What are your thoughts on this?

[Allen]

Knowing how to catch a fish and knowing how to maintain a fishery takes two totally different skillsets.

I fish as darn often as I can, some fish go back in the water, a lot of them come home to meet the blade. Why? Because I can't remember the last time I had a frozen pack of shrink-wrapped fish go bad on me. I have friends and family that aren't blessed to be on the water nearly as often as I and I have no problem with helping them enjoy a meal of walleyes on a semi-regular basis.

 

[Bowhunter_24]

Its a fact if 100 people are on a tiny lake keeping their 20 fish limit everyday there will be less fish the next day and eventually no real fishable amounts of fish. Not all lakes are equal that is for sure.

The ironic thing about Jason Mitchell saying all this stuff is that he started a guide business. They have like 10-16 clients a day ALL keeping their limit.

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If you want peoples opinions on catch-and-release there is probably 400 pages of posts on this site and FishingBuddy. All of the posts start off with someone upset about not releasing fish, then there will be a bunch of people who agree with this, then there will be a bunch of people who don't agree then a big fight breaks out.

the argument of catch and release because of spawning fish and trying to limit the number of fish taken out of a lake via limits is different in my opinion.

 

[NDwalleyes]

I agree with his view for the most part, but I think there is room for improvement. Why not have different limits for different lakes or consider seasonal limits. Is there potential for confusion? Yeah, but if it's posted at the ramp and available online, we are all big boys and should be able to figure it out.

There are certain areas that everyone knows are going to get hot at some point during the year. When the Missouri is hot, it's hot. A guy could go catch his limit every day for weeks, taking his kids with to ensure the freezer gets filled. I think lowering the limit during certain months for certain lakes would go along way. Maybe it's a winter limits and summer limits type of thing.

The only recent example I can come up with is Sibley Lake. Would a limit lowered to 3 walleye during the summer have kept if from getting fished out in 2 years and allowed the stocking to advance?

 

[Bowhunter_24]

unrelated subject:
Why the hell do they stock these small lakes with perch and then put in a billion pike?? Let the fisherman fish it out

 

[mrperch]

I have to say Jason needs to follow suite with exactly what he's going to preach then.... This would mean all his clients, woodlands clients, and the list goes on.. If you want to bring these people in here to share in our resource, then dammit, make sure these guys filling your wallet are also cpr for the most part.. Instead of going on North Dakota radio preaching to us that its our resource and all up to us! I get the fact for those of us that fish a lot need to be most proactive on this subject, Maybe this is why I have never and never will own a piece of equipment with Jason Mitchels name on it..

 

[Captainbrad]

I agree with what he said 100%. In fact I visited with Mitchell about it this past Sunday and told him I agree.

With that, I think the idea that Game and Fish Departments have about managing for opportunity is wrong as we all yearn to catch bigger fish. I think there should be some protections put on to protect trophy fish (START NEW FIGHT HERE.) As we become better anglers the pressures on the populations increase and the big peaks and valleys can be seen. Of course there as to be natural die off and stress from catch and release to be considered. It is not a no risk situation.

Now lets talk about catfish which is my specialty. The Red River remains the top channel cat fishery in the world because of tight limits and slot limits. You just don't make a new 20 pound (about 20 year old) catfish every year. The 24" slot protects the best breeders (28-32") and it protects the monsters so others can enjoy them over and over. If you follow catfish around the country the states with no catfish regs or protections are being decimated by more and more people getting involved and keeping everything BECAUSE THE STATE SAYS IT IS LEGAL AND BECAUSE OF THAT IT IS THEIR RIGHT.

As a guide I am in full agreement with our limits and slots. I have tailored my business to the experience rather than limits. In fact, in 10 years of doing this limits almost never come up in my conversations any more. What does come up is can I catch a big one and get the photo. Another thing is even though it is legal to keep 1 cat over 24" I have a NO CAT OVER 24" rule (My boat my rules) and it has not been an issue.

Outside of that I am for lowered limits but in ND the one I would most like to see changed is the freezer limit or lack there of.

 

[KDM]

I have to say Jason needs to follow suite with exactly what he's going to preach then.... This would mean all his clients, woodlands clients, and the list goes on.. If you want to bring these people in here to share in our resource, then dammit, make sure these guys filling your wallet are also cpr for the most part.. Instead of going on North Dakota radio preaching to us that its our resource and all up to us! I get the fact for those of us that fish a lot need to be most proactive on this subject, Maybe this is why I have never and never will own a piece of equipment with Jason Mitchels name on it..

Excellent!!! It's refreshing to read that I'm NOT the only one who see's Mr. Mitchel for what he really is. Thanks Mrperch.

 

[deleted_account]

no more feel good but do nothing laws for this guy. we dont need to head down the MN path. 90% of the "lakes" in ND are put and take fisheries anyhow.

 

[bigv]

Its an ego thing all the way. Guys just have to say " We got our limit." I used to guide a bit and still do on a rare occasion and that is what the majority of clients want. A limit. I admittedly in my younger days wanted the same. Now I just enjoy catching any fish. I do however want to take a few for the pan now and then. But guys like me who fish a lot...do we need to take a limit every time?? Simply cant eat that much. With the stocking practices we should be able to take a few now and then but...releasing just as many or more is a good idea to keep our lakes/rivers healthy.

 

[pluckem]

I guess on a place like Oahe where they aren't stocked and rely completely on natural reproduction It seems that releasing adults or reducing a limit to 5 would keep more breeding adults in the system and therefore more fish would make it through winter every year creating domino effect. Who knows though.

I wish GNF would at least experiment once in a while with something like this just to see. They seem to pretty much want to make limits statewide and not do things on selective waters.

Agree, they take a very simple approach to regs and put them statewide. I think that is why you see or saw high limits for panfish. Lakes are different, you can have one lake with a huge population of stunted perch and it is probably favorable and needed that you have a 20 fish limit so you can get a family dinner out of the 7-9" fish you are catching one after another. This isn't very desirable to most fisherman so it never sees the heavy pressure.
Then you have the fertile sloughs that are full of 12-14" jumbos and a 20 fish limit seems pretty overkill.

 

[gst]

Well I fish with the same equipment I have for the last 30 years. (did start using a Marcum Camera won at a wildlife banquet so the daughter can watch the fish we catch and upgraded to Thrill bobbers a while back) Don't fish much in the summer at all but use to fish ALOT in the winter. (sady not as much now) Didn;t need GPS, electronics, ect to catch limits of fish, experience and knowledge of the lake did that for a guy. We were pretty good at catching limits.

So given the fact I don;t fish much at all in the summer some one explain why I should not be able to keep limits and freeze them in water or vacum pack to store for fish fries in the summer with family and friends?

Are we now going to police when everyone eats what they catch? Perhaps freezing fish is unethical too. (I have had a bag or two lost in the bottom of a large chest freezer go bad, perhaps I should have to give up fishing for 5 years)

But I dump out a pail of peas when I am bow hunting and pile my ducks with my friends ducks so I am likely an unethical bastard ruing the sport for generations to come.

 

[Kurtr]

I agree with what he said 100%. In fact I visited with Mitchell about it this past Sunday and told him I agree.

With that, I think the idea that Game and Fish Departments have about managing for opportunity is wrong as we all yearn to catch bigger fish. I think there should be some protections put on to protect trophy fish (START NEW FIGHT HERE.) As we become better anglers the pressures on the populations increase and the big peaks and valleys can be seen. Of course there as to be natural die off and stress from catch and release to be considered. It is not a no risk situation.

Now lets talk about catfish which is my specialty. The Red River remains the top channel cat fishery in the world because of tight limits and slot limits. You just don't make a new 20 pound (about 20 year old) catfish every year. The 24" slot protects the best breeders (28-32") and it protects the monsters so others can enjoy them over and over. If you follow catfish around the country the states with no catfish regs or protections are being decimated by more and more people getting involved and keeping everything BECAUSE THE STATE SAYS IT IS LEGAL AND BECAUSE OF THAT IT IS THEIR RIGHT.

As a guide I am in full agreement with our limits and slots. I have tailored my business to the experience rather than limits. In fact, in 10 years of doing this limits almost never come up in my conversations any more. What does come up is can I catch a big one and get the photo. Another thing is even though it is legal to keep 1 cat over 24" I have a NO CAT OVER 24" rule (My boat my rules) and it has not been an issue.

Outside of that I am for lowered limits but in ND the one I would most like to see changed is the freezer limit or lack there of.

come fish lake oahe there is no limit and last year in one day i had to catch 100 of those slimy finger poking tackle breaking rat bastards. I dont know much about cat fish but i know they need no protection here. you could put a one day a fish with a slot from 18.36464" to 18.545367 and it wouldnt do any thing as no one wants to catch them. They are like pikes read headed step cousin. So come on down and fill coolers you will be more than welcomed

 

[campcook]

Last summer I had an opportunity to visit with Jason and was impressed with the historical knowledge he possessed on the Devils lake Basin. I followed up by sending him an email suggesting he incorporate his insights in his videos and programs.
Jason will always have my vote. He is a knowledgeable advocate and true sportsman and if he attaches his name to products that are or should be in our tackle box more power to him.

 

[lunkerslayer]

If we can't stop ANS from spreading into our waters it won't matter if we conserve our fishing resources. The NDGF stock our lakes when needed it has been done for years but it was nice to see they did lower the limits on perch, crappie, and white bass that should help for those who follow the law.

 

[SDMF]

Why not have different limits for different lakes or consider seasonal limits.

NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Move your ass to MN or WI if you want a bible-esque length fishing proclamation.

 

[Bacon]

unrelated subject:
Why the hell do they stock these small lakes with perch and then put in a billion pike?? Let the fisherman fish it out

Most of the time you need a predator fish or you will have a lake full of 6" perch. Pike seem to be prolific re producers and when the word gets out about a perch bite, people make pigs of themselves. Perfect example is West Lake by Napoleon. Couple years ago there was good perch fishing, and it seemed the whole upper Midwest knew about it. When game and fish netted the lake this summer, not one perch in their net. Lakes can and do get fished out. Seems a perch bite and a big buck make people lose their minds.

 

[buckhunter24_7]

One thing Mitchell is not saying about more fish being caught now days is the fact that there is way more catch and release than there was 30 yeas ago

 

[dean nelson]

His argument make sense right up till you remember that guys with fully pimped out Riggs are not 100% of the pie it's more like 25%. You still have huge number of weekend warriors and shore fishermen who's over all impact is still what it always was. Now add in God knows how many new lakes that are out there spreading out some of the pressure and his whole premise starts taking on water. For me I don't care much for what a fishermen has to say right up till they start reporting a drop in numbers. Before that point I will always defer to the people who spend all day looking at these numbers for a living especially when we are seeing record numbers on most lakes and the big two are in full on recovery mode with sak getting real damn good. Trying to compare out here to MN is just dumb especially when natives with gill nets were a large part of the problem over there.


As for the crappie in oahe I just wish the game and fish would do like SD and start stocking them in places like Beaver and cattail so we could get a stable kick ass fishery instead of this one good year class shit. I would have to believe anything stocked by them should have a decent jump start vs wild spawn thus hopefully getting us up and over the first winter barrier that stops the wild ones.

 

[shorthairsrus]

Jason is a hypocrite. His guide service posts how many limits after limits at the cleaning station. Give me a break

 

[buckhunter24_7]

Also how many guys with the fully decked out boats actually keep a limit of fish every time out? I bet most of them don't keep any fish (don't feel lile cleaning fish) more days out vs days they keep a limit