Nice fishes, them folks up there make fun of the way I talk,
Nice! I lived up there all of last year. This heat makes me miss it. Yankees love their deer hunting and walleye fishing.
Nice fishes, them folks up there make fun of the way I talk,
Matt Schroeder - AGFC - (877)470-3309 - [email protected]
They sure do love their Walleye! I listened to almost two straight days of presentations on Walleye management before it was my turn to present Arkansas (more specifically Greers Ferry) Walleye data. The take home message is that their priority up north is Walleye management. They have huge data sets on Walleye because they sink so much resources into it. They put as much effort into managing Walleye, like we do black bass and crappie down south. It was really eye opening.
Matt Schroeder - AGFC - (877)470-3309 - [email protected]MidMsAngler LIKED above post
Matt,
I'm sure you have heard it many times before, Thank You Wholeheartedly for what you do and have done to enhance and protect the resources of the state along with the rest of AGFC...
Matt Schroeder - AGFC - (877)470-3309 - [email protected]
Matt, having lived up north for all but two years of my life, I experienced some amazing walleye fishing. I have experienced first hand the results caused by the activity that is allowed on the lakes in the ceded territories. By "results", I mean reduced limits on certain waters. I don't know how much those activities affect the fishing, but do know they affect the limits allowed, if allowed at all. From what you have seen, what impact do you think it has on the walleye health in lakes?
Jeff - great question with a complicated answer. The first half day of the confrence focused on Mille Lacs. I recommend calling the Minnesota fisheries biologists to get the full story. But since you asked, I will give you my take on it. Mille Lacs has been undergoing physio chemical changes for the last decade or so (maybe even earlier). This is due to several confounding factors. Some of the confounding factors are invasive species (zebra mussels, Chinese mystery snail, Eurasia milfoil, spiny water flea), improved angler technology, and increasing water Temps (climate change). When all of these things happen in a relatively short time frame, systems change. The zebra mussels have caused the water clarity to increase, reducing the optical refuge that Walleye need. The clearer water also allows the Eurasia milfoil to take off. The spiny water flea has completely eliminated some of the native plankton community in the lake. This effects the food chain from the bottom up. The zebra mussels are also starting to cover up some of the mayfly substrate in the lake. The clearer, warmer water is more conducive to Smallmouth Bass than Walleye. All of these things have lead to a decline in the Walleye population. Due to the declining Walleye population, the local politics of the area gets pretty heated. It sounds like you are familiar with the politics and this lake. I don't want to say to much about it because it isn't one of my lakes, or even in Arkansas. The bottom line is the decline is due mainly to non-political issues. Again, I am just speaking from 4 hours of presentations and no real hands on experience. I recommend calling the good biologists in Minnesota. They have collected tons of data on Mille Lacs and I'm sure they would be happy to discuss things with you. Hopefully my memory served me well for this answer and I'm not too far off base.
Matt Schroeder - AGFC - (877)470-3309 - [email protected]Billbob LIKED above post