The band members from Wis. showed up last Wednesday evening just after sunset. The one boat I was watching set four nets just off shore in front of the house. Another boat set more nets just south of the house. The best part of this was that the sun had set in the far western skies and here are two boats on the lake with no lights!! I watched both boats leave the area well after sunset and head back south to the landing. Its just another example of them being able to do whatever.........I have witnessed on a number of occasion boats ticketed for no lights displayed by our MN DNR officers just minutes after sunset!! Its the law....
The night was'nt over.........at 11:15pm my wife and I were woke up from our nights sleep with the dog barking and bright lights beaming in our house windows! A boat with big bright lights was just off the rocks in the shallows........ guess who!
I was thinking the same about the placement of the net(s). If it's publicity they want, I guess it's time to grab the camcorder and visit the band members at the boat landing.
I was at cove today just watching what they are doing and the fish they were getting... all i can say is wow...these people are running around like a kid in a candy store... they know they are getting away with murder and don't give a rats ass 1 bit...
You know personally I wouldn't mind so much if just mille lacs band did this. its all these other bands that come from out of a state that piss me off.
Bobber, do you know how their quota works in regard to hook and line fishing?
They can use up to 6 rods (w/2 lures per rod) and take 10 walleyes of any size, every day. (AND leave lines unattended for up to an hour). If they meet their quota during netting "season" can they continue to take fish via hook and line?
I guess they can pretty much do whatever they want.Including netting other lakes other than Mille Lacs,Dont have to obey open water laws and camp at the public landings we paid for right next to the no camping sign.Man this stuff just burns my A$$.
It wouldnt bother me if they took a few for cerimonial/traditional purposes but this has turned into a commercial harvest with 100s of nets in the lake.Most of the netters are also non tax payers and non minnesotans.And most of this is still probably funded by us tax payers in one way or another.This is 2010 not the 1800s and as far as I am conserned we have paid enough and they need to fend for themselves and quit begging and get a job like everyone else if they need to eat.Heck most of them wont even work at their own Casinos.Its time for this state to get into the Casino bussiness and they have my vote.
Probably a dumb question but, who monitors how many pounds of fish they’ve harvested – across all bands?After watching Bob’s video, it shouldn’t take them too long to net their ridiculous allocation.
Im not positive if the DNR or the GLIFWC who monitors this but they do some what.However this has gotten way to big and spread out around the lake to monitor.After the fiaskal last year with the lost nets in the ice they had no idea on how many they lost or who they belonged to or maybe just didnt want to say.All the nets are supposed to be accounted for and taged.Hard to believe but they didnt even get a citation for lost nets.They did estamate a few fish lost and added them to the quota or at least thats what I heard.No telling how many fish those nets killed and fell out along the way.
-- Edited by 2050Skeeter on Thursday 8th of April 2010 02:22:16 PM
They should have no problem getting their quota with the early ice out.I wonder if the DNR is monitoring for invasive species or is that only for us to deal with.
Just remember this when you get ready to vote in the fall. I know people will say good luck with that, however that is the only way that this stuff will ever be stopped. All of us are irritated by this and political means is the only way to battle this.
This makes every Mille Lacs Lake person who cares just furious. It really SUCKS. They have no respect for anything. Something has to change. We have had enough of this CRAP. The DNR must try legal action again. It is a sad day for all of us.
They came across Malmo Bay this morning dragging a huge seine net pulled by an incredible 12 - 15 boats -- relentlessly trapping all the game fish and walleye. My Mother at her home on the Bay said she had never seen anytrhing like this event today.
It is a sad day for our Lake.
These out of state bands have no concern for the fish and the lake.
Im not sure it would be even legal for them to do that as their gill nets have to be a certain size to target certain fish.I guess I wouldnt be surprised though and they would probably get away with it anyway.
I hate to say it but you might as well keep everything you catch out of the lake as about the only time the DNR will step in and do something is when the fish are all gone.
Just another reason I got rid of my place there and plan on useing my place up north more.
I copied this off of another website that was apparently written by one of the ML band members that posts on there once in a while.I always said if it were only the ML band that was doing this it wouldnt be much of a problem.I dont believe they want to destroy the resourse any more than we do.Ya Im sure they have a few deadbeats on that side to but I have a few deadbeat white neighbors to.I always wondered what the Wisconsin tribes did with all that fish and I wish someone would follow it back over there and see where it all goes.They also net the lakes over there and they have nearly ruined some of them.
there are lots of regs mesh size cant be more than 1 3/4 keeps the big mamas out of the nets, they have regs on weights and floats lift times and lengths of nets, every fish is weighed measured and sexed , also all tags on fish are removed and recorded with the state. The Wisconsin tribes coming over is a touchy thing we can thank bud grant and PERM for bringing that up in the lawsuit if they had just let mille lacs band do their thing initially they wouldnt have came here. In short the wasteful lawsuit that occurred increased netting tenfold had they left it alone...? Most mille lacs band dont like them over here at all some of them leave a bad taste in the locals mouth at bars and at landings then they go home and most people cant tell one indian from another so they assume we are all the same. 99% of mille lacs indians net on the reservation. its the wisconsin indians @ garrison malmo and cedar creek. They basically come net piss people ogff and gome home and sell their fish meanwhile the indians like myself have to live here and edure rude comments from people
I hate writing on these things,1) because I'm a crapy speller and 2) I might say something not so correct. 3) I have a tendency to ramble. When I was in grade school, early 60's, we were taught, from a history book, about the American Indians, no specific tribe, just the Indians, we were told about how they used the land to live off of, fishing, hunting, growing crops, gathering food, using everything given to them by nature, not wasting anything, using them with great respect, and always leaving some for the next guy. We were taught about the Indian wars and such, how Indians were treated and forced onto reservations. Lately, I have heard, most of the kid’s history books don’t even touch on these subjects anymore, because they are politically incorrect, and just not true. Does this also hold true towards the way that the fish on Mille Lacs are treated, has everyone forgotten how their ancestors would use only what they needed and not waste what they were given. I realize this is not the 1800's, but what is so different then and now. The American Indian wants to keep their past alive, do you think that the ancestors of the American Indian would want this type of wanton waste to continue over and over every year. there seems to be a double standard, the American Indian wants to keep their ancestor ways and pass them along to the next generation, and keep their past alive, but it’s ok to do this netting thing because the law says we can, I don’t see how taking all these fish from Mille Lacs for a "Ceremony" passes along the old ways, to me it shows total disregard for nature and a resource the soon will not renew itself. Is this passing on the old ways, the ancestral way of life, will the future show that this was a good thing to do, it is very doubtful it will. I think that if the real past wants to be preserved, the elders and tribal leaders should be teaching the past to the next generations and teaching how to use nature as a renewable resource, instead of taking what is legally yours just because you can. This earth is too small for this kind of abuse of resources. You can still net, you can still have your ceremony, but use it to the advantage of your youth, teach them, show them the way; give a purpose to taking from nature. I know it will be said “but the white man stole this all from us”. And we did, it can’t be changed, it’s done, I am very aware of what happened. I think most common people are. This thing can be turned into a great leap forward instead of using it as a way to get back at what is the past. I am not an expert, this is what I see please don’t take any offence and get all bent out of shape, It is the opinion of me, a single person whom grew up fish this great body of water, I have always treated her with great respect and always will, this I can say for sure. I hope this makes some sense. Bruce.
While talking with Steve last night I mentioned that someone had been down to the Liberty Beach public access on Saturday and heard that the Band members netting would complete their yearly quota by this Tuesday....well thats 132,000 lbs in a week
well I sat down this morning and did some simple math!
300 nets set with a 60 fish per net take = 18,000 fish
500 nets set with a 60 fish per net take = 30,000 fish
18,000 fish/walleye at 2lb average = 36,000 lbs
30,000 fish/walleye at 2lb average = 60,000 lbs
I guess when looking at it this way...one could say they will get all their fish...........and some?
These are just numbers used...with no facts ! just numbers ! But looking at them it's very possible..
You might say 300 nets? 500 nets? I would guess as nice of weather that we have had these past few days.....they may have had more nets than what I have had listed above.
Something to chew on with your coffee guys!! Good Morning!
Back in the old days a lot of people did live off of the land.However this is 2010 and that isnt the case so much anymore even on the reservations.However there are some natives that think we still owe them and refuse to work and take advantage of the system.Not to be considered a racist there are white people that do to but they cant net fish.
As long as the lake is managed and they have a quota in theory things should be OK.The big thing down the road is the natives are entitled to 50% of that and will they push it that far.
My bigest concern is the out of state tribes and where the fish actually goes.They say it goes to feed the elders but either they are eating fish every day or they have one hell of a big fish fry.It appears that even some of the ML band believe they sell some of the fish.If they are going to do this there at least needs to be some accountabilty and they have to play by the rules like we have to.After all we are the ones still paying for most of it.
Another thing is I dont know is why we cant get a state csino built.Every tribe in the country has one so why cant we.If we did this it would be a considered a monopoly.We really need to elect some people with some balls in this country instead of the pussies that are running it now.If you want to stay ahead sometimes you have to kick some ass and piss some people off.Trying to keep the peace in the world and signing peace treaties only goes so far.
If 1 band/tribe decides not to net does that mean the other tribes/bands get more fish to net? It seems to me each band or tribe should have their own allotment within the allotment. Then each individual member within the various bands/tribes should be alloted x amount of lbs based on that band/tribes allotment. If an individual member does not want to net and does not want anyone else to use his/her allotment this should be deducted from the total. Why should the few hoard so much?
just reading a few of the emotional walleye comments here and it is sad, very sad.to bring up some news of the past-i heard a couple of years back that these characters left a bunch of walleyes stacked up on one of the local roads not to far from the big lake--what were the actions taken by the mn dnr? anyone remember or could someone give me a reply about this-thank you
I too have heard stories of dumpsters full of fish...northerns and walleyes... the caught them, but were too lazy to clean them... Again... I have reiterate some of the comments made here already... the actual Mille Lacs Band, take very few walleye from the lake.... if you drive through the landings, most of the vehicles have Wisconsin plates on them...there is a Band over there, that has little regard for anybody in the Mille Lacs area... whether it be white settlers or the Native Bands... they could care less. They come over here for a week or 2, net tons of fish and then go back to Wisconsin and supposedly eat them all..... yeah right...
It looks like most of those fish are the same size as the ones we're limited too. Its amazing that I can spend 8 hours looking for just 4 of them, but they can fill a garbage can overnight.
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Humana Insurance Representative-Brainerd and Mille Lacs Area
Hello all.......what a shame.......i think that the "gut pile" should be placed on the State Capitols or Pawlentys door step.......Anybody wanna go walley fishing this this weekend, if they can do it then so should I. I'll bring the bait....
I sent these pics to WCCO. Bill Hudson called Marv to get some info. Said they were going to investigate...we'll see. It's so damn disgusting and leaves you feeling helpless and hopeless... and pissed...
Hi there, just wondering where these were found. i grew up on mille lacs and i would like to show those pictures to the messenger or something. What can we do about this? i am a younger guy and am sick to death of this. Last year i was driven into isle and found about 50 of them in the ditch by the state park.
just reading a few of the emotional walleye comments here and it is sad, very sad.to bring up some news of the past-i heard a couple of years back that these characters left a bunch of walleyes stacked up on one of the local roads not to far from the big lake--what were the actions taken by the mn dnr? anyone remember or could someone give me a reply about this-thank you
Again... I have reiterate some of the comments made here already... the actual Mille Lacs Band, take very few walleye from the lake.... if you drive through the landings, most of the vehicles have Wisconsin plates on them...there is a Band over there, that has little regard for anybody in the Mille Lacs area... whether it be white settlers or the Native Bands... they could care less. They come over here for a week or 2, net tons of fish and then go back to Wisconsin and supposedly eat them all.....
