Smallmouth Poaching on Dale

[mhall]

I talked with a guide a few weeks ago that I will leave nameless. He was off his home water of Dale Hollow guiding for stripes on Cumberland, we spoke at Grider Hill Dock. We talked for quite a stretch and I asked him alot about the smallmouth fishery condition at the Holler. He went on to tell me several stories of guys taking coolers full of undersized smallmouth out of Dale on a regular basis. He said it was so bad that there are a ring of regulars down there that do this so often over the last few years that it is affecting the fishing some in his opinion.

I do not want to argue as I know nothing about this but I did find his stories intriguing and very believable. I can tell ya this he gets blood in his eye when he's talking about it so I know he darn sure believes it. Have any of you other guys heard about this at all, any rumors or the such. He said he has given names to the Department and they are still doing it. One group of fellas he spoke of boasted of having over 80lbs of fillets in there freezers at home at one point this past year.

[elnutsmalljaws]

It happens more than you think. I know in December 2005 they Tenn Wildlife busted a houseboat that had 6 guys on it and they had coolers full of "Fish Fillets" and almost a hundred pounds of Smallies in the cooler yet to be cleaned. I never heard of the total they thought these 6 had taken but did hear they played the "Stupid" card and said they thought the limit was 5 over 15" long like the Largemouth per person per day and were from out of state so they did not know the lake size and creel limit. I was told by a guy a few months later that they went to court and all the judge did was take away their liscense and fine them $150 per man. Not a big enough penalty if you ask me, Fillet them and see how they feel.

[offdtop]

Try to catch a limit of "Kentuckies" aka true spotted bass on Ky Lake........ I believe this issue happens alot.

[bassfisherman99]

That is the dumbest " tale" I have ever heard in my life. Coolers full of fillets and a hundred pounds a smallmouth waiting to be cleaned. You out did yourself this time. You told some good tales on here before but this tops all the rest of them. It's insulting to even read this. How many people do you really think are going to read this and not know your lying? I can tell you not many.

[bassin_bug]

That is the dumbest " tale" I have ever heard in my life. Coolers full of fillets and a hundred pounds a smallmouth waiting to be cleaned. You out did yourself this time. You told some good tales on here before but this tops all the rest of them. It's insulting to even read this. How many people do you really think are going to read this and not know your lying? I can tell you not many.

I certainly believe it. I have personally seen two men with a long stringer of Smallmouths and there were at least 25 or more on it; most of them looked like they were undersize. They had 4 or 5 that looked like they were legal and were hanging over the top of the smaller ones. My husband and I were spending a week on Dale Hollow at the time and I was frequently around the same dock they used. On that particular day they came in and parked facing our boat and I got a good look at their string of smallmouths. The men were going and coming from a cove above Cedar Creek Boat Dock, on the side away from the dam. They would come in and put their fish into a cooler in their truck and go back out again. I don't believe all of them were caught using rods and reels. (jmo) On that particular day the winds were 25-30 mph and the water was extremely rough which makes me further doubt they were using rods and reels.

[bassin_bug]

It happens more than you think. I know in December 2005 they Tenn Wildlife busted a houseboat that had 6 guys on it and they had coolers full of "Fish Fillets" and almost a hundred pounds of Smallies in the cooler yet to be cleaned. I never heard of the total they thought these 6 had taken but did hear they played the "Stupid" card and said they thought the limit was 5 over 15" long like the Largemouth per person per day and were from out of state so they did not know the lake size and creel limit. I was told by a guy a few months later that they went to court and all the judge did was take away their liscense and fine them $150 per man. Not a big enough penalty if you ask me, Fillet them and see how they feel.

On page 15 of the Tennessee Fishing Guide it says:
"Possession Limits: The total possession limit is twice the daily creel limit. You may not have more than the daily creel limit with you while afield. IT IS UNLAWFUL TO HAVE, WHILE AFIELD, ANY FISH WHICH HAS BEEN ALTERED SO THAT ITS SPECIES AND/OR TOTAL BODY LENGTH CANNOT BE DETERMINED."

It is perfectly clear those guys broke the law and I agree with you that the penalty should have been much greater. The judge's decision was nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

[mkmsports41]

Not to steal your post, but I was on ky about 2 weeks ago. I saw a man in a kyack fishing. He was pretty well fishing the same school of fish I was and I didnt mind at the point. I was tournament fishing but he had as much right to the spot as I did. This school of fish had some large 14" fish in them. You know how they get whem they gorge themselfes with baitfish. I was really having to weed through them to get a fish that just barely measured 15". Well he catches one right beside me and holds it up, rather proud of it. I told him it was a nice one, knowing to myself it was another one of those 14"ers. He holds it to the side of the kyack and paddles over to the bank were he throws it a-shore. He then paddles back and catches another. And does the same thing. Not sure if the man knows the fish have to be 15" or not, I nicely tell him that the size limit is 15." He proceeds to tell me he knows and has a pile of them on the bank. I can not say his fish were not 15" b/c I didnt measure. But I had been catching alot of fish out of this school. (probably 25 at that point) and managed 1 keeper. And can pretty well tell a 14" from a 15". I am pretty dang sure he did not have a keeper one.

[Les Young]

I remember when the limit first went to 15 inches on Cumberland & an older gentleman was fishing the backwaters of White Oak & had a huge stringer of undersized Bass. I told him the size limit was now 15 & he told me he didn't care about the size limit because they were just right to eat. I told him just how pitiful I thought what he was doing was & he told me to go you know where. There are still a few that don't care, but most wouldn't dream of doing this.

[slippedcork]

That is the dumbest " tale" I have ever heard in my life. Coolers full of fillets and a hundred pounds a smallmouth waiting to be cleaned. You out did yourself this time. You told some good tales on here before but this tops all the rest of them. It's insulting to even read this. How many people do you really think are going to read this and not know your lying? I can tell you not many.

I dont normall respond to this stuff but if they can catch coolers of smallmouth,depending on what size cooler, well I would love to go with them and learn their tactics!

[slippedcork]

I certainly believe it. I have personally seen two men with a long stringer of Smallmouths and there were at least 25 or more on it; most of them looked like they were undersize. They had 4 or 5 that looked like they were legal and were hanging over the top of the smaller ones. My husband and I were spending a week on Dale Hollow at the time and I was frequently around the same dock they used. On that particular day they came in and parked facing our boat and I got a good look at their string of smallmouths. The men were going and coming from a cove above Cedar Creek Boat Dock, on the side away from the dam. They would come in and put their fish into a cooler in their truck and go back out again. I don't believe all of them were caught using rods and reels. (jmo) On that particular day the winds were 25-30 mph and the water was extremely rough which makes me further doubt they were using rods and reels.

If I saw a stringer that big I would have followed them! How exactly do you think they caught all those sm, a trotline?

[zx150]

It happens more than you think. I know in December 2005 they Tenn Wildlife busted a houseboat that had 6 guys on it and they had coolers full of "Fish Fillets" and almost a hundred pounds of Smallies in the cooler yet to be cleaned. I never heard of the total they thought these 6 had taken but did hear they played the "Stupid" card and said they thought the limit was 5 over 15" long like the Largemouth per person per day and were from out of state so they did not know the lake size and creel limit. I was told by a guy a few months later that they went to court and all the judge did was take away their liscense and fine them $150 per man. Not a big enough penalty if you ask me, Fillet them and see how they feel.

I believe you 100%. There are people that just don't care.

[elnutsmalljaws]

That is the dumbest " tale" I have ever heard in my life. Coolers full of fillets and a hundred pounds a smallmouth waiting to be cleaned. You out did yourself this time. You told some good tales on here before but this tops all the rest of them. It's insulting to even read this. How many people do you really think are going to read this and not know your lying? I can tell you not many.

Yeah, I decided to make this up just for kicks. ARE YOU SERIOUS??? I was on the water in Sulphur Creek fishing my favorite spot at that time when 4 TN Fish and Wildlife boats went by me. The houseboat was up in Sulphur Creek, as I found out when I went up to see what was going on. I watched what was happening for a few minutes and found out all the particulars at the One Stop that night. One of the officers happens to eat lunch at the BBQ joint that Headrick owns and I got the particulars from the Tackle manager at the One Stop. I don't need to make up garbage just to post so you need to take a step back before you call me out. I even posted about this when it happened as well as posting that the same Fish and Wildlife Officer had come and checked me the day before when I was fishing the same spot. I had caught 9 fish over 3lbs in the same little area including a 5-2 and 4 more over 4. I even posted this as well for the officer went to the One Stop and told some fellas about what I had caught. When I went to the store that night and told Headrick, he made a comment "that was you" for he already knew.

You have tried to dis-respect me again and seen to have a problem with me. When you actually post ANY USEFUL INFORMATION on this site, then maybe you will be taken a little more seriously. In looking at your past post, you have not posted 1 single useful helpful piece of information for anyone. Maybe you need to grow up and use the site for what it is intended to be used for.