Fished Yesterday!

[Flysmallie]

Well if it's okay to break the rules on Taney them why can't I break the rules on the James?

I know you mean well but that's just ignorance.

[Fly_Guy]

I don't recall saying it was ok... it's just not something (at Taneycomo) I would choose to get worked up enough to call the police about.

When I lived in SWMO, I fished at Crane creek once, and it kicked my tail. zero trout. However, if I saw someone using powerbait and keeping trout at Crane Creek, I would call the game warden, and if that didn't work quickly, I would have no problem calling the police. If I was fishing the James and I saw someone with a stringer of 12 inch smallmouth bass, I'm calling the police.

If I see someone at Taneycomo fishing with powerbait, I'm walking over to them and informing them politely about the rules. If they don't comply, I'll give MDC a call if I feel like it, depending on their attitude. If it's a father and son from Iowa just trying to catch a few fish, I'll probably shrug it off and move on. I'm far more protective of the small Ozark streams than Taneycomo. Like someone said earlier - keeps all the idiots who break the rules in one place.

[Fly Fishing Pete]

No one is saying it's okay to break the rules. No one is encouraging anyone to break the rules. But what is the ACTUAL impact of using plastics, bait or powerbait in the trophy area? Honestly, probably very little. What's the difference, in terms of impact on our great fishery, between using plastics, bait or powerbait a foot above Fall Creek and a foot below Fall Creek? I'm going to venture a guess and say nothing. Will it decimate the trout fishing in the trophy area if people use plastics, bait and powerbait at the outlets? No. No need to get worked up about it. The fish are heavily stocked.

Honestly, I'd be fine if the rules were relaxed in the trophy area. Now snagging is a legitimate thing to get worked up about, and I'd love to see tickets handed out for it. But citing a tourist for fishing with powerbait? Come on.

/rant

[Lancer09]

Bait fisherman catch a lot of big fish holding in some of the best runs up there.

the bigger fish get concentrated in that area of the lake this time of year.

Let someone who is more likely to release them catch them.

[laker67]

No one is saying it's okay to break the rules. No one is encouraging anyone to break the rules. But what is the ACTUAL impact of using plastics, bait or powerbait in the trophy area? Honestly, probably very little. What's the difference, in terms of impact on our great fishery, between using plastics, bait or powerbait a foot Fall Creek and a foot below Fall Creek? I'm going to venture a guess and say nothing. Will it decimate the trout fishing in the trophy area if people use plastics, bait and powerbait at the outlets? No. No need to get worked up about it. The fish are heavily stocked.

Honestly, I'd be fine if the rules were relaxed in the trophy area. Now snagging is a legitimate thing to get worked up about, and I'd love to see tickets handed out for it. But citing a tourist for fishing with powerbait? Come on.

/rant

If I were visiting stlouis as a "toursist" i should not get a ticket for parking in the red zone.

[Fly_Guy]

If I were visiting stlouis as a "toursist" i should not get a ticket for parking in the red zone.

If a parking attendant catches you, sure. But would you expect a resident to call the police, or shrug it off with a eye roll and an "eh... tourists"?

Bait fisherman catch a lot of big fish holding in some of the best runs up there.

the bigger fish get concentrated in that area of the lake this time of year.

Let someone who is more likely to release them catch them.

I wonder how many fly fishermen catch big fish and play them to exhaustion on too-small tippet? I'm guessing many of the fish that are played for 15 minutes, hoisted out of the water for measurements and pictures, and then are released die. No stats to back that up, just a hunch.

[Phil Lilley]

Studies show that 20% of bait hooked fish die while only 5% of artificial bait hooked fish die. That's the reason MDC and other states have this rule in catch and release areas. It wouldn't make sense to allow anglers to kill that many fish in an area where the goal is to grow fish bigger.

As for ticketing anyone- if you break the law, you should pay the consequence. Yes there is grace- that's up to the agent and judge. But if you give grace to everyone - tourist - whoever, then why have rules? Why have a "trophy area"? Truth be told, our agents let more ppl off for violations than we think, I believe. Don't know for fact... just what I hear from ppl who have been stopped, checked and not ticketed for a violation they were not aware of. They're in the PR business too.

Thankfully, this fall season our water quality is very good. O2 levels are much better than normal and water temperature is still in the 40's. That means big fish survive long fights better, at least this year.

Yes Taney is stocked with trout but they're stocked at an average length of 11.5 inches. The 13-19 inch rainbows you'll catch below the dam have been in the lake for a long time - some over a year. You catch and kill those fish and you really can't say, "well they'll just stock some more trout". Yes they will but you're starting from scratch basically, having to grow them up again. It hurts the trophy area to have a trophy rainbow caught and killed before it reaches that 20-inch mark, especially when someone takes a 4-fish limit out and they're all 15-inch-plus trout.

I've always promoted education and helping those who have trouble catching trout no matter where they're fishing on the lake. I'll approach anyone who is fishing bait in the trophy area, as a friendly courtesy, but I will not hesitate to call the hatchery and/or an agent if I see continued or blatant violations of the law. My motivation is 2-fold. I want to see big trout in the lake for all to enjoy plus, obviously, I have a financial stake in it. My business mostly depends on this fishery being the best it can be.

[Brian K. Shaffer]

On a side note -- or better yet, back on topic; I too fished yesterday. It was plenty of fun.. caught some decent browns during the day, one real nice spawner rainbow with gorgeous Shasta strain looks and had a blast after 10pm fishing the fall on Muddlers. Many little browns fell victim to the Muddler after that moon fell out after midnight. Lost a few on the barbless hooks.. aw shucks!

My .02 on where this topic has veered :

Thinning of the trout is just fine by me... if someone keeps some rainbows or the occasional 20 inch brown to eat... its just good for the fishery as a whole.

Numerous articles have been written to prove that killing to eat fish from a put and take fishery is better for that fishery in the long run.

Whether it be little stocker rainbows that each only cost the state about $1.60 to raise, or that brown that still only cost the state a $1.60 to raise.

[Phil Lilley]

Good post, Brian.

CALL me next time you go fishing...