Extended gigging season.

[tjm]

Be better not to have zones? If the zones aren't pegged to migration dates, I see no reason for zones at all. It is apparent that for whatever reason the St Francis river was deliberately included  in the middle zone.  They say that every five years the  zones are adjusted according to hunter feed back, maybe  3-4 hunters filled out surveys asking for those changes and 300000 hunters just tossed the survey? I know over the years I have tossed a lot of MDC surveys that I probably should have filled out even if all the answers were "NA".

[jdmidwest]

The zones have not changed in my life time.  Boundry lines have been in the same place.  But the Seasons are adjusted somewhat.

There was a push a few years back to split the season.  Just like Illinois, it seems to pattern the migration events better.  The management wants to protect the populations, and they do well at it.  Atlantic flyway had decreased the mallard limit this year because of populations in that flyway.  Mississippi flyway has been pretty well the same since the point system of old.  Wood ducks have increased, mallards the same, and some divers have went down.  Still plenty of coots to fill your bag if you find them.  They have decreased in numbers since I have been hunting.

[slothman]

14 hours ago, jdmidwest said:

The zones have not changed in my life time.  Boundry lines have been in the same place.  But the Seasons are adjusted somewhat.

There was a push a few years back to split the season.  Just like Illinois, it seems to pattern the migration events better.  The management wants to protect the populations, and they do well at it.  Atlantic flyway had decreased the mallard limit this year because of populations in that flyway.  Mississippi flyway has been pretty well the same since the point system of old.  Wood ducks have increased, mallards the same, and some divers have went down.  Still plenty of coots to fill your bag if you find them.  They have decreased in numbers since I have been hunting.

The zones changed just a few years ago. For example, Grand Pass CA used to be in the North Zone. Now it is in Middle Zone. 

[jdmidwest]

7 hours ago, slothman said:

The zones changed just a few years ago. For example, Grand Pass CA used to be in the North Zone. Now it is in Middle Zone. 

Missed that one.  Been out of duck for 3 years due to cancer.  Just getting back in this year.

How did that work out??

[slothman]

15 hours ago, jdmidwest said:

Missed that one.  Been out of duck for 3 years due to cancer.  Just getting back in this year.

How did that work out??

The change at Grand Pass is kinda nice on years that it doesn’t freeze up and sucks in years when it does (which is most years). 

[oneshot]

Thing is with Gigging it takes so many Suckers that some enjoy just fishing for. Why don't they just allow Gigging the so called Game Fish like Small Mouth Bass? Plenty of them.

oneshot

[fishinwrench]

45 minutes ago, oneshot said:

Why don't they just allow Gigging the so called Game Fish like Small Mouth Bass? Plenty of them.

They do allow it.   They aren't supposed to though.

Plenty, you think? Post up pics of 2 legal limits caught in the next week and I'll agree with ya.  Bet you 40.00 ya can't pull it off. 😊

[oneshot]

20 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

They do allow it.   They aren't supposed to though.

Plenty, you think? Post up pics of 2 legal limits caught in the next week and I'll agree with ya.  Bet you 40.00 ya can't pull it off. 😊

Too many Suckers have been Gigged. My wife says no sense in Gigging get plenty just fishing for them.

I caught 3 Small Mouth but turned them back because I didn't want them.

If I even get half the Limit it is way too many for us. Caught 10 and we fried up enough for a meal didn't put a dent in them. Actually it wouldn't be that hard to catch 100 of them but I'm tied up with Doctors and don't need them.

oneshot 

[jdmidwest]

I have seen less suckers in the past few years.  Smallies used to hang out with them.

[fishinwrench]

I haven't done any sucker gigging so this may be a stupid question, but why is it considered strictly a nighttime thing? I've watched them along the bottom when drifting along and it seems they wouldn't be too hard at all to gig during the daytime.