Fishing Report I Think?

[Seth]

Have you ever eaten one?

I don't believe I ever have. I'm sure they taste fine though. If somebody wants to keep some small ones to eat, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. That goes for any fish. Watching somebody keep and eat a trophy fish is what I hate seeing. That goes for all species, not just smallmouth.

See that's the problem, you don't know everything. I see a lot of meat fisherman on the James. They take everything they catch, smallmouth included. Short or out of season they do not care. I've seen two written tickets and they just shrug it off. I've seen a guy take a big smallie from the Finley. It was out of season. He tried to give it to me. When I explained that it wasn't legal to keep it and since he didn't want it he should just release it. No way, that was the biggest fish he had ever caught and he wasn't letting it go. Makes no sense right?

It's not the people you know Seth. I have friends that are meat hunters too. But I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about the people I don't know. The guys floating around with stringers of 10 inch smallmouth. Saw it last summer on the Big Piney. But they weren't doing any harm if you asked them. Just enough for dinner.

That sucks but it's MDC's job to take care of people like that. If they are too ignorant to know or care about rules for fishing then I doubt they care enough to scour the internet for fishing tips. It's like anything, you have a few bad eggs in every bunch. In my opinion, it ain't right to punish the good guys because of a few idiots. The good guys can report anything illegal they see to Operation Game Thief and help them bust the bad guys.

Maybe I have never been in the right place at the right time, but I haven't seen this type of rampant poaching during my time on the water. The worst thing I've seen is somebody who doesn't fish much, lucks in to a big fish and wants to keep it. It sucks but I can't really judge them because they aren't breaking the law and they really aren't out enough to do any damage. I'll just congratulate them on their great catch, pout about it on the inside for a little and move on with life.

[Smalliebigs]

Give up Spoon and Wayne, they are obviously too ignorant to get it.

I remember SB whining like a little girl when this happened in one of his spots.

Obviously these guys are not what you would consider conservationists. And if all this bullshit about just trying to help the good folks here at OAF were true the same report wouldn't be on a hunting forum.

Whatever, I don't care, just a bunch of mouthy punks on the internet that I don't care to be around anyways.

Hahahahahaha.......what a mouthy punk.......give me a break

[Flysmallie]

Hahahahahaha.......what a mouthy punk.......give me a break

Why don't you just quit again princess. You are the one that needs to give everyone a break.

[Flysmallie]

Seth I've never seen anybody shoot up with heroin before but I hear it happens.

[Seth]

Seth I've never seen anybody shoot up with heroin before but I hear it happens.

Probably read a good report about heroin on the internet before they tried it too. Now all the other druggies will be complaing about a shortage of quality heroin......

[SpoonDog]

It isn't just MDC's job, Seth- two agents per county can't be everywhere at once, especially during the fall and winter. If you value this resource- it's your job to protect it, too.

It's perfectly legal to harvest smallmouth until February 28th. But when 80% of the fish are below 12 inches, I think it should be discouraged.

Maybe you've never personally witnessed a filleted smallmouth carcass in an Ozark stream. Maybe all your buddies are strict C&R. But if you think it means everyone behaves that way, you're living in a fantasy. You have people on this forum stating they keep them. You have firsthand accounts of people witnessing big fish and big stringers being kept. And if that isn't enough, there's plenty of information from MDC on smallmouth harvest. Believing it doesn't happen is just that- a belief. It's willfully ignorant of reality.

I would really, really encourage you to spend a couple hours cruising the MDC website and learning about our smallmouth fisheries- growth rates, harvest rates, habitat use and angler attitudes. I think you had a little more information, you may make different decisions.

[drew03cmc]

You have people on this forum stating they keep them.

Your statement is true Spoon, however, those people are talked down to and shamed from this site by people who are disgustingly self-righteous and cannot fathom someone enjoying the resource within the law.

[Seth]

It isn't just MDC's job, Seth- two agents per county can't be everywhere at once, especially during the fall and winter. If you value this resource- it's your job to protect it, too.

It's perfectly legal to harvest smallmouth until February 28th. But when 80% of the fish are below 12 inches, I think it should be discouraged.

Maybe you've never personally witnessed a filleted smallmouth carcass in an Ozark stream. Maybe all your buddies are strict C&R. But if you think it means everyone behaves that way, you're living in a fantasy. You have people on this forum stating they keep them. You have firsthand accounts of people witnessing big fish and big stringers being kept. And if that isn't enough, there's plenty of information from MDC on smallmouth harvest. Believing it doesn't happen is just that- a belief. It's willfully ignorant of reality.

I would really, really encourage you to spend a couple hours cruising the MDC website and learning about our smallmouth fisheries- growth rates, harvest rates, habitat use and angler attitudes. I think you had a little more information, you may make different decisions.

I may be a bit more forgiving than others but I am not nieve. When myself and other guys I know who fish a lot for bass are struggling to catch fish then I will worry. Most of you are just the typical doom and gloomers and like to rain on everybodies parade. Turn in the poachers to Operation Game Thief and educate the ignorant and hopefully they will grow in to an angler who conserves a resource to enjoy instead of raping it. I've spent countless hours arguing with people about this type of thing when it involves blue/flathead catfish and deer. It's not worth my time. I'll mention my points of view and move on. Take it or leave it. I just hope it plants a seed in the persons head and that they eventually adapt those same beliefs.

Anglers and deer hunters all seem to go through phases. They start out wanting to harvest numbers and the more they do it, the more they move towards the management phase where you are pickier about what you take. I see it happen all the time. I'm one that went through the same phases and now I am very conservative at what I harvest when it comes to wild life.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Your statement is true Spoon, however, those people are talked down to and shamed from this site by people who are disgustingly self-righteous and cannot fathom someone enjoying the resource within the law.

I think that's an exaggeration. A lot of people on this sight are native to the general area, KS, AR, OK, included and WE see the smallmouth in much the same manner that other states see their native trout. We only have so many rivers and they are stressed and there will be no replacement. It shouldn't be hard to understand why many are protective of them. The smallies are somewhat vulnerable in streams to begin with, add cold water and drive them to a spring and they are in a barrel.

I see people catch and keep smallie out of the pothole every spring and it doesn't bother me because these fish are part of a much larger population that is seldom tapped considering their numbers and area.

A lot can be reported without reporting where the fish in the barrel are and it's hypocritical to whine and hide locations near you then go shoot fish in a barrel and invite the world.

[Smalliebigs]

Why don't you just quit again princess. You are the one that needs to give everyone a break.

okay MFU fatty