# Alum dam undersized crappie...good job ODNR!



## HookSet Harvey (Aug 12, 2010)

Went down the alum creek spillway Friday night to see how fast they are letting down the lake. 
Went up the dam and there was a oriental guy fishing into the main lake with bobbers n minnys I was just looking to see if I could see any muskie shadows swimming by the dam to show my little brother that has never seen one. 

Seen the guy catch a few while I was up there that where around 5in big. As I walked by I asked him if he knew about the size limit for Alum creek and he acted like he didn't know what I was talking about and finished his sentence with the word muskie. 
I repeated a few times motioning with my hands and pointing to his bucket (which looked loaded with dinks) about the size limit. He ignored me and kept fishing. 

Well just so happens that I have officer Harveys cell number in my phone who is a deleware odnr ranger. Called, went to dispatch and told her what was going on and where at. We went down and fished the rocks for eyes and waited to see if they would come. 

They arrived in about 20-30mins and we counted as they threw fish back in off the dam. We got the 34, but missed the first few they threw in when they dumped the water out of the bucket. 
After as the officers where coming down the rocks to talk to us I caught an eye on a pink X-rap but came unbuttoned right at the bank as I was lifting. 
They said he had 38 undersized crappie and ticketed him for $150. I asked if they got him for being over the bag limit of 30? They looked at each other in disbelief as they totally forgot about it. The look on there faces was priceless. They did mention the total fish count on his ticket though they said. 

Good job ODNR on the fast response and nice talking to you guys Friday night. 
P.S. Officer Harvey I hope this makes up for that mountain dew can. LOL


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## Fishingislife (May 20, 2004)

This happens ALOT at Alum. I saw 2 guys keeping 6 to 8 inches 3 nights ago at Alum and called them in but no-one ever showed up as I stuck around for another hour.

Thanks for calling the guy in!


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

Good job,
You may or may not have seen this one. 2 guys got busted in Acton Lake with 177 crappies, 170 were undersized. Each one of the guys had to pay a $250 fine and $1700 in restitution. 
Here&#8217;s a link to the thread.
http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=183020


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## HookSet Harvey (Aug 12, 2010)

Yea o seen that. To bad he didn't get a fine like that. Still glad they showed n got him tho


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## Photog (Jun 18, 2010)

Great job! I really feel we have an obligation as outdoorsmen(and women) to help sustain our resources.


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## Fishingislife (May 20, 2004)

MUST...GET...NET said:


> To bad he didn't get a fine like that. Still glad they showed n got him tho




If it was deer season they would of probably never showed up....


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## Lowell H Turner (Feb 22, 2011)

Give ODNR this, they are required to "down size' too, and they stay BUSY during deer season. But they ARE responding as much as possible and MAKING it KNOWN they are checking which is FINE by me...


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## Bluegillin' (Jan 28, 2009)

What I don't understand is why someone would keep a crappie that small. It would take a hundred 5" crappie just to make a meal. How do you clean a 5" crappie, with a razor blade?


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Bluegillin' said:


> What I don't understand is why someone would keep a crappie that small. It would take a hundred 5" crappie just to make a meal. How do you clean a 5" crappie, with a razor blade?


Scale and fry.


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## puge (May 14, 2009)

My buddy and I fished hoover last week and experienced the same thing. There was a family under smothers road bridge, we had holed up under it while it was raining. Watched them take fish after fish most looked 4-6 inches. Tried to explain it to them and they just acted like we weren't talking. Guess if u need a meal that bad I can sort of understand it but unless u are starving and unable to buy food it is totally uncalled for. I will call next time now that I know there is a chance they will come out.


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## HookSet Harvey (Aug 12, 2010)

Sounds delicious. 

NOT


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## guppygill (May 8, 2004)

Uhhh, were do you think they get the raw fish for the sushi at the chinese buffets?


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## sashimigrade (Jun 25, 2011)

I applaud your efforts and the ODNR for issuing a citation, but imagine how many people get away with this type of activity. There needs to be way more enforcement. I wouldn't care if I was checked every time I got off the water, if it would help put a stop to this and improve the fishing for everyone else.


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## FISNFOOL (May 12, 2009)

guppygill said:


> Uhhh, were do you think they get the raw fish for the sushi at the chinese buffets?


Minnows in a trap at the local creek.


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## kschupp (Aug 29, 2010)

If you notice, they just got them for undersized fish, not exceeding the bag limit too. IMOP, I feel that they should have been fined $150 for each fish over the limit, $150 for each fish under the limit as well as paying the $1700 restitution. They also should have taken all their fishing gear, boat (if they had one), car and trailer. Then the whole story should have been posted on the front page of every paper in the state. Maybe if the fines and consequences are large enough and the violaters are publicized statewide, this wouldn't happen as much.


Dandrews said:


> Good job,
> You may or may not have seen this one. 2 guys got busted in Acton Lake with 177 crappies, 170 were undersized. Each one of the guys had to pay a $250 fine and $1700 in restitution.
> Heres a link to the thread.
> http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=183020


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

Bluegillin' said:


> What I don't understand is why someone would keep a crappie that small. It would take a hundred 5" crappie just to make a meal. How do you clean a 5" crappie, with a razor blade?


i have a friend that lives in tenn. back when his mom was alive she would take a 5" fish over a 10" fish anytime. she would scale them gut and cut off the head. then she would fry them good and crisp, take out the back bone and ribs, then eat the rest of the fish tail and all.

she was a great old woman that had lived a very hard life. and for years her and her family pretty much lived off the land. a big garden and wild game and fish. they learned to eat what they could get. her husband had died and left her to raise her and her 6 kids on her own. and they didnt have all the help you can get now. but in this day and age theres just no reason to keep undersized fish. the size and creel limits were put on fish to protect them from being overfished.

if you think something cant be over harvested, read about indianas deer herd. 40 or 50 yrs ago you could spend a month in the woods here and be lucky to see a deer track. indiana started importing deer from other states and started a stocking program. and now we have a great deer herd because they inforce our hunting laws. we now have a very liberal anterless program to keep the herd at the leval they want. but if all hunters started just taking all they wanted, we wouldnt have a herd before long.

any water can be overfished. look at some of the saltwater fish, like red fish in fl and snook in fl. i usely catch a few of them every year i go to fl. they both were just about gone in fl waters. now with strick limits and seasons they have came back. and the jew fish, years ago there was plenty, then they were almost gone. they closed the season. now i think they have to many of them and need to open them back up to limited limits.

but its a good thing most of us dont want the small fish anyway. but there will always be that 10% that just dont think the rules apply to them.

i,ve been running off at the mouth long enough. you all catch whats legal and you want to eat, and help keep our fishing a pleasure.
sherman


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## lacdown (Apr 25, 2007)

Let's get something straight here. 
Asians aren't the only reason that 9 inch limits were put into place and they aren't the only ones that break the rules. 
Asians are also considered americans too.
Not all asians keep short fish illegally.

I've seen whites, blacks, latinos and asians all keep short fish. I've had each one of them cast over my line and fish right next to me. Give it a rest. 

PS, if you think asians are the only ones that eat 'weird' food then you haven't watched Bizarre Foods. I guess most Scottish eat stuffed sheep bladders and Italians eat cheese with maggots?

Mods, you have let plenty of these threads go until someone calls it to your attention.


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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

Good job MUST...GET...NET, and the ODNR!!! It doesn't matter who they are if they're stealing our fish and breaking the law call them in. The ODNR can't be everywhere, with our help some of these people will get busted.


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## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

Guys let's all be more sensitive to all nationalitites.It's not just one of them doing it,as already stated.It's being done by many.I know no one wants to offend anyone so let's drop the labels please.


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## chad24 (Aug 1, 2011)

I agree puterdude, I apologize if I offended anyone. I notice my post/reply was deleted. This issue is not just about one nationality,its many and no matter who you are....your wrong for keeping small fish.Thanks


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## claybeatty (Nov 2, 2009)

maybe odnr should start a "CITIZENS ON PATROL" program like in the movie police academy. i see it alot over here at madison lake except its with cats instead of crappie. 

i caught a couple 10" channels while fishing for gills and a family sitting down the shore from me got mad cause i threw them back and didn't give them to them!!

its everywhere. CITIZENS ON PATROL


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## Burks (Jun 22, 2011)

More people should do this. We've called the ODNR on people trying to snag muskies (literally just using a giant treble with a bunch of weight on the end to drive it through their skin). Most of the time when the people see us, they leave. But at least they know people are doing some illegal stuff, and I've seen them writing tickets for people fishing in no trespassing areas at Clear Fork lately as well.


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## HookSet Harvey (Aug 12, 2010)

If I seen someone snagging muskie I would for sure call and say something to them.
I'll be over to clearfork this weekend trolling for some ski's if my order from bass pro ever comes in.


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