Ladyfisher article

[sperzonkers2]

Ladytfisher's article struck me with kind of the same attitude here in NJ. We basically have a put and take trout fishing in NJ. Many people seem to think the same way that Hey man I paid for the trout stamp and licence so I am going to take all the trout I can. They are only stockers!! The state will stock again. My brother told me of a guy who boasted that he put 210 trout in his freezer last year. I wonder how many of those trout wound up in the trash. Do not get me wrong I do not have a problem with keeping some fish to eat, but 210 fish??? Then NJ wonders why the fishing license sales continue to go down. All well keep up the good fight.

[EdD]

I know families that can easily go through 210 trout in a year. If a family eats fish once a week and has 2 parents and 3 children, then that works out to less that a fish per person per week. If they are stockers 9-12" long, then that is certainly not excessive. Locally, the Tn. Wildlife Resources Agency stocks trout in the winter into waters that cannot keep them alive in the summer. These trout are going to die within a few months anyway. They might as well be eaten by people as by scavengers. When trout are stocked into waters that can support them year-round, then some of those fish are likely to reproduce and create new populations of 'native' trout. I have seem that happen in a number of streams here. Those native trout are wonderful. They are wild and wary and hit hard. They are, perhaps, the best legacy of stocker trout.
Ed

[scousefly]

I have seen worse behaviour at a put and take fishery in Engand, an angler landed and killed 4 fish only to leave them on top of a trash can on the way out. I asked him why and I was told because he had paid for them.
I did not let these trout go to waste they ended up in my freezer. But why kill fish you dont want.

[Jed]

scousefly,
To your "friend", just because you paid for something doesn't give you the right to waste it. If you did not pay, then certainly you don't have the right to take it, but if you did you still have a moral if not legal obligation to conserve. We who share this planet will be better for learning the lesson of conserving finite resources. The more we take the less there is for those who follow in our footsteps.

If you see him again, after you "Dope Slap" him for me please give him this message.

jed

[scousefly]

Jed

Couldnt agree with you more

Hopefully I will never see him or any angler like him again but would take great pleasure in telling them how you and I also feel.

[salmonguy]

Hi Everyone,

This is a familar topic where I'm from. I'm from P.E.I., Canada, and we have guys that figure that our Atlantic Salomn fishery here is a put and take fishery and I've also witnessed guys taking their limit of 10 trout per day almost every day. It blows me away to think that these people think they are not hurting our stocks of fish. This year our goverment closed our only fish hatchery because they couldn't manage their money. This hatchery only cost a $120,000.00 per year to operate. Small amount compared to what the cost will be when our fisheries have to close when there are no fish around to be caught.
If people would only use the following phrase and take it to heart, "Catch your limit, but limit your catch" this world might have some fish around when our grand chirldren are fishing.

Alan Mills (salmonguy)

[fcch]

That's really a shame if folks have such an attitude towards "stockers".

IMHO, once the fish hits the water, it's the same as a "native" and should be treated with respect.

I mean, we may as well say the same thing for ANY Brown Trout in North America, ... afterall they are all from a stocked source.

PS, In Quebec, ANY game fish taken,... it is illegal to let it spoil.

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Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/:6c68c]http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/[/url:6c68c]

[SilverMallard]

Most states have a law against the wanton waste of game, and it generally applies everywhere within the state...including inside a pay-to-fish put-n-take operation. So that fella was most likely breaking the law. "I paid for them..." is irrelevant.

My personal feelings on keeping trout varies according to how the fishery is managed. My home waters, Lake Taneycomo, is fished VERY heavily by tourists and locals alike...yearround. It is managed pretty much as a put-n-take fishery. The biologists and managers encourage folks to keep legal fish (we have a slot limit on the upper 3 miles of the tailwater and a min. length limit on Browns throughout). They stock based on the assumption of a heavy harvest. If folks stopped keeping fish, they'd have to cut way back on the stocking to maintain any sort of healthy balance. Now, contrast that with a nearby spring creek with only wild Rainbows in it. It is C&R only.

As for the treatment of fish, I think they all deserve the same treatment. I see folks quite often mishandling fish they intend to release. I don't believe this is primarily due to ignorance, either. I think it's mostly due to laziness, and partly due to ignorance. Of course, it could be argued that the ignorance is the result of laziness if you think about it.

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Fishing the Ozarks

[scousefly]

It is sad that in England we dont have laws aganst wanton wastage but I think it would be a great Idea.
Most fisheries enforce a strict limit on fish taken and some have limits on fish caught but no rules as what to do with them after that.
As I said earlier I was saddened the actions of another anglers needless killing and waste of fish, that could have been returned to grow and be caught by other anglers.
I generally fish catch and release but do take the occasional fish, in general those which are injured or deep hooked, this provides me with enough fish in the freezer for culinary purposes.

Good article Ladyfisher....and, I'm pleased to see agreement on the replies from several members.

You didn't want to get "political" so, I'll do it for you. The problem; "entitlement" attitude started in the 70's! And, just plain old acceptance of personal responsibility and accountability for your actions. They can point the finger at endless excuses for their behavior..."it ain't my fault I turned out like this....I'm entitled to act like a horses ***....."

Do as I do: get real friendly with a State Fish and Wildlife officer. Get his cell phone number and take your cell phone with you. If you see a horses petute and it's not Smarty Jones....call!

Don't look for the 'good ole days' when we were afraid to break the law....this society no longer gives a .....!

Regards