My perfect slot limit.

[Neal/CO]

If I could choose the slot limit here in Colorado it would be 19-29 inchs. I haven't posted anything on the Mille Lacs post because I don't live in that area and I don't understand the fishery. Although I will say that having lots of fish over the slot is a problem I could live with. Here in my state we have no natural reproduction. The DOW stocks 60 million fry and fingerlings in about 50 lakes here in Eastern Colorado. The slot we have now sucks. You can't keep any fish under 18 inches but you can kill a limit over 18.While this slot is not in effect at all lakes, it is in effect at Pueblo, Cherry Creek and Chatfield, where I fish. All this does is encourage people to kill the larger fish. You can catch lots of small eye's but very few medium and large sized fish. I would release everything between 19 and 29 inches, no problem. I would just like to be able to keep a couple a day to eat. Where's the crime in that?

[Toad]

I agree Neal. From my perspective, all the 18" restriction has ever done is to crop everything off at 17 9/10". Just as it did at Pueblo Res with the 15" bass restriction, where anglers rarely saw a fish (smallmouth or largemouth) above 14 9/10". Are Colorado anglers like you just that smart. Or is the DOW just that clueless? I can only cringe.

Right now, Mille Lacs is hosting the best bite for decent fish in at least the last 15 years. And though we've gotta let a good majority of the fish go, well, most diehards seem to accept the slot.

In Colorado, I definitely think the fisheries were better off from a big fish standpoint, before the 18" regulation went into effect. But what do we know? We're just the fellas that spend (or used to spend, in my case) more time on those waters than anyone else.

-a friend called Toad

[perchboy]

Seems like the DOW has some lessons that need to be learned on fish reproduction.

[Art/CO]

Well said fellas...

The tally so far this month on Pueblo is 52 walleyes and all still under the 18" limit. The sad part is I live a couple of miles away from Pueblo, yet if I want a few eaters I have to drive two hours away to Nee Noshe for some saugeyes. Boy that hurts.

Art

[Knotty Buoy]

No one would complain about the slot size on Mille Lacs if it applied to everyone........unfortunately the nets that the Indians are using to net the walleyes do not allow for any catch and release of slot fish......

[Neal/Co]

Most of our lakes are from 1000 to 4000 acres, I can't even imagine a lake being big enough to sustain that kind of netting. I know it would piss me off though.

[night_eyes]

The nets the indians use are designed so that those size fish dont get caught in them. The bulk of their harvest is the same 14-18" fish we get to keep......

[Gunga Din]

In Utah we've got the Green River, perhaps the premier blue ribbon trout river in the country. In fact, the Green River is known to have more trout per linear mile than any river in the country, averaging 12-15,000 trout per mile. Limit is 2 under 13" and 1 over 20". 95% of the fish I catch are 19.9"--not a bad trout in anyone's book.

Since these restrictions were imposed years ago, the character of this river has changed and so has the mindset of anglers who go there. You don't go there to fill a limit--you go there to catch a bunch of nice fish. As a result, I rarely see anyone keep any fish but the trophies.

[Neal/CO]

It is easy for me to release all my trout, especially stream trout. Unfortunately they taste just like the bugs they eat! Thats why I like South Park so much. I can C&R big Bows and Cutts all day then usually catch a pike or two to bring home.

[KnottyBuoy]

Well, I would like to beleive that.......but.......the nets that broke loose and ended up on the Garrison shoreline had 90 walleyes in it and they were not "14 inches" ......you can't design a net to catch only a certain size fish.......they don't know that they are too big to get caught......

[Neal/Co]

Here is another example of how backward my state is sometime's. Bonny Resevoir in eastern Colo. is a 2000 acre farmland res. that is very productive and fertile. It gives up more Master Angler entries than any other lake in the state. It is also an important brood stock lake, that DOW counts on for eggs. Guess what the limit is? 10 fish any size. Last time I was there I watched several guys filleting 8 lbers. Keep in mind this is a 2000 acre lake.

[RT]

Where is Bonny?

[KnotttyBuoy]

So they stock these other lakes with fingerlings that are taken from this lake.....? Mille Lacs is one of the best natural reproducing lakes for walleyes in the state of Minnesota.....another reason for worry about netting and spearing during the spawning season.......

[Neal/CO]

Exactly. They use Bonny as Brood source for eggs but they don't protect this resource at all. This year they weren't able to collect eggs there because of low water conditions, but it is usually good for about 30 million eggs.

Bonny is about 120 miles due east of Denver just north of I-70.

[night_eyes]

I guess i can only go by what i've read and that is the mesh on the nets are designed so that the bigger walleyes cant get caught in them. And if you look at the average weight of the walleye netted you would see that this seems to be the case...with the average walleye less than 2 lbs.

[Osprey]

The biologist for that area recommends the creel regulations for that type of water. There reasoning for the 10 fish limit, is to get people from the front range to fish these waters. The limit is in the lower Arkansas River valley, includes Bonny, John Martin, Nee Noshe, Nee Grande and etc. Limits for all fish are usually more liberal in this area than the rest of the state. There argument is: would people drive out there for a 5 fish limit? I don't know the answer, the only way a regulation will be changed is, if the biologists' give their blessing for it.

Bonny usually has a lot of big fish for the size of water. I think one reason they have some many big fish, is becuase the water level stays pretty constant. Unlike the lakes that could be at max pool, then by July be down 15-20 feet. In these lakes, a lot of fish, especially bigger ones, go out through the outlet.

Just my two cents worth....

[Neal/Co]

It is a good fishery and well worth the drive. It just doesn't make sense to not to protect the big females that you are going to be netting the next spring for eggs. The last time I fished the Knights of Columbus tournament there 2 years ago, I bet I saw at least a dozen fish over 6 lbs being kept and filleted. It is to small a lake to sustain that kind of harvest. Maybe they should let people keep their 10 fish under 20 inches. It gets stocked more than any lake in Colorado except Pueblo, so it can handle the harvest of small fish.

[Osprey]

I agree that it's a good fishery and a slot should be placed on it. Getting the regulation in place is a whole new can of worms. It takes quite of bit for the biologist to agree to it, especially, when they think their is no problem with the current limits!

FYI...I heard in this year's Knights of Columbus tourney, they only weighed three or four fish!!

Tight Lines....

[Neal/Co]

The Knights of Columbus tournament and several others aren't live release tournaments. Two years ago my partner and I took 3rd out of 100 teams and every team was weighing in fish. Hundreds of fish were killed that weekend. I was so caught up in the competition it didn't hit me how irresponsible myself and everyone else were. When I hear reports of bad walleye fishing the last two summers, i'm not sure you can blame low water for everything.

[KnottyBuoy]

They also have to alot for their "incidental" catch which includes northerns and muskies......they get tangled in the nets and can't get out.......they are just as dead as the rest.......Where do you get the figures on what the average size is? I hope it is not published by the Minneapolis Tribune!

[jEFF reed]

Reading all these Colorado slot limit posts, makes me believe that the Colorado Fish and Game people are graduates of John Denver's LEARN TO FLY AT HOME VIDEO SERIES.

[Matt]

Once again gentlemen, look at Red Lake. I used to fish it. You could not catch a fish over 16 inches. I don't mean you were lucky if you caught one, I mean there weren't ANY. You could catch a mess of 10 - 14 inchers, but thats it. The fewer big fish dissapeared and stocking kept it going. I heard all these same statements then too! "The nets are designed to take the small fish." "The average fish is only 2 pounds." And on and on and on..... Now where is Red Lake?!?

[night_eyes]

I've seen reports from a couple different sources. The only one i can remember was the "Outdoor News". All reports were the same. Average fish less than 2 lbs.

[night_eyes]

Wouldnt it be more worriesome if the lake wasnt a good natural reproducer???

[Neal/CO]

There is no natural reproduction. They milk the large females for eggs in the spring and return the fry to the lake. My whole point is that they aren't protecting the brood source. You can keep 10 fish any size. I have watched people filleting stringers of 4-8 lb fish. This lake is only 2000 acres.

[night_eyes]

That was directed more toward Knotty's statement about Mille Lacs......

[Bright One]

You don't get it, do you night_eyes?

[night_eyes]

Why dont you enlighten me being you know my viewpoint so well on this subject...? Tell me what im missing......

[Smokeydean13e]

I am sorry that I didn't get in on this conversation when it happened several years ago but in reviewing old issues I found this.

Why not have a limit like Merritt in NE. 4 fish max, 1 can be between 15 to 18, with three from 18 to 22 or 2 from 18 to 22 and i over 22. I would be very happy to be able to take one 15 to 18 fish a day and not have to battle the masses of zoomers on Chatfield. I am a simple man that likes a walleye fillet once in a while. Don't need boat loads, but it would be nice to be able to keep one here and there.

Take care, tight lines and God Bless.