# Chumming



## Fishermon5

I was curious if chumming is legal and if so what are the general fishing ethics (if any behind it). I was up at Antrim fishing for trout and watched an individual throw handfulls of corn into the water near him (about a handful every 5 or so minutes) and began to wonder.

I ask about ethical considerations as clearly it feeds more fish than one can catch and is it really a challenge if you have half the lake's population of fish by your bait (it was a literal feeding frenzy).

Thanks for your thoughts.

C


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## fallen513

It's legal. That answer is cut & dry. The second is a little more complicated.

Depends what you're trying to get out of the experience. Trying to fill a stringer & you don't feel like sitting there for hours waiting the next bite? Chum it up!


Doesn't exactly make you a master angler, but I wouldn't look down on someone for doing it.


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## [email protected]

This brings back some memories.

When I was about 10 years old I was fishing the Obey river in Tennessee when the guy next to me kept doing the same thing and catching plenty of fish. He saw I wasn't catching anything and tossed some corn out by my bait then I caught a couple. It turned out the guy was a Wildlife officer on his day off.

Later that day my Grandpa caught me doing it and told me to quit wasting the bait until I showed him a near limit on the stringer. A few minutes later my Grandpa was doing the same. My Grandpa always obeyed the law and limits and I would consider him a very ethical fisherman....but we were there to catch fish.


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## FredT

The only time I chummed was about 3 years ago on a rough Lake Erie when I couldn't hold it any more.


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## Saugeye Tom

I also chummed on lake erie but with rice. As the rice absorbed water it came up off the bottom and attracted shiners and in turn attracted Perch


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## cwcarper

Chumming is standard practice for many who fish for carp. It's not always necessary, but often helps to pull fish in and increase your chances of catching. Still - if you can't find the fish, no amount of chumming is going to help you catch them. I normally boil up field corn and throw it out in my area while I'm fishing. Helps to do it for a day or two in advance, but that's not usually an option for me.

The way I look at it - if you don't have a boat and can't go to the fish, you have to find a way to bring the fish to you.

As far as being ethical - I've got no problems with it as long as you're fishing within the rules and aren't keeping more than you can use.


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## fishing

Yeah I've seen that too yesterday. Then I've seen people crowding the guys that was chumming also and catching fish like crazy. My problem is Out of the whole lake they decide to cast their bobbers in where someone is already fishing. Some people can't respect another mans space? If he was there first find yourself another spot! I was there too yesterday and disrespectful peoples that don't know how to locate fish or even have the skills to get a fish to even trigger a bite. When they see you catch a fish, by the time you unhook your fish they've already got their bobber in the area you caught the fish. And it's not just one guy doing that either bout three to four guys. Now you can't even fish until those a--holes reel their bobbers in. Just wanted those non fishermans know that it's rude and one of these days someones going to get hurt or lose their fishing poles messing around around with the wrong guy!


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## DC9781

I was there today observing a "chumfest'. I'm not so sure about this technique though I must say the guy who was doing it (and his buddy) were the only ones I saw catching fish. Oh and of course the usual occurred when some knucklehead who just arrived at the lake to fish *walked down from the path and started fishing 5 feet from the chummer *. The guy had 2-3 poles and a fly rod. Did he think he was really going to fly fish shoulder to shoulder with other people. I laughed and then left shortly afterwards. Not much patience for those people. I do know that if he did that to me I doubt I woud've been able to keep quiet. Ignorant people make fishing that lake a bit tough. Can't wait for the rivers to shape up.


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## honkinhank

Saugeye Tom said:


> I also chummed on lake erie but with rice. As the rice absorbed water it came up off the bottom and attracted shiners and in turn attracted Perch


is that kinda like egg shells when ice fishin??? good idea though


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## Wildturkey

My great uncle was a commercial fisherman on the Misses Hip in Iowa back in the thirties and forties and he said he would shoot a ground hog, gut it, put it in a burlap bag, throw it in a likely looking hole of water, tied to a rock of course, and then come back in 2 or 3 days and catch all the BIG catfish he wanted! He had some tricks up his sleeve for almost every situation.


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