Feathers and Fins

I have never been a fan of the term Catch and Release, for that very reason OB, It is an alienation phrase that doesn’t help the cause of conservation in the minds of people who fish for food or wish to be able to keep fish as they feel it is the driving force in (keeping them from doing what they want). I use to do a lot of Earth day events along with Wildlife educational lectures and shows and when asked my belief on (Catching and Releasing wildlife as a whole or related to fishing) my reply was simple. “Keep only what you need, release the others for your grandchildren”. This was a simple way of letting people know I believed in conservation of the resource while still letting them know I believed in use of the resource. I might be strange but when I Deer hunt I shoot the first deer I see buck or doe, I cant eat antlers, but I do like to eat deer. As most deer hunters know you will see far more doe’s then bucks. Its not to say I do not keep a buck tag through the year just incase I luck into knowing where a big one will be. I did this year a nice 14 point with a double drop, but as my freezer had more than enough deer in it I passed on him and still have all but 1 tag that I filled with a doe. I know you can’t release a shot animal, but why take the shot if you have enough meat already? Why keep more fish than you need? Why leave trash on a lake or stream? There is a great many why’s! What we need is outdoorsmen who are examples and teach the new generation’s conservation and utilization of the resource go hand in hand and work well together done properly

Maybe he liked Bass. Who are we to judge what someone likes best. If he was in his legal right to take bass and its what he wanted so be it. Playing Devils Advocate here.

Cricket, My point is so long as C&K is legal on a stream anywhere, it is possible that people will keep fish and that overfishing is highly likely. I have spent many days on small creeks and seen the affect of people keeping fish. However it is legal, I have also seen the otters do damage to a resource, the same as I have seen soil errosion and cattle influances on stream. They are fragile resources and without sound management which may have to include C&R only, then the resource is at the peril at any point from a host of influances. Management of any resource is more than just an indivdual anglers or persons wishes, it is taking in to account all potential variables and comming up with a plan that benifits the resource before the wants of people. Florida for example saw a major decrease in the Snook fishery from harvest durring the summer spawn when they consentrate in inlets by the millions as well as in the winter when they go to the deep holes. They are easy pickings at these two times of year. Floridas responce was to make those times of year C&R only and the result was Snook population increase. Sometimes its as simple as protecting a species at the most vulnerable times. Good management of not just a species but of the resource taken as a whole is sound management.

Beaver Stripers were not on the bite they Sunday they were Saturday, there were many more boats and a bright sun shining through and as any good striper angler knows the sun is not your friend. I arrived at the lake about 12:30 and went searching out the bird flocks to locate potential feeding stripers. The birds were working over some nice size bait balls on the East side of the Marina and I managed to get to a couple of them in time to see huge balls of 4 to 5 inch threadfin shad balled up and swirling on the surface. One out of 15 of the balls had a striper actually swirl on the bait. It was clear on the graph the stripers were below the balls but not nearly as active or interested in busting them on the surface. My brother and I fished till 6:30 and not one taker. We tried crankbaits, swim baits, A-rig and even live bait. We knew with the sun out the odds were not in our favor for a good day, but each day on the water is a learning experience. We need another overcast day to get the stripers turned back on. I did motor up in the backs of Avoca and Prairie Creek and was surprised to see the amount of Walleye arches showing on the graph, though we did not hook-up to any we did see a few in shallow in the backs of both creeks just milling around. Most were 14 to 16 inches but did see a few well over 20 inches. There were a lot of shad in the backs of both creeks but they were ¾ to 1 ½ inch size and all of them had bass chasing them around. We sat back there and watched the show for a little while and had a good laugh at a Blue Heron who obviously was young as he kept trying to land in deep water to catch shad and quickly realized he was in over his head. Also had a chance to watch a young deer and a squirrel having a rather heated discussion. Appears Mr. Deer was under a tree and Mr. Squirrel did not like him there as he kept screaming at him and throwing things down at him. Reminded me of Grumpy Old Men. All in all it was a great day on the water and just enjoying nature and being blessed to be out in it. Also reminded me not to forget the cast net. I would be willing to bet had I got some decent sized shad for bait we might have had a better chance at the stripers or walleye. But that’s fishing.

Now where I agree catch and keep anglers can affect a creek, so long as a water is open to C&K then it is what it is. Raising the size limit wont change that. You will still have people who keep fish and then what raise the limit again or go to the MDCand request it be closed to C&K because you are not catching fish. Where is the line drawn. C&R anglers drive me nuts, Ive ran into many that look at anyone keeping a fish as if they are sub-human. Its a resource for all to enjoy, If you want to release the fish thats great I release alot of fish to, If you want to keep some great as well I love to eat fish myself. But regulations need to be set so the RESOURCE remains viable. Not to make any one groups wishes before that of the resource. Perhaps the old guy above liked to eat fish and kept a few. Then again a few kids you never saw or a few groups you never saw or even possibly otters might well have decided to take home some fish also.

I would like to see 360 degree sonar for the sportfisherman, yes i know they have it but not that we can afford, then have the ability to switch to detailed side scan in 3d and have the computer brain tell you the length and width of the fish you are looking at and determine the most possible fish likely so it can then take in the PH of the water, Temp of the water, light conditions and put it all togeather to tell you what type of lure and color to use to catch the fish... OH YA and it needs to tell you where to cast it. lord forgive me someone would buy that.

The Upper White River behind Beaver dam is seldom talked about or even thought of as a Walleye Producer except for a few locals. I wouldnt put it past Taney to be another "sleeper" I have caught two walleye on it but dont target them. Its highly possible there is a potential for a targeted species on it. But its overshadowed IMO byt the trout fishing.

Quill. Get the HDS gen 2 and you can have DS and SI front and back. I find though I use my ds more on the front then the SI.

Sounds like yesterday was a day for catching fish from al the reports from many areas. Way to go Guys.

Martin they are tow diffrent things. Both work like a down scan for simple explanation. if you look at the 32.2 ft picture he had you can clearly see the tail defined and the body profile. that is what sidescan does for you. It really enhances your view of the structure.

That is very cool.. no doubt its a spoony, the detail is very nice and looks very much like what i see on my hds when i spot one. You just have to love sidescan's

I started off the day at 9:30 am, I ran up the back of Prairie Creek as far as the boat would go, I found some nice largemouth bass hanging in the creek and thought I would introduce myself. Throwing a ¼ bucktail with a white boot tail swim bait I managed to land 4 decent 2 to 3 pound largemouth. I noticed a lot of bird activity on the bluff line to the East of the Marine and went to investigate, as a Saltwater fishermen I learned birds diving like they were meant something big was pushing the bait to the surface. I was not disappointed by the birds. I managed 15 stripers by 12:45. Not wanting to be greedy I made a call to WC and had him get out there. By the time he had arrived I was up to #23. The bait of choice was Pop (r’S) the wonderful Bucktail combo. The bite slowed down until about 5pm when the water started swirling from stripers, whites and largemouth. I switched over to the A-rig and managed to take 5 more stripers, 1 nice 2lb white and 4 more Largemouths to about 4lbs. I had a pleasant but unexpected guest who decided to inhale my a-rig not just one but 4 of the hooks. A 20 minute battle started and I called WC to come give me a hand as I was not sure if I would be able to net the beast myself. I finally got it in the net and WC lent me his scale to weigh it. My initial guess was 30lbs but his scale quickly made both our jaws drop as it pegged out at 42.4 lbs. The little 18lb I kept for fillets looked so small in compare. It was a great time spent with a good friend having a blast with some truly large fish. But I want to thank the birds most of all if it wasn’t for them I would never have found the active fish.

If this weather pattern holds by mid march I would be starting at PC and working down the lake no further the RB concentrating to points and flats only. The points would be a dawn to 9am and 4 to dark with topwater baits and Bucktails. The rest of the day I would be working flats with Umbrella rigs and swim baits. Now if Old Man Winter shows up and kicks in some serious cold for Late Feb early March then I would be looking from PC to HSB on the flats and pockets.

Cricket you so want to get a thread locked dont ya lol... Already have gone head to head against the A-rig earlier this year... My buddy threw the rig off the front of the boat, I threw gizzard shad right in behind him... I out fished him 4 to 1. We purely wanted to see if it was the end all be all and it isnt... If tournaments were really so worried about harming fish they would go to all Live Bait and Circle hooks. I deep hook more fish with artificial the live bait when circle hooks are used. Then again there is no sponsor money for live bait.

I throw anything from 3.5 inch baits to 8 inch baits. You have to read the bait size in the area. 3.5 right now is even a little big but working. I would look to start where you saw me yesterday but meter around looking for the active fish. If you can avoid the noise makers you might get them on surface. I would really be trying to get some live bait though if there are a bunch of trollers around and set them at 20 to 35 feet down. I cant stress how bad trollers motoring around is for putting stripers down and keeping them down.

Like stump said though, 10 rods out with live bait ( as that is what striper guides pull ) and he still out fishes them with a simple jerk bait. I have done the same thing with live bait, same 10 lines in the water from striper guides and I have thrown live bait to shore and hammered Walleye, Stripers and Bass. It's not always about numbers but presentation and being skilled enough to adapt to where the fish are. Graphs are great but if an angler cant read the water, cant read the hatch and cant match it or get to the fish, all the best baits and graphs in this world wont catch the fish. This bait ( the a-rig ) has many limitations just like any other bait out there. It is great for open water or areas with no structure certainly. But try tossing it in weeds, trees or rocks and you will quickly learn it is a snag machine. I talked to friends in Florida and California about it and they feel the same way, the boys in FL were already cussing it. Not because it doesnt work, but the money they are spending replacing it when it hangs up in unseen cypruss and a couple gators.

LOL, we werwe over fish but with all the other boats they were not going to go surface and even the deeper ones kept deep. The ones further up the cove were showing bottom arches pretty good, my guess is they were staging marbleyes. I did see shad flipping on the surface and they were only 1 to 2 inchers at best. Saturday is looking to be a bust according to 4029, .62 inches of rain possibly switching to snow... I hate fishing in those conditions that cold rain makes it miserable. I love fishing in the rain its great for numbers but my hands dont like me much after lol.

Plenty of wood around right now, hasnt been that cold. I saw several stands out by Hickory Creek this week.

Lets see your going to give me 8hrs with live bait and your going to take 4hrs with the A-rig. I already know your wrong, 8 hrs with live bait I can put over 200pnds on the boat easily. You will need 4 to 6 bass to beat 1 of my fish. Both WC and I threw the A-rig yesterday for 4 hours for 1 fish. Had I had live bait I would have filled the boat. I think you are putting way to much expecations on this bait. It has its uses and places to be used but is not the great " end all be all " bait. Come summer when the fish go shallow and in the buckbrush I want to see guys throw it in there... Im sure some will try and when the lake comes down next winter ill be out getting lots of free A-Rigs hanging in the brush.

Someone probably already has shot one... But im betting next September for the bust...Compact car vs Elk im thinking April early May...

That was me and Wc yesterday, I managed 1 about 10lbs. Way to many boats around us yesterday. I was out the night before and managed 5 of the big girls but no boat traffic.I dont get why people in boats have to crowd in on others. It would be one thing if we were in open water and fish were biting and people were working togeather to get fish, but to pull up on guys fishing and then cut in on them to the shore is just not called for. We could have put 10 boats togeather there all catching fish if people worked togeather, but not when people cut in on where the fish are and run the big motor. Oh well its fishing. They should have gone on a good bite yesterday but I knew pretty fast it wasnt going to happen with 3 boats on the big motors, Stripers do not come up when people are on those bog motors going back and forth over the top of them. If people want them the best thing is to run the electric motor as to not spook them. Yes i was marking plenty of shad and stripers they started out at 30 to 40 ft and were slowly working their way up, but every time a motor came by they went back down.

Sure felt like spring today on Beaver. Beautiful Sunset temps were nice and company was good... Dont say hurry up spring we are in it and Summer might hear you.

My bad, sowwy Justin. But hard to beat the Possum.

Hey Ron, Good point... and a video to lend some thought to it http://youtu.be/xi3GgoLtlWk

Wow Tim, talk about a massive subject of why people are not doing or participating in! I have seen a decline in many activities not just fishing and hunting, but also in youth bowling leagues and football and baseball. Really most out of home activities participation seems to have decreased. The cause’s of are numerous but a few of the major causes as I have seen are: Divorce, this causes the parents to work harder to support themselves and the kids leaving less free time available and what free time is available the activities done are ones where less money is required. Video Games, kids have just gotten lazy and parents even if not divorced are working longer and further from home just to make ends meet which goes back to financial feasibility of the entertainment they can afford. Access, when I was a kid we had plenty of places to hunt and fish and participate in sporting events. Now we have more and more land under private control restricting people’s ability to participate in the outdoors. I am certain many of us could list more reason why. I have taken many a youth hunting and fishing to introduce them to the outdoors. The problem is I am not their parent and shouldn’t be the one teaching them. Parents like it certainly as it gives them a free babysitter for a day. But if the child shows interest it is the parent’s job or IMO should be to then take them and spend the time with them.