Otter Tail County Pine Lakes Improvement District
 

Gill Nets and Trap Nets Used on the Lakes
The DNR has located gill nets and trap nets on Big Pine and Little Pine Lakes this summer. There has been some concern about the fish population caught in these nets. DNR Fisheries Specialist Howard Fullhart explains the process:

When we conduct our surveys we use both gill nets and trap nets. Gill nets are the nets set out in the open water and trap nets are the ones set adjacent to the shoreline. Typically gill nets sample the walleyes, yellow perch, northern pike, white suckers and tullibee. While the trap nets sample bluegills, crappie, and bass.


Trap netted fish are alive, while gill netted fish for the most part are dead. When we pull in our gill nets and a fish is still alive we try and release it. It is unfortunate that we have to kill fish to conduct our survey though it is only a small fraction of the actual population. We do take different boney structures from the walleye and northern pike that help us accurately age them.


Once we have collected the data we recycle the fish back into the lake by slitting their air bladders and sinking them out in the deep water. I suspected those fish you found are ones that never made it to the bottom. The water temps are so warm out there right now that those fish bloat up so fast they just wont sink.


In regards to the number of walleyes on LP. We averaged 16.5 walleyes per gill net. So 16.6 times 15 nets equals 248 walleyes. That 16.5 fish per net is the highest catch ever recorded out there. 


Now on Big Pine we actually only used 10 gill nets because our walleye catch was too high and we didn’t want to kill anymore, so we didn’t set the remaining 5 nets. It looks like the catch rate on Big Pine is going to be somewhere around 35 walleyes per net, which is unbelieveable. We also noticed that because of the warm water temps that the eel pout, tullibee, and white suckers were washing up on shore.


Next year at your annual meetings we will more than likely have someone there to provide our full results and also our recommendations in regards to the slot regulation.  If you have any further questions let me know.  Thanks again.

 

The Otter Tail County Pine Lakes Improvement District (LID) is committed to the protection and enhancement of the quality of our water, its surroundings, and its fisheries for now and future generations.

 

Before you care, first you have to know

Big and Little Pine Lake and the respective property owners on the lakes near Perham, Minnesota comprise the Otter Tail County Pine Lakes Improvement District, also know as the LID. A Lake Improvement District is a legally recognized government entity that provides a means by which the property owners can meet and deal with specific needs related to water quality and the lake environment. The Otter Tail County Commissioners approved the LID on August 10, 1999.

The LID has a long history of progressively dealing with water quality issues and the environment. Big and Little Pine Lake Associations were formed in 1979, and began to address water quality issues. In 1991, Big Pine Lake Association commissioned a Lake Assessment Plan. As a result of that assessment plan, conversations began with Little Pine and surrounding area residents regarding the formation of the LID.

One of the first priorities for the LID was a Sustainable Lakes Management Plan that was designed as part of a Board of Soil and Water Grant. The Plan was adopted in 2004 and will be used to guide the activities of the LID. Many of the goals, strategies, and action items in the Plan are a continuation of work that has already begun.

The LID depends on volunteers. Numerous dedicated property owners and others concerned about lake quality have volunteered many thousands of hours to study water quality issues, correct problems, educate property owners, and write grants.

We're proud of what we have done for our lakes and the environment!

Located in the heart of lakes country.

What is a LID?

A Lake Improvement District is a local unit of government  that provides a way to address lake problems and concerns that may not or cannot be addressed by other means
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Sustainable Lakes Management Plan

The Sustainable Lakes Management Plan was created for the LID and is the guideline for current and future projects. The Plan is available via download in a PDF format.

Lakescaping Grant Application

Lakescaping grants are available to LID property owners.

Mille Lacs Has Grown Mussel Bound
The StarTribune reports that although Minnesota’s most popular fishing spot rocks gently on a calm day, beneath the surface there is bedlam.

Last year they counted an average of 14 zebra mussels per square foot. This year, the average is a little more than 1,000 per square foot.

Read more about the infestation in the August 13, 2011 article “Zebra Mussels on Mille Lacs”.pdf