Extended gigging season.

[olfishead]

I believe they are legal to gig or bowfish in impounded waters (lakes) in the daytime all year. But they would be extremely difficult to gig in streams in the daytime due to their rapid movements and just plain wariness during daylight hours. You SM bass guys need to realize that suckers and other non-game fish can mess with the spawning activity of game fish including the consumption of eggs. So, gigging them and keeping the sucker population (Numbers) under control may be a good thing.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, olfishead said:

You SM bass guys need to realize that suckers and other non-game fish can mess with the spawning activity of game fish including the consumption of eggs. So, gigging them and keeping the sucker population (Numbers) under control may be a good thing.

I'd be all for it, if they'd just quit stabbing the Smallmouth and Trout. 

They just can't seem to resist poking everything that gets in their stabbing range.  

[oneshot]

12 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

I'd be all for it, if they'd just quit stabbing the Smallmouth and Trout. 

They just can't seem to resist poking everything that gets in their stabbing range.  

 

What gets me is some are thrown back and a person catches them on Rod and Reel there is Gig holes.

I do catch a lot of Small Mouth even if they are not my target.

oneshot

[olfishead]

Don't mean to make light of the problem, and hold up for the illegal giggers but Great Blue Herons poke holes in fish too! I used to see that at the fish hatchery all the time.

[oneshot]

2 hours ago, olfishead said:

Don't mean to make light of the problem, and hold up for the illegal giggers but Great Blue Herons poke holes in fish too! I used to see that at the fish hatchery all the time.

Yes but I have never seen one put more than one hole in a fish.

oneshot

[snagged in outlet 3]

3 hours ago, oneshot said:

Yes but I have never seen one put more than one hole in a fish.

oneshot

3 billed heron😆

[jdmidwest]

Fish too lazy to swim off, get stabbed several times.

[fishinwrench]

Wonder why herons never stab SUCKERS ?

[oneshot]

13 minutes ago, jdmidwest said:

Fish too lazy to swim off, get stabbed several times.

And it is always Trout and Bass between September 15 and January 30. Never Suckers.

Yea Right!

oneshot

[Al Agnew]

7 hours ago, olfishead said:

Don't mean to make light of the problem, and hold up for the illegal giggers but Great Blue Herons poke holes in fish too! I used to see that at the fish hatchery all the time.

Just want to note that from about early October to the end of gigging season, you will almost NEVER see a bass in a stream during the daytime that's shallow enough for a heron to reach.  Plus, even the most greedy heron wouldn't stab an 18-20 inch smallmouth.  So I suspect that fresh wounds on bass during the winter, especially two or three holes in them, can't really be anything but a gig mark.