Would Mille Lacs benefit from a stocking program?
I know it has great natural reproduction numbers, but stocking may help produce consistent successful year classes. If the netting during the spawn isn’t going to stop, would it be possible to strip eggs from those fish to later be stocked back into Mille Lacs?
Although I think that’s a great idea in theory, I have a hard time seeing MN DNR stripping those fish netted by Tribal members.
Either way, its quite obvious the MN DNR has severely mismanaged Mille Lacs over the past few years, and proactive measures need to be taken soon to avoid another Red Lake situation.
This idea has been around for a long time and I’ve never heard a sound biological argument against it. I would think the DNR would be at every landing stripping eggs to utilize in the stocking program. However, to my knowledge, it’s never happened. I’m sure the Great Lakes commission would support it…..
Sadly, I think the lake needs a complete crash. I’m sure the Great Lakes bands will net the lake until there isn’t another walleye left. At that point, there should not be a single walleye stocked in the lake until a netting ban is put in place. Sadly I have a feeling the DNR will start a stocking program like they did on Red Lake so the bands can once again start raping the resource.
Who knows, maybe we’ll get a perch fishery like no other in Mn out of this. 
Forget walleyes. Stock crappies. Would love to see another Red Lake happen.
The tribes plan is to crash the walleye population and then buy out the resorts as they go belly up.
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The tribes plan is to crash the walleye population and then buy out the resorts as they go belly up.
Exactly what I was thinking. They have a pretty fair foothold now. A crash would make some pretty cheap property values- 
– -jerr
The natives get mostly males in their nets so stripping eggs wont work. They would have to use a larger mesh size nets to get females for eggs.
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The natives get mostly males in their nets so stripping eggs wont work. They would have to use a larger mesh size nets to get females for eggs.
I have seen countless femals pulled from their nets on youtube videos. All those eggs went to waste…. 
The other problem with that idea is most of this fish are dead when they hit shore. The fish need to be alive to strip.
-J.
Aren’t most (not all) of the fish dead when they come out of the nets. Wouldn’t that have something to do with not stripping them?
Oh I am sure the tribe would be all for stripping the eggs to restock their lake so you guys can catch their fish! Gimme a break.
<—-please note
If there is going to be a stocking program we might as well let them net the growing ponds instead of the lake itself… Would cut down on the states cost.
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The natives get mostly males in their nets so stripping eggs wont work. They would have to use a larger mesh size nets to get females for eggs.
I have seen countless femals pulled from their nets on youtube videos. All those eggs went to waste….
I have seen the fish up close in person and those arent the fish the dnr strips!!! Ask the dnr like I did and they will tell you the same thing.
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If there is going to be a stocking program we might as well let them net the growing ponds instead of the lake itself… Would cut down on the states cost.
It’s not about the fish.
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The other problem with that idea is most of this fish are dead when they hit shore. The fish need to be alive to strip.
-J.
Exactly. Gill-netted fish are not good candidates for stripping.
That said, as the band nets are stripped/fish squeezed to get them out of the net mesh, at the landings, millions of walleyes eggs are laying on the pavement being walked on and driven over…
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Oh I am sure the tribe would be all for stripping the eggs to restock their lake so you guys can catch their fish! Gimme a break.
Just a simple sugestion Pug, no need to get your undies in a bunch over it
<— please note
I can see where it might not work with the nets, but…
Would stocking benefit Mille Lacs?
Eggs are collected from Lake Winnibigosh walleyes and used to stock Winnie and I believe other lakes. There always seems to be a consistent mix of year classes in the lake so it obviously is working well. There is netting on Winnie as well, but I believe it is on a much smaller scale.
They are smart enough at Leech and Winnie and even at Red, to not net during the spawn.
Isn’t ML a good naturally reproducing lake because it has the right environment for the eggs to hatch and grow? I fail to see how removing them from the lake before the females drop them improves much of anything. Then again what do I know?
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Isn’t ML a good naturally reproducing lake because it has the right environment for the eggs to hatch and grow? I fail to see how removing them from the lake before the females drop them improves much of anything. Then again what do I know?
I have always heard the same thing, but due to mother nature the hatch rate is better some years than others. Stocking could make saure there is a good year class every year.
Heres a quote from the DNR in a May article—-
If reproduction stays strong, “I don’t see any huge concern,” Bruesewitz said. But if the overall number of mid-size fish keeps dropping, the DNR might have to make some changes. Just stocking fish probably wouldn’t help, he said.
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