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This paragraph on slot limits was particularly relevant:
"Because Lake Sakakawea’s walleye population is currently thriving, and has a very desirable size structure, a protected slot limit would not be warranted. On Lake Oahe and the Garrison Reach, the walleye population includes abundant small fish, and growth has slowed while mortality has increased, thus meeting three of four criteria for applying a slot limit. However, a more restrictive regulation would not address underlying forage problems impacting the fishery. Applying a slot limit now would needlessly restrict harvest, and possibly exacerbate problems by increasing the population density and competition for food at a time when forage is extremely limited."
Recently, slot limits have been recommended for places like Yuba to help increase the number of large fish, but like Lake Sakakawea's walleye population, the pike population would not benefit from a slot limit because "it would not address the underlying forage problems impacting the fishery. Applying a slot limit now would needlessly restrict harvest, and possibly exacerbate problems by increasing the population density and competition for food at a time when forage is extremely limited."
The same can also be said about several of our bass waters and walleye waters...
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What??? You mean that other states don't automatically use slot limits on every water? I thought everybody but Utah does that and has phenomenal fishing in every managed lake.
Seriously, just as these papers imply, slot limits can help sometimes, other times they do not, but there is not a universal answer for every lake. For places like Pelican and Jordanelle, the "elephant in the room" is harvesting a lot more of the small fish. What is done with the big ones is of only temporary effect if the enormous number of little fish are not dealt with somehow. Using the cookie jar analogy again, taking out a big cookie won't help much if it is replaced by 400 more crumbs.
Slot or no slot, a good start in such lakes would be to increase the limit of the small bass under 10 inches to 10 or 12, to encourage harvest and to make the filleting effort sufficient to get a meal out of it.
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Thanks for the insight. The call for for slot limits where they are NOT needed is an old one that for some reason a few people will never fully understand until they open their minds.
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