Bulls eye!
kc
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You are exactly right with slots. Most who will eat a 14" bass will eat a 21" bass. The difference is that all of those slot fish won't get hauled to the weigh ins (or get knifed) which will have a impact -- look at Dale.
kc
Bulls eye!
kc
Very sensible post. I have even heard of the KDFW encouraging the harvest of certain sizes of fish to enhance the population. One that comes to mind is the no size limit on Kys (spots) in the state. They are overpopulated and underharvested according to one KDFW officer I spoke with.The KDFWR take into account a lot of factors when determining size and creel limits. Catch and Release is taken into account, as well as those who fillet and eat their fish, and tournament releases. Watching people fillet bass may not be seen as a good thing by catch and release advocates, but it is just something you have to accept - it's just part of the equation! The KDFWR does what it can to maximize the enjoyment of EVERY fisherman without compromising the integrity of the fishery. I put my trust in the fact that the KDFWR knows what they are doing because in my 20+ years of bass fishing they have never given me a reason to think otherwise.
I think fishing tournaments s.u.c.k, but I am not trying to ban them. I have only kept a few fish in my life, if that is what you choose to do then that is ok. The real problem seems to be people breaking the laws.I cant stand to see someone keep a bass for food. No matter what the size. Guess the people that grew up doing it dont really care. you pretty much s.u.c.k at fishing if you eat a bass. just think it shows you very seldom catch one and when you do you decide it would be a great idea to eat one...
So..has anyone here besides me contacted Mr. Godby? The squeeky wheel gets the grease.
Yes Chub I'm sending my thoughts and have in the past but it falls on deaf ears. They have flat out told me they do not want to open that pandora's box with the tournament anglers. The big time tourney boys fought tooth and nail to stop the slot from hitting the Hollow and somehow it made it through. As I understand it was such a verbal battle at meetings that the department does not look forward to the same thing again anytime soon. Here's the deal, tournament people according to Fish and Game don't like it because it hurts their weigh in totals and makes it harder to get keepers in the well. Also according to F&G the amount of tourneys at Dale has drastically fell off there in the last several years due to the slot, Ahhh the ole mighty dollar rears it's ugly head. I appreciate your passion about this topic Chub, but in short it ain't gonna happen I'm afraid. Has the 18 inch size on smallmouth at the big C helped the population, sure it has, could it be alot better, sure it could. The slot on Cumberland would be awesome.
Here is a suggestion. Let the KDFWR do their job. They could use more money though.
These guys are the professional. They do the studies. If you get the chance to be surveyed by them while out fishing answer the survey questions as honestly as you can. That helps them do a better job
Remember that they may not be perfect but they are better than anything else that I know about.
Buy a fishing license and go fishing. Catch and keep what you want to eat. Return the rest. And remember that catching and releasing a fish out of deep water may kill more fish than you realize. Especially in the winter months when the fish are very deep. Just because you see the fish swim off does not mean that it's not stressed and may later die. This is especially true in the hot summer months when there is not as much Dissolved Oxygen in the waters.
The following is a reply I recieved from John Williams, District Biologists for KDFWR...It looks like what ever little glimmer of hope we may have to see any changes won't come until after 2008 sometime, read on>>>>>>
Tim,
We have no immediate plans to change the size limits on smallmouth bass at Lake Cumberland. A 2004 survey of bass anglers from Lake Cumberland showed that 73% supported the 18-inch size limit. A more recent survey (2006) at nearby Laurel River Lake showed that 99% of bass anglers supported the 18-inch size limit.
The 2006 survey at Laurel River Lake revealed that there was overwhelming support (89%) for a reduced creel limit on smallmouth bass and 80% favored reducing the creel limit to 2 fish or less. A 2 fish creel limit for smallies at Laurel will be discussed at the next Commission meeting.
We plan to do an creel survey at Lake Cumberland next year. We will determine angler support for any regulation changes during the survey.
John
John D. Williams, District Biologist
Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources
Southeastern Fishery District
2073 North Highway 25 W
Williamsburg, KY 40769
606-549-1332