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

[Forsythian]

Good post Sam... can't argue with a lick of it.

[Kicknbass]

Sam,

Your absolutely correct. Those same people keep bass out of season, short bass, over the limit, it doesn't matter as to what the law says, they don't care. But know one is advocating for the limiting of or elimination of rod and reel fishing quite as loudly as those suggesting limiting gigging in this thread. Enforcement is the correct path. Just an occasional license check at the boat ramps would help some. The presence of law enforcement is powerful. I know the agents can't catch the bad guys all the time and the resources are limited. I've heard the arguments before. However, this is the first step that needs to change, before considering changing the law.

I would be curious to know how many "operation game thief" reports are filed w/ the MDC regarding gigging of game fish. I'm sure the state has this information. You guys catching SMB w/ gig marks should be taking photos and filing OGT reports when you have hard evidence the illegal activity is taking place. With this information the MDC would have better knowledge as to the best areas to target their enforcement presence to help curtail the illegal activity.

That being said, an occasional game fish is being gigged by folks that are by all intentions trying to be law abiding. I have a funny gigging story to tell regarding an illegally gigged walleye.

My father is a very experience gigger, and can easily identify game fish from legal suckers. Unfortunately for him, on this one gigging trip, he took one of the church deacons, his son, and the preacher on a gigging trip. Now the deacon and the preacher had been gigging before, but they didn't have a lot of gigging experience. My dad always made a point to stop and check the tub for game fish prior to coming into the boat ramp just to verify that all the fish taken that night were legal. On this particular night, he ran through the usual routine and stopped on a gravel bar upstream from the boat ramp to check the tub, and gut the fish. Just like most nights, all the fish were suckers, nothing out of the ordinary all the fish were legal. Well, they still had a couple of holes to gig through before they got to the boat ramp to take out, and the deacon and preacher stayed on the front of the boat to gig while dad motored back to the ramp. They picked up a couple of additional small fish on the way back, nothing unusual (or so they thought).

Upon arriving at the ramp, who was there to meet them, but the local MDC agent. After showing fishing licenses, and small talk, the agent ask to check the fish. Upon checking the tub of fish, the agent found a small walleye in the tub on top of the gutted suckers. One of the fish picked up on the way back to the ramp after gutting the fish was a illegal game fish. Neither the preacher or the deacon would admit to gigging the walleye. Dad ended up with the citation since he owned the boat, he was so irritated, but what do you do. I promise you none of the men in the boat intended on killing a game fish, but with out a doubt it does happen. Walleye have a mottled appearance similar to a hog sucker. An experience fisherman can tell the difference, but it is difficult if you don't have a fair amount of experience.

I promise, had my dad found that illegal fish prior to the game warden, he wouldn't have turned himself in like fishgypsy's father, that fish would have been released to be caught a few days later by Al or one of his winter fishing guru's.