Comment Thread - Shuffling

[Wayne SW/MO]

While Shuffling irritates me, I think kicking Trout back into the water from the gravel, or 2"s of water makes me madder, and almost as much as taking 5 minutes to photograph a big fish and then scooting it with a foot to deep water, where it will drift away. after its "released"

I would like to see a law that states if a fish is to be released, it has to maintain contact with the water.

[Fish Bork]

Im pretty sure that this is clear enough....To disturb or dislodge the stream bottom for the purpose of attracting fish is illegal. fishbork the reason the fish have "learned" to get the free meal is because of shufflers. also, the species of gammarus aka scuds are native.

Heres a little snippet from James F. Keefe about biodiversity

Lake Taneycomo (in Taney County, Missouri) was drastically altered when Table Rock dam was built, because water entering Taneycomo from the bottom of Table Rock Lake was too cold to support the fish species that had lived in Lake Taneycomo. The Missouri Department of Conservation created a trout fishery where a warm-water fishery once existed to offset the lost species, but there was a considerable loss in bio-diversity in the lake. The Department of Conservation introduced a freshwater "shrimp" called gammarus into the lake to provide food for the trout, a tiny addition to the lake's bio-diversity. But populations of gammarus have declined as the area has developed and the result has been smaller trout for the angler. It is not yet known why the gammarus have declined, but there is little doubt that some changes in the lake have affected their population and those changes must have resulted from man's activities in the watershed.

This was from 92

[Kicknbass]

You just don't see them JS.. but believe me - they see a lot of what goes on down there.

Unchanged. Lets save the ink on unenforcable laws. Maybe there would be more resources available to get agents in the field.

If the MDC has agent in a area they would be better serving the public by showing their presence in most cases. It's kinda of like tapping your breaks when you see the Hwy Patrol. Their presence makes you more aware of your speed whether your speeding or not. The regular presence of the agents in an area would keep the marginal anglers straight. There no help for the poachers.

[Danoinark]

Kicknbass...I agree more agents are always a deterent. But if there is no law against shufflin, then it makes no difference whether someone is doing it or not and in front of a MDC officer. If there is a clearly defined law, it's their tool to enforcement. I also agree that poaching probably does more damage than shufflin'...Dano

[Kicknbass]

I just think that there are SO... many laws on the books that are not being enforced, that it is silly to keep adding additional laws that there not going to enforce. Put an ethic page in the fishing rule book that educate folks on the reasons not to shuffle. The MDC has enough on their plate than to sit back and watch for stream dancers.

[Danoinark]

Kicknbass...and you may be entirely right. I would like to see what an MDC agent says about it also.

At least this is some good debate eh?

Dano

[Kicknbass]

Yea, it's good debate. What else is a guy to do when he's not fishing only wish'n.

[Phil Lilley]

"But populations of gammarus have declined as the area has developed "

I've heard that alot... but the fact remains MDC stocked 1.5-1.7 mil rainbows in the early-mid 80's, admittedly overpopulating the lake and that's why I believe the shrimp declined. In my opinion, they are still stocking too many rainbows for the shrimp population to re-populate. If there were less trout, there would be more food and faster growing rainbows. I think it's that simple.

The question is, then, what do you want- a fishery with less and bigger rainbows or more and smaller? With the tourism base we have, #2 will win out every time.

But you know, we still have a great trout fishery, by anyone's standards.

[Brian K. Shaffer]

It is a shame - not that you right - but that I think you are totally correct.

If they tried 500K next year - what would happen then ?

Brian

[Phil Lilley]

There'd be alot of unhappy campers....