These are not gigged bass

[Chief Grey Bear]

But again we are not discussing possible solutions, we are just beating on the MDC. Are we on stage in New Hampshire?

[Smalliebigs]

1 hour ago, Chief Grey Bear said:

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?

 

Oh BS!!!!!......Jesus  fing Christ man!!! The MDC could do something  about it ....a sting operation  or two will curtail the illegal  gigging but, they don't even do that....rumors  of a harsh penalties  would spread like wild fire amongst  the gigging world. The MDC won't even do that, the only way they bust anyone for illegal  gigging  is if someone  in the public notifies them of an incident  or they stumble across an act thru blind luck. They feel it is not a problem and it shows in their in action. It's obvious  there is a powerful  Gigging lobby that has brain fucked the right people at the MDC and they obviously  feel it is not an issue but, people who actually  go out on the rivers unlike  the average  MDC agent know better. This is nothing new and par for the course in winter on Ozark streams. Stop with your fake brainstorming on ideas on how to combat illegal  giggers because it is not an issue for the governing  body set up to police such things....a certain population  of our stream bass will fall prey to gigging.....deal with it.....it sucks but it MIZZOURAH.....we suck

[Chief Grey Bear]

Donald Trump has entered the debate. 

[Chief Grey Bear]

Out of curiosity, tell me how you set up the sting operation? 

[fishinwrench]

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

Dead gigged bass = data

[fishinwrench]

They (MDC) could at least put up some clever signs..."yo Giggers, folks are tripping over your dead BASS, Knock it off or gigging may be outlawed".   

That would be more helpful than fishing line depositorys, or signs about didymo. 

Maybe put out a few articles informing giggers that MDC receives multiple reports of illegally gigged bass every year, and that if they do not start policing themselves then discussions will be had to end gigging as an Ozark tradition.  Maybe include some tips on where suckers are likely to be and where bass are likely to be, and tips on how to tell the difference. Our buddy John N. would probably be happy to do a good piece on it.

Basically just do something rather than nothing.  

[SpoonDog]

I appreciate your guys' passion for the resource, but MDC's never taken the position bass gigging doesn't happen and we've all seen the photos from the citations they issue.  And while I give no quarter to poachers, I'm also positive smallmouth bass poaching isn't restricted to giggers.  My guess is poaching among giggers is less prevalent than among conventional anglers, if only because there's more barriers to access (boats, generators, bad weather) and because so many fewer people are doing it in the first place.   When you guys go on these tears about four dead fish at a boat ramp and the Order of the Overall'ed Giggers which clandestinely directs MDC fishery policy...paranoid's a good word for it.

 

Don't want to dogpile but there's only so many accesses on the lower Big with boat ramps, and I imagine the most effective sting operations are ones where the criminal doesn't know the cops are looking for them.  I don't know how many registered users this site has nor do I know how many unregistered users visit daily, but by putting this info up here then contacting the agents, the cat's already out of the bag.  I get you're upset, and I'd be pissed if I'd seen it, too.  But it's possible you're tipping off the criminals before the agents.  If one's chief interest is undermining their position or bashing MDC this thread'll probably get a lot of mileage, I'm just not sure how much honest constructive good will come of it.

[Mitch f]

1 hour ago, Chief Grey Bear said:

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. 

 

Can you get me an official statement from the MDC regarding accidental misidentification?

[Chief Grey Bear]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

 

 

Dead gigged bass = data

How are the boys at the doughnut shop?

[Chief Grey Bear]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

They (MDC) could at least put up some clever signs..."yo Giggers, folks are tripping over your dead BASS, Knock it off or gigging may be outlawed".   

That would be more helpful than fishing line depositorys, or signs about didymo. 

Maybe put out a few articles informing giggers that MDC receives multiple reports of illegally gigged bass every year, and that if they do not start policing themselves then discussions will be had to end gigging as an Ozark tradition.  Maybe include some tips on where suckers are likely to be and where bass are likely to be, and tips on how to tell the difference. Our buddy John N. would probably be happy to do a good piece on it.

Basically just do something rather than nothing.  

Yeah because posting signs about shoplifting works so well!

You can write all the articles you want but it will not stop it. You are never going to stop it. I point to "the war on drugs".  You have a certain group that are going to poach no matter what. Does that mean we shouldn't enforce the regulations? Not in the least.