These are not gigged bass

[mjk86]

That's what I don't get...it's freaking wrong to poach fish....but ethically how could you just let them rot?  Why take somethings life and then not even use it?  I hope you report this to mdc as been mentioned.  Totally messed up.

[Quillback]

23 minutes ago, mjk86 said:

That's what I don't get...it's freaking wrong to poach fish....but ethically how could you just let them rot?  Why take somethings life and then not even use it?  I hope you report this to mdc as been mentioned.  Totally messed up.

Yeah I agree, if you're gonna poach, at least take them home and fry them up.  And you'd think a poacher with 2 cents worth of brain power, would want to be somewhat careful about what they are doing.  Leaving the carcasses at the ramp kind of advertises your law breaking.

[Chief Grey Bear]

10 hours ago, Brian Jones said:

Because if they were gigged bass, MDC officials would have to change their opinion of illegal gigging and actually ADMIT that there is a problem and that we ARE NOT a bunch of paranoid elitists that want an "ozark tradition" limited or done away with.  

 

Has anyone ever heard the MDC say that they condone illegal gigging? 

As tragic as it is, I'm not sure 4 bass equates to a problem though. Now before the dog pile begins, I am totally against any form of poaching. Always have been, always will be.

It's a sad fact that some people have no respect for the resource and the regulations that govern. The question becomes how do you combat it? One that is also cost effective. The MDC is not the cash cow some tend to believe. They don't have huge stashes of cash just waiting to blow. 

How does the MDC cover thousands of miles of rivers on any given night? That's a toughie. Nobody seems to want to discuss solutions, just point the finger and blame the MDC. It's the easiest thing to do. It's been happening here for years. Yet in all of those years, nobody has developed a viable solution. 

I have thought of a couple and shared them here. The MDC has a couple of planes. Those could be used at night to scan a very large area quickly. If you think about it one plane can quickly search a multi county area. If action is noticed, they could radio agents on the ground that are at a central location. 

That's one. Anybody have any others?

 

[Mitch f]

I think gigging fish is the only sport that misidentification won't get you a citation. These guys operate under the mindset that as long as they don't keep the gigged bass, all is well. I really don't think they would've even received a citation for these bass even if the MDC was in the boat with them. As long as they throw it back, no problem......Oh Well, it happens. They just stick as many fish swimming as they can then cull. The Big is murkier than other rivers, gives them an excuse

[Chief Grey Bear]

Yes! More MDC bashing! That's the optimum solution!

[Mitch f]

2 minutes ago, Chief Grey Bear said:

Yes! More MDC bashing! That's the optimum solution!

Tell me where I'm wrong?

[Chief Grey Bear]

22 minutes ago, Mitch f said:

I think gigging fish is the only sport that misidentification won't get you a citation. These guys operate under the mindset that as long as they don't keep the gigged bass, all is well. I really don't think they would've even received a citation for these bass even if the MDC was in the boat with them. As long as they throw it back, no problem......Oh Well, it happens. They just stick as many fish swimming as they can then cull. The Big is murkier than other rivers, gives them an excuse

Here. 

[Chief Grey Bear]

Look don't get me wrong. Again I want to stress I am not for any poaching. 

But to state that even if agents were in the same boat no citations would have been issued is blatant disregard for the MDC. It really is just an ignorant statement. 

 

[Brian Jones]

1 hour ago, Chief Grey Bear said:

Has anyone ever heard the MDC say that they condone illegal gigging? 

 

Chief:  At the smallmouth management meeting I attended in Farmington back in the fall, I was specifically told by a MDC biologist that illegal gigging IS NOT a problem.  The biologist's statement was even backed up by a conservation agent from Southeast Missouri.  At the Powder Valley meeting the very next evening, my buddy was told almost the exact same thing by a Conservation Agent that patrols a portion of the Meramec.  So to answer your question.  No, I've not heard the MDC say that they condone illegal gigging.  But I DID hear them say that it isn't a problem.  

32 minutes ago, Mitch f said:

I think gigging fish is the only sport that misidentification won't get you a citation. These guys operate under the mindset that as long as they don't keep the gigged bass, all is well. I really don't think they would've even received a citation for these bass even if the MDC was in the boat with them. As long as they throw it back, no problem......Oh Well, it happens. They just stick as many fish swimming as they can then cull. The Big is murkier than other rivers, gives them an excuse

Couldn't agree more Mitch.  Mistakenly kill a spike buck thinking it's a doe or kill a buck that doesn't have at least 4 points on a side in an APR county and see if mis-identification gets you out of a citation

[Chief Grey Bear]

1 minute ago, Brian Jones said:

Chief:  At the smallmouth management meeting I attended in Farmington back in the fall, I was specifically told by a MDC biologist that illegal gigging IS NOT a problem.  The biologist's statement was even backed up by a conservation agent from Southeast Missouri.  At Powder Valley meeting the very next evening, my buddy was told almost the exact same thing by a Conservation Agent that patrols a portion of the Meramec.  So to answer your question.  No, I've not heard the MDC say that they condone illegal gigging.  But I DID hear them say that it isn't a problem.  

Have those streams experienced a population decline solely from illegal gigging? If so, let's see the data. 

I get that any poaching is a problem. But at where on the scale is illegal gigging? Does it take more bass from the stream population than legal and illegal Rod and reel fisherman?