December MMPA newsletter - Minnesota Conservation Federation

Working to Preserve, Promote and Advance Muskie and Pike Education and
Research in Minnesota.
December, 2015
Ninety First Edition
From Aaron Meyer, MMPA Co-chair
Many of you have been following the situation in Ottertail County regarding the muskie
stocking program on Pelican Lake. We had an excellent turn-out at the meeting in Fergus Falls,
showing the DNR and the Legislators that people from all across Minnesota support muskie
stocking and sound fisheries management practices. The DNR did an excellent job of
explaining and defending their muskie program. The group fighting against muskie
stocking had filed an injunction against the DNR to stop them from stocking Pelican Lake.
Well, if you haven't already heard... a judge threw out the injunction and this year's quota of
PIT tagged fingerlings has now been stocked! This was a huge win for muskies, and fisheries
management as a whole!
Over the last several years, it has often felt like there's a never ending procession of issues
coming up against muskie management. Throughout that timeframe, I feel that the muskie
angling community as a whole has become more involved and increasingly active in protecting
and promoting our fisheries. The harder they hit us, the stronger we become! We have now
justified and proven the muskie management program scientifically, publicly, legislatively,
and in the court system. Thank you all for your continuous support!
So now, on to the next issue! This one is a good one. The DNR has remained committed to
their Long Range Plan for muskie management, which calls for 5 more muskie lakes to be
stocked by the year 2020. They have chosen the lakes they are proposing, have posted the
proposals in the appropriate public venues, and it is now time for us to provide our input!
As in the past, there will be public meetings for people to provide input, and there are also
several ways to provide input if you cannot make it to one of the meetings. My suggestion
is to make the appropriate phone calls, and/or emails, and also attend one or more of the
meetings, if possible. Your input via phone call or email counts equally as someone who
attends a meeting, but I can tell you that there is always a stronger statement made by
showing up in person. It really means a lot.
There will be separate meetings in each part of the state where lakes are being proposed,
and there will also be a meeting in Andover that will pertain to all of the proposals. Below is
all of the contact information for you to provide input, as well as the date/time/location of
each meeting. All of this information is also available on the home page of the DNR website at
www.mndnr.gov/ and, there is a link on that page to provide input directly. Please support
ALL of the proposals!
Big Marine Lake: Meeting- Monday November 30. Scandia Community and Senior Center.
14727 209th Street North. Scandia MN.
Contact:
East Metro Area Fisheries Office
1200 Warner Road
St. Paul, MN 55106
651-259-5831
[email protected]
Gull Lake: Meeting- Wednesday December2. Crow Wing County Land Services Building. 322
Laurel Street. Brainerd MN.
Contact:
Brainerd Area Fisheries Office
1601 Minnesota Drive
Brainerd, MN 56401
218-203-4301
[email protected]
Fairmont Chain: Meeting-Thursday December 3. Martin County Library. 110 North Park.
Fairmont, MN.
Contact:
Windom Area Fisheries Office
175 County Road 26
Windom, MN 56101-1868
507-831-2900 (extension 232)
[email protected]
Ottertail County Proposals: There are three proposals for Ottertail County. Lizzy, Franklin, and
Loon lakes. All three would produce good fisheries. It's likely they will be narrowed down to
only one. I suggest providing support for all three, but additionally mention that in the event
of it narrowing down to one, Lizzy is the one that will provide the best fishery of the three. I
really hope that Lizzy is chosen as the other two are significantly smaller waters.
Meeting- Tuesday December 8. Lake Region Electric Cooperative. 1401 South Broadway.
Pelican Rapids, MN.
Contact:
Fergus Falls Area Fisheries Office
1509 1st Avenue North
Fergus Falls, MN 56537
tel. 218-739-7576
fax. 218-739-7601
[email protected]
Everyone please provide your support for these proposals ASAP! The decisions for these
proposals will come directly from your input!!
Thanks
Aaron
Northern Pike Regulation Changes
From Tim Goeman; Attached is an article and the proposed zone map for northern pike regulation changes.
Thanks. Tim
Bigger Pike for Better Fishing
By Tim Goeman, MN DNR Fisheries
Most lakes in Minnesota have the potential to grow more quality northern pike for spearers and
anglers to harvest, but because of the wide variability among the state’s lakes, a single harvest
regulation doesn’t allow for optimal pike growth. One of the biggest fisheries management problems
in Minnesota is high densities of small northern pike. These abundant small pike, often called
“hammer handles”, can disrupt the recruitment of other game fish and are often considered a
nuisance by anglers.
In southern Minnesota, pike can grow quickly, but high fishing pressure results in most pike being
harvested at 21-22 inches, rather than letting them grow another year or two to a size actually
preferred by spearers and anglers. In the arrowhead region of northeast Minnesota where pike grow
more slowly, some lakes still contain quality pike, but these fish need some additional protection or
they may disappear - as has been the case over the past 50 years in the rest of the state.
Key considerations
Spearers and anglers want larger pike. DNR creel data show that most of the pike harvested by
spearers and anglers are 21-22 inches, even though the preferred size is 27 inches, as defined by
those who fish and spear when asked in a University of Minnesota survey. Essentially, spearers and
anglers are presently settling for pike that are much smaller than what they would prefer.
It’s time to change the regulation. Minnesota’s present three fish per angler limit was first
implemented in 1967. This regulation has not been effective in managing pike because most people
keep fewer than three pike anyway. Additionally, the one fish over 30 inches that originated in 1995
is also not effective simply because a spearer or angler would need to harvest one fish of this size
before this regulation would have any effect in protecting a second big fish. Spearers and anglers
must encounter two large fish before a one-over type regulation would have any conservation benefit
and that is a very rare occurrence.
The science suggests that we need to look beyond one statewide northern pike regulation to
adequately address pike management in MN. We have boiled down the options to a 3-zone
approach which will address the vastly different types of lakes that exist across the state while
keeping regulations reasonably simple. The proposed zones and associated regulations are:
Northeast Zone:
Angling: 2 fish bag, 30 inch maximum size limit; (OR) 2 fish bag, 30-40 inch protected slot limit (PSL)
with one over 40 inches.
Darkhouse spearing: 2 fish bag, one over 26 inches; (OR) 2 fish bag, one over 22 inches.
North-central Zone:
Angling: 10 fish bag, 22-26 inch PSL, only 2 over 26 inches.
Darkhouse spearing: 10 fish bag, one fish in the 22-26 PSL, one over 26 inches; (OR) 10 fish bag,
one over 22 inches; (OR) the north-central zone winter angling regulation (see above).
Southern Zone:
Angling: 2 fish bag, 24 inch minimum length limit.
Darkhouse spearing: same as angling.
Everyone should understand that there is no perfect regulation. The proposed regulations will work
better in some lakes than others, but overall, the regulations proposed will provide bigger pike for
harvest will reduce small pike densities over time and will protect some of the bigger pike remaining in
northeast Minnesota.
Spearing is a valued piece of Minnesota’s fishing culture. The proposed regulation options were
designed specifically to accommodate spearing, allowing this sport to continue in a reasonable way
while spearers contribute to improving pike management by adjusting the way they fish.
What can you do, personally? Realize that to start moving in the direction of growing more mediumsized pike for harvest, we need everyone who harvests pike to work together toward the solution. For
these regulations to work and our pike populations to improve, every spearer and angler in the state
needs to change the way we think about northern pike. This means harvesting the small pike where
they are in surplus and allowing fish that are nearing “keeper” size to grow just a little bigger to
provide more quality. Fish communities will also benefit from these changes.
In the southern lakes, we can grow bigger pike in just a year or two by protecting them until they
reach 24 inches. In north-central lakes, we can provide bigger pike for harvest if anglers understand
that small pike can be and should be harvested. Not every small pike will grow up to be a large
pike—there are just too many small pike to feed for that to happen. However, by providing protection
for medium-sized fish, we can turn these populations around for the better, and can expect to begin
seeing noticeable changes in 5-8 years. In the northeast zone, we simply need to protect some of
what we still have in terms of quality.
If we don’t do anything to change the direction of pike management in Minnesota, small northern pike
will continue to dominate many of our systems. These pike will continue to disrupt the ecological
balance and size structure of other important game fish populations, and eventually, the larger pike
remaining in northeastern Minnesota will disappear. We owe future generations a better forecast
than that.
The DNR recently concluded a series of northern pike public information sessions around the state
and hopefully you were able to participate in one of them. If not, you are encouraged to spend some
time reviewing the video and information on the DNR’s northern pike management page at
www.mndnr.gov/pike, and submit your comments through the website or contact your local DNR
Fisheries Office.
What happens next? The University of Minnesota is completing a random survey of spearers and
anglers to help us gauge public preferences to the management options outlined above. By early
2016, DNR will finalize our recommendations and present these to the Minnesota Legislature during
the 2016 Session. As those recommendations are finalized and presented, you can subscribe to
email updates at www.mndnr.gov/pike.
Figure heading for zone map: Proposed zones for northern pike regulations in Minnesota. Zone
boundaries could changes slightly as analyses are completed.
Next MMPA meeting is Saturday December 5th
ANNOUNCEMENT
Hugh C. Becker 2016 Foundation Awards
Initial Requisition Criteria for disbursing funds, subject to future
amendments.
All requests are to be received between 1 November 2015 and BY 31
January 2016. Address (do not e-mail) all requests to Hugh C. Becker
Committee of Twin Cities Chapter of Muskies, Inc., c/o George Selcke,
13004 Shady Dale Road, Minnetonka, MN 55343-4904.
Format: Requests are not to be more than five (5) legibly typed pages, ORIGINAL and FIVE
(5) copies, to include all the following criteria:
1) Name and address of the group, and a history of the group’s accomplished projects to
date, if applicable.
2) Demonstrate need- how will this project benefit the Muskellunge program(s) in area,
region, or range (Canada included)
3) What is the project and what is purpose of project?
4) Where is this project taking place?
5) What is the duration of this project/start and finish dates?
6) What are the cost breakouts? Itemize equipment and labor, and provide quotes.
7) Who will be involved: the project team, project manager/coordinator, and applicable
means of contact (phone numbers)
8) Submit “milestones” dates for progress reports and accountability.
9) Can the requesting group match funds from another source? Please list.
Other Considerations:
-Cap on any individual grant/fund will be $10,000; incrementally within year or over the course
of years, unless the Grant Committee decides otherwise on any specific proposal
-Credit to the Hugh C. Becker Trust Foundation will be incurred in funding
-The Hugh C. Becker has priority rights to all press releases and publications
-If this project fails to reach its purpose, through false reporting, deceit, and/or other
unprofessional acts, the requesting group may be responsible for restitution (committee
determination)
-NOTE: No indirect costs (overhead) will be awarded on research proposals
Addendum:
Like projects/activities that may qualify per the wishes and conditions of Hugh C. Becker
include, but are not limited to:
 Muskie propagation by the Twin Cities Chapter #1, in their own ponds (?) with their own
equipment
 Stocking, by either raising Muskie fingerlings or purchasing fingerlings/ yearlings/adults
for public use in designated waters
 Habitat protection and improvement
 Clean water (quality) protection and improvement
 Professional research by qualified personnel (not limited to Minnesota, but must include
accountable data)
 Expansion of the present muskellunge range (special consideration for the Missouri river
system in North/South Dakota)
The Twin Cities Chapter #1 Committee will consider projects based on their respective merits
per criteria above, and awards will be published in the Muskie magazine. The principles of
Muskies, Inc., Youth, Research, and Fisheries are guidelines inclusive in qualifying and
evaluating proposals.
**** NOTE: Accountability reports, DNR letters, Research papers, publications, University
acknowledgements, and any other follow-up information for awards given in a particular year
will be required before any individual or group is given consideration for future grants.
Gil Hamm
The 2015 Chapter Challunge is in the books, with Star of the North Chapter #15 taking home the
'Lunge Bucket for the 5th time in the last 7 years. By winning the event, Star of the North receives the
honor of hosting next year's Challunge. We have decided to take the event back to Canadian
waters. The 2016 Chapter Challunge will be held on August 24th, 25th, and 26th at Red Wing
Lodge on Lake of the Woods. For additional information you can visit the Challunge website at
www.gilhamm.com
Cliff Arola
Star of the North
Chapter President
District Finder - Use the district finder to retrieve a list of your representatives with contact information.
Buy some MMPA Swag today. We send many thanks to those that have supported this effort. 100% of
the profits go to fighting for your fish.
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Minnesota Muskie and Pike Alliance
http://www.mnmuskie.org/
Communications
Please look over the contact information in the back of the newsletter to make sure the information is correct.
Send me any new or updated information so the newsletter can get to those who need it.
Our MI chapters and related groups have banded together as the MMPA to improve the fishing in our state.
This is done by working together. Don’t be afraid to ask for support on your projects, that’s what we are here
for.
My job as communications co-chair is to get the information out. It’s up to YOU to share the information and
pass it along to your friends. If you know someone that wants to receive the MMPA newsletter please send me
their e-mail and I will add them to the newsletter list.
Try to get your information to us by the 25th of the month so we have time to include it in the newsletter. Keith
Okeson [email protected] Dan Crooms [email protected]
Department of Natural Resources Contacts:
Don Pereira, Central Office, Fisheries Management Chief, 500 Lafayette Road, St Paul, MN 55155 651-259-5229
[email protected]
Neil Vanderbosch, Program Coordinator (St Paul) – 651-259-5178 [email protected]
Mike Habrat, DNR, Fisheries Biologist Specialist, Detroit Lakes Area Fisheries Office. 14583 County Rd. 19 Detroit Lakes,
MN 56501 218-846-8343. [email protected]
Al Stevens, DNR, Fisheries Lake and Stream Survey Program and Tourney Coordinator (St. Paul) - (651) 259-5239
[email protected]
MINNESOTA MUSKIE ALLIANCE OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES
Co-Chair –John Underhill (507) 259-5074, [email protected]
Co-Chair – Aaron Meyer (320)260-0961 [email protected]
Treasurer – Carl Phillips (763)972-8240, [email protected]
Secretary –, George Selcke (952)933-2608, [email protected]
DNR/Legislative Committee – John Underhill
Committee Members: Shawn Kellett (612) 201-0209, John Underhill (507)259-5074
New Waters/Stocking Committee- Chair Greg Kvale [email protected], 218-232-0328
Communications Committee – Co-chair Keith Okeson (218) 273-6389 [email protected]
Co-chair Dan Crooms (507)744-4265 [email protected]
DNR REGION REPRESENTATIVES:
NE DNR Region: Chapters: Brainerd Lakes, Lake Superior and Star of the North
MMPA Reps:
Keith Okeson
Greg Kvale
218-273-6389
328-232-0328
Region Fisheries Manager Tim Goeman, 218-999-7819
NW DNR Region: Chapters: Fargo Moorhead, Bemidji/Cass Lake
MMPA Reps: Mark Stenger
218-342-2743
Brett Waldera
701-298-9032
Region Fisheries Manager Henry Drewes, 218-755-3959
Central DNR Region: St. Cloud MMPA Rep: Bruce Kitowski [email protected] ; Ken Schmitt
(320)290-6272 [email protected]
Brad Parsons, 651-259-5789
South DNR Region: Southern Crossroads
MMPA Rep: Dan Crooms
507-744-4265
Region Fisheries Manager: Jack Lauer, 507-359-6046
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MINNESOTA MUSKIE INC. CHAPTERS
#01 Twin Cities: Shawn Kellett, (612) 201-0201, George Selcke (952)933-2608, [email protected]
#02 Fargo-Moorhead: PO Box 2021, Fargo, ND 58103; Brian Grote, [email protected]
#15 Star of the North: 16774 W. Bay Dr., Pengilly, MN 55775; Gary Rutherford (218) 885-1677 [email protected];
Dave Berglund (218)244-1856 [email protected]
#21 North Metro: PO Box 41216, Plymouth, MN 55441; Steve Wernersbach (763)242-2625 [email protected] ;
Mike Riha [email protected]
North Metro chapter website link www.nmmuskies.com
#24 Brainerd Lakes: 9143 Lone Pine Road, Brainerd, MN; (218)821-3669 Jeff Young; Greg Kvale (218)232-0328
[email protected] and Aaron Heimkes [email protected]
Brainerd web site at: www.Brainerdmuskies.com
#33 Lake Superior: 30879 100th Place Sturgeon Lake MN. 55783; Keith Okeson (218)273-6389 [email protected]; Pat
Okeson;
Lake Superior web site at: www.lakesuperiormuskies.com
#37 St. Cloud: 109 Greenstone Ln. Waite Park, MN. 56387; Bruce Kitowski [email protected] ; Ken
Schmitt (320)290-6272 [email protected]
Aaron Meyer (320)260-0961 [email protected]
St. Cloud web site at www.Stcloudmuskies.com
#38 Vikingland: 106 Main Ave. Carlos MN 56319; Chris Willander (612)554-8170, [email protected]
#46 Bemidji/Cass Lake: PO Box 6, Bemidji, MN 56619; Ethan Rogers (218) 766-6697; [email protected]
#54 Southern Crossroads: 1931 Greenwood Drive, Owatonna, MN 55061; Dean Peterson 507-345-8701; Dan Crooms
(507)744-4265
Supporters of the MMPA
20th Annual Lake Superior Chapter Sportsman Banquet
Everyone is welcome open to the public
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Where
American legion post #71 West Duluth
When
February 6,2016 (5 PM)
Time Social Hour 5 to 6:30
Meal 6:30 to 7:00
Awards & Drawings 7:00
Meal Roast Beef, Turkey, Potatoes, Bun, Salad and Dessert
Adults Meal Tickets $25.00 per person ( if purchase before January 12th) )
Also any adult meal purchased before January 12th will include 1 chance for a 3 day stay at Spring Bay Resort
 Juniors Members are free 12 and under, 13 to 17 $12.50
 November Early Bird package is $50.00
 Number of
Attendees
Names
Adults ……… (
)……………………………... Number of Early Bird Package’s ( )
12 and under.. (
)…………………………….
13 to 17… ….. (
)…………………………….
November Early Bird Special Available only for Adults
Special Package
 1 Adult meal ticket
 40 General raffle tickets
 1 Free shake on the dice game
 1 chance on the $2.00 poker game (note poker is only available for the early Birds Special)
 4 chances to win a 3 day stay at Spring Bay resort on Lake Vermilion
 1 Gun Raffle ticket
 Get all this for $50.00 if purchased by November 30th,2015

3 day stay at Spring Bay Resort on Lake Vermilion before Memorial or after Labor Day.
Dice game is a spelling game with chances to win general raffle tickets Value $5.00.
$2.00 poker will be only for the early birds, high hand will win a handmade lure from Nimmers Swimmers.
Make Checks payable to Lake Superior Chapter of Muskies Inc.
Mail Checks to
Lake Superior Chapter c/o Keith Okeson
30879 100th Place
Sturgeon Lake, MN 55783
Minnesota HS Muskie Tournament 6:30am to 2:30pm Friday, June 24, 2016 Lake Vermilion
at Vermilion Dam Lodge Tournament Headquarters
MI Muskie Symposium March 11-15, 2016 Sheraton West (Near Ridgedale Mall)
Hugh C Becker Muskie Symposium
Please join us on MARCH 13 – 15, 2016 for the Symposium at the Sheridan Minneapolis
West, located on Ridgedale Dr, Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Just select the ‘Register Now’ button for more information and to register for this exciting event.
Registration Fees from now until 2/16/2016 are as follows:
Normal Rate $195.00
Student Rate $75.00
DNR grp (5-6) $500.00
DNR individual $100.00
Muskies, Inc. Chapters $100.00
After 2/16/2016 fees are: $225.00