Elkhorn Creek

[BOURBONBALES]

I don't know how much keeping fish from a creek or river with large steady pools makes but I do believe that keeping fish from smaller systems with smaller scattered pools does make a difference, I mean you take a time like this with very little rain and no access from pool to pool and take a number of quality fish out and it definatley has to take a toll on the system. I am not educated enough to know if these fish really do stay in the same areas in this type of system for long periods of time but i do know some pools definately remain better than others.

[MrSplitshot]

ehhh sorry if i touched a nerve but im not keeping any fish out of elkhorn all is catch and release ive been fishing the creek 20 years plus know the ends and out like it alot better in the spring and that hole changes from time to time its never the same 1 day its there the next its not its all luck if you can find the fish you will be in luck that place is fished hard all summer long for the past 60 years and to tell ya truth there is plenty of fish in it not a shortage by any means .. i hope splitshot hits my hole up an catches some fish sounds like he needs a bread winner day on the creek

Glad that you're releasing your fish. I assumed that you weren't, because I asked early on in the thread and you didn't answer the question...but it's all good.

I still think it would be smart to use circle hooks if you're using live bait. It's just a "new-school" twist to live bait fishing that reduces gut hooks. Why not do it, if you're releasing the fish anyway?

I still think it's not smart to not broadcast directions to your favorite hole on a creek. For every 1 person that posts, there are probably 50 that just "view" the thread from afar.

I respect that you've been fishing the creek for 20+ years...that's longer than me and you probably know it better than I do...but in my mind "there's plenty of fish" only works for today. What about 10 years from now? That's why the catch and release thing is touchy for many of us. Broadcasting your spot increases the chance that a meathog will find it.

Peace.
BQ

[ON3 3Y3D WILLI3]

Well dag nabbit, if it isn't the poachers it's those rude tourney anglers! Man, it's hard to fish these days. Used to be all you had to worry about was whether or not you were gonna get poison ivy from crawling through the woods in an attempt to reach that prime spot. Now I've got to worry about vandals stealing and/or jacking up my stuff, sketchy dudes with undersized fish dangling from his waist, piles of blue worm containers, and more and more people climbing through that ivy to that prime spot. Great thread fellas. However, if you keep creek fish, you may not be smart enough to use the internet so we may not be reaching our desired audience by discussing this issue here. Of the 672 views, there have been 26 combined replies and responses and I think they've been in accord with one another. We've all fished these spots for a long time and hope to for longer still. We are intelligent about our fishing and fisheries and there isn't a one of use who doesn't feel good about being able to let that fish go thinking 'go get your momma', or 'same time, same place next year, see ya then.' Heck, I release every Cumberland River trout I've ever caught and those dang things are basically put there for the plate. With the utmost respect, I do understand both the desire and the necessity to harvest fish from any creek and my comment above is in jest and is clearly aimed at ignorant poachers. Creeks and streams are supremely fragile ecosystems and if you are legally keeping fish from them, perhaps set your own creel limits to LESS than that of the state regulations.

[redneckshadrap]

We creek fish year round. We practice catch and release. Heck I think live bait is the lazy way to fish. I respect the fact you don't keep smallmouth.

But DO NOT under estimate the power of the internet when it comes to meat hogs. There was no internet 60 yrs ago. And the fishing on the mainstem has been on the decline the past few yrs....Wonder why?
This yr maybe the 1st good spawn in several yrs. The high water came in April just before the fish hit the bed. And remained high enough to keep the bed fishing meathogs at home. No it will take a couple of yrs before it will take effect. We could use a little more good luck from Mother Nature and a lot less illegal harvesting from the creeks we love to fish. You'd really be surprised how much of the Elkhorn we actually do fish.

Billy

[psprowler]

Yeah definitely do not underestimate the power of the internet. I'm from Indiana, and I've floated past that spot many times. I couldn't have given better directions myself. The creek gets enough pressure the way it is. My last two trips over there have been: 1. fished behind 3 canoes and passed 2 waders on the way up; 2. had 1 person putting in at the take-out and 3 people wading up at the put-in.

[scragley]

I say as long as you are legal, do it the way you want.. If you want to tell people about it, go ahead.. If you want to keep some to fry, go ahead.. Just stay legal..