I wanted to start a new thread just based simply on conservation.
I am a die hard walleye fisherman, I have caught many many walleye in my day. some big the biggest being 27 1/2 inches weighing in at 7 1/2 pounds caught july 4th 1999 on Mille lacs lake. If my memory serves me right we kept the walleye for pictures and to be mounted.. That particular weekend there was a red door walleye tournament going on. so needless to say the fish i had caught put me in a good position for the tournament.
Getting to the point. Again, looking back i would have taken pictures in the boat and then release the fish (option a) or I would have taken the fish in for official weigh in then taken photos then went back out to release the fish where i it had been caught.
We all love to catch fish for that insatiable lust we all have for fresh fish. What we all need to do is practice not only conservation but selective harvest. This will impact not only our fishing now but greatly impact fishing for everyone in future generations.
put your thoughts out there.. maybe together we all can make a difference. for not only todays fishing but the fishing of tomorrow
It's refreshing to read the words of everybody that cares about the future of a sport that all of us have enjoyed so much over our lifetimes. Just think of all the good times and real adventures we've experienced on the lake!
Walleye fishing is what I do, so naturally I'm always concerned about the protection of our prey's environment and selective harvesting of breeding stock.
Over the years, I've heard alot of different suggestions from my customers. Some of them are pretty good alternatives to the current slot regulations. The worst part of the current regs, from a conservation standpoint is the mortality rate. There isn't ANYTHING more wasteful than watching a fish die that's been thrown back because it wasn't handled right and to target an entire year class.
One of the new regulations that I liked the best was that every fisherman could keep up to 76 inches of walleye, Limit of 4 set end to end. That way, that 23" that was going to die anyway wouldn't be floating in to rot on our beaches.
