An early fishing opener? Two Minnesota lawmakers pushing for it

EYECONZ · Member

Fishing Opener

muskiemike · Member

Ya April fools! Just like the weather this weekend!

MCallies · Malmo Bay Bomber

Here are the news/prress releases & reports on the new legislation called :

Mother's Amendment to move up the Opener by one week:

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_20292619/moms-amendment-seeks-shift-minnesotas-fishing-opener-week?source=rss

An early fishing opener? Two Minnesota lawmakers pushing for it

Posted: 03/30/2012 12:01:00 AM CDT

March 31, 2012 11:43 PM GMT Updated: 03/31/2012 06:43:43 PM CDT

Move up this year's fishing opener by a week? Absolutely, say two northern Minnesota legislators.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, and Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, on Friday, March 30, proposed a "Mom's Amendment" to move up the opening weekend of the 2012 fishing season by one week.

"In what is shaping up to be a do-nothing legislative session, today we are offering a proposal that we hope will give citizens of Minnesota something to feel good about,'' they said in a joint statement.

"We are proposing to move up opening weekend of the fishing season - currently scheduled for May 12 - one week early. The fishing opener is a great Minnesota tradition and a major tourism event, and our state's anglers and tourism businesses deserve bipartisan support from the Legislature to get this done.

"Since the current opener falls on Mother's Day again this year, we're calling it the 'Mom's Amendment.' "

With little snow and poor ice conditions across much of the state, the two said, Minnesota's resort and tourism industry had a difficult winter and could profit from the earlier opener.

Because of the recurring conflict between the opener and Mother's Day, the proposal periodically surfaces in the Minnesota Legislature.

By law, the opener is two Saturdays before Memorial Day weekend, putting it in early to mid-May.

Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May.

Bakk said Dill would try to amend the earlier date to a game and fish

bill on the House floor.

-- Edited by MCallies on Sunday 1st of April 2012 11:45:17 PM

tat2jonnie · Senior Member

Hell, they haven't even said if we're gonna HAVE a season at all, yet.

MCallies · Malmo Bay Bomber

Right Jon,

Exactly. Beware what they are offering.

For many fisherman and me personally, I have made my Opener plans already. I have booked and paid for travel to Mille Lacs for the DNR shceduled Opener May12th. I come 1,200 miles for the Opener dammit.

So if they move it up a week -- on such short notice-- I am now fishing the second weekend of the season which was not my wish nor our family tradition of fishing the Opener.

Also, if they move the Opener up a week how will that affect other years? If they move the Opener date up permamently -- how will it affect years where the ice out is more normal in late April?

It is a complicated subject....

-- Edited by MCallies on Sunday 1st of April 2012 11:44:31 PM

-- Edited by MCallies on Sunday 1st of April 2012 11:46:06 PM

-- Edited by MCallies on Sunday 1st of April 2012 11:46:46 PM

tat2jonnie · Senior Member

My question is: Are they proposing this "bone" because they have some OTHER bad news for us with this "fish and game" bill that's on the house floor?

And why are they being so closed-mouth about our slot and possession limit?

Beware of the Trojan Horse! evileye

EYECONZ · Member

The only questions I have are:

When will all this be done with? The state doesn't seem to work very quickly on any new bills. Opener is 6 weeks away. They better get a move on so I know when to get up there!

How many fish could this proposal save? The possibilities are endless..........

RussDaBuss · Member

Interesting. And to imagine I believe reading last week proposals to move opener to a later date on some MN waters... Leave good enough alone except for one lake. The DNR said many times the slot would be determined and realesed by mid to late March. Well it's April... What will the news be.

wallyhntr1 · Member

Anyone wonder why the Aitkin boys arent releasing the 2011 SSB number?

RussDaBuss · Member

wallyhntr1 wrote:
Anyone wonder why the Aitkin boys arent releasing the 2011 SSB number?

That and What the Heck we (the sportsmen and women) are allowed this year... Maybe we are not allowed to fish Mille Lacs for walleyes this year blankstare

wallyhntr1 · Member

Something tells me the DNR are waiting to see how netting goes before releasing any info..

ranger · Member

Maybe to resolve this problem, we should do like north dakota and never close the season. If according to our dnr that netting fish before span doesn't hurt the fish population, why should taking them with hook and line. Look at all the money that gets spent by people traveling to other states prior to openning of fishing season. I could eliminate my trips to south and north dakota and spend my money at home.

MichGoldenEye · Member

MM, get ready to change your plane tickets, one more step thru the senate and it will be May 5th

MCallies · Malmo Bay Bomber

Thanks Tom, I was afraid of that.... smile

beast · Member

sure you can still fish the same weekend as was planned for the year, but if you are fishing on mille lacs lake i am sure the night time ban will be in effect the second weekend . am I right?

-- Edited by beast on Wednesday 4th of April 2012 06:59:26 PM

SemperFI · Member

Just got the new slot information while in North Dakota.

I just might move!
-- Edited by SemperFI on Wednesday 4th of April 2012 09:37:53 PM

-- Edited by SemperFI on Thursday 5th of April 2012 05:16:31 PM

-- Edited by SemperFI on Thursday 5th of April 2012 05:19:03 PM

beast · Member

lets think about this, maybe if we moved mothers day to the weekend prior to openner and leave mother nature alone! sounds like they are just trying to buy some votes and cause problems for everyone who fishes on openner, some have had plans made for this weekend for months!

SemperFI · Member

I was in communication with my cousin John, who is in his first and last term of the legislature, and he indicated that they are putting forth legislation to make the weekend prior to mothers day weekend, the official opener.

If you had plans for this year’s opener, there is nothing stopping you from keeping those plans.

Personally, I just want to fish. Mothers day weekend will be family affair no matter what (of course we will fish that weekend) with my wife, my best friend and mother of my child, casting the first line.

GO STEVE F.

tat2jonnie · Senior Member

I think they're doing it to keep some kinda face with the anglers and to get all the amateurs even more confused than they usually are......

SemperFI · Member

I will ask some pointed questions on our next meetings.

Asume nothing, unless you have all the facts.

RussDaBuss · Member

beast wrote:
sure you can still fish the same weekend as was planned for the year, but if you are fishing on mille lacs lake i am sure the night time ban will be in effect the second weekend . am I right?

-- Edited by beast on Wednesday 4th of April 2012 06:59:26 PM

Very good question you ask. Who knows when the nite ban would start?? Hell we don't even know what our slot or limit is

MichGoldenEye · Member

Here it is

New walleye regulation at Mille Lacs Lake; good fishing expected
(Released April 5, 2012)
Anglers who fish Mille Lacs Lake during the 2012 season will be able to keep walleye less than 17 inches in length, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This is a change from last year’s regulation that allowed keeping of walleye less than 18 inches.
The 17- to 28-inch protected slot regulation is designed to keep the walleye harvest by state licensed anglers within the state’s allocation of safe harvest. One walleye 28 inches or longer may be included in the four-fish limit. The walleye season is scheduled to open Saturday, May 12.
“We expect anglers to do very well at Mille Lacs,” said Dirk Peterson, DNR Fisheries Section chief. “The winter bite was good. The open water bite should be very good, too.” He said the new regulation on Mille Lacs is identical to that of Rainy Lake and similar to regulations on several other large walleye lakes.
Mille Lacs Lake is being managed this year for a safe walleye harvest level of 500,000 pounds. The state angler allocation is 357,500 pounds. The tribal allocation is 142,500 pounds. The DNR met with the citizen-comprised Mille Lacs Fishery Input Group twice this past winter to discuss fishing issues.
Peterson reminds anglers that Mille Lacs also offers outstanding muskellunge and smallmouth bass fishing. The muskellunge season opens June 2. The smallmouth bass season on Mille Lacs opens May 26.

-- Edited by MichGoldenEye on Thursday 5th of April 2012 02:30:38 PM

MichGoldenEye · Member

The DNR said NO way are they going to change the opener
Now what?

MichGoldenEye · Member

The Leg. Goes on a 10 day break after today so I don't see anything happening, except if they did pass a bill the Gov. Will probably veto it.
Called the DNR and they said there will be a 2:00 pm news conference about the new 2012- 2013 mille lacs lake REGS.
Finally about time. Can't wait.
Go Gophers

EYECONZ · Member

I've heard that it has passed through the House and it is now up to the Senate. I have also heard that the governor is not high on this and may veto it even if it does pass through both.

7outof10 · Member

idk if its going to get passed now ......i want it to

EYECONZ · Member

Don't think that they are even talking about this anymore, which is probably a good thing considering theres many other important things that need to be handled first.