Thanks for nothing MDC

[fishinwrench]

They've got us by the balls.  If you cut their funding they'll start gating off accesses, they've already threatened that.   Even though such access areas have been bought and paid for BY US many times over.  

I appreciate what we have....and I'm thankful for it.....but they have long forgotten who got them to where they are, and they are arrogant as hell.  They didn't PROVIDE those places for us out of the goodness of their heart, we bought them, and have been paying them WELL to maintain them. We owe them nothing.  They owe us a bunch still. If they ever go broke or even come up a tad bit short on a project, it will be their fault, not ours.

[Terrierman]

Perfect is the natural enemy of good.

[Haris122]

Not to minimize the negatives here (using the red ribbon section as the expansion to the smallmouth special area on the meramec is a bit overly convenient/lazy of them), but from what you've guys mentioned in the past, I'm perceiving a few pretty good things that could come from making that the new expansion. So here's how it seems to me anyways. Let me know where the flaws in these points of mine are.

1. I know you guys mention some of the bass use that area as a refuge from the coldest water in the winter, so making it tougher for people to keep more numbers, and smaller ones there than just a few miles downstream, would in theory save even more good smallies that come up from the current special management area to spend the winter there.

2. From my experience the area is relatively lightly used and several of the accesses I know of, require you to put effort into just getting down to the river.Just the prolonged treks to the river and back would make people more nervous about keeping illegal fish. And the extra effort involved would root out the lazy poachers.

3. The area isn't the best boat traffic spot already (where's the nearest good boat ramp even?), especially when the water is low, so the impact from people is shifted more to those persistent people willing to either cover ground wading, or paddling. Neither of which should put as much pressure on the entire area as motorized boat traffic.

4. My hope is there's enough food for the assembly and quantity of fish, that in the future both the Trout and Smallmouth in the area are on the bigger ends. So you'd be more likely to experience some fun, strong fights with both types of fish in a single trip.

5. With there being 2 management areas imposed on that stretch, there would be more incentive to actually enforce the regulations, and force people to be honest, while hardly spending any more resources than they would anyhow if they actually check people already. (Granted this all hinges on them bothering to go through the effort to patrol the area from time to time)

6. And last but not least, if you have the urge to just catch and keep fish without putting a lot of work into getting there, the trout park should be a lot more appealing if you've already made it that far, than climbing down some steep rocks, walking down a lengthy trail, or fishing just shy of the trout park at the Hwy 8 access. 

[Gavin]

Goodwill factor for MDC is less than zero right now. Lost me, and many others with this dog&pony show. Sales tax money has made them fat & lazy IMO. 

[fishinwrench]

I get pissed every time I see their brand spanking new John Deere equipment, and their brand new fully loaded 3/4T trucks w/o a single scratch in the bed.  

If any of that s#it was getting used it wouldn't look so fresh all the time.  They do still sell "service model" trucks, right? Minus CD changers, power windows and mirrors, seat heaters, ect. ?   Surely someone there could come up with ways to at least APPEAR that they are not pissing away money just for fun.

WTF do you need a fleet of new fully loaded 3/4 ton trucks for, if all you ever haul around is a notebook and a cell phone?

[Chief Grey Bear]

Here we go with the MDC bashing again. Y'all sound like a bunch of welfare recipients. Looking to the government to make your life easier. You do not want to have to work for the big fish. 

You want the government to stomp on the rights of those that do not view the resource as you do. Suck it up buttercup. If you want something you have to work for it.  If the rivers just freely give up their secrets, what fun would it be? 

[Flysmallie]

[SpoonDog]

All good points, Haris.  And for many of the reasons you mention, that section already receives some level of protection.  It's not stellar smallmouth habitat for a good part of the year due to discharge of Maramec Spring and a lot of people fish it for trout, not bass- the ones who aren't practicing strict C&R may not bother keeping smallmouth in the first place.  It may help wintering smallmouth, so would closing the harvest season around October 30th- and that's something that could be implemented statewide.  Again, if they're really concerned about streamlining regs, it doesn't make sense to put a smallmouth area on top of a trout area.  Because the segment is already trout water it already receives some protection- I'm certain MDC already knows that and I'd hazard a guess it's why they selected that segment for smallmouth instead of extending the zone further downstream.  Path of least resistance.  It's lazy.

Some of you guys have made it abundantly clear you're upset at MDC.  That's fantastic.  I get it.   the Commission meeting is in a couple weeks and in the meantime MDC has dropped a document in your lap which can be used to push for higher statewide MLL's, if nothing else.  I don't know how to make that any clearer.  If you're really mad and really want to stick it to 'em- don't wait until the next election cycle.  A concerted effort to get the Commissioners' attention would put MDC in the uncomfortable position of having to defend bad policy, and demonstrate people are paying attention.  At the very least it'd be possible to table the regs changes until MDC addresses the inconsistencies in the development of their proposal. 

All I'm sayin' is you can funnel that frustration and energy into something constructive, or you can sit on an internet fishing forum griping about the sales tax and whether department trucks have CD changers.  Your choice. 

[Hog Wally]

Exceed expectations!  Why not?  That's my goal every single day when I head out the door.  

[fishinwrench]

4 hours ago, Chief Grey Bear said:

Here we go with the MDC bashing again. Y'all sound like a bunch of welfare recipients. Looking to the government to make your life easier. You do not want to have to work for the big fish. 

You want the government to stomp on the rights of those that do not view the resource as you do. Suck it up buttercup. If you want something you have to work for it.  If the rivers just freely give up their secrets, what fun would it be? 

It's 90° from that.  Nobody here seems to want something for nothing, they want a resource protected and improved, and they have been paying for its protection and improvement for YEARS. 

Welfare recipients?  GTFOH !

If they (MDC) want to protect the catch and keep folks rights...then work to improve the habitat so that catch and keep is beneficial instead of detrimental.  Keep cows out of the river, monitor gravel mining and land stripping, concentrate on water quality, erosion, and the things that are effecting it.....things like that.

They don't give a hoot about catering to the catch/keep group, that is just the EASIEST and most CONVENIENT excuse for doing as little as possible.