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Re: confused about proposals

sitting way back on the sidelines but it seems they need to figure out what they really need and then address the problems, if your making a rule change it needs to be in the context of their overall goals and i dont see what that is right now. theres always going to be problems on the way but if you new rule isnt adressing the overall need, its just another problem. would like to fish your lake, maybe mid season, right now getting ready to slide the docks in, man its early this year, i see some cold days coming. ill let you know as the season progresses. last year on sebago the first fish were skinney too, im thinking it was due to an unrelated problem, skinney and scared, a few weeks later and they looked much better

Re: confused about proposals

fishlessman
sitting way back on the sidelines but it seems they need to figure out what they really need and then address the problems, if your making a rule change it needs to be in the context of their overall goals and i dont see what that is right now. theres always going to be problems on the way but if you new rule isnt adressing the overall need, its just another problem. would like to fish your lake, maybe mid season, right now getting ready to slide the docks in, man its early this year, i see some cold days coming. ill let you know as the season progresses. last year on sebago the first fish were skinney too, im thinking it was due to an unrelated problem, skinney and scared, a few weeks later and they looked much better


I hear ya, if a skinny fish can get fat, I think the problem is not hook wounding or pressure, but perhaps something else, but who are we ??? Fish quality did turn around after the water warmed up, I didn't hear any complaints at all after June/July. The two year olds were fat and sassy after ice out on Winni, but not legal size.

Keep in touch.

Big John

Re: confused about proposals

Nice post! I agree.... The most I have heard is that few salmon returned in the fall netting compared to recent years. The numbers were down, the hook wounding is up, the size and health is questionable.All we really know is what THEY tell us. The other is some of the elder fishermen say the size is way down.... not getting the five pounders as often ? ? I also have learned recently that the hatchery was not producing the fish to its or their full potential ! Now some of that is being corrected. I think the problem is in reality up to the license retailer not end user. Work a little harder and produce a better product.

Re: confused about proposals

i can see hatcheries having god and bad years just as easy as it happens in the wild and some years big fish are in certian lakes and sometimes there not. thats a main reason why i move around and try other fishing spots lakes etc, its part of fishing. what bothers me is that we are paying for all this and it seems like we are in the dark. now i know theres all these meatings and so on, but those in charge need to set priorities and let us know what those priorities are so we know why certian things need to be done. until then its just everyone saying their viewpoint on what they want without discussing what really needs to be done. winni draws alot of traffic off other lakes that couldnt take the pressure and from my standpoint, thats a good thing.

Re: confused about proposals

fishlessman
i can see hatcheries having god and bad years just as easy as it happens in the wild and some years big fish are in certian lakes and sometimes there not. thats a main reason why i move around and try other fishing spots lakes etc, its part of fishing. what bothers me is that we are paying for all this and it seems like we are in the dark. now i know theres all these meatings and so on, but those in charge need to set priorities and let us know what those priorities are so we know why certian things need to be done. until then its just everyone saying their viewpoint on what they want without discussing what really needs to be done. winni draws alot of traffic off other lakes that couldnt take the pressure and from my standpoint, thats a good thing.


Again you're right on the mark Mike, feedback is practicaly non-existant. I know a little more than most because I investigate and ask questions, I'm nosy.

The guys at the hatchery felt they were left in the dark after the fish left there too, I offered to send them the same reports I send F and G, but they have no internet there ??????? When I told them stuff we are seeing at the lakes (mostly good stuff) they said that's the stuff we would like to hear. So we told them we would try to come back once in a while and fill them in some.

Maybe it wa just the guys we talked to and not the actual case, but they didn't seem to have much info ??

I'm outta here, got some work to do, fishin stuff of course..

Big John

Re: confused about proposals

i spent a good amount of time fishing east grand lake in maine during the late 80's to mid 90's. during that time they had similar concerns with their salmon population. as i recall they implemented a strategy of not just having a minimum "keeper" size but would also restrict the maximum size that you could "keep".
i believe the thinking was with no top end restriction
all the "breeders" were being harvested. this is my 1st post...just alittle edgy with impending early ice-out. have a great day

Re: confused about proposals

Great posts Guys!
I am confused with the lack of hearing a stated goal or goals as well. They are proposing same rules for all the salmon lakes yet I can't begin to imagine that they all get as much pressure as say Winni. I know the pressure from guides on the other lakes is very little. Why would you impose the same rules to all these lakes as the condtions etc. are vastly different. However, one common thread to all that this "layman" sees is the fish all come from the same hatchery.
Maybe I am way off but without the powers to be really stating the goals for all the water bodies they are just leaving us to form our own opinions.
Hope to see you all at the Gathering next week!

Re: confused about proposals

Well I suspect the Departments Goals are different from their own fisheries management goals. That being more revenue vs. better/healthier salmon. I don't understand why they would limit the number of rods to two per boat if the Department is struggling to pay the bills. This will have a reverse effect on the bottom line for the Department.

I have read that the hook wounding is a problem. It seems to me that the problem is the number of salmon caught in the fall nets...I think a number like 70 fish were netted and they saw 30 percent hook wounded. Did the hook wounding make the typical number of netted fish not show up? I don't think that is the case. The fish are in the lake because you guys have caught and released them in great numbers. Where did they all go????

I can't understand why they are proposing such drastic changes. The fishery has been fantastic for a number of years with the same department and same guys fishing the lake. So what has changed? What are we seeing. We have way more experience on the lake as a whole than anyone the Department has on staff.

More money won't fix the problem. They will take it and spend it the way they see fit. Once they have the cash we won't have any say over the way it is spent.

As for slot limits...I believe it is used to keep the most prolific breeding fish in the lake for natural reproduction....the salmon do not reproduce in enough numbers to sustain a population...hence the put, grow and take policy.

Just my thoughts on a Sunday night.

Roger-