Gasconade Fun

[Al Agnew]

I think anyone who insinuates that the giggers try to gig every big bass in the river is a sensationalist. Are there bad seeds, yes, but do they gig every big fish? No, there are good giggers in the state. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but on the scale which it is presented here, not even close.

Probably no use to start up this argument again, but what the heck...

Sensationalism? Fact is, we all know there aren't that many big smallmouth to begin with, given the time it takes to grow one, plus the genetics of Ozark smallies. It doesn't take every gigger trying to gig big ones. it doesn't even take a significant minority. All it takes is one or two that regularly gig a given stretch, and good gigging conditions, and they WILL gig a large percentage of the big ones.This has been a bad year for the middle Meramec because the water was very clear during the fall, and those of us who fish it regularly have all agreed that there appear to be far fewer good sized fish than usual in our best wintering pools. On years with poorer conditions--higher and murkier water during the fall months, the winter fishing is much better.

Glad you had good fishing, Mitch...I'm hoping to finally get out this coming week.

[Gavin]

Glad you had a good time. Hope there is a special place in hell for those poachers.

[Hog Wally]

I say what the heck also Al. It's a fact I have been a little bummed this winter about how clean the water was. The fish didn't have a chance. I guarantee you if I was of a mind to I could of selectively killed any fish on the river this winter. One boat could come through and stab every big walleye flathead etc Stinks to dwell on it Kinda like hearing a gunshot in the river bottoms the night before rifle season. Just don't know what got killed illegally. Gigging sucks. I wish it would go away from this area for 5 years to prove impact it has on gamefish.

[drew03cmc]

I was stirring the pot because I do know it happens, but have no idea how much, and because I have a bad case of cabin fever...well done fellas, great fish.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Yeah clear water and the fact that they are in the wintering holes turns them into the fish in the barrel. Like Al said, it only takes one or two boats working the few deep holes available to decimate them.,

[MattS]

I know exactly where that fish was caught

[Mitch f]

I know exactly where that fish was caught

You the boat we saw?

[MattS]

You the boat we saw?

No, I just recognize the bank

[Smalliebigs]

I think anyone who insinuates that the giggers try to gig every big bass in the river is a sensationalist. Are there bad seeds, yes, but do they gig every big fish? No, there are good giggers in the state. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but on the scale which it is presented here, not even close.

OMG!!!!! Mitch said poachers....meaning illegal giggers.....the only sensationalist is you for deffending a sport that is inherently dangerous to game fish. Time and time again giggers have shown they can't tell the difference between a game fish and a sucker or carp. As my good friend Hog Wally said shut the stupid act of gigging down and see the results.....but, that will never happen because it is an "Ozark Tradition" in the eyes of the MDC. Go ahead and give me dung that all giggers are not poachers and I will tell you I know of some giggers who went out that were young and very cordinated....they were also new to the sport and the first couple of fish they speared were a 4lb + smallie and a HUGE Walleye. They people they were with were bummed but, they said well it happens sometimes......that's BULLSHIT.

Some giggers are ethical and smart eneough to be able to tell the difference between a game fish and a sucker at night on the river but, there are a lot who can't and some that don't give a darn.....so the sport is detrimental to gamefish. If you live on a river like I have you would know.

[Seth]

OMG!!!!! Mitch said poachers....meaning illegal giggers.....the only sensationalist is you for deffending a sport that is inherently dangerous to game fish. Time and time again giggers have shown they can't tell the difference between a game fish and a sucker or carp. As my good friend Hog Wally said shut the stupid act of gigging down and see the results.....but, that will never happen because it is an "Ozark Tradition" in the eyes of the MDC. Go ahead and give me dung that all giggers are not poachers and I will tell you I know of some giggers who went out that were young and very cordinated....they were also new to the sport and the first couple of fish they speared were a 4lb + smallie and a HUGE Walleye. They people they were with were bummed but, they said well it happens sometimes......that's BULLSHIT.

Some giggers are ethical and smart eneough to be able to tell the difference between a game fish and a sucker at night on the river but, there are a lot who can't and some that don't give a darn.....so the sport is detrimental to gamefish. If you live on a river like I have you would know.

The giggers who have no regard for the rules are the problem. They will go out time after time and kill game fish and do some damage to an area. I've taken plenty of newbies out gigging in my rig and VERY few game fish have ever been stabbed in my boat. The few game fish that have been gigged were mainly catfish in deeper water that were hard to make out. I make it VERY CLEAR that if anybody kills a smallmouth, they are done gigging with me so they make darn sure they aren't bass before stabbing. I don't ever recall a bass being put in my boat while gigging. Of course I don't throw two newbies up there at once who don't know what a sucker looks like either. There is always somebody who knows what they are doing and can point out the different types of fish.

I'm not sure what it's like on the Meramec since that seems to be the body of water that you all keep mentioning, most of the gigging done on the Gasconade is within a pretty short distance of the public boat ramps. That leave a whole lot of water for fish to safely hide in all winter. I've seen enough pictures of really nice smallmouth caught off the Gasconade in the past few weeks to know the giggers left plenty of them swimming for us bassers to catch till next fall.The Gasconade might be deeper than the Meramec and provide better shelter for the fish througout the winter too. Again, I'm not positive what the Meramec is like as I don't fish it.

All of the gig anything that swims folks that I personally know gig on the Bourebouse, not the Meramec or Gasconade. I guess suckers are harder to come by there so they just stab whatever. Suckers are thick on the Gasconade so I can't imagine why anybody would ever bother purposely killing anything else.