Spearing

[townsend8512]

Wondering what the status of spearing is for Little and Big Saint.
Have been told that this occurs twice a year....is that correct, (spring & winter)?

How many fish are taken out of those 2 lakes (on average per year). Do you think it has an impact on the fishing (current and future)?
I would appreciate hearing from the "experts" as I have heard plenty sitting at the local bars up there........

Thanks

[Rob Manthei]

Sorry for delay, once again having trouble responding to my own website...Spearing takes place during the winter and right after ice out. This is a very touchy topic....I will be the first to say I totally disagree with it.....however, I know that there is over bagging going on by locals which really isn't any different. The walleye fishing on Big is better than it has been in the last 5 years...we just stocked another 2500 extended growth walleyes and the boom shocking report shows a very good hatch from this year....good things to come in the next 5 to 6 years....with 298(or something like that) walleyes that got taken from Big St from Tribal spearing, the population takes a little hit, but that is really nothing in comparison to what gets taken by anglers...

Rob

[townsend8512]

Thanks----good to hear that things may be getting better on Big Saint.
How are things on Little Saint? I have never been able to catch wallies of much size on that lake. The locals have told me that spearing has really hurt that lake.
I don't understand why they are allowed to spear musky-----especially mysky.
Even the one's they nick end up dead ----I have seen several of these. Granted, it could be from a prop but I don't think so.
Are any fish stocked in Little Saint? If not, what is the reasoning?

As always, thanks for your your input.
Caught you on Woods and Waters last week----nice muskies!!

[Rob Manthei]

The walleyes on Little St are a small population comprised of mostly large fish that inhabit West Bay. There is ZERO survival of natural reproduction. The enemy of this lake is the panfish....The public and bar room Biology blames it on spearing, but the reality and fact is that panfish can be the worst thing for natural reproduction of certain fish. The lake association has stocked 7 to 10'' fish over the past couple of years, so with that being said, we will wait and see if those fish make it adulthood. If you want to see the numbers of fished speared out of the lake, do a search and you'll find that the numbers that the tribe have taken is very small....not that I agree with any of it, but spearing isn't the problem on Little St. for walleyes....too many panfish and other fish picking up the niche that the walleye has left

[Travis Kopke]

Rob I agree 100% with you. While I don’t know a whole lot on the St. Germain lakes, I know quite a bit about other lakes. While I also don’t necessarily agree with the spearing (especially winter spearing), the overharvest by anglers is far more detrimental to the fisheries. Also as you said the other species taking over a niche when the walleye pops get low. I have read several publications that indicate in some waters if there are smallmouth bass in a lake, and the walleye pop drops that it is tough for the walleyes to ever rebound due to the smallmouth bass taking over. Even if additional walleyes are stocked to try and get the pop back up they never really re-establish. Biologists, from what I last read, were uncertain of why this is happening.

Too easy to just blame the Indians, and thus what happens.

[bunczak]

Travis- It is actually largemouth bass, not smallmouth bass. If you want to see where the DNR is doing something about it- look at the Chippewa flowage. They have taken the size limit off on LMB and are encouraging people to keep all LMB.

Little St. is just not a good walleye lake anymore. I looked at the spearing totals from recent years and it looks like the tribes don't even try to take much out of there anymore.