What In The......

[Gavin]

Glad to hear the CGB finally got a membership...

I think the survey results are possitive....Seems that most of the people surveyed would be in favor of some regulation changes. The success rates seem to be jacked up....not much of a counter but 10 is a slow day.... .Think the MDC folks are in the process of doing some harvest rate calculations with the in-process tag studies, plus the radio tracking & tag studies have revealed a large home range for some...Think we might see some changes...but it will take a couple of years.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Chief Grey Bear, on 11 Feb 2013 - 19:41, said:

1. An enforcment policy on illegal gigging.

2. A reduced creel on all river bass. With exceptions.

3. An increased length limit on all river bass. With exceptions.

4 . A closed from harvest season on river bass from Nov. 1 to May 31.

That is a good start.

Actually, I favor a slot on rivers.

Make the slot 14-18 except for spots. Limit 4 with one over 18. Or it could be 17 on the top end. Its a well known fact the best tasting fish are the smaller ones. We can also lower the length on the bottom end to 10.

[Chief Grey Bear]

#1 is life, they already have the rules set its their baby to enforce if needed.

#2 thru #4

Sounds like creative manipulation to change

things that affect a LOT of people to satisfy YOUR desires.

Not everybody worships the same fish, but you

want to anoint it as THE god, and we all have to bow to your wishes??

Sit back and actually think awhile.

I guess we can go back to the times before the MDC and see how things turn out. I for one am glad they had the foresight to protect the outdoors for those in the future. That being me and you.

#1. I didn't ask for new gigging laws. I asked for a policy on enforment. Yep their baby. Why have laws if they are not effectivly enforced?

#2-4, Have you been hanging out with JoeD?

1: Did the study even survey the giggers??? It is already illegal to illegally gig fish and there are agents to enforce it.

2-4: The report was just the results of the survey. The rest is up to the lawmakers, petition them. I would support the catch and release of all stream bass, but I know that will never fly from both a management and an end user result. Certain people expect to creel a fish or they won't buy a license. That is the moral of the story. Its all about the cash flow.

I can just picture someday in the future, talking

with the grand kids, using the term (back in the good old days) we used to be able to harvest some of these resources we have here on earth.

They would say WOW no kidding? Yep something in the way of sport blinded too many people.

Or you can picture that it will be a picture that you have to show them cause you won't be able to catch them. As you get more and more people, you get more and more use of the resource. Changes need to be or we can just all go down the local aquairum and zoo to enjoy what once was. Seen any free roaming bison lately?

So you were pulling my leg all along. I thought so.

Oh just a little.

[fishinSWMO]

The MDC is doing their job, and I'm glad we have them.

I just dont understand the constant arm chair quarterbacks trying to do the MDC's job based on their own wants.

Maybe MDC should stand for Most Deserved Characters tell us what you want?

They have already put in place a lot of restrictions on the smallmouth, if keeps going like that you loose your ability to choose. I choose to release tons of smallmouth, and most do, but I want my options.

[Chief Grey Bear]

I am not nor will I ever advocate for any non harvest options.

But I do see the slot on rivers as a win win for those that like to eat a few and those that enjoy catching a larger fish as well as a win for the resource with selective harvest.

[Wayne SW/MO]

The regulations that we have now aren't exactly effective and I believe that's the fault of the legislature. They need to set fines and tie up the hands of the local judges so that the judges ex BIL's 2nd cousins husbands sister doesn't get a bye for 10 out of season smallies.

[Chief Grey Bear]

That is also a very valid point Wayne. And it is a thorn in the MDC's side. There is just not a lot they can do about it. And the Judges are not only screwing the resource, but they are really screwing the kids of the local school district.

[Al Agnew]

First of all, nobody NEEDS to keep a limit of fish. The old idea that there are poor people out there who need to feed their families doesn't wash in today's world. It costs them more to drive to the river or lake, buy tackle and bait and maybe use a boat which costs a lot, too, than to go buy the fish with food stamps.

But...there is certainly something to be said about the tradition of keeping a few fish to eat. It's generally pretty healthy eating, and always very GOOD eating if you choose the right size and species of fish and you know how to take care of them and cook them.

We seem to "fall in love" with smallmouth because they are the premier Ozark stream game fish. There's nothing wrong with wanting to protect them to the extent that we retain healthy population numbers and maybe IMPROVE the size structure. The Ozark streams will never produce 6 and 7 pound smallmouth, and they'll never produce many 5 pounders. But I'm convinced they could produce a lot more 18-22 inch fish than they do.

I'm with Chief, in that I'd ideally like to see a slot limit as the solution to keeping the tradition of eating some fish, along with protecting the bigger fish until they can reach something pretty close to their maximum size. I know this puts me outside what a lot of MSA members want, but I'm just not convinced that the special management 1 fish, 15 inch or 18 inch regulations are always the best way to go. We are finding out from the tagging studies that a large percentage of adult smallmouth are caught, probably multiple times. Even with a one fish limit, I think you end up cropping off the fish when they are just a little bigger than 15 inches.

[jdmidwest]

Changes need to be or we can just all go down the local aquairum and zoo to enjoy what once was. Seen any free roaming bison lately?

Just give my neighbors a few more years and I might see one....