Fishing Ethics
GWGS follows all Minnesota and Ontario fishing regulations, and appropriate licenses and stamps are required. We also encourage the following ethical fishing practices for all our guests.
We love eating fish! However, it doesn’t mean we need to keep every big fish we catch. A quick measurement, a couple pictures, and a healthy release preserves the memory and allows the fish to fight another day. Trophy replicas can be made from pictures and measurements.
When harvesting fish for the dinner table, consider which are the most important to leave in the lake. The biggest fish are typically females, which are key to the health of the next generation, so think about letting them go. Besides, smaller fish are healthier to eat as they tend to have lower levels of mercury and PCB contamination.
Many gamefish in our area are susceptible to what is called barometric trauma, caused by rapid pressure changes when the fish is brought up from depth. Sometimes the effects are immediately apparent (such as bulging eyes or an extended air bladder), other times the damage is only observed minutes later (such as hemorrhaging around the mouth). Regardless, the result is often fatal, even if the fish seems to swim away unharmed. Research indicates the risk of barometric trauma goes up dramatically when fish are removed from depths greater than 32 feet (10 meters).
However, some fish species can rapidly travel the water column with few negative effects – such as lake trout, cisco, whitefish, etc. This is partly due to their ability to directly ‘exhale’ their air bladders. Anyone who has landed a lake trout through the ice knows the fish is getting close when the bubbles come up the hole!
Deep-water, cold-loving fish (such as lake trout) will not survive long periods in warm water. Pulling a fish from 40-degree water into 80-degree surface temps can lead to stress and possible mortality. This is not an issue when ice-fishing, since the fish can utilize the entire vertical environment.
“It takes only one lead sinker or jig to poison a loon.” – MN DNR
“The current national estimate is 25% of adult common loon deaths are due to lead poisoning after ingesting lead fishing tackle. Once sickened with lead poisoning, loons suffer a slow and painful death. Lead also poisons raptors, swans, and some mammals.” – MN Pollution Control Agency
GWGS uses only non-lead sinkers. Some of our heavy ‘bottom bouncing’ sinkers still contain lead, but these are too big to be ingested by birds. Every attempt is made to use lead-free jigs, but given the limited options, it isn’t always possible. Hopefully the tackle industry will make additional lead-free alternatives more readily available. They are more expensive, but worth it.