the DNR to open anglers eyes to the fact that summer tournaments are detrimental to the fish (they die). If they didn't issue the permit anglers would be cursing the DNR, however, by issuing the permit as catch and kill they will allow the anglers to see the effects of hot surface water in a livewell. I am not anti-tournament, I fish about 10 to 20 tournaments every year, but I do agree with this decision.

Best Regards,

FJH

[SLIPKNOT]

The only solution that works in the summer is to have 2 weigh-in's during the day. Thats what they make you do at petenwell in june, july, and august. This helps, but its a pain.

[Bad Finger]

Those dual weigh-ins are a joke. They do nothing to decrease fish mortality at Petenwell. Just two rounds of floaters per day instead of one.....

[Superman fisherman??]

1st. pick. If thats all the Walleye you have then why would they have a tourney there and if they did I doubt you would see 75 boats x 3 guys x 3days twice a year. 2700 fish.. This is typical numbers contorting.

[Hawgeye]

I agree with you on some aspects, however, my real intention of my post is to promote to discontinue "dog" day walleye tourneys. Fish are very vulnerable at that time of year for not only the fact that temperature increases the mortality rate but also, any lake that has substantial depths has walleye "down deep" to keep cool causing "the bends".

I hate seeing floaters but I also hate seeing poeople keeping fish that have no intention of eating them. If it is done in a way that the filets are donated to a shelter or nursing home, I am fine with that.

It was brought up that pro anglers don't take more than their legal limit. Don't tell me that the DNR sets their catch rates for people to actually catch their limit. I have two problems with that statement...one, Pros are some of the better anglers who are good enough to catch their limit quite frequently whereas the average joe may catch his limit once or twice a year on that same lake. Second, when pro's fish, they may catch 20 fish over their legal limit which have a mortality rate of getting hooked even when they are released. Tournaments with a hundred pro anglers on a single body of water is much different than a hundered amateurs out for the fun of fishing.

Something needs to be changed.

[Esoxrox]

I am a little confused. What is killing all of those fish, is it being kept in a livewell all day and then being weighed in?

[SLIPKNOT]

Bad finger, I disagree with you, i have never had fish die with the dual weigh-ins, oh well.

[TK_551]

Fish being in a livewell all day when the air temperature is hot makes the water in the live well hot. There is less oxygen in the water at higher temps. If you think about it, how do you feel when you are on a boat all day when the air temp is 90 degrees? I get pretty run down and almost sick (headaches, nausea, etc.) Anyway, seems like I never catch anything to weigh in during tourneys so I don't have the problems of walleyes dying.
As far as the dual weigh ins, I can see how it will help as fish are not in the livewell as long. I don't know the long term effects.
I fish Petenwell and Castle Rock quite frequently and I have not seen many dead walleyes during tournament season. Most of the tournament circuits are not even there this year with the exception of MWS. They were there in April and will be returning in late September. All the other tournaments this year would be the local tourneys-bars, clubs, etc.

Tom
#551

[Ness]

Limiting walleye tournaments to only spring and fall would be very detrimental to the industry and really wreak havoc in the lives of Pro walleye fishermen. They could never manage to do the amount of tournaments that most of them do if the tournament season was shortened up like that.
I agree that it's a waste to release walleye's from tournaments
in the really hot weather but I don't think making all the angler's keep them is the answer either. Some people NEVER eat fish or at least the fish they catch. Those fish would be discarded in the garbage. In hot weather, it should be strictly catch and kill and all
the walleyes should go to the local food pantries. There are an awful lot of needy people out there, folks, with empty bellies. You should consider it an honor to help feed them. Someday that could be you....