Gigmaster, a couple of points: Read above as my initial post wasnât concerning bluegills but rather desired bluegills or rather âbigger,â bluegills. :?: Secondly that wasnât just anybody that did that Gar research but quite a well accredited source.
On another note, could youâd share what page in the Georgia Fishing Regs that your assertion âthat itâs illegal to catch and release Gar and Carp in Georgia,â is listed, or did I misunderstand you?? I know that on page 22 or 23 it says that you must release Grass Carp, etc etc. :-?
Hereâs a bit more on Gar that seems to fly in the face of your reality: " Recent surveys suggest populations are far below historic levels and could be declining further. In some northern states, they are believed to have been extirpated or reduced in number to non-viable populations requiring reintroductions through stockings in some locations. For these reasons they have been identified as an imperiled species by the American Fisheries Society and a focal species of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Numerous states have already or are in the process of increasing conservation and management through regulations, habitat restoration, and stocking. That, by the way, is from the US F&WS and you can read the entire report here: http://www.fws.gov/warmsprings/FishHatchery/species/alligatorgar.html Note these sentances: âHistorical pictures, accounts, and fishermen all support the substantial decline of the species. Studies in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have shown that the alligator gar is very susceptible to overfishing. It has been classified as rare in Missouri, threatened in Illinois, and endangered in Arkansas, Kentucky, and is soon to be in Tennessee.â :?
http://www.sdafs.org/alligar/AGar_Maps.html Shows just how bad off the Alligator Gar really is. by the way Uncle Jesse, the primary problem with our Gar in general is and has been habitat destruction, followed by the reasons in your note. Add to those netting, spearing and bowfishing and discarding and youâll have it just right.
By the way, like you Gigmaster, I also read, researched and participated in many studies on streams, fish and wildlife, plus watersheds and habitat, but unlike you I saw that many were done correctly, of great value and accredited by virtue of peer review in research papers, Masterâs Thesis and Doctoral Dissertations. Over many years I have learned that what a single individual sees when fishing in Georgia for instance has very little to do with fisheries in Texas or Ohio and tends to give one a very limited and generally erroneous viewpoint of the overall condition of species in question. :oops:
Back to the original discussion which was on the proper way to keep Bluegills if you are culling. Most likely the best, depending on water temps, etc is in a well aerated livewell thatâs been treated with conditioner. I draw this conclusion from the fact that I suspect that Bluegills are a lot like Bass in that regard and that subject has been very well scientifically researched and documented by the American Fisheries Society, implemented and lauded by B.A.S.S. and is now the mode when it comes to tournaments Sorry that we got off track but I was aparently misunderstood I posted initially as it wasnât just Bluegills but rather big Bluegills, that I was clearly speaking of with this reply to Uncle Jesse, âExactly but in keeping with that fine tradition we oft times decimate the populations of âdesired,â Bluegills :sad:and in turn this upsets natures balance. Research shows that the big fish across their range (i.e. from north to south) can be fished out easily, as with any fishery, and this, in turn, causes problems and the result is stunting and overpopulation of these tiddlers, especially in smaller ponds and lakes. With these fish, keep the small and medium ones, and leave a good bunch of the bigger ones for breeding stock. Should you have too many tiddlers already in your pond, add a Flathead catfish of respectable size (12 lbs or so) and this will help a lot as they love those small fishâŚ
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Good discussion folks!
