Woods & Water by Dick Herfindahl

 

As I write this column I am anticipating the impending first measurable snowfall for our area. This is not something that I relish or get as excited about as a kid waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. I do, on the other hand, know that snow is inevitable if you live in Minnesota. I accept the inevitable and I am one of those nostalgic old folk who like a covering of white on the ground at Christmas.

The birds are fluttering around my feeders as if they are trying to message me that it is time to fill them. I guess I have been neglecting those little feathered friends, so I will have to do something about that.

I have heard mixed reports from some area deer hunters about the success of their hunts. Most folks seem to have done quite well, but there are a few that have not fared as well. I’d guess that is just the nature of the beast so to speak. I am not a deer hunter, but I do like to hunt fish and although it is apples and oranges in comparison, there are some similarities. You can spend hours in a tree stand and maybe see a few deer but never get a clear shot, almost as if the deer are teasing you. The same can be said for fishing. You may mark fish on the locator, but not be able to coax them to take the bait.

To me, this is the time of year when a person can use the nice days to enjoy one last cast or take a drive or go for a walk in the country just to enjoy all that the outdoors has to offer. We still have time to hunt and as long as the water remains open fishing is a viable option. Whatever outdoors activity you enjoy you can still make the most of it. It looks like the weather in Nome, Alaska is predicted to be a little milder than what we have in store for us; what’s up with that?

I can recall a few years ago when a friend of our family and his brother, who are around both of my son’s ages, went musky fishing on French Lake in mid-November. If memory serves me right, they caught and released 17 muskies in one day. This has to be some kind of a once-in-a-lifetime experience for any musky fisherman.

According to the DNR, the hatchery in Waterville supplies the most muskies of any hatchery in the state. The Waterville Hatchery was established in 1954, major updates of the facility occurred in 1989, 1998, and 2012.

 

Why was it established?

Northern pike eggtake and incubation started in 1990 instrumental in northern pike fry reintroduction in some area lakes after winterkill and reclamation.

Muskie program provides Muskie transplants for distribution to statewide rearing ponds for fingerling production, also to provide swimup fry for private hatchery sales.

Walleye program produces fry for Waterville areas management lake fry stocking and also fry for Waterville and Windom area fisheries walleye rearing ponds. They also produce fry for private hatchery sales when needed. Walleye frylings are produced to fill statewide requests, as are the walleye fingerlings.

Stocking a lot of small fish does not guarantee catching a lot of big fish. Fish managers estimate only 4 percent of the annual statewide walleye catch comes from stocked fish. The rest is the result of natural reproduction.

Loss of habitat, pollution and increasing fishing pressure continue to be the biggest issues in walleye management. Everyone must work to improve water quality, control runoff and waterfront development and maintain aquatic vegetation. Anglers, in addition, will need to comply with regulations and harvest only what they intend to use for Minnesota to maintain a quality fishery.

Maintaining a good fishery regardless the species of fish needs to start with a healthy ecosystem. There are many unseen elements that contribute to having a good fishing lake. A key factor is for fishermen to respect the opportunity that they have to enjoy this great sport.

Until next time, A few folks are still catching fish on Fountain Lake which is of no surprise to me. Fishing in November can actually be pretty good right up until ice-over.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers, because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the wonderful freedoms we enjoy today.