West Boggs

While I agree that education is a key part to preventing illegal introduction of different species; checking livewells, signs and conservation officers are not going to be able to prevent it. The ramp is not the only access to the lake and most shad introductions are not done via a livewell. The people that do this at places such as Boggs and Patoka know that it is wrong and are not that "dumb" about how they go about it. I've never heard of anyone pulling up to a ramp with a drum full of shad and dumping them into the lake.

What it really takes is someone that knows the people to turn them in with proof. Make an example out of them and that will slow it down. Fixing the lake everytime that it happens helps the fisherman, but does nothing to prevent it from happening again.

fishNnut is correct. The cost of 100% prevention by enforcement is not workable. And education is still a very long way from being what it needs to be. The idea of agressive presecution and staggering costs for violations is where the only real hope lies, in my opinion. I also think that making a few examples is a necessary part of the education process. If people learn that they can lose their homes, boats, trucks and future earnings, they tend to have a higher incentive to want to learn how to avoid that.

That's why we tried a $1,000 reward for information that led to the arrest of the parties that introduced shad in this lake. That reward is no longer available, but I would be willing to bring it back, and add it to a pool of reward money that could be pledged by all the major fishing clubs, and some of the smaller ones. Would a $10,000 reward loosen some tounges and change some opinions? $50,000? How about all bass tournaments in the state drop 10% of all entry fees into a statewide fund for just this purpose? Or maybe a state law that places a percentage of all fishing violation fine monies into a reward fund?

What does it take to buy our way through the code of silence that presently exists in the fishing community?

While I agree that education is a key part to preventing illegal introduction of different species; checking livewells, signs and conservation officers are not going to be able to prevent it. The ramp is not the only access to the lake and most shad introductions are not done via a livewell. The people that do this at places such as Boggs and Patoka know that it is wrong and are not that "dumb" about how they go about it. I've never heard of anyone pulling up to a ramp with a drum full of shad and dumping them into the lake.

I'm sure your probably right here, but what im not getting is why? If people are determined to do this, its going to happen over and over again because its such a simple things to accomplish, all they have to do is put them in the feeder creeks. I think the little things should be done to help inform the fishing community on the problem and then maybe someone would be more eager to point out the certain someone who might have done it once they realize he just ruined there favorite fishing hole.