Kevin Vam Dan

Some people are beyond idiots.

I totally get where you are coming from, Jacob. I fished Fellows before there were muskies and have fished Fellows since muskies were stocked...I don't notice a difference at all in the lake...just another fish to catch, photo, and release. I have fished Pomme for decades as well, and that remains one of my favorite lakes for all species. I appreciate the variety we are afforded.

I get what you're saying, but there have been countless studies done that show muskies have virtually no impact on a fishery. Some might even argue the contrary...that lakes improve by the introduction of muskies. I love fishing all fish species. Some of the best walleye, smallmouth, and panfish lakes I have fished all throughout the country and into Canada all have something in common...muskies are in all of them!

Good point, Jacob. And trout aren't the only other species to receive special attention. There would be pretty much no walleye fishery in the State of MO if it wasn't for those darned biologists.

Is that because your fisheries biology degree and training are so much more effective than "a few dipshit biologists?" Heaven forbid those "dipshits" provide anglers with an opportunity to fish muskies this far south. Lord knows there are no other places to fish bass, catfish, and crappie...

Thanks, shark bait. I appreciate the reply.

Anyone have any water temps after this cool down? Thanks!

Does anyone know what it is? Thanks.

If that's not the truth!!! I actually witnessed that exact thing yesterday...all while I was working my tail off and looking at my $25 flip phone. And don't forget about the tax dollars that go to those jobless people's 20 different offspring!

Of course I'm not the real KVD. The real KVD is Kevin Van Dam...look at my handle. How many fish do die at the weigh in? I have fished numerous tournaments during my lifetime. The tournament directors seem to do a great job of releasing the fish alive. And those "trophy ponds" that you speak of...what is the first rule you see on every single one??? That's right...catch and release. Maybe, just maybe, there is some kind of correlation.

Aggressor, I'm glad you have been educated! I'm really glad you were willing to try to learn a little out about the subject. So kudos to you for that. Now maybe you can help pass the word that those muskies aren't quite as bad as everyone wants to make them out to be. KVD

smbasser is right. The fishing pressure on Fellows has greatly increased over the last few years. And unfortunately the catch and release ethic appears to not have increased with it. On a lake as small as Fellows, I don't think that equates to long term success. The big fish need to be let...especially those muskies!

This is coming from a guy that told another poster to go fornicate himself??? Aggressor, I like your diversionary tactics with your posts. You got called out because you were posting nonsense that you knew little to nothing about, and then you deflected that and went on to curse at another forum member. trythisonemv had it right. This is a place to learn. You can learn about your misconceptions of an elusive gamefish, or you can continue to regurgitate untruths that have been passed on by other uninformed anglers.

fishinwrench, I guess we must have been in the same boat as you...reading and posting on fishing forums.

fishbait3, Believe it or not, I had read this same survey before. I'm sure Aggressor had seen it before too...in his years of doing musky research. And the funny part, this is only one of numerous studies that showed similar results. I have never seen a single study that indicated crappie were a primary forage species. That is why I asked Aggressor to show me one...just one. Maybe he can get Kelley and Long to get a quick research paper typed up with all the musky stomach contents surveys they participated in. What gets me is there are people all over that claim musky are eating all their favorite fish, and that musky destroy all other fish populations. All you have to do is look at the best and most well known musky lakes throughout the US and Canada...they ALL have OUTSTANDING fishing for several other fish species. People travel for hundreds and hundreds of miles to fish these bodies of water...and not to fish for muskies. The biggest walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and crappie that I have ever seen all came out of lakes with musky in them (the biggest crappie I have ever seen actually came out of Fellows). So, I will be patiently waiting for Aggressor's findings on the illustrious esox... KVD

Who is your neighbor? If he is with MDOC, I'm sure he wouldn't mind me contacting him to have him post about the topic on here. Where are the big fish at Fellows? All you have to do is go to the marina (or their Facebook site) to see all the pictures of the pigs that meat hunters, like yourself, consistently remove from the lake. It is amazing there is ANYTHING left in that lake with the lack of conservation many anglers partake in. And BATCAB27 hit it right on the nose, Pomme is loaded with crappie (among other fish)...and Pomme just happens to have been stocked with muskies since the early 60's. What is your explanation for that? I can't wait to hear it.

What in the world are you talking about?? Are you saying if you had fish in your live well and then you put a musky in there that it would eat them all? That's laughable. I can't tell if that was a serious statement or not.

Aggressor, Link one survey that shows crappie are a musky's primary forage. Just one. I would be willing to bet I have done a little more musky research than you. And do you have a link to the studies Mike Kelley and Harold Long did? I would love to read their research thesis as to how they came to their conclusions. KVD

Agressor, Why in the world would anyone keep a muskie? They are rare, and they are a true game fish. I bet you eat more crappie than that fish could ever dream of eating. Bass, catfish and walleye also eat crappie. Should we kill all of them too? And crappie are nowhere near the primary forage of a musky...just FYI. KVD

I saw that. Very nice fish. Kudos to the angler for releasing it, and thank God he didn't have a stringer to put it on. I would like to know how big it really was, though...

I think the more likely cause is the lack of catch and release ethic. How many large fish can consistently be kept before the large fish population depletes? Just look at the Fellows Lake Marina websites that show only a small portion of the big fish that are constantly kept.

Bassattack1990, I'm not sure how to take your remark about "going to get a net free willie can fit in." If you didn't mean anything by it, fine. But if you were trying to be a smarta$$, I take a little offense. I was only trying to help educate a little bit. The reason I talked about using the right equipment was because of situations, like yours, where fish break off and then swim around with a bait in their face. I want to protect the limited/fragile resource that we have. There are too many people that fish for musky that aren't prepared to deal with them when they are lucky enough to catch one. We don't need muskies killed unintentionally by decent people wanting to catch one (there are enough idiots that kill them on purpose). Kevin

Bassattack1990, The advice I will give you is to get the proper tools if you are going to musky fish. The fish are too rare not to take care of them. You need proper fishing equipment, and proper fish handling equipment. Heavy (50 lb. minimum) braided line and heavier leaders is a must, along with a large net, pliers, and hook cutters. Leave the fish in the water as long as possible when unhooking. And please don't fish for musky when the water temperature exceeds 80 degrees (the mortality rate greatly increases due to dissolved oxygen...they make look like they swim away, only to die later). If you do happen to catch one, photograph it and RELEASE it as quickly as you can. There are some decent sized muskies in Missouri, but they are the exception and definitely not the rule. Your chances at catching a big fish increase the further north you go. There has only been one documented 50 inch musky in Missouri waters. That fish was the one caught a couple of years ago, but was nowhere near the state record (it was caught in the early summer and did not have the mass to make it a state record). Kevin

If that's not the truth!!!!

hknfsh, I was definitely referring to the marina owner as the problem...not Richline. Sorry I wasn't more clear. Like I said earlier, I empathize with what happened to Richline. And I agree with just about everything you said, hknfsh. Except instead of roping off the area, they need to allow fishing in all these areas they already have marked as no fishing. There is already too much of the lake they prevent us from fishing, which nobody can seem to figure out why. Sorry, that's just another one of my soap box topics. Kevin