outdoors

  As  mid summer heads toward late summer, here are some observations from my perch, that over looks the big lake from high above the north shore.

  It's been a good walleye catching season for most Lake Mille Lacs anglers. But, as usual, the easy, no brainer catching is coming to an end for many. It's the time of year when May, June and early July catching locations and consistent catching methods change. It's the time of the year, surely, when there is plenty of proof, as I refered to here in the past,  that walleyes don't read the how to books. Thus, most of the anglers who were smart, with livewells swimming full, are now saying "how, where, how deep, on what and I give up".  I coined a phrase, touted on the tournament trails years ago, that goes "they ain't got wings and they ain't got shovels!" In other words, if they are not on the graph, they MUST be somewhere. It's the time of the year when one has to look around and envision the options the walleyes have.  Again, knowing they don't have a way out of the lake.  And knowing they can't read what the books say they do and go when the heat of the summer sets in. The key word, especially nowadays, that decribes a well rounded walleye hunter, is the word "envision". When you can do that well, the rest comes easy.

  How's catching now? The past week to ten days? Pretty good. And in more ways than one, not like it was in May, June and earlier this month.

  A few days ago, I attended a roundtable discussion on treaty harvests at Lake Mille Lacs and potentially other areas around  the state,  historically organized by Senator Mike Jungbauer( sen.mike.jungbauer@senate.mn. )Historical because typically, politicians hide from the issue. Mike knows those days are over and it's time to bring the subject public. Will his peers follow? Or hide?

  What was my take after the meeting?  1. The head of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission( the taxpayer funded entity that does the netting at Lake Mille Lacs), James Zorn, has an attitude that is very insulting and disrespectful toward the people that pay his salary. Mr. Zorn is virtual proof that all of this treaty harvest stuff is an in your face venture that centers around money and power. When asked why they choose to net spawning walleyes, his answer was it's our time to "grocery shop" and the walleyes are on sale at that time of year. THAT was his attitude toward Lake Mille Lacs walleyes. When asked why they simply don't take $150,000 from the GLIFWC multi- million dollar annual budget and buy the fillets from a commercial supplier, he basically said, that would be against showing they have the "rights", thus, insulting the Indian community. The continuous smirk on his face said it all. 2. Our DNR biologists, in charge of managing the Lake Mille Lacs fishery, are trained to go with the flow and paint a picture that portrays the gill-netting is fine and not an issue that concerns them.  Do they speak with forked tongue? Closed seasons for most, during the spawn, even closing areas after the main opener if the ice goes out late, during the spawn? Yet gill-netting (grocery shopping) for the bands is just fine and of no concern? If THAT ain't a forked tongue approach, what is?

 It's a noble, historical effort that the Senator from the northern suburbs has taken on. His words in the end, that should be embraced by all, go " What I hope to accomplish in the future is bring this discussion out into the open so everyone can understand the facts, the background and interaction between the different parties involved with the management of our fish and game resources." The key  words are "into the open " and "facts".   The future, surely, will have to have media present, to not only allow the same words to flow more publicly, but also the smirks and attitude some convey in the process. "In the open" WILL happen! "Facts" will come out!  And angling and hunting voters will learn where to put their mark on the ballots, no doubt. Contact Steve at 651-270-3383 or sf1954@embarqmail.com