On March 1st the MNDNR imposed a five sunfish-bluegilll daily limit on Big Floyd Lake. This reduced limit was assigned to 150 lakes. The science behind this five fish limit is as we understand it is two fold. The DNR wants more fish to reach the six-inch or larger size. At six inches predation ceases to be a factor in fish survival. In order to do that more fish need to survive, hence the smaller day limit. Also, large male sunfish are tremendously vulnerable to be caught when they are defending the spawning nests., Reducing the limit will save more of these large males. In highly productive lakes, bluegill and sunfish grow quickly and can withstand the pressure of higher limits, but in less productive clear-water lakes, such as Big Floyd, fish take longer to reach the six inch size and these lakes are candidates for reducing the take of big bluegills. The ultimate goal is to create a population of larger sunfish.
Dennis Kral and Larry Anderson