I Meant No Disrepect...
I meant no disrespect to Bob Boese's "Springtime Bream Fishing" article in last weeks Reader's Cast on FAOL. I never really tell anyone, what they should or should not do, I normally let people decide for themselves.
This article was takeng from my response in "Reader Voice" last week. This decision was that of the Publisher and Editors of FAOL, and not at my request.
I live in Minnesota, that has 15,453 lakes, over 9,000 miles of streams and rivers, untold number of ponds. And our fishing is getting harder every year, and the fish are getting fewer, and the DNR and the State of Minnesota, does not have the manpower, or the money to correct the problems.
There is still the strong idea that many have, that by buying a fishing licenses, gives them the right to fish and keep every fish they catch. Bring it home, clean them, and put them in the freezer, or hand them out to friends and neighbors.
You can catch 8 Sunfish, and have a maximum of 16 in possession. That means the ones you caught that day plus the 8 and the refrigerator or freezer.
It is getting to a point that where there were weekend cabins, there are now lake homes, and the owners think that they own the water that their home and property abut on. Some have houses that are separated from the water by a road or highway, and the land between the road/highway and the water is public right of way. Yet they place their docks out into the water, build storage building on the shore, and clear-out the water vegetation for a swimming beach and for swimming.
All of this destroys the habitat and ecosystem of the water they live on. There is also warnings from the State DNR on how much fish different age groups should eat, to prevent being effected by the pollutions that is building up in our public waters.
I was at the Great Water Fly Fishing Expo this past weekend, and I had long talks with the State DNR people about the Sunfish problem, I also talked the the National Park Service who take care to the St. Croix River (boundary between Minnesota and Wisconsin) as it is under the protection of the Department of Interior Park Service and the "Wild & Scenic River Act". It seems that those who are suppose to guard our nations lands and waters, are not able to do the task because of ruled, and budgets, and lack of manpower.
All of this sadden me, as I see our Nation's great heritage rapidly disappearing, in less than my lifetime...~Parnelli
Reply With Quote
