Poaching Season

[Flysmallie]

Well I guess I'll just have to agree with Joe then.

So, basically, I don't care anymore. I'll go fishing when I can, and hope for the best.

But know this: Smallmouth fishing in Missouri is NOT GETTING BETTER.

And that is a shame and disappointment, given the absolute beauty and uniqueness of our Ozark streams.

If nobody ever does anything more than come on here and complain and fight then nothing will ever get any better. But I won't be out there anymore hanging signs and wasting a day that I could spend fishing. Plus going back and replacing the ones that were stolen. If that's a lot of time and money wasted then I'm no longer doing it.

[Feathers and Fins]

Ronnie; You are wasting your time! As much as I hate to say it you are, every angler is responsible to KNOW the fishing regulations and installing signage posting about the fish the laws the regulations etc is a complete waste of time when that is a requirement of the law. I am looking at my Life Time Mo Permit right now and this is what it says.

“#1. Permittee’s signature attests to the acceptance of the rules pertaining to this permit.”

Everyone should at time of license purchase should be issued a copy of the regulations or pick one up. Mine are mailed to me as a Lifetime permit holder.

Others may argue it helps people that go to the streams and don’t know the rules. A judge will tell them “Ignorance of the law is no excuse as you agree to the terms of the laws upon purchasing and signing the license”.

I would say go out enjoy the time outdoors and if you see illegal activity call the Poaching number, use your camera and take a picture or better yet video of the activity and turn it in! You will waste less time and be far more effective at protecting the resource by doing that than wasting time on signs that are largely ignored.

We should all be willing to aid law enforcement in protection of the resource and when enough of us are making the call and aiding with evidence it will put a dent in poaching and illegal activity, but this takes men of strong will ready to say ENOUGH.

[ness]

Same as it ever was.

[Al Agnew]

Maybe the Meramec is an exception. You don't see many big redhorse in it. There are lots of private accesses in between the public ones, so not many stream sections are very far from some kind of access and most of the river gets gigged. And there is undeniably a subset of giggers who have no qualms about gigging bass.

Seth, note that I specifically said that illegal gigging poses no threat to smallmouth populations--as far as numbers are concerned. It only affects the numbers of big smallmouth. Just as it undoubtedly affects the numbers of big redhorse in some streams. It's legal to gig big redhorse if you're so inclined. It isn't to gig bass.

Justin, nope, the special management areas are open to gigging with no restrictions other than the statewide regs. That's one of the things I'd like to see happen...an experimental ban on gigging in just ONE special management section, just to see if it makes a difference in the numbers of big bass and other gamefish. The rationale for closing the trout sections to gigging is that trout look too much like suckers (same fin placement, same color when looked at from above). Bass don't look anything like a sucker if you can see them at all clearly, so they don't see a need to close the bass special management areas. I understand that rationale, but it rankles a bit.

[Smalliebigs]

Agreed once again Joe.....I think I need one of your delicious Manhattan's....I'm going to hit whites and hybrids this weekend, they are starting to heat up on the big rivers.....I'll be in my SeaArk. Hog Wally has lived on the Meramec his whole life and has been in a jet most of it, he knows what he says, he's a friend of mine I can attest to his extreme knowledge of the Meramec basin, some of you should take heed to what he says.

When it's all said and done, everything will be said, and nothing will be done. There are only two conservation agents per county, and they can't be everywhere. Our smallmouth battles are but a blip on the MDC radar. They have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. And smallmouth bass issues don't pay the bills, like deer and land management and public education and other things a government agency needs to do to keep an ungrateful and needy public happy.

So, basically, I don't care anymore. I'll go fishing when I can, and hope for the best. No one likes a know-it-all or a scold ("Hell no I won't get no shot of penicillin from sum guvment flunky!").

But know this: Smallmouth fishing in Missouri is NOT GETTING BETTER.

And that is a shame and disappointment, given the absolute beauty and uniqueness of our Ozark streams.

[Quillback]

Not unlimited, but unless we have some sort of famine in the Ozarks they should be okay. They reproduce in plenty of areas giggers can't reach, and in other areas gigging is not permitted.

You could have said the same thing about Missouri quail 50 years ago. Hoping everything remain status quo is nothing but that, a hope.

[Feathers and Fins]

THERE IS QUAIL IN MISSOURI ???? WGERE ???

[ness]

THERE IS QUAIL IN MISSOURI ???? WGERE ???

Here: 40.362765,-95.168924

[ness]

..and here's a video about it

[Feathers and Fins]

HOW ABOUT 2012 FILM lol.