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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Fishing Forum :: Stocking in designated trout lakes
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| Author | Message Text | ||
| Pinetree |
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| tg |
outsidethebox: "...If the trout stamp were designated to the trout I would have gladly contributed." Sounds like an awesome time! Let me preface this question by saying I'm not accusing you of any wrongdoing, I have no reason to believe your not an honest guy...but in reading your post it reads like you did not have a trout stamp? Maybe I'm misinterpreting... Because technically keeping any trout (including lakers) or simply angling in a designated trout stream or lake (in this case stocked with brookies) requires a stamp. I believe this is true for nonresidents too but perhaps is waved on some shorter temp licenses? Curious and wanting to make sure I understand the rules and that other readers are informed. It certainly would be a bummer if stocking efforts in the BWCA are not resumed-as mentioned above-perhaps efforts could be focused on fewer, high survival lakes. |
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| Pinetree |
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| Pinetree |
outsidethebox: "Just had a nice conversation with a manager at Finland. He was very pleased to get a "positive" call in this regard-says often they are negative. Interestingly, he said, there is a meeting today about this very matter-trout stocking. " They have a good crew there and the manager loves canoeing and the BWCA, he loves talking outdoors. The whole crew does. the assistant will talk your leg off. Great bunch. |
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| tg |
outsidethebox: "Well, I asked at the point of purchase and was told that at 67 years of age I did not need a trout stamp. We live in Kansas and this is the third consecutive year we have been to Minnesota fishing-and we plan to continue to return. Please advise. " So many rules and exceptions to those rules. Looks like its NOT needed if you're 65 or older. You're not on trial and I have no doubts about your intentions. Sorry for bringing this up. |
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| Abbey |
I had a first October 2019 brookie trip planned, but it got scuttled due to combination of plan to take a newbie and a wet snowstorm. Now concerned that the BWCA brook trout window could be closing forever. |
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| TuscaroraBorealis |
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| Basspro69 |
Savage Voyageur: "Sad that they are cutting back on stocking, makes me mad. I think that they should raise the money for a trout stamp and every single dollar raised go back to the trout, not the general fund. If they need more money, charge more money. It’s really not that hard to understand is it? A trout fisherman is not going to stop fishing for trout over a $5.00 increase in stamp money. He’s going to pay the price that the DNR sets. "Very much agree I think most trout fisherman would pay extra to support the trout portion of the stocking program ! |
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| outsidethebox |
I got home last evening and was planning on sending your DNR a congratulatory note on their program...and this, evidently, needs to happen. |
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| outsidethebox |
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| Pinetree |
outsidethebox: "Just had a nice conversation with a manager at Finland. He was very pleased to get a "positive" call in this regard-says often they are negative. Interestingly, he said, there is a meeting today about this very matter-trout stocking. " I am sure he will use your comment of why we should continue stocking brook trout. Also for awhile they switched to a strain called the Minnesota wild strain for lakes. It did terrible statewide and survival rate was almost zero at times. Now they are using a couple of strains rom out east. They talked about switching how they stocked(plane vs helicopter) helicopter fish survive much better and more get into a lake when air dropped. Also size stocked may change? We have to let Fisheries Manager know how are things going-it helps them a great deal. Communication matters. thanks. |
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| moustachesteve |
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| Pinetree |
What should be looked at is what lakes will say have had little survival and why? Drop those lakes. Their is a few major trout stockings of like Lake trout with little survival you could save over $100,000 in a decade on some individual lakes. Many areas refuse to drop lakes that should be dropped in their area and not looking at the big picture. Some lakes within the BWCA are over run with exotics like small mouth bass and thus almost zero survival of trout. Lakes like Rogers was mentioned. Part of the problem can be pointed at because of diseases the entire brood stock of brook trout and brook trout program has been severely curtailed. They did eliminate all brook trout from DNR hatcheries. At present they have no brood stock(six months ago anyhow) and buy their eggs from a couple states or federal hatchery and than raise them. A change in strain about 15 years ago of brook trout stocked did excellent in streams but terrible in lakes. That has been discontinued for a couple of reasons like one mentioned above. Many of the stream trout lakes with warmer summers more predominate now the brook trout can't take the additional warmth in lakes and maybe poor oxygen in deeper waters. Many lakes on the trout list are just too shallow for long term healthy populations of trout now. Reevaluate what works and where? Drop lakes where it is a complete waste of stocking and manage where they survive best. Short term at least there would be plenty of money. Manage where they survive the best. Top DNR biologist for many decades called stocking trout in lakes was a better bang for the buck and recreational return than many other species stocking. It would help the BWCA trout cause very much to contact DNR Fisheries Managers in Ely,Finland and Grand Marais. Nobody squeaks,well than we probably will lose stocking in some of those BWCA lakes. Yes Brook Trout is my favorite and yes I caught some monsters in the BWCA. |
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| GunflintTrailAngler |
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| thegildedgopher |
This paragraph is most upsetting to me: "Another change occurred to stocking remote lakes this year. Those lakes, some of which are within the BWCAW, are stocked from the air. This year, the Minnesota DNR Division of Enforcement stopped using its airplanes to stock fish, switching to more-expensive-to-operate helicopters. Unfortunately, the DNR doesn’t have permission from the U.S. Forest Service, which manages the wilderness area, to use helicopters for fish stocking over the BWCAW. This means no BWCAW stream trout lakes were stocked this year. Persons said it may take a couple of years to get the permission to use helicopters and resume BWCAW stocking." C'mon DNR. You're cutting stocking because of budget crunch, yet switching to helicopters which are more expensive to operate and not eligible to stock lakes in the BW? Sigh. Side note: What I wouldn't give to sit on the shore of Gogebic while brook trout fall from the sky! |
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| Pinetree |
Abbey: "Really not happy to see this. Agree with others that the trout stamp price should be increased before just dropping stocking. Even with the previous cutback to stocking every other year, there should have been evaluation of stocking two sizes to get a more consistent population of “year classes”. Like others its something special |
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| Pinetree |
moustachesteve: "I also agree that an increase in the trout stamp fee would be fine. It doesn't seem to be much of an elastic demand given the specific purpose of those funds. That is assuming the funds go where they're intended or implied to go." What has also hurt when individuals age 65 and older do not need a trout stamp. That alone would make up the difference and there would be a surplus. At $10 a stamp and the amount of trout anglers over age 65 the money would cover some of the shortfalls. The legislature is always giving perks without making up the difference or effect it will have on the resource. Would be interesting to see numbers of age 65 and older anglers,especially trout. I know 15% of Minnesota population is age 65 or older. |
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| Abbey |
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| Pinetree |
Abbey: "Has anyone heard an update on this? Plenty of excuses in 2020 to not be worried about backcountry trout stocking, but maybe the Forest Service was able to work on the helicopter permit since they weren’t issuing BWCA permits (as if it’s actually the same people). At the very least, there will be a big gap in the year classes. I spot checked the stocking info and didn’t see stocking in 2019 even for odd-year lakes. Maybe a lag in the data, but seems like it should be there by now. " Good question, I would contact the Tower Fisheries or the Finland Fisheries office, they would be the ones handling it. They are raising Brook Trout again in there hatcheries and have stocked brook trout in the Brainerd area-so they should be able to stock the BWCA again unless there is something like Transportation problems? |
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| outsidethebox |
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| Savage Voyageur |
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| moustachesteve |
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| airmorse |
Savage Voyageur: "Sad that they are cutting back on stocking, makes me mad. I think that they should raise the money for a trout stamp and every single dollar raised go back to the trout, not the general fund. If they need more money, charge more money. It’s really not that hard to understand is it? A trout fisherman is not going to stop fishing for trout over a $5.00 increase in stamp money. He’s going to pay the price that the DNR sets. " +1 |
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| GunflintTrailAngler |
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| Bushpilot |
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