Fish meeting starts hot, ends cool

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- Well over a hundred fishing enthusiasts met with Department of Natural Resource officials Thursday night in the basement of the Servicemen's Club to discuss spearing and angling for fish on Sleepy Eye Lake.

The meeting began on a heated note but ended peacefully with DNR Regional Fisheries Supervisor Huon Newburg telling the group that Sleepy Eye Lake is a great resource and it's the DNR's intention to keep it that way.

Anglers had visions of banning spearing on the lake. They claimed it had too much of an adverse impact on the lake's fish populations.

Ferd Krenz of Sleepy Eye brought a petition aimed at banning spearing.

"They're killing off our big Northerns here while they're spawning fish," said Krenz.

"As a club, we're concerned about the lake and its fish because we've spent a lot of time, money, and effort on it," said Don Domeier. "We're afraid the lake is being over fished. We'd like to see a slot limit, no spearing, limiting spearing and catch and release to keep our lake viable."

Newburg began the meeting by presenting a slide show called "Darkhouse Spearing for Northern Pike in Minnesota."

Spearing licenses are down by 75 percent the past few years compared 50 years ago and catch rates are about the same.

Anglers argued that figures were skewed because the angling season lasts ten months while the spearing season is two months long.

Newburg said that made no difference to the DNR, that only the number of fish reported taken from the lake were considered.

Early in the meeting, Krenz pointed at spearing enthusiast Gary Neidecker and said he was taking more than his limit of fish.

"We didn't take as many fish as some people say," replied Neidecker. "I was out there every day. I like my spearing and that's what I'll do. If you guys ban spearing, you'll be sorry later. Northerns will bite your hooks off. Northerns are predators."

Newburg said spearing is not having a big negative impact on Sleepy Eye Lake. He also agreed that northerns are predators and said that larger, older ones often die from old age after they reach 24 inches in length if they aren't hooked or speared first.

The Sleepy Eye Lake fish population is "very good, way above average after a reclamation," according to Hugh Valiant of the DNR Fisheries office in Waterville.

Newburg said good fishing in Sleepy Eye Lake is likely through 2004 but that most lake reclamation cycles last 10 years and fishing usually declines over the final years of the cycle.

"It's possible Sleepy Eye Lake may not need reclamation," said Newburg. "We hope it doesn't, but Mother Nature and things like watersheds and storm sewers that run directly into the lake have more power than we do," said Newburg. "People can do things like putting up 50-foot buffer strips near sewer runoff spots and not putting grass clippings in the street."

Fisherman asked why fish in lakes south of Gibbon and south of Sleepy Eye taste like weeds.

Newburg explained that it was do to algae issues in those lakes.

Don Domeier said the DNR has been robbed of financial resources since the state legislature decided to divert lottery money, initially intended for conservation, into the state's general fund several years ago due to financial woes.

"We need to tell our politicians that we voted for the lottery to to help the DNR and maybe win some money," said Domeier. "It's time the DNR started getting their money back."

Sam Domeier said the east arm of the lake is higher than the main lake because the channel is plugged. He suggested the channel between them be cleaned out, as the Sportsman Club did two years ago.

Newburg said Domeier should talk to the Minnesota Department of Transportation about the issue and agreed it would be good to get the area unplugged.