[Danno]

I was fishing at the lagoons and you can tell the bass are getting ready to spawn. As im fishing catching a few here and there this guy pulls out a nice 14", legal to keep but you can tell its ready to spawn, throws it on a stringer and keeps it. He then proceeds to brag how he caught enough bass to feed 8 people last weekend. I mean, he didnt look like he had to catch to fish to feed his family. Now, thats a lot of big bass to take out of the lake, if hes doing it every couple of days like he says wont that have an effect on the bass population?

How do you approach somebody like that and explain what hes doing?

Also, there were 2 idoits there with a dog, and they didnt have the damn thing on a leash, and it jumped right in the lake where I was getting ready to fish! They were not paying any attention to the dog, and it was a big dog, looked like a rottie to. Who do you report those people to?

 

[FishinMatt]

If the guy is staying within his legal limit, there is not much you can do. You can always explain to him the benefit of catch and release and why releasing the fish will help sustain the fishery. If he is a nice guy, he might give you a listen......or he may not give a darn what your opinion is. Some guys will fish a place out, only to complain later that the fishing sucks when they are not catching anything. If the guy seems cordial though, it would not hurt to start a conversation about C&R and selective harvest.

 

[toothdoc]

Even though he is within his rights to keep those fish, I would be willing to bet that many of those fish are going to waste. Like Matt said, he will be the same person to complain in several years when the fishing sucks.

 

[twoglasseyes]

He was probably lying about catching all those fish. :lol: If not, that sucks that hes taking so many. Who the hell eats fish out of the lagoons anyway???????

 

[Big Al]

Who the hell eats bass :?: I saw a guy take a 24 in. northern out of Big Bend. This guy was 350+ lbs. Didn't look like he was starving. So I asked him "Who the hell eats northern?" Guy told me that it was legal. I said that it didn't make it right. Explitives were exchanged.

I don't know if my confrontation with this guy did any good or not. I can only hope that mybe he thinks twice before he puts another one on a stringer. But he probably won't.

 

[toothdoc]

Who the hell eats bass :?:

Exactly! Especially out of the Lagoons.

 

[twoglasseyes]

Northern, from big bend! :shock:

 

[FishinMatt]

Well guys, I am not going to lie to you. I have selectivly harvested a bass or two from WI when I really wanted to eat fish. Keep in mind that I have been fishing these lakes for over 20 years and have a good idea what the balance of the fishery is. When I go to Canada I always bring a few walleye back. 99.9% go back, and sometimes I go years b/w keeping any fish. Last year I kept nada. However, it is within peoples rights to keep fish if they choose. I don't think being confrontational with people does any good. Many people are just uneducated. We take for granted that we know more then the average fishermen. Simply striking up a good conversation and talking to people is far more bebeficial than starting an arguement with someone legally keeping fish. I HATE to see a decent fish on a stringer myself, but it is part of the game for some people.

 

[will]

I don't keep bass or pike but I know a few people who do take one leagle one here and there and they swear they taste great. The perch and crappie I take home may well be game fish to others but sometimes they are food to me. I don't need to feed my family what I catch but once or twice a year fresh caught fish on the table tastes great! I have seen people with bass on stringers and it leaves a foul taste in my mouth too, but as long as they are playing by the rules there is not much you can do. Maybe a call to the DNR from enough people to lower creel limits may help, but I doubt it.

I agree that top predators should be released but I doubt one or two guys limiting out daily at the lagoons would damage the fishery in a noticable way. Just think how big the fish would get that they didn't catch.

FYI I think this is a great topic to discuss!

 

[twoglasseyes]

Taking fish selectively for eating is fine. I agree that it is the right of the person fishing whether or not they take legal fish. But taking from an fp lake? Thats a joke. Those are ponds. They are more for the sport in my oppinion, and so polluted that it is recomended that the fish are not consumed. I'ld bet that most fish that are taken from the fp are taken and never eaten. If so thats b.s. Like the pike from big bend.

By the way, people in wisconsin seem to love eating bass. Lots of weird looks when I tell them I release them. :roll: They think I'm lying about catching them. :lol: So I take some pics.

 

[will]

Good point, when you see a stringer of bass just say "Wow your eating the fish from here with that water treatment plant that dumps into here, you're a brave soul". Maybe that will make em think twice.

And yes, nothing is worse than a wasted fish!

 

[Augy]

just unzip your fly and squirt a little pee right next to him fishing. he'll never eat a fish from there ever again! :mrgreen:

 

[FishinMatt]

just unzip your fly and squirt a little pee right next to him fishing. he'll never eat a fish from there ever again! :mrgreen:

Is that how you mark your territory???

 

[Danno]

I agree keeping a few now and then is all right and keeping a stringer full of legal size is perfectly within your rights.

He knew they were spawning(or getting ready to) and I just got disgusted when he said he did this just about every day.

Oh well I guess some people just do not have much respect for the waters or fish that live in them.
In the future I will just calmly talk to them and explain the benefits of catch and release. Heck I even thought about just printing up whole write up and posting it up there, or sticking it with there gear. But heck, most of the time you just cant reason with people like that.

 

[twoglasseyes]

An idea for confronting them. Act confused and ask why they keep them. Try to get them to explain theyre resoning to you. The best case scenario is that they make a good argument. The worst case (and most likely) is that theyre response will be misinformed, ignorant or they just dont care. Anyway starting the conversation that way will give an opening for you to share information with them in a give and take, rather than walking up and starting off critcizing them.

 

[Big Al]

I agree with everyone here, if its legal, take it home. I don't work for the DNR. But would everyone here agree that there are unwritten rules, a fishing ettiqute if you will. Forest Preserve waters are hammered by everyone, including us. I fish them because its hard for me to get away to let's say Northern Wisconsin or Canada. Maybe by having this discussion, and the fact that members and guests alike read these forums, we can educate people and change their way of thinking.

I don't want to be hypocritical but yes, I did take home trout from Axhead. To be honest, I felt a little guilty. If I should catch a keeper Walleye I might just keep it, haven't crossed that bridge yet.

As far as being confrontational, I don't recommend doing things that way. That's just how I am sometimes. At times my Irish temper gets the better of me.

 

[Augy]

Al, you shouldn't feel guilty one bit about keeping them trout. That's why they stock em...so you can take home and enjoy. it's also the reason why you pay the extra $6.50 for the stamp. :wink:

 

[pezdek1]

i dont feel guilty about takin home fish if im gonna eat it. will i throw back a trophy filled with eggs? of course. there is a certain fishing etiquette. trophies i take a pic measurements and toss back. if i want to get it mounted... i have a pic and measurements for them to make a model of it. i dont keep many fish, 99% catch and release, but i will bring home the occasional stringer of crappie, trout, salmon, etc for a nice fish fry.

 

[Topwater]

the trout are stocked specifically to be caught and fried! That is why they are stocked at all. your just doing what the program is there for. they put, you take!

Personally, I wouldn't eat any fish caught anywhere near a metropolitan area with all the runoff and polution. yuck! actually, the only fish that i've caught and eaten were out of northern canda, and man were they good 'eyes!

but yeah, i think it is a pride thing going on with some guys, they just want to show they caught fish. Most of the time most of us just don't get the big picture of how our actions effect others and until we are educated, politely, we don't see a need to change. I've had conversations with a couple guys of international origin that just don't get why anyone would toss a perfectly good fish back into the water. It makes absolutely no sense to them, just like for us it makes absolutely no sense to kill a perfectly good fish. Cultural differences are very hard to compromise, but trying is all we can do i guess.

 

[Spawn]

this subject is very interesting...can you guys educate me about Fall Kings from Lake Michigan. Am i doing a bad thing???? when I catch a female king, I get the spawn and use is it as bait and the fish itself is given away for consumption (most of international origin people does not leave any portion of fish to waste, except the internal organs). SOo am I doing a bad thing???