Extending Trophy Smallmouth Waters

[jdmidwest]

Alot of counties in the Ozarks have a poorer standard of living and are less educated than others. Poaching is done out of ignorance of the laws or to feed families. Then you have those that poach for the sport of it. Like drunk driving, everyone knows you will get caught if you do it enough, but people still do it. I can count the times I have been checked on local smallie streams on one hand in 45 years, I could use both hands if I add in the streams that have trout in them. I have always wanted to see more enforcement of the fishing laws in streams. I have always felt that smallies could stand a little more protection. Other bass seem to grow better and faster and stand the fishing pressure better than the smallies.

[hank franklin]

I agree Al, the regs send a message. Right now the general message is smallmouth are "black bass" and keep a big stringer full if you want. In the trophy areas the message is "hey, smallmouth are important here" but the trophy areas are pretty small.

Compare the smallmouth "message" to the trout, which has white and blue and red ribbon designations and separate zones and differing length limits, etc. I don't fish for trout much so I don't really pay attention to the regs, but the message is clear: "Trout are valued."

Missouri for the most part does not "value" the stream smallmouth in its regs.

[Flysmallie]

Enforcement will always be an issue. Education is the key to everything. That's why we have to educate as many people as we can.

Does anyone have any involvement with the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance? I have been looking at their website but it appears to be out of date and not much going on.

[bigredbirdfan]

Don't miss what I said earlier. Do you honestly think that "Backwoods Joe" sits down with each new wildlife code book and reads it cover to cover? And most of you have admitted most people consider a bass a bass irregardless of which kind of bass. Do you really think "Backwoods Joe" shows up for education day at his local Department of Conservation Learning Center. I am laughing as I write this. What I meant to convey earlier is that enforcement is education and the best education is an agent in the field informing the public which bass are which and what regulations are. Just not enough agents beating the streams in my opinion, but lots of money going into conservation.

[Al Agnew]

Enforcement will always be an issue. Education is the key to everything. That's why we have to educate as many people as we can.

Does anyone have any involvement with the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance? I have been looking at their website but it appears to be out of date and not much going on.

I've been a member for many years and I'm on the blue ribbon panel mentioned earlier. Problem with the website is that since it's a volunteer organization, it's been difficult to find anybody to take care of the website.

[Guest]

deleted

[hank franklin]

Wow, Illinois website looks great.

I appreciate the work Mo Smallmouth Alliance does and realize it's all volunteer. But their website is obsolete, basically, and their newsletter in recent years hasn't been so great. If they need to hire computer help to improve their web and commmunications it would be money well-spent in my opinion.

I'm not a big computer guy or I would help.