They need more bass fishermen in Minnesota

Chaw · Jul 17, 2017

I have Skeeter, will travel .

They say they got too many bass.

They've restricted walleye fishing on Milles Lac , Wall Street Journal story is not clear, poorly written as they don't explain the " ban " , but I think its C&R only

Fishing Ban Angers Minnesota Tourism Industry
Owners of tourism-related businesses protested Minnesota’s ban on fishing for walleye, a popular sport for visitors, by circling the governor’s boat.

By
Quint Forgey
July 16, 2017 7:59 p.m. ET
19 COMMENTS
Gov. Mark Dayton just wanted to catch some bass on a popular Minnesota lake. But lakefront residents aboard a flotilla of some 40 vessels decided to catch the governor.

As Mr. Dayton dropped anchor July 8 on Mille Lacs Lake—a more than 200-square-mile body of water about 100 miles north of the Twin Cities—the small armada encircled him for roughly an hour, waving signs protesting a new ban on fishing walleye, Minnesota’s state fish. When he sailed out of the swirling fleet, they followed his boat to shore blasting patriotic songs like Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”

The state’s Department of Natural Resources says the ban will preserve the walleye and ensure it remains fishable for future generations, but this generation’s lakefront business owners are furious.

“Walleye fishing is a Minnesota tradition,” said Linda Eno, who has operated the lakefront Twin Pines Resort for 23 years and was one of the protest’s organizers. Ms. Eno said business at her resort has fallen 60% over the past decade.

The governor was to discuss the bans with the lakefront community later that same day, but cancelled the meeting after the waterborne demonstration. He since announced he will reschedule the talks, but a spokesman said no date has been set.

“It’s been a very tough time for people. I recognize that,” the governor told reporters after he left the boat. “It’s been a very, very hard time.”

The standoff on the water highlights the importance of the more than $54 billion outdoor recreation market across hundreds of towns in the upper Midwest, which count on a steady stream of visitors who fish, hunt and cross country ski, depending on the season.

A bad year for snow or poor fishing conditions can spell the difference between profit and loss for an entire year for many businesses.

The walleye bans on Mille Lacs cover three prime fishing weeks this month and most of September and November. And even when walleye fishing is allowed, the tasty fish must be released back into the water.

Locals claim increasingly harsh restrictions have taken their toll on the community, shuttering up to 50 businesses.

Terry Thurmer, who has owned Terry’s Boat Harbor Marina for 28 years, said the catch-and-release provision means his charter boat
business could lose up to 95% of its yearly profit.

“It’s just awful,” Mr. Thurmer said. “I don’t think the state should have a right to control people’s lives, but that’s what they’re doing.”

Chris Niskanen, a spokesman for the natural resources department, said it has tightened regulations on walleye fishing because the population hasn’t been reproducing at sufficient rates. Officials speculate it is because newer generations of fish are having trouble reaching sexual maturity. The state co-manages the walleye allocation with eight Chippewa Native American bands.

Paul Venturelli, a fisheries professor at the University of Minnesota, said there are similar situations in Wisconsin and the lakes of Canada, where bass are expanding northward into lakes they never occupied.

“I don’t think those large [walleye] quotas are coming back,” he said. “I think that Mille Lacs is trending toward a new normal.”

A possible silver lining is the emergence of Mille Lacs as a premier destination for bass fishing.

Bassmaster Magazine ranked Mille Lacs the top bass fishery in the nation last month. Milles Lacs hosted the annual Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship in September, and Bassmaster is planning to bring the tournament back to the lake this fall.

But locals like Ms. Eno are doubtful that a heightened bass fishing presence will compensate for the temporary loss of the walleye. “The bottom line is there’s not enough bass people to fill in the void of walleye fishermen,” Ms. Eno said.

There are, at least, a few more bass in Mille Lacs than there would have been without the demonstration. Mr. Dayton told reporters he didn’t manage to catch any fish during his outing.
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Hoot · Oct 26, 2017

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Charlie T · Oct 26, 2017

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They need more bass fishermen in Minnesota

Chaw Well-Known Member

Hoot Member

Charlie T Well-Known Member

We need more members

I need more priveleges

Need it say more.

We need more people like him

We Need More of This in Government

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