Giggers At Ozarks Finley River Park.

[gobblergetter]

I agree completly with you mule!!! there is a season for everything. Taxidermist in response to your thoughts on grabbing gigging and snagging, I think they should stay open indefinately. I for one enjoy grabbing suckers any chance i get, I grab my limit and i go home. there are lots of people like me who play by the rules and there are some who dont, however there are cheaters in every aspect of life. How about those guys who go out and shoot the big bucks at night? Thats one less big buck for me to have the chance to kill. By your thinking lets go ahead close deer hunting, and Im sure their are people who poach bass maybe they catch more than their limit, better put a stop to bass fishing as well. And every other sport that poeple poach in. The tradition of running dogs is has not passed completely, Where my family comes from youll here dogs runnin during deer season, the rules the mdc has now are fine. By making more rules such as not allowing grabbing or gigging or snagging all that does is punish those of us who follow the rules. If someone breaks the rules now whats going to stop them from breaking the rules later. just some food for thought

G.G.

[gonefishin]

I certainly disagree with taxidermenst and 'cheetz. I personally don't grab, snag or gig for suckers because I catch all the suckers I want on hook and line but, I do like to snag for spoonbill. Other than netting them (illegal) I dont know of any other way to catch them. I would certainly hate to see spoonbill snagging outlawed just because I might accidentally catch a fish other than a spoonbill. That would be like outlawing Catfishing becaue a person might accidentally catch a Sturgeon or outlawing Bass fishing because a person might accidentally catch a Crappie.

As to gigging, there has been several articles about this in missouri conservation magazine. One strong reason gigging is still allowed is because there is an over abundance of so called 'rough fish' in our lakes/rivers and giggers help keep this situation in check.

I have also observed that there is also an over abundance of people around who make mountains out of mole hills. I don't doubt for a minute that there a few people who gig illegally but I seriously doubt the problem is as dire or extreme as it is made out to be. Most sucker fishermen I have met could care less for a bass, trout or any fish other than a sucker. Whats wrong with that?

[Al Agnew]

Look guys, I've done some gigging and it's certainly a lot of fun. And suckers are great eating. And yes, most giggers don't stick game fish. BUT...the difference between gigging with current technology and fishing with current technology is that the technology only goes so far with fishing...you still have to be an excellent angler to consistently catch BIG fish like 20 inch class smallmouths. And you can release them more or less unharmed. And while on some streams I've gigged there are plenty of game fish, on some that I fish during the winter a very significant percentage of the bigger fish I catch have gig scars.

As for there being an overabundance of suckers and other rough fish...I don't think that's what MDC says, especially when it comes to suckers. They consider suckers an "underutilized" species, but large populations don't do much, if any, harm to the resource. They wouldn't HAVE to be controlled to the extent they are with gigging (and grabbing).

I'm realistic. Gigging is not going to be outlawed, and I don't really think it should be. However, I think it would be very interesting to do an experimental ban on gigging on a stretch of stream that has the potential of producing big smallmouths, and see what the effects are on the population of bigger fish. Maybe pick a couple of the smallmouth special management areas...after all, gigging IS banned in the blue ribbon trout streams.

By the way...I have no problem with sucker grabbing. I used to do it a lot and it's great fun and it's VISIBLE.

[vonreed]

Hey Gonefishin, Whats wrong with that, is the people who are against gigging have no interest in it. Therefore they don't care about it. So because I don't do, I think nobody should. It's pretty narrow minded in my opinion. I face the same situation as some of the giggers in my sport, trapping. There are lots of people who have never done it, but still they think they Know All and are against it, even when they don't know squat and never been on a trapline and have no idea about what they're talking about. Why people want to take more privelages away from the outdoors is beyond me. Sometimes I think(know) these people want to take something away just to cause controversy and conflict with others. Let's take away bass fishing I say, I see less bass than I do suckers when I float the river, therefore they're more endangered and need protected. I bet that would cause some crying. I've personally never gigged before, but I would like to try it. It sounds like fun.

[Tightline]

I know a few giggers,and like some of you have stated they would't trade 1 yellow sucker for all the bass in James river,and I don't blame them,nothing better than deep fried yellow suckers.Grabbing and gigging are definatly a old time tradition in the Ozarks and if you think its like shooting fish in a barrel then you are badly mistaken, try it some time you'll find out its not easy.

Except for the late night hours giggers are probably the easiest to catch up to and check,they light up the river banks for miles and are easy to spot with all the leaves and vegetation gone.

I think your 1-2 time a summer wade or float fisherman that takes his kids with him and wants some fish to eat does more harm to the bass population than anything else.

As soon as slider finds us some suckers I'll be down on Bull or Swan grabbing away!!

[shipper]

On the Meramec downstream from the hwy 19 bridge in Steelville is a trophy smallmouth area. I used to float this stretch many years ago and have pulled many nice smallies in. You can gig on this stretch but during the past few years the water has been low, (may not say that for a while). My point is that giggers traditionally will not go to areas on a river that you must drag a boat on. Most guys will go kill 15 or 20, which is enough for a few guys to fry up, and they can usually find a few fish in easily accessible areas near a put in. I do know people who have gigged in this area and they see quality fish. Catching them in the warmer months is a timing thing. Canoes, rafts and people in tubes dominate our waters during the summer months. If you want to fish you better get out real early, mostly during the week and forget the weekends other than a few hours early and late. I have alot of friends that run these operations and they are hard workers and I wish all of them well, and most do real well. Canoe and raft operations make gigging or even jet boat restrictions on the meramec, huzzah and courtois seem like a joke. I believe that some day we will see restrictions on how many canoes or rafts can be put in at a time or by one outfit in a day. We may also see hp restrictions some day but I have seen some 40 yamaha's hopped up that would blow your mind. You current river guys can relate. In the summer the state boys big time frown on you if you run your boat in areas where canoes or rafts go, and they will stop you trust me. There are limited areas to run a boat during the summer which is why I stick with my 16 ft with a 50 jet. Hey we all like to have fun and if you stop gigging in sections of the river the fish will stack up where there is no pressure. I have seen it. I know a few areas that are a bear to get to. I will only go there when conditions are right. We have nearly sunk a couple of boats getting there and back because it is so rough. I can't recall seeing more or larger bass in these areas that I know see less gigging pressure vs another that is commonly gigged. I would hate to see what a year without gigging would do to the river. The numbers of fish are amazing now, and there are thousands that are taken out annually from our area. If you have never gigged befor maybe you should try. As said earlier, hard to beat fried sucker fillets on the river.

[bryantsmallie28]

I agree with you Al with the Trophy Smallmouth areas. I get so frustrated that do so much for a stinkin trout and will not try anything like that with the smallmouth. I mean looking at Missouri wouldn't you consider the smallmouth the pride and joy of our creeks. I mean what is going to hurt to even restrict gigging on just the already established trophy smallmouth areas, just to try it out and see if it helps the smallmouth. I love to gig but there is plenty of area to gig, so that the few trophy areas being closed wouldn't hurt the gigging.

I still dont understand the technology debate. I mean the people who intentionally gig sport fish are going to do it weather they have all the technology in the world or a wooden raft and a sharpened stick. I would think the better technology would just help reduce the unintentional killing.

[gobblergetter]

hey tightline Ill probably be right in the bunch once we find some fish. I am sliders nephew

[jscheetz]

Am I in the twilight zone? I am agreeing with taxi. The bear baiting thing is not really "hunting" - it's just killing, and certainly should go. But while many seem to think that just cause you aren't doing something yourself you shouldn't be allowed to comment on it - I would say that what I see many times in many walks of life is that sometimes when you are doing something you have trouble seeing the big picture - just a thought.

Ah.... OK, Gonefishin disagrees with me.... Things are back to normal then.

JS

[Trav]

Its not the twilight zone...its the XFiles...

Either so-Either or, We all know that more tradition is proven wrong, the more it stays the same. The old cliche of holding on to said tradition is like the cycle of abuse passed on to children from relationships to alcoholism. Break the cycle and you only have the effect but not the cause.