Summer walleye bag limit

[Zeke]

After the spearing count up we find ourselves with a two fish limit for this season. Only good news is that the Gov is planning to increase walleye production. I am so excited.

[wally1]

13 million to give the indians more targets to throw at. I seriously doubt that it will change the bag limits for us, so what's the point in it??

[Mark Benson]

It won't and even we were able to convince the Natives to quit spearing, the bag limits would never go beyond 3/lake anyway. We as a general population take too many walleyes, period.

Mark

[George]

Agreed Mark.

We have been operating with a 5 walleye daily bag limit and a possession limit of 10 for as long as I can remember. Perhaps somebody has some history on this and would care to contribute. Regardless of spearing, today's average fishermen and women are far more capable of harvesting walleyes than those of 30 and 40 and 50 years ago. As a kid in the late 50's, it was a long trip to go from Joe Popko's resort (near Norway Point) to Rat Lake. Today my boat makes that trip in a matter of minutes. Add to that a 360 degree HD Down Imaging depth finder with a lake map that interfaces with your trolling motor and...well you get the idea. Yet, inspite of these advances, the bag limit has stayed the same and the fish haven't gotten any smarter. Those bag limits need to be revisited. About 10 years ago Ontario went from a 6 fish limit to 4 as well as instituting a slot type size limit. There is no possession limit in Canada. You keep 4 walleyes and you are done...period. Of course there was the predictable complaining from Canadians and US fishermen alike. But the MNR (Ministry of Natural Resources) assured everyone that this was best for the future of fishing in Ontario. I can tell you that after 10 years the results have been, at least on the lake I fish, nothing short of spectacular. The average walleye I have been catching is bigger as is the Northern. Catch and release is encouraged as are barbless hooks. Oh, and I almost forgot...one line per angler.

So take this for what it's worth. The TFF gets a tremendous amount of fishing pressure, way more than the lake I fish in Canada. So if we are going to maintain this fishery and hopefully improve it, something has to change and just throwing more fingerlings into the flowage isn't going to do it. It will take the cooperation of all the parties. And yes everybody may have to give up something. This includes the tribes. "We've always done this" and "It's our tradition" are no longer valid reasons for over harvest.

Finally, we all have to remember that the piece of paper in your pocket says "Fishing License" on it, not "Freezer Filling License."

Okay, I'll get down off my soapbox now. Anybody seen my beer?

[Flambeau Vista Retreat LLC]

George: Your beer is right next to the one you were going to buy me at Donners Bay! LOL

[mooselegs]

great comments George; I do appreciate your insight. for me, fishing the tff is more about the fishing than it is about the catching. although would like to see a (3) daily limit.....I'll take what they give me.

i'll be back up on the tff starting 6-14...brother and I will be spending a week fishing the tff......

[BlackDuck]

Well Said George, you hit the nail on the head.

[George]

George: Your beer is right next to the one you were going to buy me at Donners Bay! LOL

I'll be at Donner's for a week starting July 21st. Stop by any time Scott. Would be glad to sponsor a cold one!

[Flambeau Vista Retreat LLC]

George: Sounds like a plan. I'm looking forward to it. Safe travels north.

[Zeke]

George, Add this to the info on Canada. In Texas, the guide cannot keep fish or add them to the clients bag. You know where I'm going, how many guides on the TFF, times how many double limits when he gives his catch to the client. Plus shore lunches. Just sayin. Everybody has to sacrifice. If its all about fishing, then......

[George]

Everything has to be on the table. No sacred cows.

[gdi]

I've been sayin for years there needs to be a size limit. To many people are keeping fish that are only 13-14 inches let them grow up.

[George]

I've been sayin for years there needs to be a size limit. To many people are keeping fish that are only 13-14 inches let them grow up.

Agree. And it needs to be a sensible size limit structure. With walleyes a minimum - slot size no keep or minimum plus one fish over type limits seem to work the best.

[Don Pemble]

Just be happy that the size limit isn't like it is on some Mercer area lakes, 3 fish with only 1 being over 14 inches, now wouldn't that be great.

[dhendron]

George
Thanks for your thoughts on walleye limits in the State Of Wisconsin. This is the first truly balanced view of this subject I've seen or heard. This is my 62nd year fishing in the northwoods and I fish a lot of places. I hope I am around to see the effect of the new limits because I know it is going to pay dividends.

[wally1]

I couldn't agree more, a five fish bag limit is not necessary.... anywhere. With that being said there is no reason that a fishery like the TFF cannot sustain a three fish limit on a consistent basis. That doesn't mean two this year, one next year, then three the year after that, then back to two etc, etc. If the 13 mill will ensure us a consistent bag limit in the future, then I'd say it's money well spent. I don't believe the fishing public is clamoring at all to get back to a five fish bag limit, but the every year inconsistency due to the spearing take is definitely hurting tourism in the north woods, and keeping potential fishing vacationers away.

[Mark Benson]

The thing I think is interesting about the size limits, is that even when we fished the flowage back in the early .'80's, our guide told us that a 22"-24" was a very large fish for this body of water. I don't believe that we ever saw a fish larger than that and that was 3-4 boats averaging 8 guys per trip of very serious fishing. My youngest brother who fished with a guide in the early .'90's managed to catch a 9# fish and I was shocked!!! When I first refished the flowage again a couple of years back I was surprised to understand that the size limit was nothing...

As for Don's comment on the 1 over 14" limit, I don't struggle with it as bad as I do the over 18" size limit that has been placed on the Minocqua Chain and has been in place on the Flambeau Chain for years now. It just seems to me that you just get that fish to adult/spawning size and then we allow it to be harvested??? That's the one I don't understand...

I have talked to WI biologists over the years and because of our population numbers, they don't believe in certain slot sizes similar to the Canadian ones. I don't get it, we can play arm-chair biologists... but I defer to the biologists.

Another piece of food for thought... Playing arm chair biologist... Last year we were told that the population of the flowage was 4 fish per acre. Rounding 14,000-plus acres up to 15,000 acres gives us a population of 60,000 fish. The Natives declared 5000, took 4800. Let assume that the safe harvest number is 50% of the total population. So 60,000 by 50% is 30,000. The Native take was 5000 for continued easy math. That leaves 25,000 fish for us to play with... and yet the State made it a 2 fish bag limit last year.

If all the numbers indicated are to give us a 3 fish limit and we were given a 2 fish limit... I beg to ask the question, how many are we taking??? Looking forward to my first trip yet this spring and I hope its soon!!! Be safe out there gang!!!

This has been a great level headed post about a great body of water!!!

Mark

[ranger618]

"As for Don's comment on the 1 over 14" limit, I don't struggle with it as bad as I do the over 18" size limit that has been placed on the Minocqua Chain and has been in place on the Flambeau Chain for years now. It just seems to me that you just get that fish to adult/spawning size and then we allow it to be harvested??? That's the one I don't understand..."

I agree yet we allow spearing just as they get to adult/spawning age? Now, that's one I do not understand

And what actually is a "safe harvest" number? I admit I have no knowlege of that but 50% seems a bit high especially if adult/spawners are then also harvested through the year.

[Flambeau Vista Retreat LLC]

Mark Benson: You should pose your question to Lawrence Eslinger, who is the TFF fisheries biologist. He can be reached at lawrence.eslinger@wisconsin.gov He is very good about responding to questions about the TFF fishery. Please let us know his response.

[Zeke]

I remember a presentation the DNR gave to the Hayward Rotary years ago. It was a shocking dose of reality. It was something like annually, 1/3 die or are eaten, 1/3 are caught, leaving 1/3 to maintain the population. Massage the numbers at little one way or another and the result still explains why the walleye needs a little help. Spearing was not yet legal, and the limits were five. The DNR was giving us the results of a study done on Sand Lake in Sawyer county. I think Frank Pratt was the fish manager at the time. Good man.
.

[Yooper2]

George and All-
I don't weigh on these types of conversations very often. I agree with pretty much everything that has been said on size limits and daily bags. However, there was one sentence about Canada only allowing one line per fisherman. Minnesota has the same rule and it drives me nuts. If everyone abides by the daily bag and size limit for the lake, does it really matter how fast you catch them? I enjoy fishing a slip bobber on one pole while casting a crankbait or jig on a second. I have never seen where 2 or 3 lines gives the angler any advantage. Minnesota also allows trolling...but that is probably a topic in and of itself.

Karl

[Flambeau Vista Retreat LLC]

Here is some more information for discussion. The TFF possession limit for walleyes is 10 fish. This year the TFF daily bag limit is 2 walleyes. You can keep 2 walleye per day for 5 days and legally bring home 10 walleyes from the TFF. The walleye possession limit on the TFF is not twice the TFF daily walleye bag limit as many people believe. This was first told to me by DNR fish biologist, Lawrence Eslinger. I verified it with an area warden and it has also been verified on the DNR website on-line Q&A. It has to do with the DNR trying to make more statewide rules rather than by zone, county or body of water.

[George]

Interesting Scott. Thanks for the update. Did not know that.

[AnglerAl]

One only needs to look to the WI River system to see what incredible success can happen with a slot limit. I'd be all for it, as I've been catching walleye fish sticks here on the TFF this week, and letting all but one go. We frequent Lake Wisconsin, sort of similar to the Flowage, and it's the healthiest fishery I know.

[byronbears84]

I'm not sure what could be changed, but I just finished a week long fishing trip on the tff, and between 3 fisherman for a week, we ended up catching 26 walleyes, with just 1 or 2 fish being over 15 inches. Seems very odd to me, but it is just the 2nd time we have been to the tff, and we really arent experienced fisherman... so maybe we arent doing something right!