An interesting take on managing fisheries

[QUOTE=Tim_T;455083]Predator numbers are way up and I would hardly say there is an overabundance of small game with the exception of squirrels.

Also I am not sure if more deer in Kentucky are killed by vehicles but the may be when you consider that there is only a certain time of the year when you can hunt and car season is open year round. Do you by chance work in the insurance business?[/QUOTE]

The wife is in insurance in the Louisville area, and constantly getting deer strike claims. But since deer season is only a few months long and only 110k deer where taken, well tele-checked, it is safe to assume more deer are killed with vehicles than with weapons. I'm sure there is a report that can be pulled or made that would prove or disprove my assumption, but I don't know where to find it. I have read that same statement in many magazines, so who knows where they got their info.

But where are you getting the number of predators? The only natural predators that I can think of that are still in Kentucky are bobcats. Mountain lions are few and far between, bears are more herbivore than carnivore, coyotes are not native to KY, they spread here from the west when we wiped out all the wolves. Granted coyotes are abundant, and do make a dent, but considering the amount of small game that is out there, coyotes do little. Squirrels are everywhere, Rabbits, Deer, the Elk are going to soon be rampant. The only real predators, are feral dogs and cats. I know there are Hawks, eagles, snakes and other small predators, but there is no predator that really fills that small/medium to medium sized game animals.

[QUOTE=ErikSmith;455105]The wife is in insurance in the Louisville area, and constantly getting deer strike claims. But since deer season is only a few months long and only 110k deer where taken, well tele-checked, it is safe to assume more deer are killed with vehicles than with weapons. I'm sure there is a report that can be pulled or made that would prove or disprove my assumption, but I don't know where to find it. I have read that same statement in many magazines, so who knows where they got their info. [/QUOTE]

They probably got it from their lobbyists.

There were 3,118 deer collisions reported to KSP in 2010.

[URL="http://kentuckystatepolice.org/deerauto.htm"]KSP / Deer Collisions[/URL]

[QUOTE=AndyG;455100]You dont see many fish over the slot because people keep overs.[/QUOTE]

That's bogus....

You talk of rednecks, and people keeping dinks, and so on and so forth...I think you're in a dream world. There aren't as many keeping fish like you think, because those that normally keep bass aren't the hardcore bass anglers....they are the type that take along minnows and crickets and if they happen into a bass, they'll keep him, as long as he's of legal size. I'm all for that, and could care less whether it's a 1.5 lb or an 8 lb bass. They bought and paid for their fishing license, and have every right to keep a legal fish. You may not agree with it, but doesn't give you the right to talk bad about them. Their dollars are helping to support KDFWR too.

You don't see many fish over the slot because when they reach a much larger size, they are harder to catch, wiser, and have different hangouts than the smaller fish. There's a reason that the trollers on Dale Hollow catch greater numbers of monster smallmouth than the regular chunk and wind guys.

Also, keeping a 5 lb+ bass is not a sin. A 5 lb+ bass consumes a whole lot of food and doesn't contribute as much to the spawn as your 3 to 4 lb bass. The 3 to 4 pounders are in their prime when in comes to the spawn, which is why you see those size fish being protected by the slot limit. Protecting you spawning champs results in a large population of fish, but at some point can no longer sustain itself if it's overwhelming the food source.

Bass should be kept and eaten every now and again. For instance while I was fishing for gills with the wife yesterday at Wilgreen I noticed a SOLID 3 to 4 pound male protecting fry. He was VERY agressive and I told my wife I was going to try and catch him for a picture and release him back with the fry. I had him on for a sec but he came off. After that I just let him be. Now if I had caught a three pounder while fishing for the gills by accident I probably would have cleaned it since I was cleaning fish anyways. Bass meat in my opinion is very good and easier to clean than a catfish or bluegill or small crappie. I just dont fish or eat fish as much as I used to.

Shawn

[QUOTE=ErikSmith;455105]The wife is in insurance in the Louisville area, and constantly getting deer strike claims. But since deer season is only a few months long and only 110k deer where taken, well tele-checked, it is safe to assume more deer are killed with vehicles than with weapons. I'm sure there is a report that can be pulled or made that would prove or disprove my assumption, but I don't know where to find it. I have read that same statement in many magazines, so who knows where they got their info.

But where are you getting the number of predators? The only natural predators that I can think of that are still in Kentucky are bobcats. Mountain lions are few and far between, bears are more herbivore than carnivore, coyotes are not native to KY, they spread here from the west when we wiped out all the wolves. Granted coyotes are abundant, and do make a dent, but considering the amount of small game that is out there, coyotes do little. Squirrels are everywhere, Rabbits, Deer, the Elk are going to soon be rampant. The only real predators, are feral dogs and cats. I know there are Hawks, eagles, snakes and other small predators, but there is no predator that really fills that small/medium to medium sized game animals.[/QUOTE]

Coyote numbers are staggering, to deny this is absurd. There are no wild mountain lions in Kentucky. As for rabbits everywhere, WHERE? Rabbit numbers, along with quail numbers have been on the decline for decades thanks in large part to today's farming practices and our propensity for development.

Deer numbers fluctuate due to a variety of factors and I doubt elk will ever get to the point where they could be defined as "rampant!"

Speaking of over development, just once I would like to drive down a road, look out the window and say to my grandson "you see all those woods over there? Once all of that used to be condos and strip malls."

[QUOTE=AndyG;455100]You dont see many fish over the slot because people keep overs.[/QUOTE]


I am not buying this Andy. I have yet to see anyone keep an over out of Dale. Eight of us spent five days in April down there and plenty of overs were caught nobody kept one and I didn't see anybody catch one. We kept a couple of unders and some spotted bass for dinner a few times but that was it. I don't get to Dale Hollow a lot, probably three or four times a year for a total of about 10 days, but I have yet to see the first over kept.

[QUOTE=Tim_T;455154]I am not buying this Andy. I have yet to see anyone keep an over out of Dale. Eight of us spent five days in April down there and plenty of overs were caught nobody kept one and I didn't see anybody [B]catch[/B] one. We kept a couple of unders and some spotted bass for dinner a few times but that was it. I don't get to Dale Hollow a lot, probably three or four times a year for a total of about 10 days, but I have yet to see the first over kept.[/QUOTE]

Should read keep, not catch. My mistake.