I'm Really, Really Sick Of This...

[jdmidwest]

While fishing Montauk Catch and Release today, I noticed alot of scarred and stabbed fish in the stream and one on my hook. Sorry, left the camera in the truck, so no photo. I am pretty sure they were not gigged, probably stabbed by the lowlife Heron or snagged by an Otter. This may be some of the damage you were seeing in some of the areas and thinking they were caused by giggers.

On the other hand, I did notice about dark in the town of Licking, MO, a major hatch of jon boats with jets and gigging rigs migrating west toward the Piney River. Seems like it is a great thing to do in that area.

I don't think we need to control the population of any species of fish other than the non native species that are threatening the native ones. Without human intervention, I think our streams would control themselves. We don't have to hunt down suckers to keep them from overpopulating. We do need to catch and release game species to insure that there are some to catch in the future so we can enjoy our sport.

[Al Agnew]

jd, I think we already talked about the herons. Herons simply do not prey upon 18 inch plus smallmouth, nor will you find smallmouth of that size, or bass of any size, shallow enough during the day to be reached by herons, especially in the winter. It simply doesn't happen. Herons prey upon the bass in my pond...I've watched them. But they never go after bass much over 12 inches, and they can only reach the bass that are lying in no more than 18 inches of water. Bass just don't go that shallow in late fall and winter.

As for otters, they are certainly efficient bass predators. But they cannot make the kind of holes and scrapes in bass that we are finding. It just doesn't fit the size of their teeth and jaws.

Don't know what was causing the scars on the fish you saw, could have been herons, since trout CAN be shallow enough for herons to reach in cold weather, unlike bass.

[jdmidwest]

Smallmouth do get shallow when chasing minnows in riffles and edgewaters and along weedbeds, so the heron is still a culprit. And for some reason they will strike at fish larger than they could ever eat as you witnessed in your pond. I have seen them kill 18" plus fish out of a pond on our farm.

I think most poacher giggers would throw the bass in the boat if they gig it and not leave it in the river. It has less bones.

[ness]

Yep, "education" is one of those throw-away terms that sounds good in theory, but I don't see it solving this problem. The people who are doing it deliberately KNOW it's against the law...they don't need educating on that fact. They also think that they have the right to do whatever they please once they are out of sight of law enforcement, and the only education that will fix that is as Gary said.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss education. I'd agree you're not going to educate the bad guys into being good. But, educating people about the problem is surely a good thing. I, for one, had never given it much thought. Sure, I was aware that gigging was going on, and since I'm more a trout fisherman, I knew of the limitations in Blue Ribbon areas and assumed the reasons for that. But, I had never heard of the type of situation you described in your first post. So, we're educating folks just by discussing it right here.

As for solving the problem -- if the measure of success is immediately stopping all illegal gigging, we're gonna fail. But, lets chop that elephant into little pieces before we cook it. The flow of ideas here has lead to some things we can do:

- be more diligent in reporting illegally-gigged fish; document with pictures of the fish, cars, license plates, dates/times, etc; don't let lack of cell coverage or other impediments prevent you from filing a report -- just do it as soon as you can and have solid facts when you do it;

- consider joining the MSA or getting involved with organizing a SW Missouri chapter; work with them to educate people through their website, signage, or whatever else they cook up;

- attend MDC public meetings, or figure out other ways to steer the existing MDC resources toward this issue. We know it's tough to police, but it's not impossible;

- a couple people mentioned policing the accesses. I think that could have some merit, if handled properly, but it could also lead to (big) problems if it was not. Letting people know, politely, what the rules are and that big brother is watching could be both educational and a deterrent;

- I think it could make sense to contact landowners near the hot-spotted areas to (i) make them aware of the problem, and (ii) inform them that people are about, and that illegal giggers are being watched. This could lead to their help (like, naming names), or could put them on alert (and serve as a deterrent) if they're one of the bad guys;

- someone suggested posting reports and/or pictures here, and I think that's a great idea. This place has a very large number of visitors, and there's power in those numbers. Also, collecting information, pictures, etc. all in one easily-accessible place could assist in building a case for the MDC.

Anyhoo -- just some thoughts. I'm not as pessimistic about the situation as some folks seem to be. There are things we can do to improve it, the framework is in place, and there are people right here reading this that could get the ball rolling.

[Wayne SW/MO]

2. It has become a lot more efficient than it used to be, and probably with more people doing it regularly.

I suspect this has more to do with increasing the problem than anything else. I can't think of any sport were the advantages between hunter and prey has been closed so tight.

[Gavin]

2 boats gigging...300 fish in an hour & a half..That had to be non-stop gigging...

I've never been, but what do most folks do when they gig? Do they use a couple of boats to herd fish into a big school and jab away, or do most select individual fish?

[Wayne SW/MO]

2 boats gigging...300 fish in an hour & a half..That had to be non-stop gigging..

Why? that's not even 2 fish per minute?

[Gary Lange]

Smallmouth do get shallow when chasing minnows in riffles and edgewaters and along weedbeds, so the heron is still a culprit. And for some reason they will strike at fish larger than they could ever eat as you witnessed in your pond. I have seen them kill 18" plus fish out of a pond on our farm.

I think most poacher giggers would throw the bass in the boat if they gig it and not leave it in the river. It has less bones.

I am wondering if the Heron is eliminating competition for the food source he utilizes when he stabs the Bass and kills it. They both eat the same thing. Kind of like Wolves and Coyotes.

[Sam]

Like a lot of people, I was born and raised here in Missouri, worked in California, then retired and moved back home. I did a lot of fishing during those years in Southern California.

With no running rivers it's all lake fishing there, in reservoirs just a few miles long. As population and fishing pressure increases, I think Missouri will eventually have the kind of regulations they have out there. If a fisherman moved here from California, he wouldn't hardly believe the stuff that's allowed here in Missouri and Arkansas.

In Southern California:

Gigging, grabbing, and spearfishing - illegal.

Fishing with live bait - illegal.

Fishing after dark - illegal most places.

Limb lines, trotlines, and jug lines - illegal.

Fishing with more than 2 poles - illegal.

I'm not sticking up for California, it's a messed-up state with 'way too many people. But those fishing laws have made their small lakes a lot more productive, per acre of water, than the lakes around here. Eventually, I think that's the way it'll have to be here.

[Forsythian]

Dang Sam, sounds kinda Orwellian to me.

I can see it happening though... and this 9-pager is the recipe:

Add 1 part bad-apple, then add 3 parts of anecdotal fiction. Throw in a cup of "never tried it", a tablespoon of "unknown", and "assume" to taste.

Don't stir. It needs to be stirred, but just assume you can't.

Allow the concoction to bask in the self-righteous glow of knowing yours is truly sporting. Apply liberally to all competing sportsmen. You'll know it's done when your preferred fishing method is the sole remaining legal means.