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Re: Derby entries

Hi YN,
I have probably struck a nerve but yes a boycott is done to discourage others from attending or participating in something so yes the boycott is encouraging people not to attend even when it's handled with the class that Trav handled it.

As for PCs, not everyone will bring a PC with air card or iPad onto the lake but almost everyone carries some sort of smart phone with internet access.

So yes, derby goers do feel targeted as you can tell by some of the responses on this site. Again, you seem somewhat angered that I mention that guides, retired persons or locals who have constant access to the lake would feel the same if actions were taken to limit their access to the resource how they want to pursue it which I guess proves my point.

PS: the "get over it" comment only stirs emotions like if I said "I'm going to park my trailer on the ramp and go fishing...you don't like it? Get over it". No need to escalate how people feel about this topic.

Re: Derby entries

Whoa there, MikeF! I never heard of an "air card". Of course, I've heard of an "IPad" but don't have a clue what it is or what it does?? I must be in the minority, because I don't even have a "smart phone with internet access". Even if I did, I don't have a place on my boat to "plug in" for the interweb.
All true, but LMAO :)
Let's all try to lighten up. Laying blame and throwing daggers did serious damage to this great board, not that long ago!
Richard

Re: Derby entries

i fished the derby had a fairly good time we landed our share of fish all but one was let go to swim again one thing i did see that the single hooks on my hardware landed fish as good as my trebles and with little to no damage to the fish ill be changing all my hardware to single hooks all the fish we caught were in great shape lost a good one at the boat but thats fishing

Re: Derby entries

rick simula
the original laker taker---my cousin and i will always fish this derby as long as they have it for the next number of years,we fish winni 3 days a year and catch and release 10 to 15 salmon,thats it for the year and thats the average for most sport fisherman on winni,the charter boats are the problem here for the drastic reduction in healthy salmon,over the last 6 years charter fishing has doubled and tripled on winni,the state needs to step in and make it two lines per boat,all salmon off spring are bought with our license money ,charter boats are making money off the fish we and the state provide for sport fishing not for profit on a DAILY basis ,thanks the original laker taker


Rick your comment:
"all salmon off spring are bought with our license money" shows how much you know about everything you say about guides, etc. with implied authority.

The NH Salmon come from NH Salmon, they are the cheapest fish that Fish and Game raise (statement direct from F and G biologist) for the states stocking program. All the eggs are taken from NH lakes and hatched in NH hatcheries where they live for approximately one year before being put into the lake. In the past they have maybe bought eggs but not in recent years.

I might add no eggs (or very, very few) were taken from Winni in 2009 (not positive on the year, but I have it and can look it up) due to poor condition of the Salmon, but were taken from other NH Salmon lakes instead.

So NH Salmon are a product if NH, the cost of raising them comes from license fees, but they doint buy them.

See, ya can learn something new everyday.

Big John

Re: Derby entries

i agree with you john but nothing is free the state employee,s who raise these salmon im sure get paid and where does that money come from,the nh fish and game budget losing the derby is a good thing for the charters boats,iv fished this derby long before there were any charters on this lake and this problem has only been a problem for the last 6 years or so,this lack of salmon is not being caused by the weekend angler ,its cause is the daily charter,china and japan almost cleaned out our tuna population thats why we have a 200 mile limit,charters are fine but give them more regulations to follow,thay are not anglers they are commercial fisherman of a sort,what upsets me is cool water charters rallying around people who have chose to boycott or to put it nicely not fish the derby ,good luck ,rick

Re: Derby entries

rick simula
i agree with you john but nothing is free the state employee,s who raise these salmon im sure get paid and where does that money come from,the nh fish and game budget losing the derby is a good thing for the charters boats,iv fished this derby long before there were any charters on this lake and this problem has only been a problem for the last 6 years or so,this lack of salmon is not being caused by the weekend angler ,its cause is the daily charter,china and japan almost cleaned out our tuna population thats why we have a 200 mile limit,charters are fine but give them more regulations to follow,thay are not anglers they are commercial fisherman of a sort,what upsets me is cool water charters rallying around people who have chose to boycott or to put it nicely not fish the derby ,good luck ,rick


Thanks for not jumping all over me, I just wanted to let it be known that the Salmon are the only fish the state don't buy and yes of course there are expenses to raise them.

I don't know what the answer is, but I doubt NH will be the only state in the union to "shut down in summer months", talk a bite in the economy and the F and G budget, pure suicide.

Plain and simple it's fishing pressure on Winni, no matter what time of year, thank god people leave for the salt, Ontario and Champlain, by design Winni is a numbers lake, again "by design", it's a business for the state, not a hobby.

Big John

Re: Derby entries

WOW, to some this is a touchy subject. These are just a few numbers that are facts. There are 83 licensed fishing guides listed in the state. Not all charter on Winni. Last year 51 signed a petition to pass a one rod per angler rule. In the last 7 years, the guides on Lake Winni have increased over 40%. The number of trips chartered has esculated. Some charters have run over 100 trips a season. The number of fish caught per trip has been posted on this board, numbers of 30, 40 or more were reality.
IF 10,000 fish were caught in May and 10,000 were caught in August which month would have the highest mortality rate? I do support the derby and like the challenge. I also would support season regulation mid-July and August restrictions. I also agree the commercial fishing on inland waters needs to be reduced drastically. A big thanks to the guides that have recognized the problem and backed off the fishing pressure. Good luck fishing, Roland

Re: Derby entries

Alright here is my 2 cents since we are all fired up here. We can all sit at our computers and fire off blame towards others, but how many of us have actually done anything to change the way that we ourselves fish? Last season I took a long hard look at the way I fished winni and I decided to change that. I had been, in the past, out on the water for 6 hours in the morning and 4 in the evenings when I could get out there. This past season I changed that. Now I will only fish a few hours in the morning and I will pack it in if I start hammering them or get into the smaller fish. I have cut out my evening trips all together for salmon, now I fly fish for bass with poppers, and if you haven't tried that yet please do it is a frigging blast. I read the salmon pledge and I get it and I changed the way I target salmon.
Why hasn't anyone blamed Cannon, Big Jon or Scotty yet? Years ago there were no downriggers and most of us do not enjoy bringing in a 2 pound salmon on 8 colors of lead. Salmon used to be a spring only thing with our fly rods and tandem streamers and when the water warmed we all turned to other species. So do we blame all the technology too or ourselves for not using it responsibly? I have been out with a guide and it was an extremely valuable trip because not only did I learn more about how to catch salmon and lakers, more importantly, I also learned conservation. Pointing fingers at the guides and blaming them for supposedly depleting the fishery is akin to blaming a farmer for growing crops. Why the hell would either want to destroy what there lively hood is based on? Not to mention they were the ones on this very board leading the charge for better fish handling and selective harvesting. Should we blame the bait shops for selling us such wonderful lures that catch fish? Do we blame our coffee makers for fueling us with the caffeine needed to fish at 430 in the morning? Blaming the derby and those who fish it is also a waste of time. The money that both bring in do wonderful things for the community and the fishery. I have this strange feeling that F&G is watching both derbies closely and would get rid of them if they were or turn out to be the problem. But, yes some of us chose not to fish the derby this year for a multitude of reasons. Yes some of us do think that the derby has an impact on the fishery just as some think that fishing in August has an impact. Here is a novel idea, whichever hypothesis you subscribe to adhere to that idea and stick to it. Do not fish in August if you think that is where the harm is being done. Don't book a charter if you think that is the problem but for crying out loud do not begrudge someone for standing by their beliefs who don't fish the derby or won't book a charter or fish in August. Blaming this website is silly at best. Everyone of us has benefitted and become better fishermen(women) from the posts on this site, but it is up to us, individually, what we do with that information. Do we go out and catch 35 2 year olds in a day or do we pack it in after only a couple? I only ever see the same handful of people posting on here day in and day out and yet there will be 150 or so at the gathering so there are a ton of lurkers on here who just take the info and run with it. But, if people pay attention around here, you may have noticed the tone of this board has changed over the last 2 years from how many did we catch, what were we using, how deep and where. Now most of us and especially the guides are stressing better conservation, better management and better handling of the fish. You all may have noticed that some of us have stopped sharing completely. Is this what we really want? Finger pointing and blame or do we want to actually become better anglers?
In Hal Lyon's book he brings up a point that I think many of us are missing, I know I certainly was in my earlier fishing days. What Hal Lyon's book says is, "In every activity where strength is required, sensitivity also is required. Without it the strength will remain in its raw state as brute force. Sensitivity and spirituality are much more important in angling than brute force. This is one reason why in their twilight years many fishermen become anglers and gravitate toward catch and release and fly-fishing".
So take a look at yourself and ask if you are a fisherman who wants to rack up numbers to brag about or are you an angler who just has a spiritual connection with the act of fishing itself. I know what I used to be and I know what I am now and I will say that I catch a heck of a lot less fish but I truly enjoy it a whole hell of a lot more now.
So enough already with blaming everyone but yourself. We can all change the way we treat Lake Winnipesaukee and if you really take a look around you will see that most of us have begun that journey.
Well I guess that was more than my 2 cents.
Tight Lines,
Link

Re: Derby entries

Leave it to the Boards gifted writer to set us all straight! Well said Link Well Said!!!!

Cool Water

Re: Derby entries

well said Roland,thank you,we all need to work together to keep this derby alive and maintain a salmon balance to satifiy weekend fisher man and charters alike,rick

Re: Derby entries

The NH Salmon come from NH Salmon, they are the cheapest fish that Fish and Game raise (statement direct from F and G biologist) for the states stocking program. All the eggs are taken from NH lakes and hatched in NH hatcheries where they live for approximately one year before being put into the lake. In the past they have maybe bought eggs but not in recent years.

I might add no eggs (or very, very few) were taken from Winni in 2009 (not positive on the year, but I have it and can look it up) due to poor condition of the Salmon, but were taken from other NH Salmon lakes instead.

So NH Salmon are a product if NH, the cost of raising them comes from license fees, but they doint buy them.

I checked my data from F and G, in 2009 "no eggs" at all were taken from Winni, "all eggs" came from Squam and a few from Sunapee. Winni age 2's average length was 17.4", they did not reach F and G desired goal of 18" by fall in their second year in the lake.

This probably had allot of influence on no Derby in 2009 decision by the organizers, I'm sure F and G inputs influenced the decision, but it was not F and G call. Continued Derby entry drop off and in turn revenue, I'm sure had allot to do with it too.

Now if we can stop throwing daggers, let's fish. 2011 stocking will be going in this week, be gentle and move if you get into them, stay away from Ames Farm and other known stocking areas too, they tend to hang around where they are put in.. The most serious hook wounding happens at this "tender age", as they get older the damage effects hook wounding are lessened somewhat.

Yearling Salmon survive on pretty much a bug diet rich in proteins, they will take small shiny spoons over streamers, which maybe more resemble smelt. So if you want to help the hook wounding problem, use less spoons and more streamers (tandems even better)

Studies show they don't get on Smelt as long as there are plenty of bugs are available. Their first fall, the tail end of bug hatches and over the winter, get them more on Smelt.. An extra side benefit of tandem streamers and live bait use is "bigger fish".

Looks like great weekend weather coming in, get out and fish.

Big John

Re: Derby entries

Well said Link!

I just wanted to add that I do guide on Winni and some other places around the state. I am part time as I also work some other jobs and am a full time student. I really just guide to be able to afford my habit! Maybe I'll make something off it someday, but probably not...

For the 2010 season I made a pact to promote catch and release to my clients. If the salmon was hook wounded it was harvested. I pulled 4 salmon from the lake last year that were not wounded and 21 that were. Fish and Game wants us to harvest those fish that are hook wounded. Like I said in a recent post. This past weekend my boat harvested 3 fish which is a lot more than usual. We boated 2 five year old hook wounded salmon and one 4 year old that couldn't release her eggs...

I explain to every trip about the issues that we have had recently and the proper fish handling techniques as well as how to identify hook wounds and that harvesting a hook wounded fish is better, whether you did it or not.

I think it has helped. A lot of fisherman book trips with me and have no idea how to identify hook wounds, properly handle fish, or thought that we needed to strictly perform catch and release to allow the lake to get back up to par. I do my best to inform them with the information they kneed to help sustain our wonderful fishery.


Thanks

Cody Dodds
kool-Aid Charters