Gigging Is Stupid

[FishinCricket]

Wayne, since you resorted to name calling my Uncle is far from stupid and it's obvious my friend you don't have the brain compacity to see why gigging is inherently bad for Black bass on rivers because of the mind set of some that participate in it.

Have fun warning people on this forum about things like scupper holes getting lodged on logs, like it's an issue.

Are you aware that you're the one being an asshat, or is this news to you?

Not what you say, but how you say it. For all you know Wayne is an ethical gigger, in which case you're BOTH name calling, aren't you?

Anyone else need to sit in the corner? :peers_around:

[FishinCricket]

Maybe if we weren't looking through binoculars during the day at a kid smoking dope we could be on the river at night checking people gigging bass.

And that pretty well proves that it's all about the revenue, eh? Good point.

[Justin Spencer]

Let's try thinking of solutions. If there is extensive poaching by giggers on the Meramec or other identifiable rivers that are known as being the illegal sites for poaching, contact MDC officers. Maybe a sting operation could be set up. Maybe local residents near access areas could notify MDC game wardens when they see gigging boats putting in. Even if the giggers were legal when checked, at least word would get out to beware, game wardens are keeping an eye on the situations.

I have seen officers checking giggers on the NFoW, and I would guess that if poaching is a problem on the Meramec that every good access has giggers there on the weekends during season, shouldn't be hard for officers to find someone to check. Maybe if Al and others who have some pictures or other proof of gigged sportfish talked to the CO's and told them what areas to target, they might be able to bust a few people and get the word out.

Once again we are arguing about why one user group is more important than another. Every group has unethical people, and we either have to ban all users or hope laws can be enforced and be a deterrent to the poachers, whether they are bait chuckers in blue ribbon areas, people keeping too many or too small smallmouth, or giggers gigging sportfish. I'm sure there are people who hit the concentrations of smallmouth in the winter time and keep the biggest fish and probably keep every one they catch, if we ban gigging they may do this more since they no longer will have suckers for their weekly fish fry.

[Gavin]

Poachers do tick me off, but I'm not ready to condemn someone else's fun do to the actions of some bad apples. Suckers make up most of the biomass in most Ozark streams, and I think its OK for folks to hunt em down and eat them. Enforcement is definetly needed but some other reforms might be needed as well...The middle Meramec is pretty big water. Are folks using multiple boats to herd & concentrate fish? Maybe thats the cause of the problem? I really dont know what is going on out there.

We have pictures of smallies with gig marks on them...That's a fact, but we dont know why they got gigged. Misidentification is a possible, concentrating fish and gigging them indescriminately is a possible, attempt at illegal harvest is a possible, but at this point its all speculation.

[Justin Spencer]

Maybe pushing for eliminating gigging in trophy smallmouth areas would be a possibility, they have done it in blue ribbon areas for the trout, why not for smallmouth? It will take the Smallmouth Alliance and others to get it rolling, but if enough people want it they might do it.

[laker67]

Maybe pushing for eliminating gigging in trophy smallmouth areas would be a possibility, they have done it in blue ribbon areas for the trout, why not for smallmouth? It will take the Smallmouth Alliance and others to get it rolling, but if enough people want it they might do it.

This makes the most sense of anything I have heard so far. But I am positive that some will get their back against the wall and not want to agree with you.

[Justin Spencer]

This makes the most sense of anything I have heard so far. But I am positive that some will get their back against the wall and not want to agree with you.

Not sure I agree with it but just a suggestion. One could also argue that the springtails can't be fished in the winter to protect the concentrations of fish as well, might have a few argue that too!

[Wayne SW/MO]

Wayne, since you resorted to name calling my Uncle is far from stupid and it's obvious my friend you don't have the brain compacity to see why gigging is inherently bad for Black bass on rivers because of the mind set of some that participate in it.

Have fun warning people on this forum about things like scupper holes getting lodged on logs, like it's an issue.

Uh, I didn't call the sport stupid or agree with the post dedrading those that do, but you did. Truth is I don't think your uncle was stupid for gigging, after all it is perfectly legal, but maybe you see my point now.

I think a group like this should be able to come up with better arguments to curtail ilegal gigging than simply calling the sport stupid and that it's practiced by undesirables.

Justin I think the proposal to eliminate gigging in trophy areas could have merit.

[MOPanfisher]

Wow sorry I have missed out so far on this topic. Gigging is a viable and very fun sport. I like gigging, but don't get to do it very often. Do bas get gigged, yes, is it more pervasive on some rivers than other, almost assuredly so. It is fairly easy to identify the fish species at night with a good light, in good water conditions with a little experience. Some folks don't try to make much of an identification whether by choice or ignorance. Bass would be fairly easy to gig as they are very slow and sluggish in cold water, much more so than suckers. Gigging and snagger are both sports worth having, both are targeted at a species that is difficult to harvest in any other way, the paddlefish are almost non catchable except for snagging. To condem an entire sport or group of people for the wrongdoings of some is always wrong. It we hold that standard we should ban all canoing after witnessing some of the events I have seen on the Niangua River, or ban soccer after some of the riots and fights in Europe and other places. Heck I have caught quite a few smallmouth on the various rivers and creeks with hook marks in their mouth, and largemouth on the lakes in large numbers with "tournament disease". Gigging is pretty easy to know it is happening, bright lights in the middle of a dark river valley is pretty obvious and around here you are quite likely to get checked at the ramp when you take out. Its a good fun sport with good folks doing, and bad apples also.

[hank franklin]

Al, I hadn't heard that stuffed mailbox story. If true, wow, that's way over the top and needs MDC investigation. I've gigged the Meramec with extended family and friends and no one I've been with would even THINK of intentionally gigging a smallmouth. Aide from being illegal it's just NOT COOL and the "good guys" just don't do it. Period.

No doubt there are some bad guys and it appears from your experience and others that smallmouth are being targeted. IN this regard then absolutely MDC needs to step up enforcement, which frankly wouldn't be that difficult. Dedicate a crew to sweeping certain river sections on select evenings and go from there.

Just like this "mistaken ID" is pure BS, so is the "no funds for enforcement." MDC can direct or shift resources if need be. Sounds like they haven't and now they 've got a problem on their hands.