August 17, 2007 - TOP STORIES
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Limit increase for waterfowl season
DNR to hold public meeting on pike regulations or Big Swan Lake in Todd County
Spiny waterfleas still spreading on Canadian border waters
He teaches how to fish, and where to fish in Minnesota
Limit increase for waterfowl season
DNR has established a 60-day duck season and increased the daily bag limit to six ducks
DNR News
With continental populations of many species of ducks at or near record highs, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has established a 60-day duck season and increased the daily bag limit to six ducks. The mallard bag limit will remain unchanged from last year, including only one hen, and the canvasback daily limit will be increased to two.
The bag limits will continue to protect local breeding mallard populations and will provide more opportunity for Minnesota hunters to benefit from high continental waterfowl populations if weather and migration patterns result in a good fall flight through the state.
“While continental duck populations look very good, this year’s hunting success is by no means assured,” said Mark Holsten, DNR commissioner. “Waterfowl hunting is always unpredictable. If weather and migration patters result in a good fall flight through the state, a higher bag limit will allow more opportunity for Minnesota hunters.”
Based on an increase in breeding waterfowl populations and pond numbers across Canada and the northern plains, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering states in the Mississippi Flyway, including Minnesota, a 60-day season that could include a six-duck limit with two hen mallards. To protect local breeding mallards, Minnesota will keep a daily bag limit of one hen mallard.
“Maintaining mallard limits unchanged from last year will help protect local breeding populations,” said Steve Cordts, DNR waterfowl specialist. “Given what we know about Minnesota’s breeding duck numbers, it is prudent to continue to take a conservative approach to the mallard limit.”
Based on record high numbers of canvasbacks in the continental breeding duck survey, the daily bag limit for canvasbacks will be increased to two for the first time in Minnesota since 1966, “Canvasbacks responded very well to improved habitat conditions in southern Canada this spring,” Cordts said. “Minnesota, along with neighboring states increased the bag limit to allow hunters to share in the harvest of this bird.” Bag limits for all other species will be the same as last season.
DUCK SEASON
The regular waterfowl season will open Saturday, Sept. 29 at 9 a.m. and continue through Tuesday, Nov. 27. The six-duck bag may include no more than four mallards, with only one hen mallard, one black duck, one pintail, two canvasback, two wood ducks, two redheads and two scaup. Possession limits remain at twice the daily bag limits.
Except for opening day, when shooting hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., shooting hours will be from one half hour before sunrise to 4 p.m. daily through Saturday, Oct. 6, and from one half hour before sunrise to sunset thereafter.
Motorized decoys or other motorized devices designed to attract migratory birds may not be used from the opening day of duck season through Saturday, Oct. 6. Motorized decoys or other motorized devices designed to attract migratory birds may not be used at any time during the season on water bodies and lands fully contained within state wildlife management area boundaries.
Additional details on the duck, goose and migratory bird hunting seasons will be available in the 2007 Minnesota Waterfowl Hunting Regulations, available in mid-August.
YOUTH WATERFOWL DAY - Sept 15
Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day will be held Saturday, Sept. 15. Hunters age 15 and under may take regular season bag limits when accompanied by a non-hunting adult (age 18 and older, no license required). Canada geese, mergansers, coots and moorhens may be taken from one half-hour before sunrise to 4 p.m. Motorized decoy restrictions are in effect. Five geese may be taken, except in the Metro, Southeast and Northwest goose zones and Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and Swan Lake area, where the bag limit is one. There are no license requirements, except hunters age 13 to 15 must have a firearms safety certificate in their possession. All other migratory bird hunting regulations apply.
GOOSE SEASONS
Minnesota’s regular goose season will open in conjunction with the duck season on Saturday, Sept. 29, except for Canada goose seasons in the West-Central Goose Zone, which will open on Thursday, Oct. 18. The daily bag limit will be two Canada geese statewide. Possession limits are double the daily bag limits.
Early Sept Goose Season
The early Canada goose season will open statewide on Saturday, Sept. 1. The September season is designed to harvest as many Minnesota-breeding geese as possible. Hunter survey results show about 36 percent of Minnesota’s goose harvest occurs during the early September season. The early season is open through Thursday, Sept. 22 statewide, including the Northwest Zone. This is the first year the early season in the Northwest goose zone has been extended to make it consistent with the rest of the state. Bag limits for Canada geese will be five per day, except for the Southeast Zone, where the bag limit will be two.
A $4 permit, valid for both early and late season goose hunting, is required. Permits are available wherever hunting and angling licenses are sold.
The restriction prohibiting hunting within 100 yards of surface water remains in effect in the Northwest, Southeast, and Metro goose zones, the Carlos Avery WMA and an area surrounding Swan Lake in Nicollet County. Early season goose hunters should consult the 2007 Waterfowl Supplement for details.
Regular Goose Season
In the West Central Zone, the regular Canada goose season will be open from Oct. 18 through Nov. 27. In the West Zone, the season will be open from Sept. 29 through Nov. 27 and in the remainder of the state, including the metro and southeast zone, the season will be open from Sept. 29 through Dec. 7. The daily bag limit will be two Canada geese.
Late Goose Seasons
December Canada goose seasons will be offered statewide except in the West-Central Goose Zone. Late season hunters must have a $4 permit, which is valid for both early and late special goose seasons. The late season will be open Dec. 8 to Dec. 17, except in the Southeast Goose Zone, where the season will be open Dec. 14 to Dec. 23.
Bag limits for Canada geese during the late season will be five per day, except in the Southeast Goose Zone, where the bag limit will be two.
The season for light geese (snow, blue and Ross’ geese), white-fronted geese, and brant will be Sept. 29 to Dec. 23. The daily limit will be 20 light geese, one white fronted goose and one brant.
DNR News
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has awarded $655,000 in Local Trail Connections and Regional Trail grants for seven trail development projects.
“These projects will provide important trail connections and recreation opportunities in Minnesota,” said Andrew Korsberg, DNR Trail Program coordinator.
The Local Trail Connections Program provides matching grants up to $100,000 to units of government for local projects that provide trail connections between where people live and desirable locations, such as community centers, schools and parks. The Regional Trail Program provides matching grants up to $250,000 to local units of government for trail projects outside the metropolitan area that are of regional significance. Grants are funded by an appropriation from the Minnesota Legislature from revenues into the Natural Resources Fund from in-lieu-of-sales tax on lottery tickets.
“These funds provide trail connections between schools, residential areas, and work places that help promote a more active lifestyle and greater opportunities to safely commute via bicycle as well as enhance quality of life in Minnesota,” said Korsberg. “These projects also help foster a sense of community and provide a great way to encourage alternative transportation opportunities.”
Since 2001, the DNR has awarded local trail connections and regional trail grants to 80 communities statewide to build 152 miles of trail. This year, the DNR received 45 requests for more than $3.7 million.
More information on the local trail connections program and regional trail program can be found at www.mndnr.gov.
LAKE CRYSTAL BIKE/PEDESTRIAN TRAIL - PHASE 1
Grant award: $65,000
Total project cost: $434,350
This project is to construct a trail in the city of Lake Crystal from the new high school to the Lake Crystal Area Recreation Center and near Crystal Lake.
BLACKDUCK COMMUNITY TRAIL - PHASE 1
Grant award: $95,000
Total project cost: $385,170
This project is to construct a trail in the city of Blackduck connecting the central business district with residential areas, a K-12 school, athletic facilities and nursing home.
WATERTOWN CROW RIVER TRAIL
Grant award: $100,000
Total project cost: $367,500
This project is to construct a trail on both sides of the Crow River in the city of Watertown that will connect to the Luce Line State Trail.
WILLMAR TRAIL ENHANCEMENT PROJECT
Grant award: $65,000
Total project cost: $264,000
This project is to construct a trail that will connect the north area of the city of Willmar to the Glacial Lakes State Trail.
NORTH ST. PAUL HIGH SCHOOL/GATEWAY TRAIL CONNECTION
Grant award: $100,000
Total project cost: $800,000
This project is to construct a trail and pedestrian bridge in the city of North St. Paul that will connect the Gateway State Trail, North St. Paul High School, Community Center, Library, downtown businesses and residences.
POPE COUNTY STARBUCK TO GLACIAL LAKES STATE PARK BIKE/PEDESTRIAN TRAIL - Grant award: $100,000
Total project cost: $489,714
This project is to recondition and finish a trail from the city of Starbuck to Glacial Lakes State Park.
DULUTH LAKEWALK EAST EXTENSION - PHASE 2
Grant award: $130,000
Total project cost: $900,000
This project is to construct a trail from 36th to 47th Ave. within the North Shore Scenic Railroad right-of-way in the city of Duluth.
DNR to hold public meeting on pike regulations or Big Swan Lake in Todd County
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold a public meeting to get input on a proposed regulation change for northern pike on Big Swan Lake in Todd County. Big Swan has had an experimental regulation for northern pike for past ten years. Originally implemented in 1997, harvest of northern pike was limited to fish less than 24 inches. The intent of this experiment was to improve the abundance of larger pike while reducing the overall abundance of “hammer-handles”.
“The current experimental regulation has done its job of improving the abundance of large fish while reducing the numbers of skinny northern pike. The northern pike fishery in Big Swan has developed a highly desirable size structure,” according to Fisheries Area Supervisor, Jim Lilienthal.
With the experimental period coming to a close, the DNR is proposing to implement a permanent 24 to 36-inch protected slot, with one fish over 36 inches allowed in a possession limit of three northern pike. The modified regulation will allow limited harvest of larger fish, with plenty of eating-size northern pike up to three pounds (24-inches),” according to Lilienthal. During the public meeting, Fisheries personnel will present survey data showing improvement in the northern pike fishery and their recommendation to modify this regulation and make it permanent.
Big Swan Lake – Slot limit for northern pike. An open house-style meeting will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, September 7, 2007 at the Grey Eagle Public School Gymnasium. Fisheries personnel will make a short presentation at 7:15 and again at 8:15 on the information that has been collected during the study period. After which, the public will be invited to meet with Fisheries personnel, share comments, and give input. The public may also provide input for the regulation during a statewide open house at the DNR Central Office, located at 500 Lafayette Road in St Paul on September 27 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Comments received from the public will be used to help evaluate the newly proposed fishing regulation and its potential effectiveness in achieving a quality fishing experience.
For those unable to attend either meeting, written comments may be sent to: Jim Lilienthal, Area Fisheries Supervisor, Little Falls Area Fisheries Office, 16543 Haven Road, Little Falls, MN 56345, or emailed to: jim.lilienthal@dnr.state.mn.us. All comments must be received by 4:30 p.m. on October 9, 2007.
Spiny waterfleas still spreading on Canadian border waters
The invasive spiny waterflea continues to spread and become more abundant along the United States - Canada border waters. In response, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has designated several additional waters as “infested waters.”
In St. Louis County, newly designated infested waters are Crane Lake, Kabetogama Lake, Little Vermilion Lake, Sand Point Lake, and a portion of the Ash River, upstream of Kabetogama Lake. In Cook County, Caribou Lake located in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness just west of Pine Lake is now designated as an infested water. Also in Cook County, a DNR fisheries crew from Grand Marais recently found spiny waterfleas in Gunflint Lake and suspect they could be in other waters connected by the Granite River. The new designations also include most tributaries on the U.S. side of the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods - usually upstream to the first road.
This summer, spiny waterfleas are very abundant in Rainy Lake, Rainy River and Lake of the Woods that were designated earlier in the year.
“Anglers are reporting the abundance of the waterfleas to DNR fisheries staff and conservation officers after seeing them on the down riggers and other gear,” according to Mike Larson, fisheries supervisor in Baudette.
Once designated, state regulations help prevent the spread of spiny waterfleas to other waters. They prohibit the transport of water, prohibit harvest of bait for personal use, and restrict the commercial harvest of bait from those waters, similar to zebra mussel-infested waters in other parts of Minnesota. Commercial harvest of bait will still be allowed in Lake of the Woods, tributaries of Lake of the Woods, and the Rainy River by licensed minnow dealers who have received special training and are take special precautions required by their permits.
“Spiny waterfleas can spread by sticking to fishing lines, downrigger cables, anchor lines boats, fishing or other gear, and even seaplanes can become contaminated,” said Gary Montz, DNR aquatic invertebrate biologist. “It is important to clean off, dry, and drain boats and equipment before using in another lake or river.”
Spiny waterfleas collect in masses that resemble gelatin or cotton batting with tiny black spots, which are the creatures’ eyes or eggs. Individual animals are difficult to distinguish without magnification because they are only one-quarter to three-eights long.
The waterfleas can have different harmful impacts in different lakes. The waterfleas compete with small fish for food called zooplankton. While larger fish eat them, tiny fish may not be able to consume this invader. In certain types of lakes, waterfleas can change the species and numbers of zooplankton, which can harm those lake ecosystems.
Information regarding the spiny waterflea in U.S.-Canadian border waters may be obtained at any Voyageurs National Park visitor center, or the DNR Fisheries Section offices in Baudette or International Falls.
Spiny Waterflea Watch identification cards are available by calling the DNR Information Center at (651) 296-6157 or 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367), and the University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program at (218) 726-8712.
He teaches how to fish, and where to fish in Minnesota
Karl Kaufman, 73, and Josiah Peterson, 15, have come on this late June evening because the Hexagenia mayflies should be hatching
By Sam Cook, Duluth News Tribune
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – To fully understand what is happening here, you have to know something about the old man and the boy.
They have been fishing together for most of a year now. Fly fishing, of course. That is what the old man knows so well. Knows the hatches. Knows how to tie the nymphs and the streamers and the dry flies. Knows the places to find fish, like this rainbow trout lake not far from the Gunflint Trail.
Word had come to the old man that the boy would like to learn how to fly fish. So the old man had taken him on as a study. Had taught him a few things at the fly-tying bench. Had taken him casting. And now, had taken him to where the rainbows were rising on an evening in late June.
They float in their respective float tubes like a pair of rubber duckies. Shadows lengthen across the bay. Karl Kaufman, 73, sits in his tube, legs dangling into the cool lake. He’s wearing a floppy-brimmed fishing hat adorned with flies. His shirt is peach. He looks like the seasoned fly fisher he is.
Just a cast away, the boy fishes from his own float tube, throwing a mayfly dun pattern that Kaufman has recommended. Josiah Peterson wears a T-shirt and a baseball cap. He throws his fly line with more confidence than you’d expect to see in a 15-year-old.
Kaufman and Peterson have come to be here on this late June evening because the Hexagenia mayflies should be hatching.
Both Kaufman and Peterson are part of the Arrowhead Fly Fishers 17th annual Hex Camp, a loosely knit affair that has drawn perhaps 20 members of the club, based in the Duluth area. They camp at the Pine Mountain Campground on Devil Track Lake. Each evening, they disperse to several stocked trout lakes along the Gunflint Trail in hopes they will find the Hexagenia limbata mayfly – Minnesota’s largest – hatching in abundance.
Several other members of the club dot the surface of this lake where Kaufman and Peterson fish. Len Anderson, the club president, is throwing a dun, or surface mayfly imitation, off a sunny point. Mark Lund bobs not far away. Across a bay, Doug Mroz throws a tight line toward shore from his mini-catamaran. Greg Loper casts from his solo canoe.
This lake, stocked by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, holds a bountiful supply of rainbow trout. Most are of the 12-inch variety, fierce fighters that put a nice bend in a light fly rod. Anticipation builds as the sun drops behind the ridge. Hexagenia mayflies hatch late in the evening.
Early in the evening, after the club members have enjoyed their annual barbecue potluck dinner, the hatch seems modest. A few mayflies appear on the surface. They float there momentarily, drying their wings before flying up to the treetops. Most are sucked under by hungry rainbows before they make that flight.
A prolific Hex hatch is an amazing spectacle of nature, and fly fishers consider it something of a Holy Grail. Nearly all of the trout in a body of water feed actively during a good Hex hatch, said Phil Johnson, a club member who had to miss Hex Camp this year. A Hex is just too much protein to pass up.
“The body itself is at least two inches long,” Johnson says. “From a trout’s perspective, it’s like seeing a chunk of roast beef coming down the stream.”
“If the hatch is good, the fish are just ravenous,” says John Fehnel, who owns Great Lakes Fly Co. in Duluth.
For many fly fishers, the appeal of the Hex hatch is quite simple.
“It brings up the biggest fish,” said Reuben Swenson, a club member who splits his year between the Gunflint Trail lakes and trout streams in Arkansas. “And you can catch them on the surface.”
A fly fisher throws a Hex imitation on the surface and lets it sit. If the fly looks right to a fish, it will rise to the surface and inhale the offering. Many members of the club tie their own flies, and it’s doubly satisfying to hook a fish on one of your own creations.
Anderson is fishing off the point when he sees his fly disappear in a small swirl. He raises his rod sharply, and a 12-inch rainbow is zinging through the water somewhere below the surface. Anderson plays the fish quickly to his float tube, where he uses a small net to scoop it up. He puts the net in his lap as he unhooks and releases the fish.
Anderson will catch several fish through the evening, including a 17-incher, big by this lake’s standards.
“That must have made your evening,” someone says.
“It made my trip,” Anderson says.
The atmosphere is subdued. The anglers fish mostly by themselves. Birds call from the forest. The light slants until it can slant no more, and then the cool settles over the lake.
Lund, 58, knows what this kind of fishing does for him.
“I get back,” he says, “and I’m a better guy.”
Perhaps the evening’s most poignant moment occurs in the shadows, where Kaufman and his protege are fishing together.
“See that rise?” Kaufman says to Peterson.
A trout has risen not far away, dimpling the surface. Peterson is on it, whipping his fly line overhead, then dropping the fly near the widening ripples. The cast is perfect. The fly, which he tied himself, lands lightly and rides high. It has been there for only a few seconds when an implosive sound occurs. Peterson reacts, setting the hook. Kaufman cannot contain himself.
“Way to be, Josiah!” he shouts. “Keep your rod tip high.”
Josiah plays the fish like a pro, Kaufman cheering him all the way.
“I’m so proud of you, Josiah!” he shouts.
Josiah beams but remains focused. Now the fish nears his tube. Josiah readies his net. He scoops. A snub-nosed silver form a foot long flops in the net. Josiah removes the hook, takes time for a quick photo and puts the fish back in the water. For a moment, the rainbow doesn’t realize it’s free. It holds itself near the surface, inches from Josiah’s float tube. Then, comprehending its freedom, the silver form disappears.
© 2007 Outdoors Weekly Corporation