Two years ago during the fall walleye bite, we all had to contend with 20-30 commercial nets near the dam in New Boston. Horrible year for me fishing that pool. Some dinks, but tough to catch keepers. I never caught a slot fish that fall in New Boston, whereas the year before I'd caught and released more 20"-27" fish than I'd ever seen in that pool, and had the best overall season hands down. In fall of '06(the year of the nets) the commercial guys were all flabbergasted that we weren't picking up any big ones, as they were dumping lots of BIG fish out of their nets. In '07, with time constraints and gas prices, I didn't really fish down there and stuck to more northern pools(and had great success, I might add. Kudos to the slot limits!). Couldn't bring myself to kill a day off and half a tank of gas on a "maybe". I guess my question is, has anyone fished there much since, and how is the fishery? Also, any weigh-ins on the mortality rates of game fish getting caught up in these nets? I can't help but think it has to be high. These commercial guys are targeting catfish and carp/buffalo, but the by-catch is incredible. By law, they have to release everything else "immediately" back into the water. I've personally witnessed "immediate" releases 4 miles downstream from where he picked up his nets, after he drove all the way downriver to a convenient sandbar to unload. "Immediate" became almost two hours, plus the time spent caught in the net before it was pulled... Just watching it rain, and the river rise....have always wanted to hear from others on this. Maybe I'm missing something?
-------------------- "Please God, if anything awful happens, let it be on the way home....after I've caught some fish"
Reverend, those guys were also down at 18, and the DOC was watching them pretty darn closely. I THINK they(DOC) were making sure they weren't keeping short sturgeon. It seems doubtful that the netters kept any walleyes, as they were being checked. Most netters I've talked to are pretty conscientious about taking care of the sportfish, as most live among the local walleye fishermen. Those guys weren't local, however, which would explain their being watched. As far as the fish stacking up behind the dams every fall, I've seen up and down years at both 17 & 18. It's my understanding that the eyes can cover long distances, so they could be anywhere in the pool, or even in a different pool. I haven't figured out what brings them up to the dams as opposed to other areas, except for the obvious oxygenation caused by the dams. I'm guessing the fish just don't come up to the dams some years-at least I HOPE that's all it is! The slot has done wonders over the last few years-I remember when the limit was 10-guys were keeping everything, and each year the fish got smaller...there were a couple of older guys in particular, who we named "Grip" and "Rip" who used Zonars to snag a bunch of saugers. They'd keep 12-13 inchers. We used to see 50-100 boats at 17, but there haven't been anywhere near the numbers of fish to cause that for some years. Hope I didn't ramble, but I don't hear much from down hear!
The biggest reason the netters are near the dams in the fall and winter is because they are after sturgeon. I/E the sturgeon eggs is what they really want, but there is a small market for smoked sturgeon. You'd probably be suprised at how many spoonbill are caught and milked of their eggs and sent back to the water also. Ahh, what the hey, we've been all though this in the past and nothing will ever come of it so why bother?
WOW! Nice to see some locals! "Grip and Rip"!! I know exactly who you're talking about. New Boston pool has been my "home" pool for a good 18 years now, cut my walleye teeth on it. I struggled with the nets that year....on the one hand, I grew up around here and commercial fishing has ALWAYS been there and I hate to begrudge the guys still trying to do it. I just can't believe anybody is making any money anymore(How many #'s of catfish and sturgeon vs. $4.00 fuel+nets $ upkeep on everything?), so it would come down to keeping an old traditional thing for the fun of it, and I'm all for that(still wish I had time to trap fur). On the other, the sheer voume & numbers of nets in such a small area really griped my guts. It may have been legal, but it was still wrong.I too called the DNR that year...I'd checked, and was pretty sure they were legal, but couldn't help calling and having them check. I tried really hard not to get a case of sour grapes. The fish that year really did migrate upstream kind of funny, showing up in different places than normal, and not showing up in some normal places. Probably a variety of factors, but it got real easy to blame the nets and I suppose that was wrong too. Did make a tough year tho...
-------------------- "Please God, if anything awful happens, let it be on the way home....after I've caught some fish"
Honestly haven't had time to go. A buddy was out a couple weeks ago, and said anywhere on the Iowa side below the mouth of the Iowa river smelled like an open sewer. I heard Cedar Rapids was still dumping and wasn't supposed to be back online 100% till october. Just what I heard tho.
There is a rumor in the IDO locker room that he is in a Mexican jail for trying to smuggle stink bait across the border. And these pictures he is sending up are all Photoshopped putting his face on other people.
I've got reams of correspondence with the IDNR regarding commercial netting down here on 18. There can be little doubt that it has messed up the spawn - when you watch netters tossing 8lb fish back into the river from their nets that haven't been checked in several hours (days perhaps) it has to have a negative impact. Fishing on 18 has dramatically gotten worse for walleyes and saugers the last two years. The state's efforts to improve fishing through their slot limits was working great. Now, all their efforts have been wasted due to commercial guys from as far away as Arkansas choking the river with nets.
Two years ago the Ill and IA DNR's opened up regulations for market hunting the river. The only enforcement that took place on the Iowa side was done from the boat ramp 2 miles downstream of the nets with binoculars.
All I ever got from the IDNR was condescension - they have the degrees whereas all Sportfishers have is anecdotal evidence.
Two years ago when the IDNR had a public meeting in Muscatine to discuss the issue. I rescheduled my vacation to attend, then, I got a letter from them saying the meeting had been rescheduled and I could not attend. Later I found out that the only non DNR folks in attendance were all commercial guys and they got everything they asked for.
It's a pretty sad situation. Perhaps we should go back to the days of market hunting for everything - deer, quail, pheasant, ducks... Can not understand how the DNR's in Iowa and Illinois can justify their actions. Seems to me they have far to much power for non elected public officials.
New Boston walleye vs. commercial nets???
