twinsfan -> RE: Players and prospects III (9/17/2015 11:47:25 AM)
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The “hammer-handle” northern pike Minnesota is trying to combat with its proposal to implement zone-specific regulations aren’t much of a problem in North Dakota these days because of the abundance of “new” lakes with rich forage bases, the state’s top fisheries official says. Greg Power, fisheries chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Bismarck, said the wet cycle in the past 20 years has created dozens of new lakes -- especially north and east of the Missouri River -- that once were little more than wetlands. “These are highly productive wetlands, and there are so many groceries out in these sloughs -- salamanders, frogs, minnows, fatheads and perch -- so these fish grow fast,” Power said. In biological terms, these are “eutrophic” lakes rich in nutrients, Power said. By comparison, he said, many of the north-central Minnesota lakes experiencing hammer-handle pike problems are “mesotrophic” lakes that are clearer and not as well-nourished. Power said North Dakota lakes most apt to have hammer-handle pike are smaller reservoirs, especially west of the Missouri River. “They don’t experience what these natural lakes are doing, and sometimes the groceries aren’t as abundant,” Power said. “If we have (hammer-handles), that’s where it’s going to be.” Power said pike in the new natural lakes generally top out at about 10 pounds, and the department receives few complaints about hammer-handle fish because so many anglers target walleyes or perch, even though the northern pike is North Dakota’s state fish. To promote pike fishing, North Dakota implemented a five-fish limit a few years ago and released how-to videos and brochures on removing those pesky Y-bones anglers hate. It’s worked in localized areas, especially in places such as Emmons, McIntosh and Logan counties, Power said, but overall, pike remain an overlooked species. Surveys have shown 82 percent of North Dakota anglers choose walleyes as their favorite species. “In North Dakota, it’s ‘walleye, walleye, walleye,’ so people don’t fret too much about pike populations,” Power said. “It’s unfortunate, because we have some phenomenal fisheries out there that are almost untouched.” Power said the department has discussed implementing a “one-over” regulation for northern pike on lakes known to produce trophy fish. That would limit anglers to only one pike over a certain size, say, 15 pounds, Power said. “That only applies to maybe Devils Lake or the Missouri River System, where if you know what you’re doing, you could catch your five pike and have 80 pounds of pike easily,” Power said. “And some people have asked, ‘Do you really need that much?’ ” Hammer-handles, though, aren’t much of an issue. “It used to be, those (darn) hammer-handles broke me off, talking about those 16-inch skinny pike,” Power said. “Now, they say that (darn) pike, but now that pike is 5 to 10 pounds. Same complaint, but the fish are bigger.”
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