Derby Day Was A Joke!

[10pointer]

I was excited to get down to do some last weekend catch and keep, so i went with the boys down to meramec for derby day.

It was the worst experience ever let me tell you. The biggest bunch of no skill fishing hoosiers ive ever seen in my life. I was disgusted with all the trashy people i saw down there. I can honestly say ill never go down there again unless its c&r.

I had a lunker 3 feet from me and the other people didnt see it, then some guy in a "tsunami" vest snagged him in the side of the head. If it was me id cut it loose right away if i had it foul hooked but not him, he fought the darn thing for 10 minutes until it broke/got off. I left and went downstream only to see another one gett snagged in the side and kept. I went upstream and there was one fish that everyone and their brother was trying to snag. Id say almost every minute or two it was getting hooked in the side/head/ tail and breaking people off. Then some joker upstream from that hooks a broken off line and fights another lunker for 30 minutes and conservation came down to make sure he let it go.

DONT these idiots know that fighting a fish all the way till its on its side will only kill the darn thing? U cant fight a big fish like that and expect it to live. What a joke.

Then some kid is standing next to my buddies and snags a lunker for the 3rd time (it already had two of his worms in its side). He nets it and wont let it back in the water for 4 or 5 minutes. He tries to keep it and my buddies throw a fit and tell him they were gonna report him. He got all pissed off and threw it back and was mouthing off. What an idiot.

Then i see some bosnian guy with 4 fish on his stringer still fishing. Then he catches a tagged fish....puts it on the stringer and lets a dead one off the stringer and it floats downstream. He walks away only to come back later with less fish on the stringer!!!

It was absolutely horrible, it was my first time and ill never go back down there for that hossier snag/law breaking fest. It was loser central.

/end rant

sorry guys i was just frusterated. Anybody else make it down there for it?????????????

[laker67]

10 Pointer,

Derby day used to be a "bragging rights" type event, biggest fish, heaviest stringer, that type of thing. I'm sad to hear that it has turned into what you have just described.

[Terry Beeson]

This is just the kind of thing that feeds the PETA and similar forces.

Sad that people have so much disrespect for the sport, but there are way too many people out there who are only in it to get as much as they can get away with. Another reason I will only go during C&R season myself.

[DoveTail]

If they are standing next to you and the fish are snagged, take a pic and call OPERATION GAME THEIF! I can't believe someone has 4 fish on a stringer and is still fishing. Granted the Conservation Agents are thin but if you are standing right next to these people and don't help report it, the problem just continues. Sorry the weekend was like that. At least the C*R season is much better.

[zander]

My wife is Croatian and they speak pretty much the same language as in Bosnia. Things to say "the next time" spelled phonetically" 1) Sahmo chetree reebah (only four fish) 2) Naymawsh yosh pastrvah (you can't have more trout) 3) Tee see zlow-chistah (you are naughty-my son hears that one a lot) 4) Pohlahko moleem, howchem reebah ishtoe (slow please, I want some fish too)

Of course the first Croatian I learned was my wife cursing at me in Croatian but that wouldn't go over well on this board. Sorry to hear about the time you had. But I agree that Operation Gamethief number in the phone is the way to go.

Phillip Taylor

[Murdoc]

I think that is why Roaring River doesn't do it anymore. NO CLASS!!!!

[bikehikefish]

Nothing you said here surprises me - just a normal busy weekend at Maramec Springs. I see that kind of stuff EVERY time I am there.

I was there Saturday too - but when we saw it was Derby Day we decided to not fish the park, and went to the trophy area outside the park. We saw the usual violations there too - a guy starting to put a sub 15 inch fish on a stringer until I "reminded" him about the regulation; another guy fishing with plastic.

There was a posting on this forum a week or so ago from someone who said he was an MDC agent, who suggested the anglers report violations. That's fine, but I would be spending a good portion of my fishing time - every time I go - calling OGT and identifying poachers. Maybe if an agent stopped by the park one afternoon a week, he would have no trouble finding violations, and after a few tickets were written, word would get out that the rules should be followed.

[DoveTail]

The squeaky wheel gets the oil. If the violations are that common and anyone sees it occurring, call it in. I will call in any I see. If the authorities are not notified and complaints just stay on this forum, then how will they know? I suspect they may respond to other calls that are coming in. If there are not any complaints about all the fishing violations that are occurring, how can they keep track of how much is actually going on?

That’s a great suggestion for an agent to go there and check it out. I am sure it comes down to resources. So if someone has a < 15” trout in the trophy area, call it in. As it was mentioned, the issuing of a few citations will get the word out. There is no excuse for not obeying the laws. I make sure what every water system I go on that I understand all the rules for it prior to going out. I’m sure a few may innocently not realize a violation, but from what I am reading here, it looks like these are blatant.

[BKB]

So.... In this forum's opinion....are the rulebreakers getting worse or are we just noticing/complaining about it more?

[itsthejash]

Hmm after hearing this I am glad I decided to sleep in that morning.