Smallmouth Bass Management Update - Jan 16Th

[fishinwrench]

There remains a slight misconception about which streams produce and can maintain better sized smallies. The mass of the studying, monitoring, and overall attention is (can I say... wasted) on pretty clear water streams where nobody has to step in gooey ol'mud. Ya know, streams that look like trout water and would be if the water was just a tad bit cooler during the Summer.

I see/catch smaller average Smallmouth in the "Ozarks" as a full grown experienced and well geared angler than I did as a kid just a few miles further North in streams/rivers that aren't even considered Smallmouth water by most everyone that is hung up on this whole "Ozark stream" atmosphere thing.

Big smallies do live in pretty places.... but if you ever stray a bit past that "Ozark" line you might find out that a place suddenly gets alot prettier after a few fat and healthy smallies are caught there.

Ya know .... that part of Missouri where the only thing that gets gigged is bullfrogs.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Ah Chief, we've hashed this all out before.

Yeah but this is much more interesting than "I have to have a 30 round clip to kill mutiple deer at one time to fill all of my tags." "I have to have a 30 round clip so squirrels will rain from the trees with my AR." "I have to have a 30 round clip to kill Prairie Dogs even though I have never been"

Ethics be are for wimps! And apparently so are skills.

But they don't have a clue what the streams with the most potential to grow big smallmouth would look like without gigging. And they don't have any data on what those same streams were like before the advent of jetboats, which increased EFFECTIVE fishing pressure exponentially and made gigging a whole lot more effective at the same time. The period from about 1975 to 1985 was probably the time of the best size structure and number of big fish on streams like the middle Meramec, middle Gasconade, and other larger streams, and they didn't study those streams back then.

You don't think the scientist that have dedicated their lives to preserving the resources of this state don't have any idea of how things could be? Instead of constantly berating them, did anybody stand up as ask if there was a possiblity of closing SBBSMA's to gigging?

JoeD is somewhat right that there is a subset of local people that ignore the regulations no matter what they are. But I'm old enough to remember those same people complaining bitterly when they instituted the 6 fish, 12 inch limit, so I'm pretty sure they didn't pay much attention to it. Yet enough people DID follow it that fishing REALLY improved after a few years of that limit. You'll always have those who, either through ignorance or through a lawless attitude, will ignore regulations, but the majority of anglers will follow them, and if they are well-designed, fishing should improve.

And fishing has improved. But I also think it is time we take it beyond fishing regulations and start working on habitat improvement. You can have all the regulations regarding fishing you want but, if you don't have proper habitat, you won't have fish.

And there is another reason for protective regulations...they make the statement that the fish being protected is WORTH protecting. This is something that may take a long time to make a difference, but maybe eventually enough people are convinced by the regulations that the fish are valuable and in need of better protection and it will change attitudes.

I think the vast majority have come around. C&R is much more prevalent than it was even 10 years ago. Could we raise the length limits on river fish? I think so. How much would it help? It would certainly increase the population.

[Mitch f]

Instead of constantly berating them, did anybody stand up as ask if there was a possiblity of closing SBBSMA's to gigging?

About 100 times in the last 5 years

[Chief Grey Bear]

About 100 times in the last 5 years

I'm surprised they still come to your meetings.

[Mitch f]

There remains a slight misconception about which streams produce and can maintain better sized smallies. The mass of the studying, monitoring, and overall attention is (can I say... wasted) on pretty clear water streams where nobody has to step in gooey ol'mud. Ya know, streams that look like trout water and would be if the water was just a tad bit cooler during the Summer.

I see/catch smaller average Smallmouth in the "Ozarks" as a full grown experienced and well geared angler than I did as a kid just a few miles further North in streams/rivers that aren't even considered Smallmouth water by most everyone that is hung up on this whole "Ozark stream" atmosphere thing.

Big smallies do live in pretty places.... but if you ever stray a bit past that "Ozark" line you might find out that a place suddenly gets alot prettier after a few fat and healthy smallies are caught there.

Ya know .... that part of Missouri where the only thing that gets gigged is bullfrogs.

Agreed, Many lower strecthes of streams produce the biggest smallies, but nobody wants to fish next to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. But like you said, a few 20 inchers will change their minds!!!!

[Chief Grey Bear]

What do you have against the Edumnd Fitzgerald?