outdoors

Where's Steve's blog? We can't find it. We hear he's mad as heck, pulling off the gloves! Man, you'd think this is a big national issue! Both parties have agreed to slash their harvests in half. That's all you get and no court dates for you!

None of this matters when the Chippewa go in there with gill nets. Stop stocking this lake and all others with treaties and put them is lakes not subject to these Indian lawsuits. Casinos are doing land office business - let them pay to restock reservation lakes.

the indians are ruining the lake, period.

Cormorants eat one pound of fish per day each and they love walleyes. How many cormorants are on the lake now? At one time we had 5,000 of them on Leech Lake and they had everything 14" and under obliterated in the the lake before the DNR woke up and started culling them. Cormorants are actually an invasive species and were non-native in North America until the early European's brought them in from Asia. It might be past time to count the cormorants and put the blame where it may belong ?? The 5,000 cormorants on Leech were taking 5,000 ibs. per day and over 100+ days per open water season added up to 500,000 lbs. of fish per season and like I said, they love walleyes !!!

The U.S. Supreme Court in 1999 ruled in favor of the tribes in the 1837 Treaty lawsuit. When the supreme court renders a decision, there is no appeal, no do-over, even if the losers find a new argument or leader later on. The high court ruled the tribes have the right to harvest free from State regulation, never prohibiting netting or setting seasons. The disgruntled treaty haters' case came and went in 1999. Wonder where they were back then. Talk about missing the boat!

Oh, and by the way, if the Zebra Mussels are causing the water to be clearer, which they normally do, then you have a fish bowl affect for the cormorants as the clearer water just makes for a buffet for them.....think about it ! Like I said....count the cormorants and do the math !!

i would guess outlawing netting would make a huge difference.

This all comes down to the size of Gill Nets used by the Indians which take out the productive female Walleyes and leave the older non productive fish. There is also a HUGE amount of abuse especially by Wisconsin band members who could care less about the long term health of the lake. Long term Mille Lac's or any other lake will not survive this. The Indians will destroy MIlle Lac's just like they destroyed Red Lake, and then go crying to the State to pay to re-stock it. If there is any positive out of this it's fewer fisherman visiting the Grand Casino Mille Lac's.

Mr Roach is right on, too many people don't know how to handle the fish. Trying to retrieve your 10 cent hook or $5 jig with your surgical fish hook remover. You guys know who you are, cut your lines and get the fish back into the water!

Ironweed, I would suggest a googling of "overturned supreme court rulings" I think you'll find it is quite possible to overturn poor decisions of the court. Most notably in the realm of race discrimination, Dred Scott, and Plessy v. Ferguson.