The Decline of Devils Lake

[Eatsleeptrap]

True reciprocal regulations with our game and fish enforcement and any other state will never happen. We tried it with trapping regulations when muskrats were worth good money a while back and we were flooded with out of state spring muskrat trappers. For example, say Wisconsin's muskrat season closes February 15 and ND's closes May 10th. We can't trap there after Feb 15, so they shouldn't be able to trap here right? We were shot down in flames with excuses about not enough wardens, how do you keep track of 49 other state regs etc. Even something simple like a ND resident is not allowed to trap beaver, mink and muskrat in Montana at all, ever, but they can trap all three here all damn season. It makes zero sense. Guessing resident fisherman would get the same treatment trappers did.

 

[Rut2much]

Sounds about par for the course for us.

 

[Lycanthrope]

it would be a total cluster to have different limits during certain months and then switch to another limit.SHut the fishing down for March April, open up in May and give the fish a break fro the pressure. Add slot limit with one over 21 inches daily and the numbers of quality fish will increase, with a daily limit of 3 or 4 fish per angler. Problem solved

move to minnesota if you prefer their laws and regulations... Dont mess things up for everyone else.

 

[Valleywatcher]

move to minnesota if you prefer their laws and regulations... Dont mess things up for everyone else.

agreed

 

[Hunter58301]

I think especially with FFS, something needs to be done. Every guide has one, and once the word gets out about a local little slough or Lake within 45 minutes of DL, they all swarm like buzzards.

And they ruin it in a year.

 

[Eatsleeptrap]

And they ruin it in a year.

It doesn't take a year. They just turned a nice flooded slough perch bite into the dead sea in three weeks. In the middle of no where, just too damn close to Devils Lake.

 

[Lycanthrope]

And they ruin it in a year.

Or you could say a bunch of people had a ton of fun catching fish, experiencing the outdoors. Also these lakes arent 'ruined', fish populations are cyclical. They will recover and be good again in 4 or 5 years.

 

[Walleye202]

Or you could say a bunch of people had a ton of fun catching fish, experiencing the outdoors. Also these lakes arent 'ruined', fish populations are cyclical. They will recover and be good again in 4 or 5 years.

This mentality has gotten us to where we currently are on DL. No regs at all have turned it into a complete gong show. There absolutely needs to be some regs compared to what we have done for the past many years. Zero thought on the absolutely wild increase in commercial guiding year round. I can only speak to the DL area since that it what I have fished for 20+ years but things absolutely need to change.

 

[Lycanthrope]

This mentality has gotten us to where we currently are on DL. No regs at all have turned it into a complete gong show. There absolutely needs to be some regs compared to what we have done for the past many years. Zero thought on the absolutely wild increase in commercial guiding year round. I can only speak to the DL area since that it what I have fished for 20+ years but things absolutely need to change.

There are a lot of lakes besides DL to fish in, in ND. Id be fine with having a lower limit for out of state fisherpeople, just to discourage them from coming and raping our resource. I think that might be better than increasing prices for out of state licenses.

 

[1lessdog]

There are a lot of lakes besides DL to fish in, in ND. Id be fine with having a lower limit for out of state fisherpeople, just to discourage them from coming and raping our resource. I think that might be better than increasing prices for out of state licenses.

I don't know how a non-resident coming in and fishing and catching a limit of fish is raping the resource. And a resident is not raping the resource.

If you don't like the laws, get them changed. You bitch about non-resident all the time. Do something instead of bitching about it.

 

[Kurtr]

I don't know how a non-resident coming in and fishing and catching a limit of fish is raping the resource. And a resident is not raping the resource.

If you don't like the laws, get them changed. You bitch about non-resident all the time. Do something instead of bitching about it.

The reality is residents catch way more fish. Whats a nr come 3 maybe a week and residents fishes over a hundred times a year. Lowering limits for everyone would be the only logical route to go

 

[Davy Crockett]

I haven't really taken a tour a long the shoreline but are there areas of cattails, brush , tall grass in shallow water ? I remember years ago when they sank Christmas trees on lake Darling for perch habitat but didn't hear how successful it was. It depends on the lake and how much breeding habitat there already is but other states it has been successful .