Sunday Sept. 6th

[CaptainKenLee]

Another awesome day yesterday with warm temperatures and nice southeast winds. I had Rick and Wanda from northern Illinois out for a 5 hr. big lake adventure. We got on the water shortly after 4 p.m. and made the run to our little honey hole that's been treating us well the last week or so. We got out the Walleyes Choice (http://www.walleyeschoice.com) harnesses and had a blast. Rick and Wanda got their limit and I kept one for dinner, and we lost several and had one break our line too. It sure is nice to have such a good daytime bite going. I like to night fish...but if you don't have to it sure makes life easier. I should say it makes getting up at 6:30 with the kids a little easier. I-51 caught fish as well as a new one that I'm still not sure of the number yet. We pulled lines just after the sun set and headed back to the Esky harbor. I hope everyone is enjoying this nice holiday weekend, be safe and have fun. Good luck from all of us in the Bay de Noc area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-8q1HyRVBM

[Icefish2]

If I launch at Ford Rr, is there a slot limit?

[jerkbait]

Id say it depends where you fish but I guess it depends on the law and the C.O. that checks your boat. To me you should have to be caught fishing north of the line that runs from the mouth of the ford directly in a straight line to the Stonington pt with more than the allotted fish over the slot. Hopefully someone with the answers will post them and end the confusion about the gray area in the rule.

[DooFighter]

More likely it depends where you FISH, not where you launch. With GPS so common now, you should be able to show a CO where you fished. However, I believe if you fish south, then go north of the line and continue fishing with more than your allotment of overslots, you're a sitting duck for a ticket.

[The Bait Shop Guy]

Little Bay de Noc (Delta Co.): No more
than 1 walleye over 23” may be possessed
north of a line drawn from Peninsula Point
lighthouse to the mouth of the Ford R.

The way I've always interpreted it, as soon as you come into the Ford River, you're in the slot-limit boundary. It doesn't matter where you catch the fish at, it's where they check you at.

[CaptainKenLee]

I guess it might depend on the C.O. you talk to, but I believe DooFighter is right on this one. At least that's the way a c.o. explained it to me years ago. If you want to launch at Rapid River and head to Minneapolis Shoal and catch 5 over 23" you're o.k. as long as you don't fish anywhere in the "slot area". Same "gray" area applied to Lk. Erie a few years ago when the Michigan waters were closed to spring fishing. Anglers could launch in Michigan, go to Ohio waters and fish, and come back to Michigan as long as they didn't fish anywhere in Mi. waters. It is a gray area and maybe one of the local c.o.'s can clear this up. The c.o. that explained the rule to me is no longer in the area, so maybe it was just his personal interpretation of the law. Lots of boats can't launch at a launch outside of the slot area, so they have to launch at Esky, Northshore, or even Gladstone. I was told the rule was meant while fishing in the "slot" area, and that you had to be seen fishing in the "slot" area. I will try to contact an officer and get clarification.

[albe]

That is correct Ken. I have a letter from the MDNR that states that you can have up to five walleye over 23" in your possession, that were caught outside the restricted area, as long as you do not stop anywheres north of the line, from Peninsula Point to the Ford River, to the boat landing or resort you are going to dock at.

[The Bait Shop Guy]

Looks like they should clear up the wording in the guide a little bit.