Who is in favor of slot limits

[Captain Ahab]

If slots were proven to keep over-limit 'sconnies in 'sconnieland, you may be able to convert me to the dark side. Ha ha

 

[dean nelson]

I have always wondered the same thing. At least put a few in by beaver bay. Evidently the shad must of worrked

Because you don't stock a lake that produces more then it can handle on its own.

 

[Enslow]

I want slot limits like i want scabes but every nice fish that gets released will inevitably be caught and kept by a wiener breath sconi.

 

[deleted_account]

haha - wiener breath

 

[snow]

States with walleye fishing open all year will have an effect of the walleye population over time,the folks in gfp's will have their netting/trap data compiled each fall and once the fishery shows a decline in the spawning bio mass they will scramble to put the imbalance back to normal,they might start with shutting the spring months down for starters like most states,for some reason folks just can't release these big fat females,if that doesn't work here comes step 2,slots.Can't see nodak jumping in feet 1st with slots as I don't see the pressure like we have in Mn.My .02 only.

 

[johnr]

maybe the dingo's ate your baby

 

[camoman]

Ok Dean think if you say 10 to 12 walleyes per female make it to big enough size. Of we could protect the females until they spawn think of how many more we could have. All of these fish coming up are trying to get up to spawn but are not being able too.

Its not about how many more fish you COULD have. There's a carrying capacity for every environment.

 

[Enslow]

Devils lake could be chucked full of 30 inch walleyes but instead it is full if 16 inchers due to it being the midwest meat factory.

 

[Account Deleted]

How many walleyes would you say you catch a year from Devils Lake Enslow? How many do you keep? What is the average size you keep?

 

[dean nelson]

Devils lake could be chucked full of 30 inch walleyes but instead it is full if 16 inchers due to it being the midwest meat factory.

It's hard to beat the meat!#$%^&>

 

[lunkerslayer]

Riverfisher for someone who wants a slot limit sure likes to keep those big females, I would think that you should know that females in the 16 to 20" are the ideal females who produce the most fertile eggs. Once the females get into the upper twenties pushing 30" their eggs become sterile. Slots don't work in North Dakota, we stock our lakes with fish where needed, hook mortality is nonexistent which means anglers can choose to release or keep.





See those females with those big bellies.

 

[eyexer]

I think they need to limit the number of fisher people on the river. Every place I go there are twenty boats. I cant get to where I want to go cause there is always someone fishing my spots. I give them dirty looks and shake my head at them but they don't move. When I do find a good spot all by myself there are no fish in it. Then there is a constant stream of people flying up and down the river rocking my boat with their waves. All I want is a peaceful day on the river.

maybe a lottery for fishing the river. unless you use a bow then you can get a license over the counter ;:;rofl

 

[camoman]

Someone explain to me this "trophy fishery" some of you keep asking for? I caught a 13lb eye last year, and some over 8 every year....I think my opinion of a trophy fishery must be different because I think it has always been a trophy walleye fishery.

What do some of you honestly think the results of a slot in ND would be?

What they want is something along the lines of Winnipeg. Fish a handful of days a year to catch a 10 lb.+ fish. The big fish are there, they take more time is what they don't like.

- - - Updated - - -

when was the last time the Missouri needed to be stocked?

I don't remember exactly, but I believe the last time was in the 80's and it was a LONG time before that, if ever. I could be wrong on that. I know it hasn't received fish in the last 20 years.

- - - Updated - - -

More and more people practice a personal "slot" in their boat every year it seems. Some days I keep bigger fish, most days I don't. I don't knife many over 23" I can tell you that. If we reversed time about 30+ plus years you would have seen a lot more bigger fish knifed because a personal slot was rare. Most guys just cut up what they caught. There was no internet shaming or even much for cleaning station shaming in those days. I don't know anybody that wants to pillage a system or keep a bunch of big fish to destroy the fishery. The folks that usually don't have a personal slot are the folks that rarely fish. Those folks really only go out when the fishing is stupid easy and catch their fish. When fishing success subsides they don't fish. The guys that fish a lot are usually the ones that get upset when they see some novice so happy he is almost peeing himself because he caught a bigger limit of fish. He probably does that very rarely. The guy that fishes a lot, that can catch fish in most conditions catches hundreds if not thousands of fish every year and keeps way more fish over time. These guys need to take a look in the mirror and wonder who has more impact on fish numbers.

I don't envy the G&F's job on this. You have to manage for the masses when the people in the masses want different things.

What Captain said.

 

[freiday31]

I would think that a healthy fishery would have a representative population with decreasing scale based on age. If you are catching a great deal of large fish and no small ones, your fishery is in a world of hurt. If all you catch is small fish, your fishery is in a world of hurt. You have to have balance for a healthy fishery. Based on my experiences on the Missouri this weekend, I would think that the fishery is very healthy. I wouldn't think you would put slot limits into place unless you are trying to resurrect the health of your fishery. I don't think the idea is to develop a trophy fishery or eatery, but a healthy fishery. Just my opinion, which could be way off.

 

[dean nelson]

What they want is something along the lines of Winnipeg. Fish a handful of days a year to catch a 10 lb.+ fish. The big fish are there, they take more time is what they don't like.

Then I suggest they go up to the big windy in July and tell us how many fish they catch then. That's thing guys like to ignore about trophy Fisheries is that they tend to suck for catching numbers. Don't expect to go to the Columbia River and catch 60 fish a day. In most cases you have either allot of small to mid sized fish or just a few giants. Oahe is one of the few lakes i know of that could support both numbers and trophys if we could ever get the bait fish to stabilize. Mind you if we ever do that then I can guarantee fishing will become a factor because we'll have lines of boats coming from Minnesota Wisconsin and Illinois stretching for miles.

 

[luvcatchingbass]

If you want to limit the number of walleye caught and kept for people just have me go fishing with them. Just by having me in the boat can ward off the most feisty and hungry walleye typically. When nice eyes are caught in my presence it is a true miracle normally.
My afternoon snack is ready,;:;popcorn

 

[Sum1]

The Missouri is a boom or bust system. I really see no reason for a slot. I have yet to see fishermen being the reason for the bust. Devils lake on the other hand I could see benefiting from lower limits but not slots. I also do think pressure has increased on the Missouri and Devils. I have fished the river since being a young laddy. Seems to be more people out there now.

 

[DirtyMike]

Lower limit, place slot limits, etc. do one thing....Keep an honest fisherman in check. Doesn't matter what you put in the regs, there's those that will break the law.

 

[lunkerslayer]

The Missouri is a boom or bust system. I really see no reason for a slot. I have yet to see fishermen being the reason for the bust. Devils lake on the other hand I could see benefiting from lower limits but not slots. I also do think pressure has increased on the Missouri and Devils. I have fished the river since being a young lady. Seems to be more people out there now.

Fix it for yah:;:howdy

 

[MurphysLAW]

Walleye angler attrition on the river south of Bismarck per spring is probably on par with northern consumption by day for the whole lake. Northern are the real problem ppl and us angler gotta get out there and get um for every nose in the air slot preaching walleye angler would go and keep a few pike for fertilizer or pickling you'd make a bigger difference then a slot. Slot limits maybe 25"-29" to protect a trophy class of fish.
#keepyour5pike&yourslotlimit

https://gfp.sd.gov/fishing-boating/tacklebox/lake-maps/docs/oahe-survey.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Oahe