Last Sunday.

[ticeman]

caught these with my fishing partner. 185.

[crappieslayer37]

Nice, that poor pond took a thrashing

[ticeman]

I don't fish ponds. I fish public lakes like everyone else. And actually I fish in the northern part of the state that gets a lot of pressure. Think like a fish to catch fish!

[ispoman]

I don't fish ponds. I fish public lakes like everyone else. And actually I fish in the northern part of the state that gets a lot of pressure. Think like a fish to catch fish!

your screen name should be DINK CRUSHER

[ticeman]

Just so it's not a fluke. Not pond fish! Fishing with my girlfriend. Great job!

[Eye_Crosser86]

I say nice job, wish i could have gotten into them like that, but i clean fish by myself so 20-30 is enough for me but congrats on pounding them

[Jig_Head]

your screen name should be DINK CRUSHER

Or pond killer

[mrducks4u]

nice haul

[stag]

Or pond killer

thinking yours could be changed to d***_head. .... jealous much ?

[Smearinfish]

I doubt he's jealous.  Taking that many fish from one area, especially if others around are taking more, day after day or weekend after weekend will drastically reduce the fish population.  Seen it happen to dozens of spots over the last 15 yrs.  Sadly the fish in Indiana are going the same way as the deer herd. 

[Eye_Crosser86]

What if the fella only fishes or keeps fish during ice? You tryin to say someone who fishes a spot for two month every weekend a year hurts the lake more than someone who fishes year round and strips beds in spring? I got a buddy who can only fish during the winter and i only care to keep crappies during winter so i keep all them i can but i rarely panfish after ice out cuz i bass fish tournaments most weekends so i too stock up during winter

[Jig_Head]

I doubt he's jealous.  Taking that many fish from one area, especially if others around are taking more, day after day or weekend after weekend will drastically reduce the fish population.  Seen it happen to dozens of spots over the last 15 yrs.  Sadly the fish in Indiana are going the same way as the deer herd.

Exactly. I'm not jealous over catching bluegill lol

[Smearinfish]

I've noticed panfish tend to school up more and in greater numbers during the winter more than any other time of the year.   Even when they bed they spread out more in a lake. I'd love to see a pic of that many 8"+gills in baskets or buckets that was caught in a public lake in one spot from July to October.  One person keeping that many may not hurt a public lake in one yr but there is rarely only one person taking that many.  So if 5-50 people are doing it every week it will definitely hurt the population in a few months.  Enjoy it this year cause it won't last.  If you don't believe me try catching 30+ big gills at crane marsh, round lake by clear, sprague addition, lake George, Shawnee shoals, long lake by reading, MI.

[Eye_Crosser86]

I agree with you somewhat, but thatsts the only couple pics i have seen, maybe thats why he does it with some frequency...... He found a spot took pics didnt post lake name county or anything, pretty smart i think, i bet he got a ton of P.M.'s about the lake though, thats when you gey a bunch of company is when you advertise it on here, people have for sure put too much pressure on a spot, sooooo if you find fish keep it a secret and you can have a few good outings like this guy had, all posting lakes does is encourage people who are too lazy to get out and find fish to go out for a sure thing, happens all the time, know what i dont agree with? People keeping bass and musky but guess what its public water so oh well

[bottom bouncer]

Nice haul. Ticeman
 I can't deal with filleting that many anymore. At one time in my younger days it seemed important to keep a haul every time I went out. As I have aged (not gracefully I might add) 25 seems about the most I want to deal with at a time.
With the way the ice comes and goes in Indiana anymore, I doubt any body of public water gets enough pressure in winter to put a hurt on it. IMHO, fishing beds in the spring are more apt to hurt a fishery than the short ice season we see here. Up north in Mn, Wi. or the U.P. with their longer seasons, heavy harvest in winter may hurt a fishery. Coincidentally though those states have a limit on sunfish.  Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view our DNR doesn't seem to think a bag limit on bluegills is necessary.

[wax_worm]

I've noticed panfish tend to school up more and in greater numbers during the winter more than any other time of the year.   Even when they bed they spread out more in a lake. I'd love to see a pic of that many 8"+gills in baskets or buckets that was caught in a public lake in one spot from July to October.  One person keeping that many may not hurt a public lake in one yr but there is rarely only one person taking that many.  So if 5-50 people are doing it every week it will definitely hurt the population in a few months.  Enjoy it this year cause it won't last.  If you don't believe me try catching 30+ big gills at crane marsh, round lake by clear, sprague addition, lake George, Shawnee shoals, long lake by reading, MI.

I have seen guys catch way more than he shows in those pics off the beds and they are usually the big males in the lake being taken.  His pics are not all large males,. There is a mix of males and females in there and I would guess from the pic many are at or under 8 inches.  I wouldn't want to clean all those at one time, but as long as they are getting eaten and not wasted he is not breaking any rules since our DNR continues to ignore the need for bluegill limits.  No one catches them like that Everytime out and I doubt he hurt the population with his catch.

[Smearinfish]

I agree with you 100% eye.  Nobody should be naming spots where they slay them on this site.  Or even to other ice fisherman in private.  Cause that one or two people you tell may tell one or two of their friends, and they may tell one or two of their friends and so on until 20 people know about a spot you slayed them at within a few days.  Even when you only tell your family. And that's how spots get fished out.  I'm thankful for any spot or lake that someone has told me to try but I've never told anyone else about them or where to park to fish them.

[Jig_Head]

all posting lakes does is encourage people who are too lazy to get out and find fish to go out for a sure thing, happens all the time, know what i dont agree with? People keeping bass and musky but guess what its public water so oh well

Agreed

[Smearinfish]

I'm sure he didn't hurt the population either with that one haul but what if 2-10 other people around him got that many, or half that many.  And what if they did that every day till they stopped biting or every weekend.  You can't say that wouldn't hurt the population in that area.

[wax_worm]

I'm sure he didn't hurt the population either with that one haul but what if 2-10 other people around him got that many, or half that many.  And what if they did that every day till they stopped biting or every weekend.  You can't say that wouldn't hurt the population in that area.

It simply doesn't work that way.....At least not in my 30+ years on the ice.  There are way more times I can recall where we pounded them one day and they were gone the  next vs being able to pound them for several days in the same spot.   Sure there are exceptions, but in general the fish will not bite like that day after day or stay in an area for weeks on end to be pounded by anglers.  They get wary of sonar pings, foot traffic, auger noise. Etc.  They don't grow to keeper size being stupid.   Schools move in and out of wintering areas all the time.  Some days they bite and you have a day like the pics show. But for every day like that there are 3 others where 15 fish may be the haul.   Where ever he is fishing it looks like the lake could use some harvesting as the fish don't look tall or thick for their length. Could be a sign of to many mouths for the available food.

[fishinpo1e1]

It simply doesn't work that way.....At least not in my 30+ years on the ice.  There are way more times I can recall where we pounded them one day and they were gone the  next vs being able to pound them for several days in the same spot.   Sure there are exceptions, but in general the fish will not bite like that day after day or stay in an area for weeks on end to be pounded by anglers.  They get wary of sonar pings, foot traffic, auger noise. Etc.  They don't grow to keeper size being stupid.   Schools move in and out of wintering areas all the time.  Some days they bite and you have a day like the pics show. But for every day like that there are 3 others where 15 fish may be the haul.   Where ever he is fishing it looks like the lake could use some harvesting as the fish don't look tall or thick for their length. Could be a sign of to many mouths for the available food.

I bought my first fishing magazine in a long time last week. It was the "IN FISHERMAN 2017 Ice Fishing Guide". In it was an article that all of us should read, titled "A Case For Selective Panfish Harvest". After reading the article, I now have cause for concern for any fishery. We all are simply getting better at harvesting fish, fishing longer and fishing further. I've even had a few Amish friends ask me if the lakes can stand the pressure and still produce. When they observe and wonder about conservation, its got to be obvious to most that we need to address this issue and to expect that our DNR and allied conservationists monitor the latest studies and research and adjust the limits to the new fishing practices on our Indiana lakes and streams. I think we are entering an era where we anglers are so numerous and so educated and equipped that it is no longer the 10% that catch fish, it could be 25% or even more.
I once saw an aerial picture taken on a weekend of Johnsons Bay on Lake Wawasee after the channels were dug but before the housing on the channels were developed. There were hundreds of people out fishing that small area. Obviously it was harder to go ice fishing then and maybe they caught and kept a lot more fish. But they probably didn't go fishing as often in such numbers. We now have portable shelters,specialized clothing, powered ice drills, hooks that set themselves, rod jerkers, heaters, fish finders, underwater cameras, micro plastic lures, cultured live baits, sensitive glass rods, tungsten wire bobbers, tungsten lures, micro ice lines and fine braided lines, led lights, GPS, "HOW TO" magazines and FISHING WEB SITES and GOD only knows whats next.
THERE IS REASON FOR CONCERN!

[wax_worm]

This is where the Indiana DNR is way behind the times.  Michigan gill fishing is so much better than In even though the growing season is less the further north you go.  The gill limit was vehemently opposed by the Amish at the meeting they had in northern Indiana. The DNR caved to them despite numerous scientific studies and proof from surrounding states that limits on harvest numbers and SIZE and sex of fish harvested are driving factors in size structure in a BOW.  I have yet to see any study that proved anglers could greatly influence quantity in a lake and since the DNR considers 6 inch gills a keeper, there will always be plenty of those.  I fished one of the hardest fished lakes in the state today and bet we caught 200 sub 7.5 inch gills making up about 4 different year classes.  It is nearly impossible for anglers to hurt quantity in a lake, but quality is a different story.  DNR is aiming for quantity over quality until they impose a limit.

[ticeman]

I don't keep fish like that during the summer, I fish primarily during the ice season. I am a sportsman at heart and would never do anything to hurt a fishery. I've left fish when others didn't to help preserve the lake. I hope this answers the questions. 

[bottom bouncer]

There have been some great comments on this thread regarding bag limits. Seems it comes up frequently on this and other sites I frequent. One of the other posters hit the nail on the head there are very, very few cane polers and bobber watchers anymore. The days of the rent a rowboat in the summer or sit on a bucket with a jiggle stick in winter are gone. With GPS, side scan sonar etc. etc. the fish have nowhere to hide.
Our DNR needs to address the issue of bag limits on gills based on what's good for the fisheries not on one groups needs. I really hope this issue comes up again with them in the not too distant future and when it does we need to not let one small but well represented group shout down the science.
Mark

[Piggyn]

...there are very, very few cane polers and bobber watchers anymore.

That can still be REALLY effective though.   

[Bronzeback5]

So how exactly would a 25 fish limit improve quality?

[Eye_Crosser86]

Cuz people would have to stop after 25 and not catch a cooler full of gills off beds

[RoeBoat]

These fish came off one of those NE IN lake that gets hammered by those with long and short beards yesterday.  I'm not sure if the quality of the fish are being hurt by bed fishing or not.  Based on my ice fishing experience the last few years, I would say it is not but I'm no fish biologist by any means.  Hundreds of fish came out of this area yesterday.  I would guess around a 7-8" average with many 9" fish and some 10".  Many guys with bags of 30+ fish.

[RoeBoat]

[wax_worm]

So how exactly would a 25 fish limit improve quality?

Lots of studies have proven it does improve quality especially if you can reduce the number of dominate males removed from a BOW.  Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin all have limits on gills and their fish tend to dwarf most Indiana fish.  If you said you were keeping 7 to 8 inch gills in most Minnesota lakes you would get laughed at.  Bag limits and selective harvest are only 2 pieces of a larger puzzle to importing quality.  The  DNR is not interested in creating trophy fisheries for gills, which is fine, but there is a balance that can be achieved where quality increases, anglers are still allowed to harvest enough to feed a family of 5 in a trip , and quantity is maintained.  People could police themselves, but rarely do.  There is a reason people actually plan panfish trips to those other states and don't in Indiana.