REPORT ON THE FISHING SURVEY

by Larry Urbanski, Co-Chair
Fisheries Committee

AT THE TEN MILE LAKE ASSOCIATION INC. Annual Meeting held August 4, 2001, the Committee on Fisheries distributed a survey sheet to obtain information from the TMLA membership. We received 26 responses. (We were hoping for more input!) Thanks to all who took the time to fill in the survey and for the comments you provided.

Perhaps because it was a fishing survey, your answers concerning your three favorite activities listed Fishing as number one. Scenic Viewing was second, with boating and swimming coming in third. In all, seventeen activities were mentioned.

FISHING ON TEN MILE LAKE was listed as fair to good. Most of the respondents said they fished two to four times a week, but answers varied based on the amount of time spent at the lake. Two to three hours were usually spent on one fishing outing. Walleyes were listed as the species fished for most frequently, followed by bass and sunfish.

HOW MANY FISH did you catch this season? Our respondents listed the following:

Respondents listed Lake Trout and Small mouth bass as new species to be introduced or stocked in the lake. They also suggested we should do something to increase the crappie population. Areas suggested to closed during spawning season were Flower Pot, Kenfield, Lundstrom, and Long Bays, especially near the Boy River outlet from Long Bay. It was also suggested that this should be left up to DNR to decide.

Most of the respondents believed the current Northern restriction was good, and that they believed the size of Northerns was increasing because of the restriction. The species reported as most troubled on Ten Mile were walleyes and crappies. Almost all respondents believed that the DNR stocking program was very important and should be pursued.

The number of walleyes caught per angler per outing among our respondents was on average one walleye. Only two respondents reported they had caught their limit of six walleyes in recent years. A slot limit for walleyes was favored by a few respondents. As to what size this slot limit should cover, it seems that most felt we should keep walleyes 15" to 21" but release walleyes under 15" or over 21". One interesting comment recommended that each fisherman establish a self-imposed slot limit and practice "Catch and Release."

BECAUSE SO MANY RESPONDENTS were in favor of having the Fisheries Committee draw up a standardized fishing log, the Committee plans to develop a log and make it available for the next fishing season. The information collected could prove useful to both the Committee and DNR.

MANY OTHER CONCERNS were listed for the Committee to address, including: