Smallmouth Issues/msa Meeting

[Smalliebigs]

Chief, I never said your ideas were bad, they seem to be a step in the right direction.I know you have told me personally about some of the streams in your neck of the woods and how some seem to be over populated with smaller fish.Your area is a very unique little tip of an area of an over all unique system of smallies in general.The Ozark population of smallies we all know is kind of isolated out here geographicly and your Neoshos are an even more isolated population amongst them.I agree in your area they might need to be thinned out a bit but, I just don't keep smallies.So that beeing said I agreed with what OTF's statement.

I started thinking last night if the MSA,Eric,Cricket,Mitch,me and everyone else I know who pratices c&r for river smallies were to start keeping a"legal" limit of smallies everytime we went fishing, what would the angling conditons be like on a lot of our streams???? I really don't think they would be better off, I know a ton of people who are strictly c&r for smallies and could have been doing some serious damage over the past 20 years. I know that sounds pretentious but we are talking about a ton of smallies we have released to fight and reproduce again. I wonder if the MDC even considers something like that or was their surveys clear enough in that aspect.

I also strongly agree with Cricket about the winter smallies beeing very vunerable for obvious reasons and have never understood why the open season for keeping smallies didn't end before the smallies seek their thermal refugias. I would start there and stop the open season on black bass in rivers 11/01. Sorry if I pissed you off Chief, I respect your opinions and you know that. I just don't keep smallies, I haven't for a long time.....since i've been a riverfreak.

Also, I hope Gary Lange or someone else in that part of the state can drum up some intrest to form a chapter of the SMA.There are some rediculous streams to fish down there and I know you guys are very passionate about your resource.I can assure you that the MSA is only working on behalf of all of us to make better fishing opurtunities for the present and the future. I have a two year old daughter at home who still needs to catch an 18 inch smallie.

[drew03cmc]

For many years we have posted all public stream accesses in Ozarks with our MDC approved Help Create World Class Smallmouth Bass Fishing in Missouri signs.

Funny, I took that straight from your post.

I never said that MSA has posted our signs at ALL accesses in state. Last year, we hit about 140 public accesses -- I can provide the exact accesses posted by us if anyone is interested. The SW corner of state as well as remote (in relation to STL metro area where most of our members reside) areas in S. Central Ozarks have been difficult for our volunteers to post. We certainly have members in SW MO area (Springfield mostly) but unfortunately our primary volunteer for sign posting down there was unable to help out last year.

PS -- a former member of the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance, Gary Lange of Nixa, tried to get interest in a SWMO MSA chapter going early last year (on this board) but became frustrated by a lack of interest from folks as almost no one turned out for his organizational meeting. If folks are interested in making a real difference in helping to shape the future of our state's native smallmouth fisheries, I welcome them to get on board with the MO Smallmouth Alliance. Message board postings are interesting and informative, but constructive dialog with fisheries managers will be more effective in really getting things done.

Yes, your exact words are that you posted all accesses. I guess that is wrong though, right?

If you recall, the effort by Gary was well received, but when meetings are on a Wednesday night, most of us have to work, and some of us live HOURS away, so Wednesday nights don't work. A weekend meeting would work better, and we talked to him about that, and then haven't heard anything else about it. Keep on beating that drum about if you don't join the MSA, you don't care.

[Gavin]

You are nit picking Drew. Dan offered you some signage if you want some....If not, carry on.

[hank franklin]

Wow, haven't been on here in a while, what madness.

Great info Al, thanks.

[drew03cmc]

No Gavin, I called Dan out on something not true. He said he never said that, and I plainly found it and quoted it to him from his own posts.

[Dan Kreher]

Funny, I took that straight from your post.

Yes, your exact words are that you posted all accesses. I guess that is wrong though, right?

If you recall, the effort by Gary was well received, but when meetings are on a Wednesday night, most of us have to work, and some of us live HOURS away, so Wednesday nights don't work. A weekend meeting would work better, and we talked to him about that, and then haven't heard anything else about it. Keep on beating that drum about if you don't join the MSA, you don't care.

Those far SW MO accesses were posted at some point several years ago, but we unfortunately were unable to get to them last year. Sorry for unintentionally misleading readers.

Not that I don't think non members don't care about these issues. Clearly posters on Ozark Anglers clearly do. Individuals are just not as likely to be as effective in having their voices heard though if they're not part of our organization. We've got members with lots of different ideas, interests and opinions. But we have to work as an organization to craft our messages, effort our activities and collectively decide how to make a difference. Leaders have to lead or nothing gets done.

Join MSA if you'd like to, rattle Gary Lange's cage telling him you'd like to help him get something going in SWMO or remain independent. You can do as you wish. However, it seems uproductive to me that I need to spend energy defending the only organization focused on protecting and improving Missouri's stream smallmouth bass fisheries -- the MO Smallmouth Alliance -- rather than discussing ways how like-minded anglers can help shape the future of our sport and management of our resources. Some folks seem to like complaining while others try and do something constructive about issues. Do we have all the answers -- NO -- but at least we're putting for the effort on behalf of other anglers.

It is silly that we have to keep going down this path when we all seem to want the same thing -- better smallmouth bass fisheries -- for both today and future generations.

[eric1978]

However, it seems uproductive to me that I need to spend energy defending the only organization focused on protecting and improving Missouri's stream smallmouth bass fisheries

You don't have to, Dan. Ignore the trolls and keep doing what you're doing. People who are smallmouth enthusiasts yet rail against the MSA...you have to figure they have some issues, God knows what. Maybe they didn't get enough attention when they were kids.

[ness]

Drew:

Dan clearly simply misspoke. How about we give him a pass on the one word "all", and focus on the other couple hundred he took the time to write? There's some pretty good info in there.

I kinda think it's a low blow to say MSA thinks you don't care if you don't join. Nobody said, or even implied that. They've got a lot more muscle than we do individually. They've got a plan, they've got momentum. I don't know what you're up to this weekend, but it sounds like MSA will be bending the ear of an MDC biologist. I can't speak for them, but I can speak from experience: any all-volunteer organization will let you help out without an expectation of you paying for the privilege.

I've said it before -- you don't have to be 100% in agreement to get on board with a cause. If you're waiting for that, well you'll never be on board for anything. Heck, you'd never vote and neither would I. But coming on here and dropping a deuce on the whole organization because of a typo, and the fact that their schedule doesn't fit yours, seems pretty lame.

They are the best ally of the MO smallmouth angler, period.

[ozark trout fisher]

you have to figure they have some issues, God knows what. Maybe they didn't get enough attention when they were kids.

Wow, that's pretty uncalled for. For the record, I do totally support what the MSA does, but still, way too far I think.

[eric1978]

Wow, that's pretty uncalled for. For the record, I do totally support what the MSA does, but still, way too far I think.

Man, you're sensitive. Okay, sorry...how about, got beat up a lot in grade school? That better?