# Common practice or just cruelty



## fishstudent (Jul 20, 2009)

Forgive me if this has been asked before... I remember seeing guys at Hoover bank fishing, and if they caught a gar, they'd throw it up on the bank to bake in the sun and die. I asked why and was told "they scare out all the crappies and white bass." I've been out to a few different locations on Hoover this year and once again, I'm seeing (and smelling) dead gar, apparantly thrown up on the land to die. Is this just something that everybody does for better fishing or just useless cruelty by a few?


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## timmyv (Apr 26, 2006)

I would say it's not what everyone is doing but it does happend. When I grew up we had a cottage on the Sandusky River and when they would catch a gar they would shove it nose first in the mud with the tail in the air.


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

Useless cruelty. It's no different than throwing bluegills on the bank because they keep stealing your catfish bait. 

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## Burks (Jun 22, 2011)

Ignorance, cruelty, stupidity, what ever you want to call it. It's unacceptable. I bet if you turned around and did the same to a nice crappie or bass they'd throw a hissy fit.

I've found dead muskie YARDS into the woods. Not on the bank. People get upset when they are bass fishing from shore and then just chuck these muskie into the woods to die because they ruined their favorite lure or something stupid. Welcome to fishing people....actually....welcome to life....


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

Burks said:


> Ignorance, cruelty, stupidity, what ever you want to call it. It's unacceptable. I bet if you turned around and did the same to a nice crappie or bass they'd throw a hissy fit.
> 
> I've found dead muskie YARDS into the woods. Not on the bank. People get upset when they are bass fishing from shore and then just chuck these muskie into the woods to die because they ruined their favorite lure or something stupid. Welcome to fishing people....actually....welcome to life....


_*Edited for language*_ that is the point of fishing, to catch fish and tell stories....i know if i caught a muskie while bass fishing and it messed my lure up i would be so excited, i would probably retire the lure and put it on display or something!


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

This is a "G" rated forum. Please be courteous to your fellow members and visitors (some of which are minors!) and lay off the colorful language in the forums.

Substituting special characters in the place of letters although creative, is still a violation of our TOS. Thanks for everyone's cooperation. 
Carry on.


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## avantifishski (Apr 8, 2012)

WOW kill a fish so it doesnt get in the way of fishing,interesting logic although kinda backwards. if anything bites in ohio be happy and release it so someonelse can be happy. cause monday you will be back at work..


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

Ignorance and if you ever see it, you should try with patience to educate against such a thing.


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## billjaco (Oct 22, 2011)

timmyv said:


> When I grew up we had a cottage on the Sandusky River and when they would catch a gar they would shove it nose first in the mud with the tail in the air.


I saw the same thing as a kid when my dad took us fishing along the Muskingum River, near Marietta. Had to have been late '60's. Thought it was extremely cruel as a youngster, and still do. 

Caught a gar in the mouth on a jig and twister at Hoover a few years back. Total length was close to 40". The thing broke water three times and was a blast to land. I would never intentionally harm one of these magnificent creatures.


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## Had a Bite (Apr 15, 2012)

I understand some people may think that it is cruel but that are a few fish out there that do cause problems for more desirable fish. I'm still new to fishing down here but on lake Erie and other areas people catch gobbies and I don't think I've ever see one go back in the water that could swim away. I don't really have a problem with that. Fish like that only make it harder for other fish to survive and I don't have a problem with that. Now if your killing a fish for messing up your gear or making it hard to find fish that another story.


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## topwater (Dec 22, 2004)

+1 crittergitter, and well said

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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

its a shame that people are stupid enough to think gar are a nuissance. they are not aggressive and are largely a scavenger type fish.

people discarding a worthy gamefish like gar are scumbags.


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## BunkerChunker (Apr 13, 2009)

Had a Bite said:


> I understand some people may think that it is cruel but that are a few fish out there that do cause problems for more desirable fish. I'm still new to fishing down here but on lake Erie and other areas people catch gobbies and I don't think I've ever see one go back in the water that could swim away. I don't really have a problem with that. Fish like that only make it harder for other fish to survive and I don't have a problem with that. Now if your killing a fish for messing up your gear or making it hard to find fish that another story.


The difference between gobbies and gar is one is an introduced invasive species and the other is native. I think gar are awesome looking fish and I haven't caught one but wish I could just to put my hands on one for a minute. I think it is just ignorance I've caught plenty of crappie with gar swimming close by. The same with water snakes I've seen it a bunch of times one guy holding his rod way up with a snake hanging onto a bluegill and his buddy whacking it with a stick. Don't get me wrong those water snakes are nasty creatures and I don't want to snuggle with one but come on just man up and shoe him away.


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## Wishiniwasfishing (Apr 1, 2012)

Gar are a load of fun and who cares if they eat a few crappie we eat more than them you don't see me drowning fellow fishermen over that.


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## jonnythfisherteen2 (Mar 5, 2011)

Had a Bite said:


> I understand some people may think that it is cruel but that are a few fish out there that do cause problems for more desirable fish. I'm still new to fishing down here but on lake Erie and other areas people catch gobbies and I don't think I've ever see one go back in the water that could swim away. I don't really have a problem with that. Fish like that only make it harder for other fish to survive and I don't have a problem with that. Now if your killing a fish for messing up your gear or making it hard to find fish that another story.


 I don't see how gobbies are in any way related to gar. I hope your not saying that you think this is right, cause if you are, then I got a few more words for you.


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## RiPpInLiPs614 (Feb 18, 2011)

See, my problem is I have zero patience for this. Absolute cruelty and ignorance. It would be a bad day if I seen someone do this. I would not put up with it. Very un called for and should be punishable by law or my fist


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## guppygill (May 8, 2004)

Had A Bite, unbelievable comparison, your talking about an invasive species in the goby that is not even supposed to be here.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

speaking of invasive species, i wonder if snakeheads are ever going to take over Ohio waters...


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

This is messed up, but I really hope this species gets taken care of!


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## todd61 (Nov 22, 2009)

I believe that is illegal and you can be fined for leaving fish on the bank. I'm not 100% sure but I think you can be fined for littering if caught.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

i cant see littering being the fine...i could be wrong


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## todd61 (Nov 22, 2009)

Silent Mike said:


> i cant see littering being the fine...i could be wrong


 Like I said, I'm not sure but I think I saw it posted in a reg somewhere. I'll see if I can find it again.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

todd61 said:


> Like I said, I'm not sure but I think I saw it posted in a reg somewhere. I'll see if I can find it again.


i hope i am wrong...would love to see people get fined for leaving fish on the bank


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

Gar are a Pre-Historic Fish. If the Fishermen took them home and chopped them up and buried them in a Garden of some sort, then they would not be wasted. Leaving them on the Bank is just nasty.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Leaving any fish or animal to die slowly is as stupid as the person doing so.


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## Had a Bite (Apr 15, 2012)

Maybe my choice of words or comparison was off. I do NOT think that it is right to kill the Gars. That's what I meant when I said it was wrong to kill a fish for messing up your gear or making it harder to find other fish.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Anyone know of a good bait I can use to catch these boneheads that pull this crap with the "SNAKEHEADS" and Gar? Cause odds are, they arent even snake heads but a native Bowfin. And GAR are Native.. All these fish have survived together for a million years but we need some hay-seed thinking hes saving the river by killing them all. I'd like to start hooking into these goof balls and leaving THEM on the bank to flop around and die. Not really, that's pretty grim, but you get my drift... These threads kill me. If it's NOT against the law, it Should be.


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## BigTripp (Oct 1, 2010)

I was out at Tappan over the weekend and there was a pile of a dozen or so carp sitting on the side of the bank. Flies were everywhere and you couldn't fish within 100 yards of them because they absolutely reeked. If you're going to take them out at least take them home for the garden or something, don't leave them there to rot and stink up the place.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

BigTripp said:


> I was out at Tappan over the weekend and there was a pile of a dozen or so carp sitting on the side of the bank. Flies were everywhere and you couldn't fish within 100 yards of them because they absolutely reeked. If you're going to take them out at least take them home for the garden or something, don't leave them there to rot and stink up the place.


i dont think that the dead carp are a product of people catching and leaving...i think there is a problem with heat and oxygen levels..


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## AnglinAddict (Nov 22, 2004)

It's just ignorant cruelty. Gar are an ancient fish that are a native species to Ohio waters.


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## dmaphukn (Apr 3, 2009)

BunkerChunker said:


> The difference between gobbies and gar is one is an introduced invasive species and the other is native. I think gar are awesome looking fish and I haven't caught one but wish I could just to put my hands on one for a minute. I think it is just ignorance I've caught plenty of crappie with gar swimming close by. The same with water snakes I've seen it a bunch of times one guy holding his rod way up with a snake hanging onto a bluegill and his buddy whacking it with a stick. Don't get me wrong those water snakes are nasty creatures and I don't want to snuggle with one but come on just man up and shoe him away.


You actually seen that a bunch of times?

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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Gar eat minnows like popcorn. If there are numbers of them in an area they make it very difficult to catch other species due to how fast they can clean a hook. Their boney beak-like mouth make it hard to get a hook set on them. In the Muskingum River they would get so thick that they would strip a minnow the second it hit the water every cast. I highly doubt that's ever going to be the case fishing most lakes but either way to just let them die is ignorant. Who would think that tossing a random gar on the bank is going to change or help anything? I used to see evidence of guys doing the same thing with water dogs at some of my old catfishing areas. You could find them crushed on the rocks all over the place. Just stupid.


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## st.slippy (Oct 3, 2008)

At least make use of them. This year, I took what was leftover after filleting my fish, and used it as fertilizer, stunk when turning the soil, but the plants at booming. Take them home and throw them in the garden. Or eat them, if you can find a knife to cut through them


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## JimmyMac (Feb 18, 2011)

It happens all the time to gar and it is flat out ignorant... I don't care for gar fishing, but I know guys that LOVE to catch them, who am I do mindlessly destroy them? If I would see this in person I would pick the gar up and throw it back in the lake, then tell the guy to kiss my ass. Gar are prehistoric fish, if they have been around this long and haven't killed off any other species, they aren't going to start now.


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## JimmyMac (Feb 18, 2011)

Another thing people fail to notice is the increasing number if fisherman. I've been fishing all my life but I swear in the last 5 years alone I've notice at least twice maybe even three times as many people into fishing. Its like it caught on with that ******* trend, everyone wants to be a ******* now, not sure where it came from. 

Regardless, we have WAY more anglers now and the numbers keep growing, there is ABSOLUTELY no reason to be killing off ANY native species of fish. If your not going to eat it or use it for bait (legally) there is no reason to not turn it loose. You never know, all these new fisherman one day you may need to resort to gar fishing. I spent most of my life fishing pretty much just for catfish, but the last 2 years I've been focusing on other species more and more as finding productive catfish waters gets harder and harder. I haven't caught a 30+lb cat in over 5 years... In the late 90's early 2000's me and my buddies would fish the lower GMR and damn near every single time out at least one of us would hit a 30+lber...


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## swordfish (Apr 19, 2006)

To kill something just for the sake of killing is wrong on any level. And yes you can be fined for littering if they see you put it there , they will wait and see how long you leave it then fine you . A guy that was fishing beside me at the Maumee back in the early 90's got fined for that and back then it was 65.00 bucks.


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