02-02-2007, 12:07 PM
DES MOINES - Walleye anglers will be required to adhere to a slot limit on a portion of the Mississippi River despite an omission recently discovered in the 2007 Iowa Fishing Regulations brochure.
The brochure stated "… all walleye from 20 to 27 inches caught from Lock and Dam 12 to the Missouri state line, must be immediately released alive, and, no more than one walleye above 27 inches may be taken per day on these pools." However, state officials noted the wording should have read "from Lock and Dam 11 to the Missouri state line," which would include pool 12.
"Basically, the text inadvertently and mistakenly omitted pool 12 from the wording, a 26-mile river pool from Dubuque to Bellevue," said Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau chief Marion Conover. "However, we still intend to enforce the slot limit on that stretch of the river."
The decision to adhere to the regulation was based partly on a long-standing agreement with Mississippi River border-states Wisconsin and Illinois, who said they would enforce the rule on their sides of the river. To avoid confusion among anglers, Iowa officials agreed to do the same.
DNR officials will be providing fishing license vendors in the affected area with additional educational materials to note the omission and remind anglers of the regulation.
The daily bag and possession limits on the Mississippi River are an aggregate five and 10 walleye, sauger and/or saugeye, respectively.
For more information, contact Alan Foster at 515-281-887 [left] [/left][/url]
[signature]
The brochure stated "… all walleye from 20 to 27 inches caught from Lock and Dam 12 to the Missouri state line, must be immediately released alive, and, no more than one walleye above 27 inches may be taken per day on these pools." However, state officials noted the wording should have read "from Lock and Dam 11 to the Missouri state line," which would include pool 12.
"Basically, the text inadvertently and mistakenly omitted pool 12 from the wording, a 26-mile river pool from Dubuque to Bellevue," said Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau chief Marion Conover. "However, we still intend to enforce the slot limit on that stretch of the river."
The decision to adhere to the regulation was based partly on a long-standing agreement with Mississippi River border-states Wisconsin and Illinois, who said they would enforce the rule on their sides of the river. To avoid confusion among anglers, Iowa officials agreed to do the same.
DNR officials will be providing fishing license vendors in the affected area with additional educational materials to note the omission and remind anglers of the regulation.
The daily bag and possession limits on the Mississippi River are an aggregate five and 10 walleye, sauger and/or saugeye, respectively.
For more information, contact Alan Foster at 515-281-887 [left] [/left][/url]
[signature]