Gigging Is Stupid

[ozark trout fisher]

I'm truly amazed by the level of anger and vitriole in this thread. Can none of you express your point without stooping to that? No one is going to listen to you if you are calling all giggers white trash or dropping the f-bomb every fifth word.It doesn't help your point, it just takes away from it. I don't like particularly like gigging either, but come on...Base your arguments on facts and logic, not blanket insults against a whole class of people. And there are plenty of good points to be made against gigging, just not like this.

[FishinCricket]

I'm truly amazed by the level of anger and vitriole in this thread. Can none of you express your point without stooping to that? No one is going to listen to you if you are calling all giggers white trash or dropping the f-bomb every fifth word.It doesn't help your point, it just takes away from it. I don't like particularly like gigging either, but come on...Base your arguments on facts and logic, not blanket insults against a whole class of people.

Truly!!

[Smalliebigs]

Back to the topic...gigging and snagging are about as white trash as it gets. If you are really that poor you should be at work and not on the water anyway. I guess if you are homeless and starving and don't have a rod and real, it is a way to stay alive. Otherwise, you are just a dumb hick that enjoys raping the land like most of the people I meet when I am fishing.

I have always like your style and agree whole heartedly

[Smalliebigs]

Base your arguments on facts and logic, not blanket insults against a whole class of people. And there are plenty of good points to be made against gigging, just not like this.

OTF, there are no facts or logic on gigging.......The MDC has no idea of how many gamefish are beeing skewered out there. I know what I have witnessed over the last 8 years of fishing in the winter on rivers and that is I catch a lot of Smallmouth Bass, most of which are what would most consider trophies that have gig holes and wounds. These Smallmouth take a long time to get that big and we have no idea how many are actually beeing harvested.I can draw a conclusion that if I'm catching quite a few nice smallies with gig scars and wounds that there are probally way more actually beeing harvested. I can also say that if all of these fish are the product of mis-identification, the lame excuse I have herd over and over, that gigging and giggers are inherently dangerous to the trophy smallies that swim in our rivers.I also don't buy the lame "fact" that some allege the rivers would become over run with White and Hognose suckers if we didn't allow the "tradition" to continue.

I gaurantee if you were catching Trophy Browns on the Current or little puny wild Rainbows from Crane with gig wounds in them you would be barking at the moon.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I have always like your style and agree whole heartedly

Once again ignorance runs rampant on here. I agree with Ozark Trout Fisher because if you agree with tactician you I doubt that you know any giggers or much about it. Well smallie I see you were posting while I was typing and once again you stretch it. Yes there are reasons for gigging, why not use a resource? If you see "lots", why do the rest of us see a few or the "fact" you've heard about White and Hognose. When people like you talk to the MDC they don't listen. They don't listen because you don't come across with any reasonable ideas, and the status quo remains.

I'm as passionate about smallies as anyone on here, but I realize that the MDC will have to follow through eventually on adjusting regulations concerning gigging to the point they can enforce safeguards for other species.

[Fishslayer88]

those bass must really be hurt by them gig marks if they were chasing a bait.....

[Smalliebigs]

Once again ignorance runs rampant on here. I agree with Ozark Trout Fisher because if you agree with tactician you I doubt that you know any giggers or much about it. Well smallie I see you were posting while I was typing and once again you stretch it. Yes there are reasons for gigging, why not use a resource? If you see "lots", why do the rest of us see a few or the "fact" you've heard about White and Hognose. When people like you talk to the MDC they don't listen. They don't listen because you don't come across with any reasonable ideas, and the status quo remains.

I'm as passionate about smallies as anyone on here, but I realize that the MDC will have to follow through eventually on adjusting regulations concerning gigging to the point they can enforce safeguards for other species.

Oh, I'm sorry Wayne I didn't know that you know that much about me as far as that I allegedly don't know anyone who gigs or anything about gigging. Please enlighten me about the nuances of giging, please end my ignorance on gigging if you would. I think I pretty much know what gigging involves and I have gigged once with my uncle on the Current. The rest of your statement didn't make much sense......."If you see "lots", why do the rest of us see a few or the "fact" you've heard about White and Hognose"??????

I know what I have caught with gig scars and can only draw reasonable conclusions and you have know idea what or how I will say anything to anyone at the MDC.

" why not use a resource?" oh please......let's start eating dogs there are plenty of them out there.Biological diversity in a stream is needed for healty system, we shouldn't just harvest something because they are present and won't bite your lure......talk about ignorance.

[exiledguide]

Tactian and Smalliebigs you sound as though you are pasionate about gigging but you have gotten to the point you both are sounding like website bullies. So I would think about Twains " Better to remain silent and have people think that you are.........." If you realy feel that passionate about giggers tell the giggers how you feel face to face show every one you do have the courage of your conviction.

[Smalliebigs]

Exiledguide, if you think that I wouldn't confront a gigger that I witnessed illegally gigging or filleting up some smallies on a sand bar or boat ramp??? well you don't know me all that well. I appologize if you feel bullied by my statements.

[FishinCricket]

Tactian and Smalliebigs you sound as though you are pasionate about gigging but you have gotten to the point you both are sounding like website bullies. So I would think about Twains " Better to remain silent and have people think that you are.........." If you realy feel that passionate about giggers tell the giggers how you feel face to face show every one you do have the courage of your conviction.

I don't see how that would help anything, frankly.. Violence never solved a civilized problem, now did it?

I think these two fellas are aggravated, and with sound reason. Sometimes it isn't what you say, but how you say it... SmallieBigs has pointed out to us before that, when he finds a gigged fish, it's like he just found his girlfriend being raped.

I think we can all understand that passion, that bitterness, eh? I too found it difficult to maintain my composure when presented with similar situations.

His "attitude" is just as pretzeled as OneShots "at least giggers throw em back" silliness. (seriously, that's just goofy.. And besides, I've never known of an eagles talon to make a straight line puncture would all the way through its target, but that's just forensics talking there)

Frankly, neither "attitude" will get this conversation anywhere... Unfortunate.