Mega Longear Sunfish

[ness]

11 minutes ago, Quillback said:

 

I was thinking the same thing. 😄

[MoCarp]

2 hours ago, aarchdale@coresleep.com said:

You are living in a fairy tale if you think spear fishing is easier, Ive caught way more walleye by rod and real than spearfishing for them and the same for crappie. IT is twice the work as sitting in a boat trolling around waiting for them to bite.   You have limited time under water to get the job done. Not to mention the effort that goes into diving.  Dragging all that dive gear from the truck to the boat, taking it on and off 5 different times.Diving is a very physically demanding sport. 

 

you can angle for them and release them, you don't have that option after you shoot them,

you can ONLY target 5# plus walleyes if you so chose, and harvest them when they won't bite...you can target areas where spawning females gather

and I am sure hauling in a 300 foot gillnet full of egg heavy spoonbill is hard work and not easy

2 hours ago, Huntingducks117 said:

My thoughts exactly. I've caught way more and bigger fish with rod and reel.  

so your saying you have never shot big walleyes? whens the last time BullShoals pooted out a walleye over 17#? or over 20?

[Huntingducks117]

18 hours ago, MoCarp said:

I have caught some huge long ears some that could push record size,

Still waiting on pictures as was requested in original post. 

 

You must be a really amazing fisherman if you know where all the 5-14# fish are right now.  Too bad the big fish never eat and you can't catch them with a rod and reel.  They just won't bite what your offering while angling otherwise you could guarantee five pounders all day when you went fishing.  I mean only spear fishermen can really get them.    It's as easy as going down and shooting your two giants and going home.  That's the only reason the lake isn't full of twenty pounders.  Geez.  You should go diving and take pictures of two giant walleye everyday so you'll have some credibility if you think it's that easy.  Two is the spearfishing limit btw. 

[jdmidwest]

Kill all the longears any way you can, they suck down more smallmouth meat than any gigger does on the Meramec.

They hit the eggs, they take the young, and they hurt the adults guarding the nest.

[Devan S.]

12 hours ago, MoCarp said:

you can angle for them and release them, you don't have that option after you shoot them,

you can ONLY target 5# plus walleyes if you so chose, and harvest them when they won't bite...you can target areas where spawning females gather

and I am sure hauling in a 300 foot gillnet full of egg heavy spoonbill is hard work and not easy

so your saying you have never shot big walleyes? whens the last time BullShoals pooted out a walleye over 17#? or over 20?

Correct but nothing says you have to shoot those 5lbers. You know you can selective harvest deer as well and guns certainly kill them deader than dead. Just because you have a spear does NOT mean you have to shoot everything you see. 

You can also target only 5# plus walleye by going up any river system in Feb.-April and fishing with creek chubs. I've seen people all over on the banks that time of year way up the Kings or Roaring river doing the exact same thing your talking about. I've also seen them drag out plenty or 5-13 lb walleye and right into the live well they go. Why would I want to get into any of the rivers in 50 degree or less water where the females spawn when I can do the same thing with a rod/reel?

You comparing it to Gill Nets is a joke at best. Once a net is put into the water, there is no decision to be made. Anything that swims in is dead. Even with spearfishing there is a choice to make. A similar choice is made by every rod/reel fisherman has to make once they land a fish. We already know through anecdotal evidence on this board that a significant number of those rod and reel fisherman are taking home the same walleye your complaining about spear fisherman shooting. The visibility in the videos you posted is terrible and in my experience even when rod/reel fisherman say oh the lake is gin clear the visibility diving isn't nearly what they think it is. Sure I can see a secchi disk at 20ft but most of these fish are camouflaged in the underwater environment. 

If you wanna play the "whens the last time game" then whens the last time Table Rock kicked out a 10+ bass. I don't see any spearfishing for them going on there. When's the last time Beaver kicked out a 10+ bass. When's the last time Bull kicked out a 10+ bass? We always hear the old timers talk about limits of 5-8lbers and that very rarely if ever happens today and you cant spear fish anyone of those lakes for Bass.

You advocate for C&R yet we all know that C&R only would be a terrible idea and then you pile on when selective harvest happens by means you don't like. Your disdain from your own comments indicates you don't like it because you believe its too easy to go and shoot the biggest fish in the lake. I also know rod/reel fisherman that make fishing look easy and seemingly always go out and do well. Should we ban them to only catch and release?

 

 

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

13 hours ago, MoCarp said:

 

you can ONLY target 5# plus walleyes if you so chose, and harvest them when they won't bite...you can target areas where spawning females gather

 

isnt that the same with any fishing rod and reel or spear. HEck yeah im gonna target better areas than crappy ones regardless if im catch and keeping or releasing. 

[Quillback]

Walleye are pretty much a put and take fishery, AGFC stocks them in Beaver and TR (well last time I saw a stocking report they did).  Most rod and reel people will keep them, as I do at times.  I would bet the number taken by divers spearfishing is negligible compared to rod and reel numbers.  

[MoCarp]

at one time the pothole was a place for ginormis walleyes....as recent at 1988 fish near the world record size where there, the state record of over 21 pounds came from Bull shoals and many many huge fish have been caught there...perhaps the quest for a huge fish be it a 1# long ear or high teens walleye or 50# common carp separates anglers from those that are just looking for a fish dinner, perhaps those anglers that covet the biggest and best tend to want see the decades it takes to grow some truly exceptional examples of species, if someone posted a 14 point 300# buck they had shot with an airbow with a spotlight or running down that buck with you pick-up? would everyone be happy on the accomplishment? sure I am sure its hard to drive a truck and how tiring it is to stay up all night chasing that monster.....its not legal to spotlight deer, most places...not legal to spearfish in Missouri, recently a couple people were busted on doing so in elk river 

 

 

[Quillback]

I am not in favor of any kind of illegal fishing/hunting activity.  And if divers are following the regs, I have no problem with it.  And divers are not the reason for the lack of abundance of 20 lb walleye or 10 lb. bass.  

[Devan S.]

30 minutes ago, MoCarp said:

at one time the pothole was a place for ginormis walleyes....as recent at 1988 fish near the world record size where there, the state record of over 21 pounds came from Bull shoals and many many huge fish have been caught there...perhaps the quest for a huge fish be it a 1# long ear or high teens walleye or 50# common carp separates anglers from those that are just looking for a fish dinner, perhaps those anglers that covet the biggest and best tend to want see the decades it takes to grow some truly exceptional examples of species, if someone posted a 14 point 300# buck they had shot with an airbow with a spotlight or running down that buck with you pick-up? would everyone be happy on the accomplishment? sure I am sure its hard to drive a truck and how tiring it is to stay up all night chasing that monster.....its not legal to spotlight deer, most places...not legal to spearfish in Missouri, recently a couple people were busted on doing so in elk river 

 

 

Use an argument where you actual delineate between a legal and an illegal activity. Sure it is illegal in Missouri for game fish but I don't see any lake in Missouri kicking out those records either. I think all of as sportsmen have to draw and very clearly see the difference between illegal activities done by those with malicious intent vs. those that abide by the laws.  Maybe just maybe its not the spear fishermen or the bow fishing guys that are destroying everyones chances at a world record. Its quite possible that the increase in people partaking in our sport, the internet, development, pollution, and lake age all account for the biggest most significant barrier to that world record happening. BTW you can spear fish striper in Bull Shoals.....didn't a record just come from there not to long ago?

You continue to reference deer so here you go. Spearfishing would be closest to spot and stalking a deer with a bow. You have limited range and limited visibility and you have to be in the area the game is. Sure you can close in on bedding areas or feeding areas but thats identical to what is done in deer hunting. QDM shows that selective harvest works in that situation so why are you so against it? Is it just the means is too easy. If thats the case then I hope you never bait fish since that would be too easy or use a sonar or god forbid one of the high tech graphs that tells you right where those fish are. Or even a boat cause that would probably make it too easy for true anglers.  

Maybe bow fishing could be similar to driving around back roads shooting that monster buck with a spot light but thats not what was in the original post that you drew comparisons too. 

You cant spearfish in the river and I agree with the assessment there that the fish are closed off tight quarters similar to hunting a small high fence operation. Much much different than diving in a lake thats 10's of thousands of acres surface area.

You very clearly only want to C&R big fish and thats fine and you can manage for that. Thats how you end up with pay lakes that restrict use and access. Remember though you still have to harvest some of those fish otherwise you will end up with a bunch of stunted fish. The lakes were talking about are public lakes and the rules/management are designed such that the majority of all users have a chance to enjoy either catch and keep or catch and release wether you like it or not.

I don't intend to change your mind because you are very clearly set in your ways. I just couldn't stand the completely fictitious comparisons being used and frankly I have nothing better to do today.