If you were wondering like I was how many pounds of Walleye have come out of Mille Lacs Lake since ice out, wonder no more. According to a story in the Mille Lacs Messenger, Tribal netters had harvested 99,232 pounds of Walleyes from Mille Lacs as of press time May 4, according to Charlie Rasmussen of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.
We all know there alot of huge Walleye in the lake. I'd have to personally guess that the average size fish taken was between 3-5 pounds -- and I am sure there were many that were much, much larger going to nearly 9-plus pounds. With that in mind, that would be about 20000-30000 fewer Walleyes to hook on this weekend's opener.
The tribal netting is legal and has been going on for years. The eight tribes that can legally net still have about 26000 pounds of Walleye they can go after. I hope they wait until fall so that sportsmen can get a crack at things, too.
I did receive several emails with some oberservations. These were second-hand stories. One, was that a 54-inch Muskie was one of the casualties. There were also scores of over 30-inch Northern that weren't even cleaned, but thrown away. Again, these reports can from folks who emailed me with comments they said they heard from local wardens. In journalistic circles, you can't call those credible sources. But those stories are out there.
My only feeling on this whole matter is that if you catch and keep fish, you should utilize the fish and not waste them. They are a natural resource that belongs to both Minnesota sportsmen and tribal netters. By wasting a catch, you ruin someone else's chances for those fish and nobody derives any benefit. It's a slap in the face to all who are good stewards of Mille Lacs.
Here's to wishing you the best on Saturday's opener. Like clockwork, the forecast calls for winds and rain on the Minnesota Fishing Opener. I'll be up on the sand flats near Carlsona Beach hunting for a couple eater eyes. You can bet we'll clean em and cook em up for dinner if we have any luck!