Up for debate at the spring hearing this year is a reduction to a three fish walleye limit on the system.
I like it as studies have shown there is a high catch rate of walleyes on the system, especially immature females. Look at battle on Bago, how many fish were brought in over the slot, not that many. The only thing that protected those 16 to 20 inch fish out there till last summer was the huge Shad hatch in 2016.
Driving up from Milwaukee isn't that big of a deal to fish for a day and a 3 fish limit isn't going to stop me from coming up to fish bago 20-30x a year. A 1 fish over 28 limit on the fox doesn't prevent people from driving a long ways to fish in the spring and bago will be no different. Honestly after starting to fish Bago more often I don't even try to fish walleyes in the northwoods because the catch rate is rather poor. Instead of going up north 2x a month to fish I only go 4x a year plus and its a long drive for the weekend. If I fish bago I will limit out 75% of the time during open water so thats where I choose to go. The majority of the lakes down here are 3 fish or stricter limits on walleyes anyway and they are talking about lowering limits on the rock river as well. With the amount of pressure on walleye its only a matter of time before the majority of the state is a 3 fish limit.
I'm not disagreeing with you Skeeter, but most guides i know don't keep their limit to give away to the client. If they do, they don't give it to the 2nd group as well. most don't walk those lines typically, they have much more to lose.. Do guides play a role in taking fish, sure. Many are to blame, not only guides. Larry Smith has said for YEARS he doesn't like the no size limit on bago. He's a huge advocate for throwing back spawners as well as most guides.
Only those people know if they play part in the glutton
I'm with you though, as one guy said on here prior, catch many, take few. I like that.
Now the guys from Milwaukee that come up to fish 4 times a year, those are the ones I feel for. Drive 1.5 hours to keep 3 walleyes. The out of towners are the ones that will feel the 3 fish limit the most. The locals with get theirs regardless of it's 3 or 5.
I suppose it's not different that northen WI, they have lower bags as well.
25 walleyes in a couple of hours? How good does it have to get? If they made it all catch and release you could probably get 35 in a couple of hours! My point is that the system seems to be more than holding it's own even in the face of your described rape by the guides and locals. Mrt.
There's no way to say this without sounding like a Guide basher but, lets just look at "The reality of it".
Go to the reports pages (edit) 'Hot Deals and Discounts' page, and the pic pages and we see guide after guide advertising their success. A guide takes out 3 people in the am who get a limit, plus the guides limit. That's 20 fish, then takes out 3 more people in the pm for 15 more fish. That's 35 fish/day, 245 fish/week, 980 fish/mo. Add the 5 fish they keep even when out pre-fishing and each guide takes at LEAST 1000 Walleyes/month during the spawn. 10 guides working the spawn is 10,000 walleye/month. !!10,000!! One thing I've noticed over the past 5 years is there are more and more guides working the system (and good for them). I should think there's more than 10 working the spawn alone. Guiding by nature means 'meat fishing' and their post bring out more guides and even more fisherman to the areas of success. So let's at least look at that part of the equation. No, guides are not the single cause of the decline. However, a 3 fish limit for all 'AND' Guides not be allowed to keep any fish "While Guiding" simply must be considered. I have had many days each year when I caught 25 fish in a couple hours, and didn't KEEP a single fish. I don't have to post pics of that to push a guide service, or impress anyone either. Instead I keep what and (more importantly) where to myself. Not the case with a guide service that wants to get paid......
Attack me all you want but, that's not going to change "the reality of it".
A slot seems to be the one bitter pill that would best benefit all. But, I'm new to this whole walleye management thing.
It easy to decide how I would vote, but then to wonder if it's even going to do anything is a hang up. Time to recite the serenity prayer lol :) Idk, life is going to be lived i guess. We will all see how it goes.
I wouldn't mind a slot but I just don't think it will fly with all the tournaments and the money they bring. I support a slot for the spring and a reduced bag limit during the run. Even lake erie (and GB) being the walleye factories they are have reduced limits in the rivers and during the spawn. A lot of big females are vulnerable in the spring but the fish get slaughtered and limits come very easy in June and July. I think a 3 fish limit is a good start and will still allow tournaments a 5 fish bag and allow anglers a large harvest of fish.
Winnebago is a great resource but it gets pounded so I'm voting yes for the 3 fish limit. This is the only way to protect the system since I believe very few people that regularly fish it follow the possession limit eventhough most follow the daily bag limit. I'm from out of town but fish bago probably 30x a year. when fishing with friends that live in the area c&r is pretty much sac religious for fish under 20". The mission is always catch a limit and we do well. The mindset with a lot of the locals I've talked with is it bago you cant hurt it and I paid 60k for this boat im gonna keep a limit every time i can. In the last few years watching my catch rate of the bigger fish go way down im favor of either lower daily limits or a seasonal slot like greenbay. I think the mentality of keep them all, fill a limit is a lot harder to break than changing the limit to 3. Either way i will still be able to take home a lot of walleyes during the year. The last 2 years It seems like I'm only catching 1 or 2 year classes of fish and a stragler very few and far between from the older year classes. Not that bago isn't an awesome fish factory I just think it could be better and have a more diverse age structure.
What they need to do is to refurbish the marshes that are being taken over by the vegetation. The enhance trout habitat, why not the walleye marshes? I do believe that they need to do a 3 fish limit as well, but they can easily do the restoration during the summer while the water is lower.
Long, MT, you both are good men. Will respect ever come back? I think we lost it for good.
My neighbor became sick and could not do his snow this year. I helped, and did it. I asked for nothing. I recieved a thank you. If you could of seen the thanks in his eyes. I almost cried. It was better than money.
This country needs more people like you! Not blowing my horn, just like to hear that people still care. Respect the recourse!
CATCH MANY. KEEP FEW.
