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Location: LaCrosse, WI | Dennis,
I couldn’t agree more. There are trophy waters about 40 minutes away from Winnebago. Enjoy the numbers you guys get to catch all year long, and the fact that you can eat a 14” Walleye if you want. A million strong would be good enough for me. |
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| Comon, Brad, surely you don't believe Tyee harvests all the big fish? Perhpas I need to remind you of Easter Weekend?
"Those ?*&%@'s!!!" I'll bet a keg of Sam Adams on how many big fish are in the system. 
"There are trophy waters about 40 minutes away from Winnebago. " There was.......
Edited by Jayman 7/28/2009 12:49 PM
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Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | I think what winnebago is to the area economics more than out weighs its importance of being a trophy fisheree. Start restricting what maybe kept and you will start restricting the amount of vacation dollars that flow into our area. |
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| Boy have I got you fooled....easter weekend..Jayman? refresh my memory???? Did I get spooled? We both know it wouldn't have been the first time! Stacker you too hit the nail on the head!
Dennis, I agree if it ain't broke don't fix it! but there are many that believe quality is more important than qty and the double dippers continue to put unnecessary pressure on the system. If there is ANYTHING wrong in my mind it is the lack of very large fish which is evidenced by this threads existance and the concerns some have for this. I too would like to see more 28-30" fish as would many others what harm would there be in only allowing 1 fish over 26" or no fish over 26"???? Seriously the spring harvest must account for the majority of these fish to be taken. If AIM is successful and others follow the CRR example...the only people catching these big fish will be meat hunters anyway. Why not protect them, so the CRR fishermen (like me) can enjoy them also?
Good Luck
Tyee
Edited by tyee 7/28/2009 2:15 PM
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Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | You know what, when you are on GB you expect every fish to be over 26", when you are on Bago it is a thrill to catch fish over 26". That in itself is cool. The majorities care about catching fish way more than size. Remember one thing, in a good weekend, anyone of us may catch more walleyes than the regular guy will all season. We sometimes split hairs for what we want and not what is good for all 5million people of the state of wisconsin. |
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| I'd personally rather see green bay "fixed" before Lake Winnebago touched. Change the harvest from 3 fish to 5 fish and look what a difference a few years have made. 'Bago on the other hand is doing as well now as it ever has in my short memory. I agree with Denny, you're not going to convince 5 million fisherpeople to change a "walleye factory" into a trophy fishery. On the other hand you can convince the majority to turn a trophy fishery into a meat market.
As for the Easter weekend comment, Brad and a few others know what I speak of, the numbers we had this spring were good. I'm not going to tout anymore than that, since I don't like braggers myself. But one really should wonder why they don't catch at least 1 fish over 23" every trip out. Then again, you can't believe most poeple's measurements.
So no, you weren't spooled.
In my humble opinion and looking at my arm chair biologist degree, the genetics and dynamics simply don't support many fish to grow over 28" on 'Bago. |
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| here's a different look at this. I don't like to fish greenbay because of the bigger fish caught, ( they don't taste good).the size i catch in bago are just right.I keep the 14"- 17" and my friend likes the overs.plus they taste great.they also fit in my frydaddy just right. |
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Location: Omro,Wi. | I have been fishing Bago for over 50 years (yup I'm old) and I've heard talk of slot limits, lived thru the 15 inch size limit..(the one where all the fish got so skinny all you had was head and no meat) because the forage was ate up. Walleyes on this lake bite better in years that the Shad population drops, because of the number of fish in the system, and they simply don't have enough food to grow fast during those periods without shad becase of the the numbers, and available forage. Having to release fish over 26 inches or keeping just 1 will not make a trophy fishery. The food base just isn't there for that. If you want to increase the population you protect the spawning fish in the 20 to 25 inch range, those big fish don't do you much good after they reach their peak at 25 inches. More fish due to slots or size limits in the lake will no doubt slow the groth rate down, due to not enough forage, this is why we have no slot limit, nor are likely to anytime soon. I trust that everything on this lake is doing fine, and would not want to see any new regulation, changes, or slot limits to effect a good fishery in a negative way. The VHS scare came and went, I have not seen the evidence in ANY fish I've caught this year, or floating fish for that fact,and only 1 last year, and that was after the spawn, it could have been from the shallao water.In all the years I've been busting waves out there I have caught 3 walleyes that hit 30 inches and that was 7 years ago, not before or since has it happened. Just a old year class that is sadly gone now. What I have seen this year is the missing 21 to 23 inch fish. lot's of 15 to 18, some 18 to 20 and plenty of 24 to 26 inch. Different year classes and this to shall chang. My point being... don't fix it..it's not broke. It's like me it just takes longer to get what you want...you just have to wait for it...lol |
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| Hafe, my perspective is a bit different than yours and I've only been fishing Bago for 40 some years so you have nearly a decades worth more experience than me. I'll bow to that knowledge but offer some biological info on the forage that I know. The trout perch is a small minnow that never gets bigger than 3-4 inches and is a year round source of food, the shad grow larger and are also foragers for the trout perch as are all the other game fish. The amount of trout perch is often 5-10 times that of all other YOY (year of young) in the system. This IS the primary source of food and it is and has not been threatened for the past 25 years. I too remember the 15" size limit that protected a few year classes but I never saw the skinny fish you speak of. As for the slots (no need to increase the population). I'll stick by my comment that I don't believe they would help in management of the system (dont fix IF it aint broke) for the majoity of people but the folks that WANT big fish and don't have the ability to fish the Bay would bennefit from a size restriction for a few years to see IF it could support a large population (economics aside). Just my opinion so don't hit me too hard. 40 years and I am still learnin!
Good Luck
Tyee
Edited by tyee 7/29/2009 10:12 AM
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Location: Omro,Wi. | Tyee
I agree with your biological info but-I think anyone who fishes Bago has the ability to fish Green Bay, if they want. I also wonder what a size restriction for a few years would amount to givin the growing rate of Bago's walleyes. Another thing that comes to mind is what would it do to the tournament fisherman during that period of time who look for,and count on that kicker fish? Beyond all that can anyone paint me a crank bait that looks like a trout perch?
Edited by Hafe 7/29/2009 6:51 PM
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| Steve,
If you can find either of these 2 hot n tots... they look real close. I was out on Monday and we did very well running 125 back with these on the East Shore.
Dominic
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| Hafe, my thoughts on the size restriction are to protect all those 26" fish that might just make it for a few more years. It takes the DNR 2 years to implement a change therefore we wouldn't even see it go into effect untill 2012 or 2013 by the time people get organized. Add a 5 year rule to that and you would see a large amount of 26-28" fish.
As for the tourneys some have said that they don't adversly affect fishing although I beg to differ on a couple of simple issues, that I have been chastized for many times here and will again I am sure. The masses that will be learning more on how to catch these monsters in the coming years and public perception. IF the AIM philosophy were to be adopted by the other events out there it would not affect tourneys at all, unfortunately that will take a number of years and this type of rule may force them to adapt. In addition the system will get more and more attention and more tourneys will start to show up. I have often said that there are not enough fishermen to have an impact (currently) but fear that will change as more and more people catch limits of 20+" fish over the next 5 years. People will come crawling out of the woodwork, old boats will once again see water and the fishing industry will grow as the complacency people are accepting in this economy drags on and a relaxing day on the water becomes more enjoyable/affordable than the annual vacation to Mexico.
As for public perception! I have held off posting on the internet my dissatisfaction at the kill rate for 2 major events out there this year but am even more concerned that it doesn't concern all of us who are supposed to be the stewards of the resource. It was totally unacceptable in my mind to hear the numbers of fish that didn't survive these events (greater than years past) even if they were given to food pantries. If these 2 events are to continue they need toimprove their relase rates not decrease them. The Bass guys are laughing at us as we continue to KILL more and more of what we chase and cherish!
Good Luck
Tyee
Edited by tyee 7/30/2009 9:40 AM
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Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Tyee:
Two things
1. It would be nice to keep this thread "pure" and only talk about one topic. Others have already complained about this not being a fishing report thread. You are starting a new argument that will distract from the current thread ( or maybe we are already talked out on slots?) Let's see if we can have 3 different threads going to appease everyone. I'll try by making 2 additional threads and see if it works. I'll call one "any major damage to bago with tournaments? and the second thread I'll call new bago fishing reports.
2. If you have information on the kill rates of "two major tournaments" please share on the other thread. I believe that you have information that many do not have.
Hope this helps. |
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| There really is no harm in people keeping fish over 26" on the Winnebago System. These fish are all very old females, and they will likely die of natural causes in the next few years. Walleye don't live for ever and die of causes other than fishing harvest. Due to the facts that Lake Winnebago is Eutrophic and fish put a great deal of energy into reproduction, swimming 80 miles up to Shiocton or 125 miles up to Shawano every year, they burn out fast and do not live to be real old. A really old fish in Lake Winnebago is 15-18 years of age, and generally correlates to an 18-22" male or a 26-29" female. This system will never really be a trophy fishery like the Bay of Green Bay, but is a better fishery for novice and beggining anglers to catch a lot of fish that they can safely eat. |
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Location: Oshkosh, WI | The post just before this was by "guest" was from the graduate student who is doing the walleye aging study in the Winnebago system.
I wrote to him to let him know that his work was stimulating this conversation and asked him why the fish are bigger on the Bay. He provided the same answer in the e-mail.
His other comment was: Winnebago will likely never be a trophy fishery because the fish grow fast and die young due to the lake being Eutrophic.
Gotta love science. |
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| Tyee, you must really hate the raft fishermen, considering what the tournament fishing kill is just a drop in the bucket compared to what the spring raft fishermen do.
but that is for a different thread... |
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| Jayman, you are correct although thats where I cut my teeth 40 years ago on this system.....I guess you could say those old mentors of mine spoiled my appetite although those mentors are now long gone! maybe it has changed since then but I doubt it!
Good Luck
Tyee |
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