'17 Speargun Stamp would allow taking pike and cats

[stick500]

I was thinking about things and got concerned that if this new reg passed, we might lose popular musky lakes like the dark house spearers did because of the fear we might accidentally pop a musky. But then I double-checked the current regs and they just opened up all those prohibited lakes back to the ice house spearers this year- something I didn't know about. (one exception is a lake in Cass County) So in other words, dark house spearers can apparently return to Tonka this year, a place they have been prohibited from for many years (the dark house spear group makes a lot of noise every year about all the restrictions and that may have had something to do with the abrupt change).

I am in touch with MN Rep. Mike Sundin and he says the proposal will be up again before the committee in Feb. and he may need some snorkel spear fishermen to make comments during deliberations.

I think anyone on this forum who is into spearfishing should take interest in this as it may potentially be quite harmful if we are in fact prohibited from musky lakes like the dark house guys were. If that happened, that would mean no more carp hunting on Tonka, and well, what would be the point of living if that happened?? This concern is something we should make clear ahead of time that we would not like to see, even if it means giving up shooting pike and cats and any other gamefish. I'd actually rather see them simply open us up to cats and panfish instead, and leave the pike and walleyes be, or perhaps a very limited take on those two species (so the line fishermen don't complain about us having some sort of big advantage).

I'll try to keep everyone posted here on anything I hear and I would also appreciate it if any of you guys hear anything and report it here or PM me.