50,
We are going to have one heck of an uphill battle to get any lake in the Brainerd area stocked. The head of anti muskie group SFRMM ,Kirk Schnitker has a place on the Whitefish chain and anti muskie joneser Marv Koep lives on Pelican, which would both be great options. Gull wasn't approved for stocking due to "opposition" and nothing factual. There will stiff opposition to stock any lake, you can bet on that! Sucks cause we needs some muskie lakes in the area to spread out the pressure a bit.

I know it will be an uphill battle but isn't that kind of the beauty of the long range plan? It has been agreed that x number of lakes in the regions will be stocked. Lakes are going to be stocked and they will have to accept that.

Bret,
You can bet on it being on long uphill battle for sure! "Lakes are going to be stocked and they will have to accept that". They aren't going accept any proposed stocking in this area without a serious battle and legal action in my opinion. They are very well connected at the state level and obiously have those folks ear at the moment.
I would be pleasantly suprised if the brainerd area got a new lake stocked by 2020, but I ain't holding my breath.

The Long Range Plan is going to be a great help as we move forward. But (correct me if I'm wrong), the plan calls for "up to" 8 new lakes. So a certain number of lakes to be added has not been agreed upon. And I think if we take the approach that we are going to get new lakes and people will just have to accept it, that this is not the message to send. I agree with B420 in that this is still going to be a very dfficult uphill battle. We need everyone that supports the efforts to speak up and support the DNR on this. It's my fear that too many people (as history shows) will sit back and just assume that other people will take care of things. Even though there was a ton of support for Gull Lake, not enough people speaking up in support was our down fall. If we want things to happen, we're all going to have to do our part to make it happen. We know the opposition isn't going to sit back and be quiet because of the now approved Long Range Management Plan. They will be just as vocal as they always are.

Aaron

Why would we want lakes stocked with more invasive species? They don't belong in those waters why change the complextion of these waters by adding a non-native species just for your enjoyment of catching and releasing cause it seems no one keeps these.......There have been studies that I have read that says they hurt a system and studies that says they help a system but I think they are like most things that are placed in water systems they shouldn't be and they do more damage than good!!

Ozzie,

Please share these studies that show that they hurt a system. I'd be interested to see them, as I'm sure others would. We need to be careful when we call stocking muskies as being an invasive species. As soon as we do, we better look at the majority of our stocked walleye lakes in the same exact light.

Aaron

Like Aaron I would like to see any study on the matter that shows any damage at the levels the MN DNR manages Muskies.

I know the old invasive species makes good scare tactics to anti Muskie purveyors, I find it of the highest humor, Do you like Pheasants?, how about the lakes and rivers stocked with Rainbows, Brookies, Browns? or the Thousands stocked with Walleyes, Salmon, Sauger, Largemouth Bass or Splake?, why don't we stop the Turkeys too?, should game farms be able to release chuckers and other non natives such as Afghan Black Pheasants? strictly for your pleasure or palette; while most of these species do little to enhance the systems they "invade", Right or Wrong?.

As a matter of fact I would pay $100.00 to see any study that shows Muskies cause any harm at the levels MN DNR stocks and manages at, yep 100 donuts, smackers or bones.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/publications/fisheries/special_reports.html

look at 166, but you've probably already seen that one.

Aaron:
You are correct in that having the attitude of "the lakes are going to be stocked, so tough cookies" is probably the wrong approach to have. Just seems that some of these "anti" folks would be better off with a club along side the head, then people talking to them until they are blue in the face. Guess my grandfathers philosophy of "You can get farther with a large club than with a kind word" has stuck with me a bit!!

I am not sure as to where I read them and I really don't care but think the studies were done in WI. Now I don't know what MN plans on stocking and what WI stocks in the lakes the studies were done. I agree that the DNR should not stock lakes with walleye that never had walleye in them to begin with. I am not trying to get you guys riled up I just don't like the ideas of us always changing the make-up in lakes. Lakes should be managed for the species that has and will always exsist in that particular system.