New fishing reg suggestions

[Fisher_McFly]

Here's a link to the Dilbert cartoon:

http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilber...-20060312.html

[apb]

Some interesting comments, thanks!

Before this takes a wrong turn, I in no way wanted this to come out as an anti-tournament thread. The issues I brought up affect all of us who fish.

No keeping bass during the spawn would be for all anglers, not just tournament anglers. Targeting spawning fish at all should be discouraged. Even removing the bass from the nest for a few minutes does have an affect on that bass protecting the nest.

Someone mentioned driving a long distance and not being able to fish after catching their limit. Not exactly what I meant. I regards to stripers, one would stop fishing for stripers after limiting out, but could still target other species. I do this myself if I limit out in summer. Grab a lighter rod and chase a few smallies or spots. Consider this, you are out with a friend on the lake striper fishing during August. You both limit out, but are still over fish and continue. You catch 5 more. Statistically speaking, if there is an 80% mortality rate on released stripers during the summer, 4 of the 5 you release are dead. Thats 8 stripers, or double your daily limit, that you and your partner killed during that one trip. It may be legal right now to do so, but I would argue that it is highly unethical.

I also disagree that education will not help. I certainly see your point. However, if enough people in a club are for making changes to the club tourny rules that are in line with what the fisheries people are saying (night fishing only in summer, 5 hour tourny in summer, don't release all at the ramp), changes can be made to that club. Same goes with the fish for fun crowd. I see this with new striper anglers. They are unaware of problems with post release mortality in summer. Hey, the fish swam away, it must be alright. Check that same fish a few hours later and its belly up. Concerned anglers will make adjustments to their fishing once they are aware of the problem. Sure, you'll still have a few who do not care.

I do agree that I would not want to see additional regs. Much better if we do the right thing ourselves.

Andrew

[birdstrike]

you're on the right track with this thread. Here's another:

All walleye will be imediatly returned to the water unharmed Feb. 1st - April 30th.

This would be esspecially important in the South Fork, Cumberland River, Laurel River, and Rockcastle. Give them a chance to spawn as well.

[GITZIT]

How about this? The fishing in this area seems to get better and better every year. Why not leave well enough alone?

[mhall]

Interesting side note, I talked to some conservation officers about the possibilty of ever getting the slot put on the smalljaws at Cumberland and they said this. It has been brought up and talked about in Frankfort several times, and some like the idea and some don't. Evidently enough didn't like it so it did not go through, however they did do a questionare poll of fisherman at the ramps and at some tourney's. They said the tournament boy's were EXTREMELY against a slot on the smallmouth because it was going to be too hard to catch a weighable smallie then. Should competitive fishing and money carry any weight in what's best for a fishery????? IMHO, the answer is no, but obviously it does.

[Danny]

Billy,

I'm staying out of this one. I have come to respect the posts of both SSKY and Andrew. However since Andrew's post, which looked a lot like one of my old ones, I've been waiting for someone to make the same suggestion he did to SSKY. And that would be to have a certain lake all to himself.. etc... etc... LOL

I don't fish for bedding fish. I can make a logical argument, using the logical argument for bed fishing, against bed fishing. I think that is the wrong thing.. more government regulation is never the answer in my opinion.

But, if these things were to come to pass, it would be a logical extension to hunting. Obviously deer hunting during the rut would have to be stopped. After all, they are even more vulnerable during that time.

Perhaps what is needed is a law making it illeagle to ever even eat meat!! Leather shoes will have to be out as well. We will need to wear only synthetic clothes. Cotton plants should have their feelings considered as well. LMAO

See why I am trying to stay out of it???

Danny

[mhall]

>Billy,
>
>I'm staying out of this one.
>I have come to respect
>the posts of both SSKY
>and Andrew. However since Andrew's
>post, which looked a lot
>like one of my old
>ones, I've been waiting for
>someone to make the same
>suggestion he did to SSKY.
>And that would be to
>have a certain lake all
>to himself.. etc... etc... LOL
>
>
>I don't fish for bedding fish.
>I can make a logical
>argument, using the logical argument
>for bed fishing, against bed
>fishing. I think that is
>the wrong thing.. more government
>regulation is never the answer
>in my opinion.
>
>But, if these things were to
>come to pass, it would
>be a logical extension to
>hunting. Obviously deer hunting during
>the rut would have to
>be stopped. After all, they
>are even more vulnerable during
>that time.
>
>Perhaps what is needed is a
>law making it illeagle to
>ever even eat meat!! Leather
>shoes will have to be
>out as well. We will
>need to wear only synthetic
>clothes. Cotton plants should have
>their feelings considered as well.
>LMAO
>
>See why I am trying to
>stay out of it???
>
>Danny

I don't think anyone was saying what you are implying at all. You are putting a Peta spin on this and I don't think that was anyones intention. I'm not attacking you but really don't know how to take your post. What's wrong with improvements and moderation, he was not and no one IMHO, was beating down anybody else's views only trying to improve our resourses.

[gettingonefishin]

I have been fishing for over 40 years and have noticed a decline in the catching of fish on a down hill ride. It seems like the past 10 years have been the worse. I myself use to fish 3 or 4 tourneys a week but no longer. I still fish a few open tourneys. However, I do beleive the decline is from the pressure of to many tournaments resulting in to much pressure.

As far as sight fishing bedding bass, not good. 1 person saying catching a bedding bass and releasing it at the weigh in and he or she makes their way back to the nest, NOT. Ya catch a spawning fish 20 miles from release point I dont think it will make it back.

Years ago Herrington was closed to fishin during the month of May. Before my time though.

I can remember goin to Herrington and catching Largemouth all night long in huge numbers of keepers. Dont happen any more, and I blame that on pressure. Up to about 10 years ago I use to catch largemouth out of the jumps every year, catching fish up to 6 lbs this way. And I tell ya I miss it alot. 2 people in the boat battling a 5 lb plus fish at the same time, it was a blast.

I live close to the Ky river near High Bridge, so I use to fish both pools aove and below Lock 7. Use to get off work hook up the boat drive to the river and have a good evening of fishing. Not no more. Fish all day for 4 or 5 fish. Back then all ya needed was a Spinner bait and Jig and Pig, catch numbers of fish in 1 evening. Lots and Lots of the largemouth spawning on the river is done in the creeks and what happens, April and May tourneys, Hey it's a race to the creeks. There goes all that fished worked for, finding his way up that creek to spawn to have an angler catch the easy prey and haul his butt 20 miles down river to get weighed for some money and prestige.

I am not saying do away with tournament fishing but lets cut back on the numbers. Monday and Wednsday is the only days or nights Herrington does not have at least 1 tournament. I look for that to change this year.

Way too much pressure.

Dont want to offend anyone but that's my opinion. Becuse I have witnessed the decline in catching fish as the the tournament fishing grew. Anglers my age surely have witnessed it as well. By the way I am 52 and I help start the first tournaments on Herrington Lake and if I knew then what I know today, I would have declined. It seems like everything else, wait until the worse happens before we change anything.

Dennis (Radar) Horton
[email protected]
(859)858-0909

[mhall]

Dennis, tell it brother tell it. You have just said it all to well and I totally agree, and we'll both be darn lucky if we are not completely blasted for feeling this way. I guarantee there are alot if fishery biologist that would also agree, but changes are not going to happen because the $$$ always wins. Thankyou for your insight and if anyone can't read your post and find some truth in it they are really kidding themselves.

Mark Hall
{502} 649-2008

[ResidentCombo]

I also heard that a "first 2 fish" limit for stripers was tabled due to commercial concerns. I heard that the guides fought it because that would mean they would possibly have to bring their client back with 2 small fish.

Sounds like bad politics to me..

[kc]

Amen brother. Another interesting note is that I just saw a statistic in In-fisherman magazine that the amount of bass fishing hours spent in this part of the country is decreasing and has been for some time. I believe the younger generation isn't taking to hunting and fishing like the older generations did. But the amount of time spent on tournament fishing has surely not decreased. They are being held year round now and have steadily increased over the past 10 - 15 years in both frequency and size. That means there has been a shift of people spending more of their bass fishing time on tournaments than for pleasure which is easy to see following posts on this board. Some folks seem to only fish because their are tournaments.

Even though I tend to get a bit excitable over tournaments and their impacts I fundamentally don't have a problem with tournament fishing. It is the unchecked growth that I have the biggest problem with and things only stand to get worst. I believe wildlife organizations like KDFW know these trends and actually try to promote tournaments to cater to a "growing segment of fishermen". I just wish they would step up and study the impacts of tournaments on the fishery and make adjustments in their management strategy to compensate.


kc

[apb]

I think Mhall summed it up well. Danny, you are reading a lot more into the post than I intended. Note that a number of the regs I proposed would also have an affect on my fishing too. I had no intention of starting a flame war here. Just a way to learn. Figured there were other opinions out there that we, myself included, could learn from.

Andrew