A plead to the KDFWR

[ekubassfsher]

I cant stand to see someone keep a bass for food. No matter what the size. Guess the people that grew up doing it dont really care. you pretty much s.u.c.k at fishing if you eat a bass. just think it shows you very seldom catch one and when you do you decide it would be a great idea to eat one...

[Chubminnow]

After calling the number shared with us on this site, I took it upon myself to call David Godby…This is what I found out.

David has no connection to the internet what so ever, he has never heard of fishin.com nor does he have an email address, but he does have a fax. So what I did was print out this thread and faxed it to David so he could read first hand some of the opinions regarding the smallmouth fishing at Lake Cumberland. I thought it would be good for him to read what others are saying about the present regulations set in place at Lake Cumberland.

David told me he was the one responsible for putting the 15” and 18” limits on the LM and SM at Cumberland…the 15” size has been in effect for about ten years and the 18” size limit has been in effect a few years less than that. David said that before the 18” size limit was put into effect on the SM that catching a SM from Cumberland was almost unheard of…(as I say to you, this is what he told me) and that the SM at Cumberland has improved immensely since the present size limit was put into place. Does anyone remember what the SM were like back in the day on Cumberland? David said he would try to get the information I shared with him into the hands of a guy named Benji Kinman. Apparently Benji is David’s boss or something…I don’t know.

David says that Cumberland and Dale can not be compared to each other at all as both lakes are totally different in nature. He also says that urban sprawl and development, along with rain fall shortages and also the reduced amount of farming that takes place now days has all had an effect on ALL of our fisheries. All of this = less nutrients spilling into the lake from run off, etc.

I hope David gives me a call back after he reads the fax I sent him, it will be interesting to hear what he has to say.

FYI – After 20 years of voluntary service to KDFWR David is stepping down from his office as of June of this year…I did not realize those guys were all volunteering their time.

Do not bash me for anything I have said here…I have one heck of a passion for Cumberland and my ties to the lake go back to before I was born 45 years ago. I’m just trying to see if we can’t get our voices heard where it counts. I like some of the suggestions made here though…a slot limit similar to Dale??? A two fish limit on SM??? Some good idea’s in my opinion.

[cumberlandguy1]

Hey eku....just because you keep a fish doesn't make you a poor fisherman. I'll bet $$$ that 99% of the guys that post here are very good fishermen and overall great guys. Hell, this is the only place that I know that people will tell you where to fish, what with, or even take you fishing if you ask. You owe thes e guys an apology or two.

[djh480]

Thank You Cumberlandguy1.

[fishbum]

OK,
Now I am going to catch some heck but here goes..
Back in 1994 I caught my first BIG BASS.. I mean really big. 8 pounds one ounce. Biggest Bass I have EVER seen in my life. I DID NOT throw it back. It had a toothy patch on its tongue and I thought it might be a State Record Fish, (Spotted Bass Record is 7-14 I think) PLUS I had never taken a fish for a trophy.
When I went back to the unnamed lake there was a picture of me that said..
"Poor Sportsman - Did Not Release" it was a Polaroid. My son saw that picture.
The State Fish and Wildlife Department puts a size limit on for the benefit of the resource. THEY EXPECT a certain number of fish over a certain size to be kept for various and sundry reasons and to criticize any one for choosing to keep any LEGAL fish in my opinion is wrong.
It is elitist. YES I agree that LARGE smallmouth for the MOST part should be released, and now that I know a GREAT replica artist, I do not personally take big fish. However I will never criticize, another person for doign so as long as the fish is legal.
ONE LAST TIME.. Fish and Wildlife figures all of this into the regs and so far they are working on Cumberland and on Dale Hollow.
Thats my take on it.
Jim Dicken
AGAIN the standard disclaimer.. This is my opinion and not the opinion of Fishin.com its owners or advertisers. I just work here and I am entitled to have an opinion without it reflecting on the site or its owners or its advertisers.

[SSKY]

I will respond to that statement, I have caught marlin that would burp on lake stripers. In the process of catching them it is really not that much fun. If you get the chance do it, then do it. Smalleyes are the most fun fish that you can catch on mono bar none including saltwater, bonefish included.If you slow fight a striper it is really not much more of a fighter than a carp or drum with small line of the same size of fish and the stripers always run to open water away from trouble. With heavy braid and in close quarters the musky is scary awesome.

[LarryG]

SSKY try a steelhead in a fast water river, then maybe you will change your mind about what a fighting fish is.ALL fish are fun to catch. there are just three species that I have not caught, grayling, squawfish,and char. caught an amur two years ago, and the jumps were fantastic, sturgeon,they have an awesome size, and so did the alligator gar i got that was over 5 ft long, but any fish is worth fishing for.

[Tim_T]

After calling the number shared with us on this site, I took it upon myself to call David Godby…This is what I found out.

David has no connection to the internet what so ever, he has never heard of fishin.com nor does he have an email address, but he does have a fax. So what I did was print out this thread and faxed it to David so he could read first hand some of the opinions regarding the smallmouth fishing at Lake Cumberland. I thought it would be good for him to read what others are saying about the present regulations set in place at Lake Cumberland.

David told me he was the one responsible for putting the 15” and 18” limits on the LM and SM at Cumberland…the 15” size has been in effect for about ten years and the 18” size limit has been in effect a few years less than that. David said that before the 18” size limit was put into effect on the SM that catching a SM from Cumberland was almost unheard of…(as I say to you, this is what he told me) and that the SM at Cumberland has improved immensely since the present size limit was put into place. Does anyone remember what the SM were like back in the day on Cumberland? David said he would try to get the information I shared with him into the hands of a guy named Benji Kinman. Apparently Benji is David’s boss or something…I don’t know.

David says that Cumberland and Dale can not be compared to each other at all as both lakes are totally different in nature. He also says that urban sprawl and development, along with rain fall shortages and also the reduced amount of farming that takes place now days has all had an effect on ALL of our fisheries. All of this = less nutrients spilling into the lake from run off, etc.

I hope David gives me a call back after he reads the fax I sent him, it will be interesting to hear what he has to say.

FYI – After 20 years of voluntary service to KDFWR David is stepping down from his office as of June of this year…I did not realize those guys were all volunteering their time.

Do not bash me for anything I have said here…I have one heck of a passion for Cumberland and my ties to the lake go back to before I was born 45 years ago. I’m just trying to see if we can’t get our voices heard where it counts. I like some of the suggestions made here though…a slot limit similar to Dale??? A two fish limit on SM??? Some good idea’s in my opinion.

chubminnow, Benji Kinman is the director of fisheries for KDFWR. He will probably tell the commssioner that if they want to change the size limit, that biologically, it won't have an effect either way. That is what the biologist said when they were debating changing the limit on Cumberland and Laurel a few years ago.

[apb]

Hey eku....just because you keep a fish doesn't make you a poor fisherman. I'll bet $$$ that 99% of the guys that post here are very good fishermen and overall great guys. Hell, this is the only place that I know that people will tell you where to fish, what with, or even take you fishing if you ask. You owe thes e guys an apology or two.

Yep!

Elnut, I have to disagree on the fight. I've caught 5-6 pound smallies, hybrids, and stripers using the same gear/drag settings. Hybrids outfight both, stripers are second. Different fight, sure. Not that I don't like the smallie. If I'm not chasing Hybrids/Stripers, I'm wading the creek for smallies. Good fun! If you want even more fun with any of those fish, catch them out of some fast current areas. Nothing like a big Hybrid screaming your drag in a tailwater area!

Guess with anything else in fishing, its what you enjoy most that counts. If some guys want to bass fish, more power to them. Same for those who like bluegill on a cane pole. The whole idea behind fishing, in my mind, is to get away from it all and have a good time. Looking down on someone else for how they like to do it is rather silly.

Andrew

[fishincreek]

Andrew brings up a point that I have to admit that I have been guilty of myself- kinda looking down at other folks fishing. No doubt those guys sitting all night in their lawn chairs at Jacobsen Park(or any other spot for that matter) look forward to those trips just as much as I do mine. Surely they worked just as hard(probably harder) as I during the week, anticipating that first fish of Friday night/Sat morning. I suspect they have just as much fun and at a fraction of the cost!

[kc]

Time for me to "weigh in" on this one two. I never keep smallmouth and only occasionally keep LM for me and my family do enjoy eating fish but I usually eat panfish first. That said I still don't believe the major damage to our fish populations is coming from "meat hogs". Go back 30 years ago or more to the hay days of the meat hogs where everyone kept everything they caught for the table and fishing was better than today. What has changed in the last 30 years is more fishing pressure in the form of tournaments. While I am all for "reasonable" management changes to better protect our fisheries if we can start making changes at the tournament level we will have the most impact. I fundamentally don't have a problem with having tournaments but I have a problem with their assertion that hauling fish around in a livewell for a weigh in miles away is catch and release and doesn't hurt our fish. The one post went on about 2 guys taking 100 smallmouth over a season well that happens 10 fold in one day for a big tournament. Yes I do understand the fish are released but many -- especially the big fish -- don't survive it.

The answer lies in changes like were done at Dale where all of the brownies in the slot are protected from the weigh in. We will do far more to protect our bass fisheries to keep fish from the weigh in than the knife but a slot limit accomplishes both.

kc

[kc]

You must be having a bad hair day. I don't "****" at bass fishing and I occasionally clean a bass. They are great on the grill smoked and I sure don't have any problem catching them. In a year's time I release 99% of the keeper bass that come into my boat and never clean anything over 3 pounds or brown. The key to this thought is in thoughtful management. Most of my fishing happens at Barkley which has plentiful keeper sized bass. To eat a few out of that lake does not have a significant impact on its fishery unlike all of the hundreds and hundreds of bass that get hauled into the weigh ins for tournaments on all of our lakes and many of these fish don't make it. To me it the tournament fishermen living in denial who **** at this topic.

kc