Some new Regs for 08....

[Dave Stewart]

Oh well, I was a willing, but it sounds hopeless, I'm done, let this thread die. I do not possess the power to influence the KDFW to conduct a study to see if this is a viable option or not. Heck I can barely influence my wife to go out and eat dinner with me once and awhile, LOL.

Actually the studies may have already been done...basically this type of change come from the information the KDFWR gets when they do fish counts on the lakes (shocking)...they use these numbers to recognize certain trends such as a depletion of year class fish...sometime the numbers may indicate a change is needed but outside influences may keep the change in regs from occuring....you might talk to your area fisheries biologist to see if this is the case..if so...this is where an organized bunch of anglers can put some pressure where it is needed to help the KDFWR folks get the regs changed...remember...regulations changes are approved in downtown Frankfort...not at the KDFWR office.

[dh]

the only reason for 18 inch or better size limits on s.m. bass is to increase the numbers & size for anglers to catch & that was the only reason for doing so at laurel lake. you don't need a degree or studies to figure that out. just ck out the regs that are on sm bass in minn. & wis. the results of these regs have been outstanding fishing for sm. do you think tenn. did studies on all the lakes in tenn when they increased the size limit to 18 inch on all their lakes beginning in 08 with the ex. of dale & douglas which have 21 & 20 inch limits.i do not like slot limits i like a straight limit dale is the only lake i know of that has a slot for sm bass. i believe that cumberland would benefit from a two fish daily limit & would have a better chance of passing than a slot limit. just remember that reg changes need the support of the majority of bass fishermen first before you submit them to the commission to change them,then they will take you serious. jmo john

[Dave Stewart]

Actually Tennessee did studies before enacting the new Smallmouth regulations for the state. The final paper on it is titled "Tennesee Smallmouth Bass Management Plan" and can be read on the TWRA website...and you don't need a degree to read it..just the ability to read. Also there are two exceptions to the statewide limit you did not mention...one being Boone which is still 16" and will go to 18" next year and Kentucky Lake which will still have a 15" minimum length.

[RoadToad]

Even the staunchest catch-and-release fishermen must admit that a certain percentage of fish that are released will die as a result of being caught, even if they look fine when they swim off. Experienced, careful anglers can minimize this number, but not eliminate it entirely. And I would guess that most people out there trying to catch a limit to take home and eat aren't super careful about protecting the slime coat of the undersized fish they catch. So if you raise the size limit, a guy who's bound and determined to take home a limit may end up killing a lot more fish before he has his limit than he would if he could keep smaller fish. So, increasing a size limit does not necessarily mean more and bigger fish, and in fact it can be counter-productive. And this is just one of the factors that fisheries biologists have to take into account. I'm no biologist either, but I know enough about it to realize how much I don't know, which is quite a bit. IMHO, it really does take someone with a degree to come up with regulations that will truly benefit a fishery, and not just please one group of people. One thing I don't think it takes a degree to figure out, though, is that in Kentucky we have a wide variety of fisheries, and if we expect them all to be managed properly, then one-size-fits-all regulations won't work.

[dh]

it a simple fact that the 18 inch size that was first put on dale hollow was due to petitions driven by the late billy westmoreland & the resort owners & marinas that got the size limit increased not studies by biologists with degrees.i get the feeling that you think that they have all the answers when in fact they will tell you that is no reason to increase size limits except to increase numbers & size. if i believed as you do there would still be a 12 " size limit on laurel lake. i fished a 2 fish tournament on laurel this past sat. the top three boats had 6 s.m. that weighted 33.04 lbs. it sounds like people want to believe that their opinion don't count & wait for somebody to give them what they want & no i do not believe there were studies on all the lakes in tenn. just remember that F&W are employed by the sale of fishing lis. in other words they are hired by fishermen to provide want the maj. of fishermen want, say what you want but our voice counts.so if you believe you are right organize & let your concerns be heard they will listen

[mhall]

one man can do a lot if you have the majority behind you, back in 1995 laurel lake had a 12 inch size limit & you could win a tournament with 5 or 6 lbs of fish. i circulated a petition for c&r of s.m. at laurel lake & had 1,500 people sign it so i knew then that the majority of people just want good fishing even if it means you can't keep them, i presented the petition to f&w & the ninth dis. comm. which was then david godby & david went to bat for us we did succeed in getting the size limit raised to 15 " in 96 & then the 18 " on sm. a few years later.now this year two fish limit on sm. which by the way was supported by ky f&w, now it takes anywhere from 18 to 22 lbs to win in the springtime tours. rules&regs are made not necessarily from a biological standpoint but what do the majority of anglers want in their fishing.i don't know anybody that is unhappy with what has happened at laurel lake it just shows that tour. anglers & people that fun fish for bass want the same thing, which by the way just happens to be the majority of bass fishermen. i think ky f&w has done a good job in the past several years in listening to fishermen & trying to please the majority of anglers,but the old saying that the squeaky wheel get the grease is still true today. i personally support anything that improves our bass fishing in kentucky lakes

Fantastic, you did a good job, this is exactly the kind of thing that is needed. Kudos to you on your effort in helping Laurel.