I have talked to a few fishermen that enjoy the sport of ice fishing, and I truly believe that they are “true” sportsmen. I have heard about someone that came upon 6-8 walleye that had been caught and just thrown away on a road near the access on Edgewater Bay. What kind of a person does this? Walleye, in lot of folk’s minds, is the Holy Grail of fish. What a waste! If you are too lazy to clean them, then release them.
I am not going to stand on the soapbox and preach decency, but in this case it is disgraceful. A lot of time and effort has been put in to create a clean, sustainable, fishery in Fountain Lake. The dredging of the lake has made a huge difference despite the politicians of our state not granting the money to finish the job.
I was talking to my grandson, Trevor, the other day about the fishing in Fountain Lake. He said that this winter the fishing has been great on Fountain. He, himself, has caught quite a few walleye this winter, but he has been practicing catch and release.
Trevor is very conscious of the environment, and when he wants fish for a meal, he will keep panfish and perch for the most part. He said that the exceptionally good bite this winter concerns him that some folks might actually be keeping too many fish. Not necessarily over their limit, but keeping their legal limit every
time they have good luck fishing. Over fishing a body of water can have a devastating effect on a lake. Lake Mille Lacs is a good example of that.
Here is an example of Trevor’s awareness of keeping it in check. He and I went down to Clear Lake this past spring. He told me to buy a oneday license on the Iowa DNR web site, which actually turned out to be pretty easy. We went there, fished for about 3 hours and caught 32 walleye. He said that we would keep only enough walleye for a meal for me and his grandma, which was four, and we released the rest. That was a lot of fun, catching a lot of fish and not getting greedy made for an enjoyable trip. Another upside of this was that we didn’t have to spend a lot of time cleaning fish.
I know that Trevor will be fishing there again this spring. He knows the Iowa fishing regulations as far as slot limits, etc. He also has had me out for a fish fry where the main course is yellow bass. I have fished white bass on Tetonka Lake, near Waterville, and the taste of white bass compared to yellow is a difference of night and day. Yellow bass are indeed tasty, while the white bass is a little too strong for my palette. I had never fished for yellow bass until Trevor took me to Fairmont for a day of fishing a couple of years back. That’s when I found out that they are not only fun to catch, but also very tasty. Until next time: If you venture out on the ice this winter, keep enough fish for a meal, but try not to be greedy. Over fishing a lake can have a very negative effect. Trevor is proof that taking the time to teach our youth the proper way to fish can
be very rewarding. Now, Trevor is teaching the teacher how it’s done.
Please show our support for the troops that are serving our country today. These servicemen and women are making that sacrifice, so that we may have the many freedoms that we enjoy today.