by Mike Banovetz
The optimist fisherman!
First week of fishing is in the books! I hope everyone had a great fishing experience and did some selective harvesting. Selective harvest means releasing the big ones and keeping the medium-sized fish to eat. I’m a catch and release advocate but also agree with selective harvest of the right size and number.
As a canoe trip and day guide for years, I cleaned a lot of fish, then a guide on Lake of the Woods showed me how he filleted 2,500 walleyes each season. I adapted his deboning technique and started harvesting the throats with wings and cheeks. A spoon sharpened like a knife on the end just scoops out the cheeks. If you want a clean looking and tastier filet, try bleeding the fish while still on the stringer or in the live well. Make an incision at the point where the gills come together under the jaw. Blood will drain off in about 10 minutes.
The Minnesota Department of Health has updated fish consumption guidelines.
MDH says: “Fish are an important part of a nutritious, well-balanced diet and part of many Minnesotan traditions and cultures. MDH’s fish consumption guidance is intended to provide Minnesotans with the information they need to make informed choices for the health and safety of their family. The most studied contaminants in Minnesota fish include mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). People who are pregnant, planning to be pregnant, and children need to be more careful about what kinds of fish to eat and how often to eat fish, as they are more sensitive to contaminants.” “Northeast Fish Consumption Guidelines follow the Statewide Fish Consumption Guidelines, except for five species where average mercury levels measured in fish from some waterbodies in Cook, Lake, and St. Louis counties were higher; these guidelines provide information for most waterbodies in these counties, even those not tested for contaminants.” MDH detailed fish consumption information:
https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/fish/index.html
You can go down rabbit holes like I did with MHD data as there is a lot of science, charts, tables and so on, but suffice it to say that these guidelines can fairly be applied to all northern MN lakes. Enjoy time on the water and take a kid fishing!
