# Saugeye,Walleye Length Limit???????



## ostbucks98

Guys Ive been let down too many times at area spillways.I show up and see guys walking out with the cigar eyes.Sometimes I see them with limits.Im sure this will get mixed results but I think a length limit would be great.Im thinking statewide 15" would do the job.Wondering how many would be interested in getting this ball rolling?


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## mudcat

Well said! You have my support. I too have witnessed guys taking "dinks" from buckeye lake this year while ice fishing.


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## iwdavefish

Seen too many stringers full of 10" walleyes on Mosquito. A fish that size isn't even worth filleting. As much money and effort is spent on stocking, it would make sense to at least protect the small ones.


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## walleye60

15 inch sounds good to me too.I get tired of seeing guys take them little ones home and just say to ya,well hey they`re as big as perch.


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## EYE MISOR

ive said that for years i dont know what their waiting for


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## rainmaker1222

I totally agree with you guys. Last year my son said, after I'd released some small ones. Dad you might as well keep the little ones everyone else is. Trying to reason with a teenager, is usless as I have come to findout, he's a good kid just hard headed, got it from his Mom. I was ready to go home, I had 5 on the stringer, when I hooked another small one . I put it on the stringer and said let's go home. It was his turn to filet the fish. Those saugeye were 14 to 20 in. fish except for the last one a 10 incher. When he had them all fileted he came in the house and said what a shame it was to kill a fish that size for such little meat, when they fight so good and we can catch them again when they get bigger. My point was proved and the little ones still swim.


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## tpet96

Back in the day.......LOL........we hounded the DNR on that topic. They did send us a detailed explanation of why they would not impose a length limit on Saugeye. One of the biggest reasons was they are a "put and take" fishery......as they do not meet a certain % of naturally reproducing fish.....and they do not implement rules to protect non-naturally reoccuring / spawning fish. Jim Corey likely still has the detailed letter they sent us a couple of years ago. Perhaps if he happens to see this thread, he can post that thing again.


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## All Eyes

I agree with you guys that there are way too many fishermen taking eyes that are not even a good fish stick. I won`t keep anything under 17-18 inches, and sometimes that`s debatable. People don`t seem to care weather or not they catch fish in the years to come. The dinks you toss back today, are the wall hangers of the future.


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## Corey

Sorry, I no longer have it. Maybe some at some far date in the future but it sure was like butting your head into a wall the last time we tried.


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## JIG

I guess the amount we catch below the dams on some tails are just a drop in the bucket compaired to what people keep above. I was thinking on trying too replace some of the fish in the lakes by restocking them from the tail-water. That is the best I can do for them now. I two have noticed buckets full of eyes but if they cant inforce thier laws theres nosense in making them!   GOD I HATED TO SAY THAT! FORGIVE ME


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## atrkyhntr

> I two have noticed buckets full of eyes but if they cant inforce thier laws theres nosense in making them!


*TIP Program <---*Then become part of the solution man...
Purchase a cheap digital camera and when you see them say *WOW* and ask if you can take a picture for some friends... then take one of their license plate too  
You can even film them without them knowing it 
with digital camera models that have that feature


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## JIG

I might try that! Im carry one ever trip! They wouldnt know what to do except say cheese!


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## atrkyhntr

Oh yea... like my digi cam it even has sound which would be a killer for them to get out of in court... Few trick questions and BAM their guilty as charged and you'll feel great!!!
We busted some Amish onetime with a camcorder at AEP by filming them and then going to get the Warden at his house and showing him the film... 
Some were PISSED that we filmed them and asked us to stop... Did not know thye do not believe in being photographed... Amish stay till the sun don't shine so they were still there and I think it was 17 out of 27 were also busted for not having a fishing license... The warden let the lady who was with him and with the watercraft div do all the dirty work... Man she asked those wihtout a license if they would like to purchase one then after selling them all a license she wrote them a ticket for nto having one and then nailed everyone who had undersized and too many bass... 
My friend and I loved it!!!


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## mrfishohio

Indiana imposed a limit on walleyes a few years back. What prompted it was the DNR sponsored a father/son fish tournament at Brookville Lake. They were shocked when they saw cigar sized walleyes being harvested, which was completely legal. The next year they imposed a 14" statewide limit.
I don't think they really believe how many mini fish are actually being kept, and the reason for it is often. "Why not, a.) everyone else does it (or) b.) this is as big as they get here."


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## flathunter

I have seen tons of undersized fished removed from spillways, and not just saugeyes...Nothing will change it, ever!..And that is to bad!..Personally I think we need size and creel limits on almost "all" species of fish.

However once a certain population of fish is depleted so bad that it is almost not worth fishing for, then something may be done.


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## H2O Mellon

jack, I remember those guys carraying fosh out of Paint Creek. I think the goldfish I was using for bait was alrger than some of their fish, no kidding.


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## tpet96

> but it sure was like butting your head into a wall the last time we tried.


I hear you there Jim. Still have the bruises. LOL.


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## ostbucks98

What is the law regarding us having signs made to encourage fisherman to throw back eyes under 15" and placing them at our lakes and spillways?It wouldnt be as effective as law but it might make some think about what there doing.


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## Hetfieldinn

If you did that on state owned property, you'd most likely get a ticket. You're fighting a losing battle. Some people just keep every thing they catch. Some people fish all day, catch a bunch of fish, and leave without taking a single fish home. I don't like seeing people keep small fish, but I think it all evens out, sooner or later.


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## RWBlue

I saw a sign at Hoover yesterday suggesting that everyone return ALL Small and Large mouth bass. It was put up in co-operation with an angeling society and dnr.


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## ocdfishguy

On saturday night I was down at Deer Creek and I had the chance to talk to one of the game wardens. I told him how discusted I was about the small size and amount, stringer full, of saugeyes that were taken. He told me some good news, they have been writing citations for possessing to many fish. I would like to see a size limit on them(saugeyes), but at this point I'm happy with the fact that they are enforcing the laws we have.


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## midoh39

Yes,
Now we have to keep bigger sized saugeye.I mean ive seen people in Troy throw back small saugeye . As a matter fact people probaly think there poisoness. What size might they change it to I think it should be aroung 14 or 15.


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## ocdfishguy

The way he explaned it to me was that it is a stocked fish and they would not put a size limit on them, but he did agree with me in that he did not like to see all of the cigars that were taken.


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## mrfishohio

Muskies are a stocked fish.......they also have a tough time reproducing in OH lakes. That's one of the reasons for not saugeye size limit. They are stocked & don't reproduce in on their own. We just had a letter posted somewhere from them recently. They asked what would be a good size limit? So big(15") for an experianced angler, but would that be too high for a novice?


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## mrfishohio

Here's the link to 6-15-05 post (click). 
Here's what they (the ODNR) said.
*
From a management perspective, we typically use length limits to protect young fish so that they can grow to a size where they have a chance to reproduce. In the case of saugeyes, since they do not reproduce in our inland reservoirs, protecting potential spawners is not an issue. If protecting spawners is not the issue, then the use of a length limit would put us in the position of having to make a judgment call on what constitutes a "quality" fish. For new or inexperienced anglers, that might be 12 inches. For experienced anglers, it may be 15, 18, or 20 inches. That isn't a call that we are inclined to make, unless we have proof that harvest of small fish is negatively impacting the overall population. With saugeye stocking rates in the 7-10 million range annually, we feel that there are enough fish out there to satisfy everyone. Additionally, we expect the recent decrease in the bag limit (from 10 to 6 in 2001) may reduce the harvest of smaller fish.



We use management tools like length limit regulations when there is sound scientific evidence indicating that one is needed. Keep in mind that we serve the entire angling public in Ohio. That includes a broad range of abilities, as well as species preferences. Issues such as harvest of small fish, and the lack of certain regulations are going to come up when you have a diverse angling constituency, because everyone has different preferences based upon angling ability and experience. In this case, allowing the anglers themselves to decide what constitutes a "keeper" reflects what we believe is the best overall strategy to keep everyone happy - and that's our job.*


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## midoh39

THat sucks.
I was fishing one day in the GMR caught to saugeye one 15 the other 10. We alway keep two or more fish but because of the size on the last onewe hatt to throw them both back to fight another day.


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## mrfishohio

I hope you mean way up North on the GMR. The fish consumption advisory recommends eat no fish from the GMR below some bridge in Daytion OH. I might be wrong, but I don't think so.


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## BlueBoat98

*"From a management perspective, we typically use length limits to protect young fish so that they can grow to a size where they have a chance to reproduce. In the case of saugeyes, since they do not reproduce in our inland reservoirs, protecting potential spawners is not an issue. If protecting spawners is not the issue, then the use of a length limit would put us in the position of having to make a judgment call on what constitutes a "quality" fish.."

* If this is the ODNR position it makes absolutely no sense. They go to great pains to explain that Walleye cannot reproduce in C.J. Brown for a variety of reasons and yet there is a length limit there. That limit is generally respected by the anglers on the lake even without much visible enforcement. Most of us go out of our way to protect the little guys and put them back to grow up. Someone taking a short fish at C.J. is in for a lot of crap from the other fisherman. A lot of C.J. guys are largely C & R no matter what the size and some of us have personally imposed slot limits. Anyway, if Walleyes at C.J. are no more likely to reproduce than Saugeye anywhere what is the difference? It is obvious that length limits improve the quality of the fishery and should be enforced on a whole bunch of Ohio fish. Then the standard for a "quality" fish would be higher and they wouldn't be in the ridiculous position of trying to defend some numbskull that would kill an 8 inch Saugeye.


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## billybob7059

how can the dnr say they cann't make a judgment call on what constitutes a "quality" fish.."? We have fish ohio awards don't we? HMMM seems like they can make that call. I hate how they manage our waters. Why please everyone when its not the best for eeveryone? You can't tell me that keeping small walleye is alright and it dosen't hurt a fishery. I don't care if walleye or saugeye have a good chance of spawning. They both get bigger the older they are right? To me the meat hunters that keep anything they catch aren't real fisherman, and are not worth catering to. We need to stand together and tell the dnr we want better fishing in ohio. We need to protect the smaller fish. I also can't under stand why the dnr whats to raise the limit on walleye during there spawning run! I swear the dnr cares less about the next generation of fish, and more about pleasing everyone.

Brad.


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## mrfishohio

It would be a win-win situation for everyone. If a person kept 6 fish 20" saugeyes/walleyes they would have much more meat than 6 or 8 fish 8"-10" or even 12" long!
I would like to know who is telling them it's a good thing to harvest 10" fish.  
Why not a 14" limit ?? If nothing else, it shows the fish have a value, no limit more/less implies they are worth-less. that's why I saw a limit ought to be in place for all fish. Maybe a real high limit for some & site specific (30-40 white bass in or near Erie and 15 in the rest of the state ?) 6 or 8 catfish with only one over 34", etc, etc.
With the proper management, people would travel to Ohio to fish instead of Michigan, Canada, Kentucky, etc.


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## billybob7059

But we can't do that we won't "Please" everyone. I think the ohio dnr would rather sit back and do nothing than try to make ohio waters in to great fishing lakes. I bet if they out limits on saugeye The world record would be from ohio. I Think ohio needs a change in how we manage the lakes. why not in wouldn't hurt the fishing at all. *What ever happen to take only what you can use?*
Brad


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## crittergitter

I can understand the perspective that the ODNR is using when they provided that explanation. However, if all small fish go back, then suddenly a 14" or 15" saugeye become relatively easy to catch even for a novice. Maybe they should stock 20 million instead of 10 million? I would like to see more enforcement of the bag limit for sure. Also, a lady told me a warden just asked her to release her under-sized crappie. How's about issueing a citation to discourage that behavior in the future. I don't think warden's should be jerks about things, but they should enforce the regulations. Afterall, that is why they get paid taxpayers' money to earn a living.

CG


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