Tom meersman Now from the shores of the father of waters, Mississippi, we take you to the shores of Lake Superior, which is where I wish I work today and I'm tired of these itty bitty lakes in these anybody minnow size walleyes. I've been catching for most of my life. I want to go after bigger game bigger game. Salmon, or lake trout or something like that and Lake Superior the Great Lake. Well, we're not going to talk about fishing in Lake Superior today because fishing expert Chef Myers excluded himself from taking questions on Red Lake fishing. You'll happily answer your question about large lake fishing Reven small Lake fishing or presumably even River fishing check Myers a fishing expert although he kind of declines that title from time to time fishing expert Jatt is it is an associate professor of humanities at Metro State University and over the past up my pills for years. We've invited you to join us about a week before the opener in Minnesota to come on the air and talk to us about fishing one of Minnesota's growth. Enterprises may be the only one left for all I know the way people are talking about the business climate. The fishing climate apparently is is not suffering too badly. Although I think we will have some questions today about Minnesota's fishing climate in what kind of Health it is at. What kind of Health it is in our Twin Cities telephone number for those of you who would like to ask questions or fish. Expert check Myers to 276 thousand to 276 thousand listeners outside the Twin Cities within Minnesota. There is no charge if you call us on our toll-free line one 800-652-9700 1 800-652-9700. Check Myers the man who took NPR's which statement to Lake of the Isles that great fishing hot spot in South Minneapolis Southwest Minneapolis. And where you caught fish true Well Chad that were you one of those Anglers who was getting on DNR commissioner. Do I look that Alexander's case about proposing a ban on night fishing on Mille Lacs Lake know I wouldn't fight. Mr. Alexander on that. Why not doing? Well, we need something the the number of fish remains fairly stable Inn in all Lakes ale can only produce so many fish if such a size. And as fishing pressure increases and as men and women become better Anglers and he's better equipment and we've had an incredible increase both in the technology and the knowledge level of fishing in the last 10 years. I'd say almost a revolution they get better at catching fish and the better they get the fewer fish. There are that size. So something has to give a lots of different things have been proposed bands on on live bait fishing vans on leech fishing bans on night fishing. I think everybody know something has to give but it's just a question of whose and who's going to give and where there isn't any commercial fishing on Mille Lacs. So that's not an issue there any of the angles have to do something of the anglers in the military actually supported support of the band that we have callers already on the line waiting with their questions and you can call us at 227-6000 in the Twin Cities are toll free line is open one eight hundred six five. 9700 will take the first listener. Good afternoon. We're listening and I want to bring up a question on counter account. Do I have the other day and a city like there was a fisherman with two very large and beautiful car at fixating & White Wi-Fi. What do you intend to do about them and hate the answer was at this graph? And I know there's a very strong prejudice against cop and I wonder if there's any substance to it because it's a fish I've eaten and I like to find a Chinese restaurants when I go there, but apparently it's not eating here or are they that bad for the local Fisheries that necessitate just throwing off in the beach and let him die Well, I'm not I'm not actually sure about Minnesota but a number of states there is a law that you cannot read or not supposed to return carp to water. Once you catch him that you're supposed to which it sounds awfully cruel and isn't that cruel? It's interesting. I was in Europe last year fishing and carp is one of the Premier game fish of the British Isles in Ireland and and Scotland and then England and if some of the the Anglers from the British Isles could come over and fish are some of our Lakes for carp. I'm sure they would just go crazy. They would think it was wonderful carb do in fact have a detrimental effect on game Fish populations in in eutrophic Lakes, which is the older likes that they live in because they spend most their time routing the bottom and that stirs up sediment and the sediment danry settles over the eggs of the of the game Fish. So it is it is a factory there not a predator. They do not pray on game fish, but they will just by their very actions to upset him at the end. They will also get in sometimes and root around in the nests and they seem to be very Hardy very hard. As far as they're eating qualities, I want to tell the story that everyone has heard 30 million times about how to cook a a carb on a plank board and then you throw away the car paint it but they're very good smoked and they are a delicacy over in Europe in New York. We export a lot of our car for Minnesota that getting a tad out of Minnetonka each winter or exported to the east for reading a cultural problem there for Minnesota Anglers, perhaps where are the colors on the light will take the next question or good afternoon chat is listening Big Sandy lake in Aitkin County. Are you familiar with that late by any chance? I know all that I've never fished it. The question is for the northern, but I catch bout three or four to one Northerns over walleye in that Lake and I just wondered why that is. Explain then. Well fishing limits are set by the statement and haven't changed that much in recent years. I think the most recent change has to do with some of the salmon Knights Inn in Lake Superior, simply because they weren't there before and there is now a 36-inch woman on muskies North of Highway 210 in the northern part of the state, but the the number limits have been set for numbers of years and they haven't changed six walleyes six paths in combination 3 Northern and I've never understood why the limit on norns. I think what they could do one change it that they might consider would be to have a only one North Andover so many inches like only one Northern over 25 or 30 in and then 45 North and 26 North End up to that because a small Northerns are great for pickling there. Bones, but they're fine for pickling and the the two Pounders are you know, where are great eating? I think there will be a great eating fish. So I I don't understand sometimes the and I know that their many likes and The northern simply get out of balance and that the population Dynamics change. I think one of the things that most diners don't appreciate his help population Dynamics change over the years you get a bumper crop of fish one year and because of weather conditions in water level changes the next year there may be very few fish hatch out. So they really changed quite a bit and what the regulations try to do because I don't want to change regulations. Every year is sort of hit an average. All right with other colors waiting will get to the next one. Good afternoon. Check Myers is listening. Go ahead, please. out of a canoe packing and I would like to know how to get into catching some lake trout up in those legs on a bigger Lake have lake trout. Well that depends on the time of year. If you would be going up now soon to the lake trout in may be fairly shallow yet because I talked to one of my friends at the DNR just the other day and some of the lakes of just become ice free in the last week. So you might be into areas where a rocky areas particularly where the lake trout would be in shallow water and where they could be caught on spoons generally in in The Boundary Waters lakes in up. There is the season wears on the fish go much much deeper and then and it's very difficult to take them and can invite a controlling across the lake. But now you do need to get the Down Deeper which means either Lead Core line or a Wireline and the places that you Prospect are the places that those wonderful deep Cliffs vertical Cliffs at drop straight into the lake and continue to dropped on 40 50 60 70 ft. Some of those areas you need if you're fishing for lake trout in the In the spring, what you want to do is find some of the shallower waters near there the rocky shores near there where the the lake trout will be will be moving around but as the summer wears on they drop into quite deep water and has become increasingly difficult to get sometimes you can just fish straight down with live bait if you're going to drop them in ode on 40 50 60 ft. But that's it. Stop taking lake trout from from Kennedy's although you probably will do as well. Now as you ever would this is a good time to if you're going up there and then very very near future. You have a very good chance of getting some light writing in Shallowater and spinning tackle and spoons is perfect colors with questions will take the next one. Good afternoon. Check. My hours is listening. Well, if you don't mind fishing with one hand, I don't know how you can do it. I've seen them. It's just too much you the purpose of having a depth finder and I keep mine on all the time when I'm running a boat has to keep a constant eye on changes and with a handheld depth finder. You can't be holding your motor with your other hand or your ride with another hand and I think they're really relatively worthless. I I just don't think much of them at all, but expensive all that other cheaper than than some of the others but it's a sort of a gimmick and you know, if you want to shoot it down over the side every every 3 seconds are in Oso fine, but you can't run the boat with them because they just water will come up your arm. They're not that you can't run it and I don't think much of them to be honest with you. All right with other callers waiting with questions. Good afternoon chat is listening. Long gone by when one of the Great Hearts was thumbing a casting reel and maybe the fact that we weren't fish out and spend that much time. It's funny. You should mention that I was I was thinking about something on the way in something. I want to propose to some of my professional angler friends is you know, in in the sport of hunting out there is a an increasing number of hunters who are going back to the old Flintlock Muzzleloader type guns and doing hunting that way and what I would like to propose to some of my friends is it we be able to determine time I've never been in that tournament fishing but I think this might be fun to have a tournament with all the old equipment the black heavy braided line and the old casting reels at didn't have magnetic drags or centrifical drags or anything like that because that equipment it's the change in the the gentleman's quite right. It's a changing the sophistication of equipment which has the increase the number of fish we take but I think it'll be fun to go back and dig up some of those Heddon Dowagiac lawyers in the wooden floors and have it tournament with particular for bass with some of the old old time equipment together. Great. Bamboo poles. Sherpa could have a subdivision of all kinds of all kinds of classes are available colors with questions. Good afternoon. Check Mars is listening. Hello, go ahead with your question, please. Yes, go ahead. Mnek, and carp know that may not have been in my generation. I didn't move to Minnesota 15 years ago when I ever sold around and I said Minnesota rice the same price is canned salmon. Yeah. Well, I always do something reasonable started chance of becoming suggest, but I'd like to know what the carpets is I mentioned is that still considered a delicacy and a smoked is very good friend who smoked carp. I would like to know what the how much money they are making when they met and Virtue or three years and then disappeared. Then the whole thing was they were well, it's a good question and it's so I guess the car pedometer was known is still known in some parts of Minnesota or so-called rough fish are taken from Lakes commercial Fisher commercial fishing Minaj nip them and box them up and send them somewhere and they use depth finders and and Nets and percents of sort and they get off all of the fish under the ice and lead them into the Nets. And then I've seen the operation it's incredible pace and any for anybody who likes fishing, I mean fishing for fun. I I I would challenge anyone to find a fish that can fight the way a carp can have a hundred pound. I mean they just agree to not give I watch the kid last week on on Lake of the Isles. He was into a 10-pounder and he had 6 lb test and it literally took him about 15 minutes. I finally had to go home. I couldn't stand it watching him, but you won't find any fish that will fight till fight us as well as a carpet not going to jump but the boy though, we have some lines open. If you'd like to call us at 227-6000 in the Twin Cities to talk with fishing expert check Myers to 276 thousand letters outside. The Twin Cities can call us toll-free no charge if you call one 800-652-9700 would like to hear from someone at Ottertail lake or from Ten Mile Lake might have a fishing report for us. Of course, it wouldn't be anything but a panfish fishing report. Is that right? So that's the only fishing report we could take while now got a lots of callers will get to the next one right now. Good afternoon chat is listening. I have a place that on Malak and I do considerable amount of scuba diving up there and I've noticed as I scuba dive around the lake that the lake is just lousy with little bits of perch though they be or not over 3/4 of an inch to an inch in length and they come along when you're going along the bottom. They'll come along and the clouds my thought is probably some of the problem if they're having up there with fishing is it the darn lake is just packed solid with a little bits of perch about 5 years ago. There was some kind of a disease took over those things and they came in and just Tons of the black men smelly stuff that came in on the shore for a few weeks and then it disappeared or rotted away. I don't know it but is there any is there been any heirs to this huge perch in population on that Big Lake it's certainly influences the fishing from year-to-year the DNR has found through their test settings to the general size of the walleye is is dropping his continue to drop in Milacs and that is due simply to to fishing pressure. But you're right. The one thing another thing that Anglers need to be aware of is it is at the bait fish present in a lake changes from year to year. I've noticed on some of the city like there was an incredible hatch last year of crappies and bluegills and bass and some of the city Lakes know. The reason for that is said during the spawning time when the temperature was just right particularly for coincided with a full moon which we always seem to have bumper crops of fish when when full moons roller on if the temperature is right and Moon This is right and all the other conditions water level is right. You can just have an explosion on these particular Lakes where there is an explosion like that fishing is going to be really tough this year and it's going to be tough all year because there simply so much debate around I have never seen though the clouds and I know exactly what he's talking about. I never seen the clouds of bait fish that I have for this year on some of the way so I imagine that the last year and in certain segments are the state there was just an incredible explosion. Of course, if there is a situation where the debate took population gets killed off or gets a disease then in a fishing can be really good. I fixed the Mississippi when you're when St. Regis dump some chemicals in them in the river and killed all the crayfish for about a ten-mile stretch and that one up with a friend who gave me a tip on this and we caught a t smallmouth bass in about 4 hours one afternoon, and they were just starved because that's their primary pray and it was gone. So that the man is right. It's the fishing will have a lot to do with the baker's population of Hill Lake River anybody more with other colors wedding will get to the next question the right now good afternoon Shadows listening play Paul yesterday. I was up in a lake and caught it. We were talking about Dogfish earlier about rough fish and I caught a dog fish yesterday. What kind of I've never eaten water and I prepared to check out these fish. I'm not sure that you would want to eat it again. I might be good smoke. I've never heard of anyone eating Dogfish Dogfish bowfin. It is next to the sturgeon is one of them more prehistoric freshwater fishes in our legs and there are there any credible fighting fishing and I hooked a big one on one of the city lights last you thought I had it record bass on it and it turned out to be a 7 pound dog fish. But I I really can't give any recommendations on eating them. They're very hard to scale have a almost a on Armor like scale system and I would imagine about the only thing you can do. But it would be 2 to smoke them jet experience. So with these calling programs teaches me that somewhere out there. There is a listener with the dogfish recipe and if we just give it another 10 minutes will happen will get to the next caller right now. Good afternoon. You're on the air. We did very very well with that. Just get the date on the bottom. Where were you in Canada? How deep does the phenomenon of catching lake trout close to shore in that is very short-lived. I mean, it's really just a few days after ice-out on it doesn't last very long before they start to drift into deeper water and by the by the Sun What is a summer rolls around I'll get in to 5060 even seventy feet of water sometime anywhere from only be 10 feet down to 30 minutes that you can just get a hold of them are very good experience right after I need to be rather sluggish right after they sell tendo and they prefer the the deadbeat lying on the bottom or in some likely will prefer still take small minnows to fish a minute. Thank you for the update on that. I appreciate that. Fish reports are from the Duluth area and we have all the colors on the line will get to the next one right now. Good afternoon. We're listening. St. Croix River and I was wondering if I know Chet knows a lot about fishing on the st. Croix River if you would recommend that as well. There's some areas up there. That would be good the particular since the river water is a lot warmer than Lake water this time your Rivers warm up a lot quicker than likes to that generally the you're bigger fish and your numbers are fish. If all eyes are cut below the st. Croix Falls area in the large river particular Diner on Hudson and Prescott in areas like that. There are however, if you like to get up on the upper upper st. Croix, there are areas below rapid and shallow water is where there's at least some deep water on. I would say you better be looking at 8 to 10 to 12 feet of water and that's deep when you when you reach the upper sink for a lot of the st. Croix. I'm the upper part is is only 1 to 2 ft deep. So you'll be looking for those areas below Rapids particular another walleyes have already spawned. So and I should be bouncing back pretty well. So River fishing might be even a little better bet than Lake fishing this time. You're using some live bait or I even trying some evening fishing with some Rapala sore or a diving plugs where you can wear the walleyes will move up into a little shallower water. And of course walleyes can be taken right now on border border Waters open, I think the 30th of April good with other colors with questions and we'll take the next one. Good afternoon. Check Mars is listening. News about truck basically Brooke Brown rainbow trout and I want to know if do you need a special license to fish for trout? Also, if you don't want to fly, can you use a earthworms good you have to use a float with a and also do you know of any good rivers or streams around the Twin Cities where there's truck? Thank you, honey. Those questions as I can you do need a trout stamp in Minnesota to to fish for trout and there are restrictions specific restrictions on the North store Northshore streams with regards to how many hooks you can use and what kind of baits and stuff you can use so you should check into that trout fishing in Minnesota. Is it generally into sections of the state? When is the North Shore by the streams coming up there starting at the Lester river running all the way up to the grammar and Beyond the secondary closer to the Twin Cities is in the Southeastern part of the state now, they did not do a stocking early this year before the season open. Cuz I was very very cold and we had all that snow and run off so they may be doing some stocking now and no streams. The water is warming up nicely and I would think this thing about openers is the one walleye season opens. It's a good time to fish for trout and when bass season opens, it's a good time to fish for walleye sit the opening days of seasons. Do not sync with the best fishing. So there are a number what you should do is call the DNR. They have a special map called trout streams of Southeastern Minnesota, which list all the streams the where they are stock not where they're stuck. But if they are stuck what's the number of miles to stream it. List habitat improvements. It gives you a general idea of the fishing population good Fair poor and is there are some fairly close. The best ones are done in the Whitewater area there a couple streams like in Savage. There's a little stream remember catching a trout out of a tire in there once is not a very aesthetic experience large truck tire. So there aren't that many really good trout streams around the Twin Cities. You have to go down into the to the Southeastern part. There are some that come in to the st. Croix not very very teeny brook trout streams. Maybe it was a retread trout. What about the earthworm? Yes, I would say the best all-around bait for trout. Is it really well because it's certainly because they're not very finicky earthworms wash into the streams a lot protected during rains and time. What I would use with a question about using a flow, I would not I would use this very small piece of split shot that the key is a small hook. You don't need a very big cook most people use at least two or three sizes larger Hooks and they need and what you might do would be to just Loop the worm over the hook a couple times as opposed to walleye fishing where we straightened out and cast it upstream and let it drift Downstream. I think that's the key. Most people try to pull him. Where am I? Stream the best thing is just a casted upstream and let it drift into pockets and cuts and I think you'll do well. I'm very serious thing for walleye opener this year because I don't think you have it as a testimonial from check Myers as to what he's going to be do opening day in Minnesota. It's 30 minutes after 12 central daylight time. We're talkin with check Myers a fishing expert who also happens to be for a real job associate professor of humanities at Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis. We're taking questions from listeners will get to the next one in just a moment. I hope somebody chat asks, if someone doesn't I will later on about live release for the releasing of fish back into water get to the next caller right now. Good afternoon. You're on the air. My name is Drew and I'm from Minneapolis that live on Lake of the Isles and I read your article in the in fisherman about how the best spot in to the north arm stay and I was I was wondering where they'd be about right now. Cuz I had a real good catch a few weeks ago got 25,000. I just can't seem to find them know you're not alone. Neither. Can I buy what's happened in the last few days in particular today? We've had some Colder Weather moves in and particularly cold winds and Wendy weather which homogenizes the water so that the water has water temperatures dropped a number degrees in the last few days and the fish are simply pulled back into deeper water and they're not active during the Spring you get a lot of fish movements in and out of Shallowater. The thing you have to remember is when they move into shallow water they're active because the water is warmer there, but when you have a weather system come through and the fish will drop from from maybe three feet of water. Where is 59°? 1 to 15 or 20 feet of water where it may be in the high forties their metabolism shuts down to sew it takes them time to come back up. So the Fisher not going to start moving back into the shower until we have a couple of nice warm sunny days or even a warm windy. They were the warmth will get circulated down but the your experiences is not uncorroborated by there people who have been fishing catching you speak about catching Feebas. You have to remember the bass or not legal yet and that they are cut inadvertently. We say while we're fishing for crappies if people are going to do that inadvertent fishing. The best thing to do is to be sure that you've been the barbs off your help. So That You Don't Own Me Barb said that you don't injure any passage you catch and biscuits those to the library least question. I what's the proper way to do it different fish different tactics the best time to practice live releases in the spring or the fall in the water temperature is cold because the fish have a much higher survival rate at that time of year are the warmer the wall. Add more exhausted officials when you bring it in the less likely cuz it'll survive. So there two or three very briefly two or three key points to releasing fish one. If you're planning on releasing fish get them in as quickly as possible. Don't play with them long you play with them the more the lactic acid builds up in their body the more chance that even though they'll swim away like an arrow when you release them if they're going to get out of the bottom and die. So get them in very very quickly and release them quickly fish with barbells hooks. What's another way you can release fish a lot more quickly with barbless hooks with regards to any fish do not pick up the fish by its main body because you will be wiping off the Slime which is a protective mucous that surrounds efficient when you wiped it off it gets infected don't ever betta fish. I've seen people drag fish up on the beach run the grass do not do that that that will really wipe off that slime. And then with regards to how you do what you can grasp a bass right secure some right in its mouth and pinch it under the tongue it paralyzes to fish. You can grasp a northern right behind the Gill covers do not pinch them in the eyes. If you pinch them in the eyes your paralyzing them and you're also blinding them. So if you're going to land in Northern you want to eat it fine if you squeeze it in the eye sockets, it'll paralyzed it and you can bring it in without any problems, but then don't release it because it probably would have blinded the fish and with a walleye again reach behind grab firmly pushing. The dorsal fin damage is very sharp behind the operculum where they go cover and watch out for that gill cover because on a walleye it is razor sharp and it'll cut your worst in the fens almost but again just hold the fish friendly. Don't hold them up hold him down parallel to the water even in the water possible. Remember when you pull a fish out of water and hold it straight up gravity, which it's not used to full force of gravity. Anyhow, all the organs sag to the bottom of the fish. And get discombobulated be like picking you up and hang you by the feet shaking it for a while. So there are some things you can do, but I'm very high on catching release. I think it's one way we can continue to have quality fishing is by bass fisherman. I'm doing that for years. I think it's great Muskie fisherman, too. So, all right good thing will get to the next one. Good afternoon chat is listening question about Big Sandy lake in the northern from reading in the Minneapolis Star and Tribune picture magazine a couple years ago. I believe the Department of Natural Resources. They Stop Northern into Big Sandy lake and they removed them out of Rice Lake in Aitkin County. Because Rice Lake has a overpopulation and they remove them for the purpose of winter kill winter killing that like it's a lot of flagging and I read one of the reasons I don't go to the meeting cuz I'm tired of hearing people, you know cry about the DNR the most of the DNR people are very dedicated. They're doing the best job. They can't and some of them are doing an excellent job. But the DNR seems to be the favorite Whipping Boy around the state whenever you go to meetings people always cry by the DNR does a lot of winter rescues of northern pike from freeze-out Lake not freeze at Lake is not a lake necessarily that freezes from top to bottom but is a very very shallow like and when you get years of heavy snow cover what happens if the light shuts off the vegetation that's their decays instead of grows lot of people don't realize if education continues to live and legs throughout the winter as long as there's enough light. When you don't have light when you get heavy snow the vegetation decays, the oxygen is depleted and the fish die. So with the DNR will go in as the window cut a hole in the ice. So put a circulating pump in there, which oxygenate the area the fish will be attracted to that area. Don't let them out and then they restock them in other Lakes. So that has happened. I don't know with regards to Big Sandy. That's a fairly large like that if that may be a factor, but I think was more likely effect or is it simply like to go through Cycles? I have a friend who lives on my the better used to be one of the better bass Lakes up by Pine River and three or four years ago. It just started to go down and it continues to go down and now the lake is just filled with what we call Hammer handles, which is an unaffectionate name for small Northerns and they're just tons of these little Northern dinner that is just a natural cycle the lake now maybe in another 5 or 10 years. That'll be a good Bass Lake again, but people tend to think of lakes and rivers in terms of stability and they are not that their population Dynamics are just as malthusian has is human dynamics or in some countries. So you have to you have to be aware that they change what it was a good bass like one year may not be a good best like a couple years has But wait 5 years and who knows when I come back we'll get to the next one. Good afternoon chat is listening. I heard just a few minutes ago. You mentioned that you needed them a trout stamp in order to fish for trout. I believe that that is for a fishing for trout in a trout stream rather than spring trout in a lake. But anyways. My question regard to the cold water Fisheries about the time that you came to Minnesota with a roughly 15 years ago the DNR became interested in following the lead of the state of Michigan In Stocking of various types of cold water fish notably the Seminole Heights and so on and among these fish that they start to stock was what I thought was a pretty good idea if it's called the Kokanee salmon, which as you know is a pelagic fish and it was supposed to be a forage fish for the lake trout as well as a game fish for people. And some of us had pretty good success with that in the four five lakes at I knew about where they had stocked the Kokanee salmon, they are fine fish. But then the DNR quits talking about 1971 or 72. And the reason that they gave me was that people weren't able to catch them now. It seems to me that in this day and age when more and more people are becoming knowledgeable about different types of fishing and they have the fish locators a depth finders and and whatnot that it's in the best interest of that the DNR to go ahead and provide this variety such as they did also in stock in The Donaldson trout. We found tremendous success with the donaldsons job. They were stocked in a cup of lakes notably is a mink Lake up in the constant Trail. I got The Donaldson trout that we're the same age and class of coho salmon, and they're much larger in a tremendous fish. But now we don't see them any longer. But do you have to say about these two types of fish? That's a good question. I don't I don't know because you said predates my my arrival in Minnesota with much about the Kokanee but one of the things that the DNR is looking at an end the Fisheries people generally are looking at a different types of fish. We're getting into what's known as genetics training and can looking at different genetic ways of doing our Fisheries. For example, I think the meersman report mentioned that they're looking for a brook trout that would be more tolerant to acid rain. That's one way of going about the about the problem. But there is there are we know within within the different game fish species summer easier to catch than others. We know even within the same species that exist for example, some of the studies I've seen a largemouth bass show that there's some largemouth bass. There's nothing more Another bass some of the Fisheries people in the south of talking about getting that genetic strain and having the hatcheries in a focus on hatching aggressive fish. So that people can catch them. The gentleman's question has to do with why why not the opposite which I think is a good question why you know, I think we're going to find in the state and across the country is going to be a differentiated fishery in the future. It's just simply going to have to be that way and by differentiated fishery what I mean is different lakes will be set aside or regulated four different types of a fishing pressures and four different types of angler so that you have fish for fun lakes and you do have this in East now we're all fish will have to be released that might happen to some Varsity Lakes you will have other Lakes where they will be trophy fishing this now existing and lakes in Michigan where you cannot keep any smallmouth bass. I think they have to be over 16 in in in some parts of the state. There are slot limits now on a couple of the city lakes with regard to largemouth bass wear a bass Under 12 in 4/16 in may be kept it in between has to be returned. The reason for that is that the 12 to 16 or the or the broodstock the fish that produced the best matches of eggs in Minneapolis in Minneapolis is in Lake Rebecca, and and in trying to think of the other Lake Highland to small lakes in in in the Minneapolis area, but what I think we'll be looking at as a differentiated fishery where different species of fish and perhaps through genetics different subspecies within that are different genetic strains will be stock for different Anglers so that you know everybody the problem with focusing on on hatching Fisher or developing fish that are hard to catch his that then you lose your popular support base and the DNR is not that damn that they're going to They're going to cut off your nose to spite their face. If they people have to have a positive fishing experience, which means they have to catch fish or they're not going to care about fishing in the DNR loses its political base and they won't be any pressure in the legislature in the funds will be cut and we'll go down to nothing. So there's a very fine line there between providing numbers of fish that people can catch at the same time for a different breed of angler. If you will have a quality fishery where you can fish for trophy fish. It's it's going to be a very very different fishing picture in the future than we have presently and I think it's going to happen very rapidly with questions will get to the next one. Good afternoon Myers is listening. Well back to the old question about who's going to give it has to do with the similar question is being raised at Milacs Lake where we have more more Anglers more sophistication and just something has to give size limit is a consideration that we have. We're beginning to see size limits where we haven't seen them before and that might be a possibility with while I see a problem with walleye that makes it much more different than Bass. Is it most bass are caught an artificial lures and a fish is relatively easy to release when it's caught on artificial or most of all eyes are caught on live bait and often times through inexperience people wait until the baby is in the digestive tract before they shut the fuk. So you have a lot of gut hooked fish and it is difficult to release and got hooked fish. You can cut off the The Hook right at the line and it made his off but in some cases it will also kill the fish. So with walleyes when you talk about size limit, you may have to begin looking at some restrictions in this goes back to the previous Jenna want to talk about our Luda to we may have walleye lakes in the state where only artificial lures will be allowed. That's a possibility where you would then have a quality walleye fishery, but only artificial lures would be so the problem is size limit on walleyes is as long as we've got live bait. It's it's it's problematic because a lot of fish will be released but then they'll die. Anyhow, and that's a waste of a fish. So it's it's tough It's there aren't a lot of really easy answers. All right with other callers with the questions will get to the next one. Good afternoon chat is listening. Would you care to comment on his favorite top three Lakes within the metropolitan area for walleyes in Northern at the Minneapolis public library on Tuesday the 10th. That's this coming Tuesday at 12 noon. It is free and open to the public and I'll be talkin there about city likes particularly within the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area and would invite listeners if they would like to if they can get off for the lunch hour to Brown Bag lunch. You can bring a lunch and sit there and we'll talk about the city lights. I guess there's so many there's so many likes was in the Twin Cities and I fished a lot of them that it's really hard to pick out three of my favorites. I could I could mention a couple good ones for different species Lake Harriet obviously has one of the largest walleye Weight Wise populations in the state. I looked at the average you a few years ago and was approaching 3lb an average now, that's because they're stocked. I'm not sure if it's there now, but I know there's a lot of big fish staying at in 11 1/2 pound her out of there last year in the spring the DNR. So there's a lots of nice big walleyes in my Curry, but they are very difficult to catch the I want to be clear about that when we set up people's expectations of me while I can just go to Lake Harriet and catch walleyes. Well, they're very tough to catch because there's a lot of perch in the like But that is a that is a possibly another thing about haters. It has muskies in it almost nobody fishes muskies in Lake Harriet and they're getting up into 1015 on category and I'm sure some Kid Rock with an angleworm Sunday positive that will happen and it'll probably the best lake around that can take the pressure and is a good Lake to fish in the spring and fall is Minnetonka Minnetonka has an excellent population. It is very tough to fish in the summer when people are zooming back and forth from Lord Fletcher's in various states of inebriation bloating but it's a good Spring Lake and again in the fall once once people get off the Lake City. It's a good like so I can't measure I would say, you know come to the clinic and won't mention 15 or 20 different lakes in the area that are good. That's the downtown Minneapolis. So Public Library the Central Library Minneapolis Nicollet and 4th and Nicollet Mall in Forest 12 noon. Tuesday is free and open to the public with other colors with questions will take the next one. Good afternoon. Cheddar's listening. Lake south of Leech Lake and the problem on this lake is that you can see about 14 feet down. Is that clear? And I know there's big walleyes whenever we catch one that's always 4 pounds or over but they're just hard to catch and there's also very deep hole that the 200 ft deep in that knows when your pee have any tips on, you know, catching them finding them. Thank you just general tips for fishing Clearwater Lakes Clearwater Lakes are the most difficult to fish plain and simple because fish are much more visually oriented and they can see a lot better. So obviously light line smaller hooks, I would say in fishing a lake where you can see down 14 ft of the weed line is probably even deeper which is probably run 18ft. You may want to fish with 6 lb test. I wouldn't try anything bigger than 6 pound test. And as far as hooks for walleyes, I would think a number 6 hook would be a very very largest you'd want. He's probably a number eight. I would suggest some fishing at night and very few people in Minnesota do night fishing except on the Lacs interesting enough, but I would the walleyes do move in Clearwater Lakes. They have a pattern of moving in along the weed line. And sometimes they'll move into very very shallow water in the evening and you can catch them even casting small diving plugs like propolis took me only a maybe fishing in three or four feet of water also often these fish will relate to the weed line and most people think of walleyes in terms of rock piles if there are weeds in this Lake and I'm sure there's some and maybe the people are fishing in the wrong place and you might want to prospect long the waiting line because the while I can get back in there out of the light and either jig and minnow or a slip Sinker rig or something like that just working along the edge of that we might be good, but I would say tried at night and try some night fishing and don't worry about the two hundred foot holes are not going to be there for One thing they won't go that deep and if they did you wouldn't be able to reach him anyhow, so I would concentrate on the sum of the sharp brakes and things but wouldn't worry about the depth of water with all the colors with questions. Good afternoon chat is listening. That's quite a few bluegills and leave them and last year. We started noticing that some bluegill cuz I don't want them last year. I just was wondering if you knew what might be causing. You know, I don't it it may be a disease if your if they're in a high percentage of the fish. I would suggest you take a take one of those fish to the DNR and have them look at it because it may be a disease in the population and maybe a genetic something that was passed on certain strain efficient if there is like 1 and 10 or 1:20, but I would say take it to the DNR and find out Cedar is reputed to be a relatively clean Minneapolis play most of the city lights to clean people always ask me because I feel like such a dirty or don't you worry about the fish that there's no fish that you cannot eat out of City Lights. The only fish you can't eat an estate come from the Minnesota, Mississippi River and people should be a Below Minneapolis in particular you should restrict your intake of wall eyes are white bass or whatever in the Mississippi to not more than one meal per week because of the pcbs now, but you can catch a lot of fish in a lot of fun with him. You don't see you tomorrow. Alright to 276 thousand if you have questions for check Myers to 27 6001 800-652-9700. If you'd like to call us from outside the Twin Cities one 800-652-9700. How often do you change your line in your rod and reel and then I change the beginning of every year because a line takes on a certain set and monofilament particularly just disintegrates molecular Lee. So the best thing is to put on brand new line at the beginning of each year. The question is how much and most people it's worthless to spool on 200 yards of line. Even if a capacitor is two hundred yards cuz you only use 40 or 50 yards of mind. What I do is put some old monofilament on back it up to about the 60-yard level and then put on 60 yards of new line. That way you don't waste putting on brand new line on that. You'll never use once you get down to a certain level in your spinning-wheel. Are you casting reels you're not going to be able to cash because of friction. So the best thing is to put on new line put on maybe 60 yards or something like that and tie a good blood not so that if you do get a big fish on it takes off you've got you know, you can do insurance at some insurance. All right, we have callers will take the next call or good afternoon. You're on the air son calling from South Minneapolis, and I'm wondering what the walleye fishing is like on the on the Mississippi between Elk River in Monticello and what tactics and methods one might use thank you. It's fairly good with again of wall eyes are not large the average walleyes maybe three-quarters of a pound and you catch them a lot on the points of sandbars. Particularly in the Mississippi River up there or one of my good friends day and gave and sort of owns the river. I mean in terms of knowing how to fishes play one of the best River fisherman in the country and when we fish that's what we do, we pull up on some of the points below the islands. Sometimes also the the head of violence people always fish below Island because there's a calm water pocket there, but people don't realize just because of hydrodynamics there. Also, what are pockets on the Upstream side of violence and rocks also sometimes under your snagger is Sandy Bottoms. You will not generally find walleyes in in Backwater is or where there's a murky water or a silt but you will find them there and you can catch walleyes larger walleyes on the Upper, Mississippi, but I'm speaking as if compared to the Lower Mississippi a lot of the wise that you catch any Elk River area will be be fairly small good beta smanos worms. You don't need a slip Sinker do not use a slip Sinker in the river. Because the Fisher much more aggressive I use something like a bait Walker or a fixed Sinker kind of thing. As soon as you feel the fish. It just drop back a little and set the hook that far back from the coach of the Sinker be maybe just a foot-and-a-half. You don't have to have a long quote snow on that because he's in the water is a little murky or up there. So you don't have to worry about that. It's a fun area that what would the what you want to fish for another your smallmouth bass. That's the fish that really runs the river up there. And if you haven't done any smallmouth bass fishing in that area do so because it's so there probably 10 small not every wall lighting River up there and their lot of fun to catch with other colors will get to the next one. Good afternoon chat is listening, right? All right, if it's the one you're talking about the Atlantic Ocean And I guess we got to skin the fish and cut it into 1 and 1/4 inch steaks. Dakotaman frying chicken stew and slowly and well flavored stock or tomato based liquid. Did you say this was the dogfish of the ocean to stamp, This is a different fish. I'm afraid we could try the recipe says I said a very old prehistoric fish, but I think we could try it got one and next year they'll call and tell Chet what they thought of the recipe so stay tuned. We have another caller with a question. Good afternoon. We're listening. Yes, I'm coming from Duluth. And I have a question about water levels affecting V population. We have a cabin on a white face, which is a reservoir leak out of Minnesota lights and what they drain it down every winter and every year the water level has been more erratic than last five or six years and has really gone down. It's usually a pretty good while I like and at one point the water was down maybe 10 people on normal and I was wondering what kind of effect is that going to have on that fish population terrible. In fact, it's one of the big problems that they're having an always had in Reservoir systems and The Dakotas any body of water that experiences large fluctuations in the water level has a very detrimental effect on on the fish populations particular during the spawning time. What is happening? What what needs to be done is that that water needs to be very carefully man? In terms of level during the spawning. After that it can drop or raise and it will not affect the Fish Production that much but our bodies of water like reservoirs that experience those says ups and downs just a very very difficult to manage. They've even gone so far and in some of the reservoirs out in the far out of California where the fluctuations are like a hundred and fifty feet sometimes that's incredible fluctuation. But sometimes they're the fluctuations that great of of installing floating spawning rafts for for bass so that the that the Basking spot on these rafts and I think what needs to be done is get in touch with the people that power and light thing it with and with a DNR and and see what they can do about regulating that because a fluctuations of the level that that you're speaking about cannot do anything but have a bad effect on on Fish Production in the lake or I checked. How often do you sharpen your hooks? Yes, and how often should that be done? Well, it's probably the the least attended to thing next to line that I need to pay attention to. I have sat beside many Anglers and watch them is fish after fish before they sought to look at their hooks. I would get a very high power magnifying glass like almost like the type that Jewelers use the telescope type where you can really look. If you could see a hook as it comes out of the Lower Bucks, you would be amazed they are they are not sharp because the hooks are coated with a lacquer and if you're not sharpening Your Hooks even when you get them from the lawyer manufacture, you're missing a lot of fish. If you're not sharpening them during a day's use particular in Rocky areas. You're going to miss a lot of fish and I have found that over the years that that is a thing that I pay more and more and more attention to and if the It's amazing. How many people don't even consider that so that's a good question. I hadn't thought of it. Alright 12 noon at the Minneapolis Public Library downtown Minneapolis 4th and Nicollet on the mall and you'll be talkin. It's free and open to the public fishing secrets about opening day tactics, which will be very different this year and will be talkin about City lakes and right good and that's free and open check Myers fishing expert and associate professor of humanities at Metropolitan State University. Thanks for joining us.