# Panfish workout



## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

Went back to our honey hole yesterday in the mid-day heat. And the "fun meter" went off the top of the scale again. The best batch of gills I ever caught and the first time I ever took crappie and bluegill in equal numbers at the same time in the same area. YEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAA that was fun !


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## kingfisher (Nov 29, 2004)

What lake were you at? or was it a farm pond?


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

kingfisher,
But I can tell all my friends at OGF. We were at Cowan Lake. Though the fish are not too big, the action is hot in the deep water. We released twice as many under 8 inches as we kept over 8 inches. I hope to to hunt them at Paint Creek next week.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2005)

Im not critisizing you for keeping that many fish, its your decision and unfortunatly its legal, but I think reasons like this are why Cowan lake may never be the crappie fishery that it was a couple few years ago. Alot of the fish are simply taken out before they can get big. Just my opionion. 

Good job on the catch though, at least somones catching some.


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## SWFisher (Aug 15, 2005)

I also hate to rain on your parade...BUT..... I have fished Cowan for about 20 years now and have noticed a SIGNIFIGANT decrease in crappie size. I do not understand why DNR (Doug Maloney) places length limits on larger fisheries (Ceasars Creek) and lets Cowan go to Sh**??? Remember that it is still our reponsibility to observe size and counts on our Ohio species and remember that we all have an impact. If Ceasars has a 10" length limit, why don't we place a limit on ourselves and protect our own fisheries since we obviously cannot rely on ODNR to do it for us!!!

I realize that it is great fun to slam 8" crappies all day, but it really is not a good practice to put them in the cooler is it?


Anyone agree??


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

Congrats on the great day King. Sounds and looks like you guys had a blast.


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

Guys,
I am really disappointed that you chose my dissemination of good fortune to preach about your dreams of creating the ultimate panfish aquarium. BassPro has one already. Maybe they will let you in to try it for a small fee and then if it rings your bell then you can invest privately and make your own rules for your dream private lake. 
My post is intended to share the good fortune to OGF members that might want to know a good place to catch fish and when they are biting good (the primary purpose of the site). Not to seek your approval or disapproval. In the future, please keep your personal preferences private. I have not responded to your attacks before, but the recent echo has energized me to do so.

Having fished this lake for 35 years now, I am in a very good position to assess panfish control in this lake. Probably, a much better experience base to draw from on this lake than you. Size control is just not needed here. The ability of the panfish population to reproduce in this lake is unlimited and there just are not enough predators to keep the numbers in control. You will do more for fish size in Cowan by keeping as many as you can. There is no possible way that forage can support these numbers to anything but starvation.

And, there is nothing stopping you from going to Caesars for the 10 inchers. I wish you the best of luck. It's a perfect example of failed panfish size limits.

And after you realize that failure, perhaps you can visit a slot controlled lake and enjoy those failures as well.


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## Walter Adkins (May 20, 2004)

Nice meal underway and yet I do not see where it is to be had. Yes I am thinking completely selfishly. I will make it even for all out there I will put back my next bluegill and crappie. Now where is this fish fry?  
I also think we need a smilies that show a big belly with a hand rubbing it.


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## SWFisher (Aug 15, 2005)

Sir,
By no means are my comments intended to anger, disturb or belittle your enjoyment in your catch. I agreed in my post that slamming 8"inchers may be fun but you can never convince me that a lake full of LM's, Flatties, Muskie, and now Saugeye has a deficient number of predators and harvesting countless undersize crappies is AOK. I just simply disagree. I sincerely do not mean to offend you in the slightest.

I will leave it at that....


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## gstrick27 (Apr 14, 2004)

give em hell Theking ive been sayin it right along with you for 2 yrs now and all we ever hear is boohoo bs from the c&r crowd, even the guys at the marina will tell you the lake is over populated w small fish!!! the reason the larger lakes like ceasers have a limit is because they can support the numbers of fish, and have plenty of natural predators to keep the breeding in check this is what cowan lacks size/habitat and predatory fish. sure the state stocked saugeyes to help keep things in check, but for the most part it was a failed experiment, when is the last time you heard of someone getting a limit of saugeyes or even catching any in the lake? not to often, about the only place you will catch them there is in the pool below the spillway. its not that different from a farm pond that hasnt been fished in a few years, all of a sudden the bass are small and the thing is just swarming with small under developed panfish. so before anyone else wants to pass judgment on us for doing what is our LEGAL right and priviledge as liscensed fisherman in the state of ohio i say get off of your throne do the resaerch and then tell us if you still feel the same way. btw how many of you practice catch and release hunting?? ive noticed a significant decrease in the size of the deer and rabbits in the state, but the numbers just keep going up, maybe if we all give em a yr or two to get bigger we will have a deer population that would make any western state jealous, doesnt make a whole lotta sense does it?? but that is the same thing. below is an article written by rick ziegeria from fly anglers online while it is about ponds the same ideas are true for lakes as well


By Richard Zieger, Iowa 
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I have received a few e-mails from folks on the board telling me that I am taking too many fish out of the ponds. I think it only fair to let you know what my philosophy on catch and release is. I don't think that it is very complex, but this is what works for me in the ponds that I fish.

First let me state that I firmly believe that each pond has to be treated individually. No blanket statements about catch and release, (C & R) can be made that will fit all the ponds I go to. In fact, I think that every body of water needs to be treated individually. I also believe that different species must be considered individually.

My first thing to do when I can fish ponds is to get an agreement that I can fish in them for five years. I feel that it will take this long to get them into balance. All I want is the landowner to let me fish there and that I will not tear anything up. I also put a statement in it that I will not hold them responsible if something happens to me while I am on their land. I am not sure how binding this is legally, but most of the landowners like to see it.

I also include a statement that I will open and close gates as I go through them.

Now to the fishing part. I don't keep any of the bass I catch, with a few exceptions. Every once in a while I will catch a bass that I tear the gill plates up in landing it. If it is bleeding badly then I will keep it. This happens two to three times a year. The rest I leave in the pond to control the pan fish. I also try to get the landowner to put a slot limit on the bass that can be taken out. I usually look at from 12 to 16 inches can be taken out, but they also have to take 7 lbs of panfish out for every pound of bass they take.

I have several ponds where we have been doing this for several years. All of these ponds have nice sized panfish in them and you have a good chance of catching a 4 to 6 lb bass anytime you are in the pond. The biggest thing is that bass this size live on eating small panfish. They help keep the numbers down, so the rest of the fish can grow faster.

I do not throw any bluegills or crappie back into the pond, with a few exceptions. Any gill I catch over 11 inches long goes back into the pond. There is just too much research in print that indicates that large gills keep small ones from spawning. I want to keep the large genetics in the pond. Also there is some research out that there may be two strains of bluegills. One will not grow over about 6 inches and the other will grow much larger. By keeping the smaller ones, and releasing the larger ones, I think I am tipping the balance in favor of the larger size gills. This seems to be happening in the ponds that I have been following.

As an example, one of the ponds I fish had a lot of a small panfish. This looked like a gill but had emerald green sides and never got over about 5 inches in length. When I started fishing this pond, I caught several of these fish every time. Now I rarely catch one of them, but the size of the other gills in the pond has increased about 4 inches on average. It is my thinking that these could cross breed with gills and the ones I am getting now are the few that have survived or just come from the mix that genetics can bring about. The main thing is that the size of the fish has increased.

Many of the ponds that I fish are on very fertile ground. There is good weed growth on the bottom and around the shore. There are huge insect hatches on these ponds. I also only fish ponds that drain pasture land. I don't fish where row crops drain into the ponds, just to many chemicals for me. Most of the ponds that I fish are about 1 to 2 football fields in size. A few are a little larger. Most of the water is from 3 to 8 feet deep. The water can go from 10 to 16 feet deep near the dams of most of these, but this is usually less than 1/4 of the area of the pond.

Not all of the ponds can stand as much fishing pressure as some of the others can. I have some that I hit once every other year and some that I can go to three or four times a year. I pay attention to the number of fish I catch and the size. As soon as the size and number start to drop I know I need to back off on the pond some. Some ponds can have 50 fish taken out of them and others can have 400 to 500 fish taken out of them. It all comes back to knowing the body of water.

If you come and fish with me, I will take you to one of the best ponds. I save those for those times. Angler Dave, Joe Hyde, Kevin Slater, Elmer Mueller and Jason Tingling have all been on at least one of my favorite ponds.

Get to know the ponds you fish. 



hey king lets skip paint and head back to cowan


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

Good research Gstrick. We really need to pay attention to these kinds of studies.
And to set the record straight on predators in this lake - 
35 years of fishing on Cowan:
0 saugeyes
0 muskie
0 flatheads
maybe ten or so 12 inch largemouth
bunches of little catfish, just a few over 2 pounds
Conclusion: the claim of all those predators is just plain fantasy


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2005)

I got a reply for this one tommorow, im tired right now


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## jeffmo (Apr 7, 2004)

good catch guys!!!! looks like you'll have some good eating.


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## pendog66 (Mar 23, 2005)

great batch guys


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## pendog66 (Mar 23, 2005)

biggest fish i've caught out of cowan... Lets just say its alittle thing i call bait. nothing over 12 inches


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

Cowan still has plenty of large fish over 2 lbs; especially catfish. Flathead #'s have been reduced, but the channel cats still rule the lake. I also agree there are plenty of panfish as well.


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## jb525 (Apr 15, 2004)

Dear King, I for one always enjoy reading your posts and admire your willingness to share and advise others when ever possible. Im not going to enter the debate on size or creel limits but will interject one basic known fact, ALL bodies of water go thru whats known as a five year cycle in size of fish. Its natures way of balancing the carrying capacity of the lake,pond,river,creek, or pothole. There is nothing that can be done to change this.At least thats what I was informed during my training obtaining a wildlife management degree. Thanks again King.


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## TxTransplant (Apr 11, 2004)

Great job on the catch!!! That will be some good eats..........................ENJOY!!

Gene


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## CowgirlBebop (Jun 7, 2005)

When I was young my dad took us to a private lake to fish. On our first trip he took me up to the landowner's lodge where I received a frightening lecture about how every bluegill I caught I was to throw into the treeline. He explained how he didnt want a lake full of small ravenous fish. I admit, I didn't like the thought of catching to kill, but I eased my mind by practicing how far I could throw them. 

Trust the DNR. They are educated and they have been watching our enviornment scientifically.

I have been keeping an aquarium for many years, and I have rarely seen more than more fish thrive at at time. If you watch carefully, you see how one grows and grows, then tops off for awhile. If you get that fish away from his tankmates, he starts growing again. 

I plan on taking a mess of bluegills for Labor Day eating, and if I get a few nice crappie in there then all the better!


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## truck (Apr 12, 2004)

Good job on the catch King  It's about perching time


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## Walter Adkins (May 20, 2004)

I still want to know when your enviting us all over for the fish fry. I will bring some to add. Just kidding have a nice meal and keep at it. I myself am going to have some fish and frog leggs tonight. I do practice c&r but I also will every now and then practice catch and eat.


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## Frook (Apr 18, 2005)

I think C&R is a great idea. Can't beat Catch and Repeat.


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## SWFisher (Aug 15, 2005)

Do you do this to all of the undersized fish you do not release?

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1293&sort=1&cat=500&page=3


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## truck (Apr 12, 2004)

Is that a fish???


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2005)

TheKing, I actually had a big long post typed up but somehow it got lost. Oh well.

What I do have to say is that Cowan has MANY predator fish to help keep the panfish population down, and there are also plenty of baitfish in there. And even if there was not one predator fish to eat the panfish, greedy meathunters take more than enough out to help control the overpopulation. 

I hope that you dont complain when there are no fish left in there, its sad that some day when I have kids that they may not be able to enjoy fishing like we do today because of overfishing.

Good luck to you, be safe


my $.2 ......


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

Yep Truck, it's a rock bass. It was the best outdoors trip so far with my son. We went to Lake Goegebic in the Michigan UP. We have a homemade video movie of the fish in that famous picture that we will be laughing at for a lifetime. Got to admit that the fish was just slightly wounded in the making of the movie. He was released or used for flathead bait...I can't remember because we were laughing too hard.

We spent the week fishing, shooting, boating, hot tubbing, and eating giant T-bone steaks. His first time driving the boat, and also the first time shooting shotgun and .22 rifle.
Man, I really feel bad for that fish.
I hope to make it to the perch trip. I know it will be great. But I am a little gun-shy (pun intended) to post pictures and report on the awesome harvest.


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## truck (Apr 12, 2004)

Don't worry about what some say  Keep posting away (some of us like it)


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## gstrick27 (Apr 14, 2004)

well traphunter you must be blessed with the same gift as rainman seeing as how at NO point in this thread is a fish count given. that cooler isnt even half full and believe me it could have been. and how in the hell r maybe 3 boats on that lake gonna overfish it?? thats right 3 (tops) fishing boats on the whole lake on a saturday afternoon wow what huge pressure from the greedy meathunters, maybe when you are done crying about the kids you may someday have, youll actually read a few studies on lake and pond management, panfish will choke a lake out even one that has 20 muskies and a supposed saugeye population. a single female crappie can drop thousands thats right 1000's of eggs a season i dont care how many predator fish are in there now the numbers of crappies and gills if left unchecked will lead to a poor fishery in a very short amount of time. ive been fishing that lake with theking and on my own for 20 yrs now and ill tell you one thing thats a fact, the numbers of fish are better now than at just about anytime i can remember, and over the last 2 yrs the size is actually improving. now this contradicts everything ive read on this site about the lake being over fished and people keeping to many small ones. so if you wanna fish an aquarium and catch only 5-6 inch fish(like it was there last yr and the yr before) with only the occasional fish over 10 inches then i say throw them back, but if you want to see the populations get healthier and get some size to them then i say do the legal thing and whatever you are comfortable with. but never, never come at us with the c&r fad of the week about overfishing panfish when all of the research points the other direction. now c&r has its place and species where it makes since, but not with panfish i mean come on they are called panfish for a reason.

and to those of you who have actually said some nice things about theking thanks its nice to see there are some folks out there who dont feel its there right to come down on everyone who likes to catch and keep.

hey walter how about a fish fry, meathunters irresponsible surf and turf saturday im up for it  im sure theking would be too


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## sowbelly101 (Apr 5, 2004)

good job guys, dont sweat the small stuff if ya catch my drift. 


you guys wanna gang up on alum this fall and clean it out  

sowbelly


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## rmainger (Aug 11, 2005)

Looks like a nice meal! Very good thread about keeping smaller gills and crappie.I've always heard if your catching alot of smaller ones keep them because there over populating.I've even had some pond owners tell me to throw all blue gills caught up on the bank if I did not want to clean them.
Always remember FILLET and RELEASE !!


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## Cat~n~Crappie (Apr 15, 2004)

Heres a little input on panfish... I have been studying their reproduction/overpopulation over the past year, because I had a pond built at my new home last summer. I want to make sure I do Not have an overpopulation of small panfish (gills/crappie). I have spent many hours just talking to my fish hatchery guys about making my pond the most productive it can be for larger more mature fish, this doesnt include the countless hours I have spent reading on the internet about it....

I know we are not talking about a pond, but I would imagine there are very many simularities to harvesting fish, their growth rate and their reproduction between the two bodies of water...

Im not sure who posted it but somewhere on here someone posted about taking out so many pounds of panfish to every one pound of predator fish that is removed, this is correct and is preached by the fish management guys. They also say you should remove panfish Year around, including the winter months if at all possible, I have decided to stock a few trout this fall to help control some of the newly hatched fry from this year, but I will also be out removing smaller panfish and leaving larger ones for next years harvest.

I have also stocked a few Hybrid Striped Bass this past spring to also help with control of the panfish.

Now reproduction of panfish is amazing...like it was said they reroduce by the thousands, especially White Crappie which can reproduce multiple times per year and I know Cowan is full of Small white Crappie...This is why it is Not recommended to stock white crappie in a pond, because of their mass reproduction ( they will overtake a pond and never have any size), instead they recommend stocking Black crappie which I have done...

Growth rate of panfish can also be crazy...I know its probably not the same in lakes as it is in a pond, but I would never have believed how fast Gills can grow over a few months in a pond if I hadnt seen it first hand in my own pond... I stocked Hybrid Gills and Redear Sunfish (shellcrackers) in my pond. The Hybrids went in the first week of this past Dec., they were 4" in size. I now catch Hybrids 8-9" weighing at and above a half pound each. My Redears were stocked this past April, also 4" in size, they are now being caught at up to and a little over 6" in size. But I have stocked a good supply of minnows over the past 8 months, stocking nearly 40 pounds of Fathead minnows (thats roughtly 400 - 600 per pound). I also Have Largmouth Bass, Black Crappie, Channel Cats, Hybrids, and White Amurs..

So I say take out some of the smaller panfish and allow the others to grow, by no means do I believe we can wipe that lake out of gills and crappie nor stunt their growth...Its not a very pressured lake......

Thats just my opinion and everyone has one....


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2005)

That picture is disturbing, thats things like that that gets Peta going.

As far as crappie laying thousands, millions of eggs, yeah thats true, just as it is with about every other type of fish. But how many actually live to reach maturity? Very very few. And I also have a pond that has had white crappie in for about 4 years and I have seen VERY few crappie fry. If you are scared about panfish taking over Cowan lake, then let me tell you that can have one more burden off your back, because I will assure you that they wont take it over. And about of comment of throwing them on the bank, go ahead and do it if you want, but if I see you do it then I have the game wardens # in my pocket. Im not 100% sure its illegal, but I think it is. I will check my facts about that before I post for sure though.
It was your right to keep those fish, because unfortunnalty its legal. It seems that some people are oblivious of common sense though. I wont be the one crying when there gone, I wont have the guilty conceince. 

Im done with this thread before I type somthing I shouldnt. It will just keep going back and forth. If you want to type more about it just send me a p.m.


Oh yeah by the way, if you dont want to beleive that there is a good muskie and saugeye population in the lake, then thats fine with me. But if you fish this lake as much as you say you do, I figured you would have learned that there is more than 20 muskies in the lake by now? 
No matter if you c&r, or keep them all, be safe out there

..... my $.2


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

Im a huge proponent of creel & size limits for all species on all bodies of water. The fisheries in Ohio just receive too much pressure, and there are too many people out there that keep everything that they catch.

Having said that, I would agree that Cowan does have an overpopulation of tiny panfish.

I used to fish Cowan at least twice a month, and several years back, it was a dynamite largemouth bass fishery! In the last few years, I very seldom even bother fishing the lake. Both the numbers and size of bass (and other species as well) are way down.

WHY?

Well, It is hard for me to believe that there is scientific evidence that would indicate that all bodies of water go through a 5-year cycle. There are just too many variables among different bodies of water to make such a sweeping claim. However, if it does indeed exist, please provide the evidence. I would be very interested in reading about any such claim.

There was a chemical spill on the major feeder creek a few years ago, and I dont think that the spill can be discounted when looking for factors that have negatively effected the fishery.

My theory is that the lake is too small to support the immense fishing pressure, and the catch and keep culture around the lake. Five years ago, I could spend a weekend on the lake and see less than ten other people fishing. The last time that I tried the lake, there were over ten boats fishing the cove across from the marina. I got to the campground boat ramp at dawn to watch a pair of fishermen load 7 large (all over 15lbs) flatheads into the back of a pick-up (they were actually just dropping the live trophy cats into the bed of the truck). Later that day, I watched as another fisherman carried a stringer to his car near the marina. The stringer contained the first and only muskie that Ive seen at the lake, four bass (one in the 2LB range), numerous channel cats, and several gills. This is just what one person (me) observed in a single day at the lake. The ODNR has done nothing to protect the Lake from the increasing pressure. If anything, the ODNR has just increase the fishing pressure by continuing to give the lake an excellent rating for bass.

If you want to believe that the wholesale removal of fish from a system will NOT have an adverse effect on the fishery, you are simply deluding yourself. This is a public lake, not a private pond. Keep what ever you want within the legal limits, but dont get upset because there are people that disagree with your actions.


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## ohioredneck08 (Jun 9, 2005)

ok the pic of the fish with the shotgun that SWfisher posted iss too much your sick man that looks like a smallie


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## SWFisher (Aug 15, 2005)

THAT IS EXACTLY WHY I POSTED THE LINK!

I am not going TO take ANY argument into consideration from someone that would even consider something of that nature. 

These are the type of guys that:


-TARGET AND THEN SLIT THE THROATS OF MUSKIE IN CC
-SHOOT HEN PHEASANTS...ETC..

ANOTHER OHIO SPORTSMEN WITH NO RESPECT FOR HIS ENVIRONMENT

THAT STUFF GIVES US ALL A BAD NAME!


HERE IS THE LINK AGAGIN FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT AHD THE PLEASURE OR DISGUST...

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1293&sort=1&cat=500&page=3


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

OK, I wish that I had looked at the link before posting..

That is EXACTLY the image that sportsmen need to avoid! Many sportsmen have worked hard for many years to establish a positive image for outdoor sports, and to erase the many negative stereotypes associated with participation in hunting/fishing.

That picture displays an ignorance that is simply beyond description. I just hope that it can serve sportsmen as a reminder to instill a respect for nature to their son/daughters. I dont think that most parents would be laughing at the pic if it were their son!


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## fshman_165 (May 26, 2004)

I just had to put my .02 in. If you want to be a CR only fisherman that's fine. I personally like to keep fish to eat, not every time out, but I do keep em. I have always harvested the average size fish (as long as it in within length or creel limitations) So I suggest that you quit tossing around the "greedy meathunter" label. I've been fishing for over 40 years and my experience meter says that traphunter is a youngster, who needs to learn to deal with the reality that not everyone sees things his way.Yes, there have always been people who abuse our natural resources or tarnish the image of sportsmen or sportswomen through their actions but that's life. I feel that the state does what they can, this doesn't always seem to be enough or the right thing, but it's the best we're gonna get. I live near clark lake, which for any of you who are familiar with, is overrun by stunted panfish. In this instance overpopulation is caused due to low fishing pressure. The lake just doesn't get enough average, in this case small, fish harvested. Common sense states that fish populations are finite and can sustain great fisheries when common sense is used and proper regulations are in place. I would like to point out that the Dnr HAS taken Harvesting into account. Keeping the average size fish has always worked for me, as does CR at other times. Ponds, I've seen many more bad ones than good ones and all the bad ones had tons of stunted panfish.
Just my .02


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## Master Angler (May 26, 2004)

Go back and reread the original post - he tossed all the small ones and kept all the bigger ones...exactly the opposite of what needs to be done to improve sizes and control "overpopulation". Not that the "big" ones were big by most moeasures but it is all relative. If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times...read and understand what selective harvest means. Most of the fishing "issues" in our state are due to excess pressure. Everyone seems to think that are just one..yes along with the 1 million other individual anglers. Does this mean that no one can or should keep fish - no - but it does mean that you have to be sensible. I can guarantee you pressure will only intensify.


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## gstrick27 (Apr 14, 2004)

better watch out king or the mods will get ya seems they dont mind a personal attack on a meathunter but try that with a c&r guy and i can gaurantee there will be a post stating keep it clean and watch the personal attacks and bank on getting a pm from them about your behavior to go along with it lol. but in the long run does it really matter what a few, and by the looks of the replys to this post it is a very small minority, holier than thou hipocritical hippies have to say?(probably wearing leather shoes and belt to) not really i say screw em and lets have some more fun this saturday maybe we can break the recorrd for most undersized panfish taken from a lake in one day!!!!

and hey sowbelly i say lets do it this fall lets clean all of alum out all 3 of us lol


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## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

Ok guys...lets try to salvage this thread,if that's possible.
Cool it with the personal attacks.
Catch and release is a good thing,but we are not here to provide a forum for those that want to resort to personal attacks on someone who kept their legal limit of fish.


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## gstrick27 (Apr 14, 2004)

am i good or what lmao


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

enough is enough


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## fshman_165 (May 26, 2004)

Just a quick note, the DNR has just recently opened Clark lake to gas motors up to 9.9hp. This is an attempt to increase the pressure on the stunted population of panfish. Keeping the smaller (or whatever the average size) fish will allow for the overall fishery's quality to improve dramatically. Moderation and being selective (removing the average size) are the key. Moderation= responsibility to future anglers, proper selective harvest= common sense.


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## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

OGF's position?
Catch and release is fine,keeping some fish is fine,as long as you are within the legal guidelines.
Catch and Release is always a controversial topic.
Discuss it,debate it all you want,just dont resort to personal insults and attacks on one another,no matter which side of the fence you are on.
A better course of action would be to complain to those that have the power to make changes in the creel limits.
Contact you local ODNR district office or attend their meetings,and voice your opinions.


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