2010 Winni Derby cancelled(spring derby)

[riverat]

Wow, another blow for the local economy.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Winni+Derby+canceled+as+salm on+size%2C+numbers+fall&articleId=cf0a91f9-e4f3-4601-a5ab-530da93bf4b5

[Steveo]

The right thing to do

[Mink Islander]

We have a problem with depletion and damage to the salmon stock generally due to over-fishing. Wasn't the history of the Winni Derby to address OVER stocking that had occurred in the past? F&G is doing the right thing to protect this valuable resource for all of us.

[ishoot308]

The right thing to do

I agree... Sad but absolutely the best thing to do.

[fatlazyless]

So, it is ok to cancel the salmon derby that's held in May, and to hold the salmon-trout derby that's held in February? How does that make sense? Am I missing something here?

In the May 2003 salmon derby, the average weight was 6.02 lbs and in May 2009, it was 4.1 lbs.

It's almost impossible for most everyone to tell the differance between a salmon and a trout. It's not like you can say to the fish: Hey there fish-face, what r u?

[jmen24]

Less, you are missing something, it is illegal to take a salmon out of the water before (April 1st?), that means through the ice as well. You can not even pull it through the hole to remove the hook. The Rotary derby does not include salmon or bass or brown trout.

And it is much less than impossible to tell the difference, it's about knowing your bounty (keep the beer cooler on the dock when you go fishing and you will be suprised at how clear it is). It's folks with a similar mindset as you that shot cows thinking they are deer or moose, or eagles for that matter. If you do not know what you are doing, do some research and find out, we all want to enjoy our wildlife, but pay attention and do it responsibly.

[fatlazyless]

...gee whiz....no fool'n.....& I always thought I knew it all because trout comes in those flat round cans ...and salmon comes all the way from Alaska in those much taller round cans....


oh well....maybe I'm not the britest bulb on the tree?

[Mink Islander]

So, it is ok to cancel the salmon derby that's held in May, and to hold the salmon-trout derby that's held in February? How does that make sense? Am I missing something here?

In the May 2003 salmon derby, the average weight was 6.02 lbs and in May 2009, it was 4.1 lbs.

It's almost impossible for most everyone to tell the differance between a salmon and a trout. It's not like you can say to the fish: Hey there fish-face, what r u?

FLL: Experienced anglers can readily tell the difference between Lake Trout, Rainbows, and Salmon before they pull their catch through the ice. Sure, Salmon get hooked during the ice fishing derby (and should be released by cutting the line) but I doubt it has the nearly the impact the spring derby does. Also, the Rotary Derby is probably far more important to the local economy so if the goal is to reduce (but not elimate) fishing pressure on the Winnipesaukee salmon stock, dropping the spring derby makes sense.

[LIforrelaxin]

Now just because the cancel the derby doesn't mean total doom and gloom for that weekend you know. Sure while I will agree it is a let down and certainly the influx into the local economy will not be what if could have been. I am willing to be that many fisherman that have already made plans to show up for the derby will still follow through with those plans. Now what that percentage will be that is for anyone to guess at.

People need to understand this scale of the influx income to the area this derby brings is not on the scale of many of the other events in the area. It is probably akin to a big concert weekend at meadow brook. However unlike canceling a concert where the people would have no reason to show up. People that where planning to come up and fish can still do so.... there just will not be a tourney. And lets face it many of the people that come up for the tourney are up to get away for a weekend. Sure they take a shot at the prize, but really they just want a weekend of fishing and relaxing.....

[donnamatrix]

Gee, this is extremely poor reporting in both the Citizen and the Laconia Daily Sun. They do not make it clear that it is the SPRING derby that has been cancelled-not the Rotary Fishing Derby which is scheduled for January 30-31. Our phone is ringing off the hook with fisherman who are confused as to what's happening. Even the vendors like AJ's Bait & Tackle and Paugus Bay Sport are getting calls from folks... Yikes. We have requested both newspapers print a correction/retraction to set the record straight.

[EricP]

I have sent them email to clarify it is the May derby not the one in 2 weeks!

[donnamatrix]

Hi sent emails to Citizen, Union Leader, Laconia Daily Sun. The folks at the Citizen state that their article stated quite clearly which derby they referred to. I suggested to them that if that were true, there wouldn't be all this confusion right now.

[Merrymeeting]

FLL: Experienced anglers can readily tell the difference between Lake Trout, Rainbows, and Salmon before they pull their catch through the ice. Sure, Salmon get hooked during the ice fishing derby (and should be released by cutting the line)

Hi Mink,

I am not a fisherman but have many friends who are, and done correctly, have no issue with it at all. So this is a question for undertanding only. No value judgement implied.

I just don't understand how cutting the line on an inadvertantly hooked fish can be a good thing? So they they need to swim around with a hook and a length of line dangling from their mouth (or worse, lodged in their throat)? Wouldn't it be better to remove it and release them?

Thanks for any insight.

[Major problem]

The process of removing a hook often injures a fish whereas a hook left alone will rust away relatively quickly. The line is cut as close to the hook as possible with the fish being handled as little as possible and never being removed from the water.

[Jonas Pilot]

Lifting the fish out of the water, especially on a very cold day can cause the gills and eyes to freeze. Handling the fish by it’s body without wetting your hands first wipes off the fishes protective slime, a permiable layer that protects a fish from bacteria and some parasites. This is compounded if the fish is handled by some one with gloves on.

I have caught many fish that were healthy even with a hook protruding from their anal vent. I have caught a few that had multiple hooks in their mouth. Just like humans are able to adjust to foreign objects in our bodies so do fish. Many times more damage can be done by trying to remove the hook.

It doesn’t happen quickly but hooks will eventually rust out.

[Mink Islander]

I snip the line as close to the hook as possible with the fish still fully submerged.

[mg2107]

Truth be known, I don't think it's a case of over fishing so much as it is the diminishing quality of the lake and its ability to support game fish in abundance.
Maybe a combination of the two?

[farechofisherman]

I think (I'm definitely not an expert) that a big part of the problem is the explosion of green lawns on the waterfront and just off the waterfront of the lake. I've fished winni for almost fifity years and have seen the salmon fishing go up and down in a bit of a cycle probably due to the fluxuating population of the rainbow smelt (ll salmon's preferred diet). Fish and Game feels that the smelt population in the lake is ok right now, but I'm not sure I agree with them. I don't see the massive balls of baitfish(smelt) that i did just five years ago while trolling. I think the green lawns, and the chemicals used to make them green, are seeping into our lake and having devastating results on the ability of the rainbow smelt to successfully spawn. I definitely notice a drop in the population of crayfish along my shoreline and I'm convinced it is relative to the pesticides and fertilizers used on the ever increasing number of green lawns around the lake. Just my opinion based on my experiences and not science related.

[John A. Birdsall]

[QUOTE=Mink Islander;116626]FLL: Experienced anglers can readily tell the difference between Lake Trout, Rainbows, and Salmon before they pull their catch through the ice. Sure, Salmon get hooked during the ice fishing derby (and should be released by cutting the line)

I am not a fisherman, but it seems to me that you should take the hook out of the fish before it is released, I would think that would make the fish live longer. I read the article in the Union Leader and do not understand some of it about fish hook tears. And when you are fishing how does the fish know that it is not April 1st. Here all along I thought you just throw a line in the water with a hook.

[Mink Islander]

1) Physically handling a fish wipes off the slime on its body and exposes it to infection/parasites. It can be very difficult to remove a hook without manhandling the fish to get a good enough grip and leverage to get it out. Not good for the fish.

2) barbed hoods are difficult to remove without tearing flesh. Compounds #1

3) Pulling a fish out of the water in the winter will sear its gills and freeze its eyes -- killing the fish.

So, the better option is to handle the fish as little as possible and cut the line. The fish can digest a swallowed hook over time or it's body will expell the hook eventually or the hook eventually rusts away. In the meantime, the fish can probably still live relatively unaffected by the hook in its mouth. Certainly the probability it will survive the experience is far higher. That's the idea.

Catch and release fishermen (like me) care as much about maintaining the quality of the fishery as any environmentalist. We want healthy fish to catch and try to do things to minimize our impact on the fish population.

[Grant]

At the risk of pissing off lots of folks, and being perceived as totally insensitive to the local economic ecosystem, I have to say that not only is this move a good thing, but perhaps just the beginning. Why not impose a one- or two-year ban or reduction on the bass tournaments? Think of what it would do for the fishery!

And I say this as an avid fisherman -- but one who's seen the quality of the Winni fishing experience decline dramatically in my 50 years on the Lake. Most of that decline has been in the past 20 years...about the same time that all these insane bass tournaments started.

Give it a rest -- let it bounce back. It can only make it better. There's enough pressure from all sides, and eventually something has to give. Let's preserve it for a few more years. If we keep up the current pace, all there will be left are rock bass, white perch and suckers. Some fun.

[MAXUM]

In case many of you were not aware, the landlock salmon cannot naturally reproduce, they exist because they are stocked. Limits put on how many you can take should balance the number available versus the number taken keeping the population healthy. One thing I have seen an uptick in is the number of fishing charters out on the lake which I'm sure has had an impact plus there just seems to be many more folks out fishing. Having onboard electronics, down riggers and planer boards allow some of these guys to put out several lines at various depths which greatly increases the chances of getting something. I got nothing against these guys I love to catch salmon too, awesome eating, but within reasonable limits. You gotta give the fish a chance too.

I suspect that the state may tighten restrictions on salmon taking in Winni if the numbers continue to plummet. I will certainly cut back this year on how many I take. May spend more time fishing Winnisquam as the salmon population there is from what I hear in great shape.

Bass on the other hand do naturally reproduce and there is no short supply of them in the lake. While prized to catch because they are fun to play with on the end of a line, they are not exactly good eating. Matter of fact I just throw them back in.

Hey anyone got any advice for me in regards to jigging for Lakers? I've caught a few out trolling for salmon but I hear that the best way to get them is to jig for them. Any tips would be highly appreciated and for that matter any particular locations to go.

[LIforrelaxin]

At the risk of pissing off lots of folks, and being perceived as totally insensitive to the local economic ecosystem, I have to say that not only is this move a good thing, but perhaps just the beginning. Why not impose a one- or two-year ban or reduction on the bass tournaments? Think of what it would do for the fishery!

And I say this as an avid fisherman -- but one who's seen the quality of the Winni fishing experience decline dramatically in my 50 years on the Lake. Most of that decline has been in the past 20 years...about the same time that all these insane bass tournaments started.

Give it a rest -- let it bounce back. It can only make it better. There's enough pressure from all sides, and eventually something has to give. Let's preserve it for a few more years. If we keep up the current pace, all there will be left are rock bass, white perch and suckers. Some fun.

Grant don't worry you may piss some people off.... but those of us that understand know where you are coming from. We have taken and taken from the lake. And that is one of the problems, as much as we have taken we have not given back. And the lake does indeed need a rest from the constant fishing and invasion of man....

People need to look at Spirit Lake in Washington for an example of what nature is capable of given time. No it is not flurishing yet. But scientists condemend the lake as dead after Mt. Saint Helen's blew her lid. But there are already seeing signs of life return to the lake. Now that is an extreme case.

Imaging what a few years for winni could do, with out fishing tournaments, decreased boat traffic, etc. (hell the decreased boat traffic has already happend).....