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Agree 100%. Water bodies should be managed for what they're realistically going to produce. If the state starts stocking sebasticook lake with brookies, that doesn't make it a brookie lake. It need to be managed for its bass and crappie. This state isn't just a cold water fishery anymore...
First off why would you propose that Ice fisherman should be subject to rules that open water fisherman are not subject to? Why not close long lake to summer fishing?
First off why would you propose that Ice fisherman should be subject to rules that open water fisherman are not subject to? Why not close long lake to summer fishing?I care about catching "trophy" fish as much as I care about shooting so called "trophy" deer, doesn't even enter into where I go. Lakes having large fish in them is a lot more complex than just putting slot limits or max length limits on fish. You can have all the regs you want, but if a lake isnt capable of growing large fish it isnt going to happen.
As most know when I go to the county I generally fish Square Lake and have for the past 10 years or so. When I first started going up there it was exactly what JDK said January 15th, until March 15th. At the time I believe you could only keep one salmon over 16inches. That all changed a few years ago when you can fish January 1 until March 31, and with that came a 3 salmon limit and they only have to be 12 inches. I don't know about you guys but I don't keep 12 inch salmon. However, Square has some good fish in it obviously but there should be many more with the little pressure it gets, although I will say what a turnover on that lake in the last 5 years. 5 years ago on the 4th of July you might see 5 boats, now a lot of the camps have turned over to a younger crowd and there are definitely more folks around the lake. I think the problem is there are too many Salmon in there and we need to take some of the smaller ones out but it just doesn't get enough pressure. I don't believe the smelts are an issue because last ice fishing season I caught a smelt on a smelt and I have also caught a couple trolling lead line, so I would say they are plentiful at least there, but I say that not knowing what it was like more than 10 years ago.
but there is the possibility of the togue overpopulating as well... then the solution becomes the problem. Then the very big togue eat the 12 inch salmon.
They don't know that in Augusta.
the state stocked splake in there. 15yrs. later the smelts came back and barely any perch left. short of putting musky or smallmouth to control the perch, togue would be the best thing. That's the idea !!! Musky and smallmoith to eat the perch . I like where this is going
I know most of them are hard working, dedicated folks but I gotta wonder what they're working at.