More Smallie Action In River

[Mitch f]

you crack me up man! I love it

[drew03cmc]

Zipstick, your comment here: "Pretty rare to get this low and clear water in our streams in April and the smallies are bedding now. Often I find just one real bedding community every 10 miles or so, even on a well populated stream, and this week I located two such places. I was fortunate to find them with B Man Monday and Tuesday of this week.

These "spawning bedrooms" often have 5-10 adult smallies that usually go 13-20 inches with both males and females vulnerable to just about any well placed lure.

These spawning areas can vary a little each year as the rivers change from flooding. A bedroom may shift over a 1/2 mile away, and they do because the bass have found a better more protected area for spawning.

B Man and I caught 9 or 10 (we lost count) over 17 inches and here are two of the better fish." is what we are all having a problem with. Inadvertent catches of spawning smallmouth cannot be avoided, but to target them is pretty low. Do you like being bothered when you and your lady are in coitus? I think not.

I just want you to give these fish the respect they deserve during this very stressful time of year.

[taxidermist]

If it was gigging that hurts smallmouth, then Crooked Creek and Buffalo River would be full of 8 poundsmallies.

[Outside Bend]

Not to completely derail the thread, but to me it just seems incongruent to say giggers are decimating trophy bass in streams, while at the same time throwing up photos of folks consistently catching trophy bass in streams.

Let's put it into perspective: If a river receives 100 anglers a day in the summer, each angler catches 10 smallies, and there's a 10% mortality rate (water temperature, use of bait/lures, and poor handling), then by the end of that day there's 100 dead smallies. What's the difference to the population if 100 guys kill one smallie a day in June and one guy kills 100 smallies a night in November? Either way, there's enough smallmouth to replenish themselves each season, and to provide proficient anglers with some quality fish.

Now many of those fish which die each summer could have grown into trophy bass, if only they hadn't been killed. Most of the angling pressure Ozark streams receive is on weekends, ergo most of the angling mortality occurs on weekends. Now, if we banned angling on Ozark streams we'd reduce that mortality, and arguably it could produce better angling. Is that an avenue we should pursue to produce more trophy bass? Where do you draw the line, and isn't that line sort of arbitrary?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending giggers who poach bass. They should be identified and prosecuted. I'd even be willing for some sort of legislation which would require game offenders to seek trial in Jeff City or somewhere out of their own county, as to avoid any conflict of interest.

But I think the majority of giggers are getting a raw deal with this whole smallmouth issue. It's like any other obvious source of mortality- be it herons, otters, or giggers. Folks see an otter eating a smallie, or a smallie with gig-marks, and irrationally determine that the fisheries are being "decimated," because of these depredations. Never mind that an otter couldn't hope to kill as many smallies in its lifetime as are killed opening weekend; never mind that one a*hole in a gig boat killing a dozen smallies a night has roughly the same impact on the population as a dozen guys with conventional gear practicing C&R on a good day. I just think lots of anglers are too quick to determine their poor success is the other guy's fault, as opposed to take into account their own impacts on the resource.

So yeah, catch the poachers. Prosecute the poachers. But I'd be highly suspect of anyone's claims that poachers are singlehandedly decimating large Ozark smallie streams. All I'm saying is we should quit blowing the gigger issue out of proportion...

[ozark trout fisher]

Look, there's an oil spill going on in the Gulf of Mexico that is threatening to destroy one of the greatest sport fisheries in the world, not to mention the birds, turtles, and anything else that may live in the sea. And yet we are talking about the relative impact of gigging on large Ozark Smallmouth streams. Kinda small potatoes compared to some things that are going on right now. I'm perfectly willing to engage in these kind of things when there are no more important conservation issues to talk about, but not now.

You guys know how I feel about poachers and gigging in general, but seriously?

[eric1978]

If I lived in the Gulf, I have a feeling I wouldn't give a rat's butt what the smallmouth population was like in the Ozarks. I'm not saying the oil spill doesn't bother me, it really, really does. But let's be honest...we don't live down there, we live here, and this is where our recreation is.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Not to completely derail the thread, but to me it just seems incongruent to say giggers are decimating trophy bass in streams, while at the same time throwing up photos of folks consistently catching trophy bass in streams.

I have been saying that for like a year now. It just don't sink in it seems.

Look, there's an oil spill going on in the Gulf of Mexico that is threatening to destroy one of the greatest sport fisheries in the world, not to mention the birds, turtles, and anything else that may live in the sea.

Oh, OTF, that oil ain't gonna get the Ozarks!

[drew03cmc]

If I lived in the Gulf, I have a feeling I wouldn't give a rat's butt what the smallmouth population was like in the Ozarks. I'm not saying the oil spill doesn't bother me, it really, really does. But let's be honest...we don't live down there, we live here, and this is where our recreation is.

Holy Crap!!! We agree again. I wish there were measures that could be taken to prevent stuff like this oil spill, but honestly, it doesn't keep me up at night.

[Outside Bend]

Look, there's an oil spill going on in the Gulf of Mexico that is threatening to destroy one of the greatest sport fisheries in the world, not to mention the birds, turtles, and anything else that may live in the sea. And yet we are talking about the relative impact of gigging on large Ozark Smallmouth streams. Kinda small potatoes compared to some things that are going on right now. I'm perfectly willing to engage in these kind of things when there are no more important conservation issues to talk about, but not now.

You guys know how I feel about poachers and gigging in general, but seriously?

But seriously...what's this have to do with the conversation of hand. If someone starts a thread on the oil spill, will you write about the ethics of fishing for spawners and the effects of gigging on smallmouth bass populations?

Believe it or not, it is possible for some folks to be enraged about the oil spill and still be concerned with conservation issues closer to home.

[jdmidwest]

Obama caused the oil spill! He was trying to pollute the Heron wintering grounds so they will not stab the smallies!