20 Fish Limit?!? Summit Lake

[bullgill]

Just fished a new body of water yesterday with touchup, caught probably 100 bluegill!!  The sorry part is none of them were keepers, fished almost the whole lake and had the same results everywhere we went, lots of fish, no keepers!  The whole time we were there I couldn't help but wishing we were at Summit catching quality fish and not necessarily a certain quantity of fish, even if that means dealing with the crowds of people. 

Summit Lake gets fished hard, all year long, and has for years, i sure would hate to see a limit imposed just to thin the crowds a little and we end up with a lake full of stunted bluegill....believe me its no fun. 

I am not trying to play biologist here, i just want what is best for the fishery and I sure see a lot of quality fish taken from there and would love for it to continue.

[Boomer]

Bullgill, I too hear people at Summit asking for a limit on the gills. Probably because so many are taken - in reality probably just a few overall - that the overcrowding is less than in many lakes. Summit also has a nice predatory species lake and I really think it will continue producing good quality growth rates and numbers. The biggest problem is for us - the fisherman - to find the fish. Boomer

[Edge]

I am not trying to play biologist here, i just want what is best for the fishery and I sure see a lot of quality fish taken from there and would love for it to continue.

I know there is always a concern of slowing growth by restricting harvest.  But a bag limit could also help the fishery by protecting those 7-8 inch fish, and allowing them to grow another year or two.

[danb2285]

im all for a 25 fish limit. why do you need more than that??

[jayswimmer09]

why the heck do u need more than 25 fish a day?

[Swedish__Pimple]

Fellows Im a Summit Local and every time I walk on that Lake,Im trying to catch every fish in it,if they put a 25 limit on em it might take me awhile,in all honesty............... ...............Summit is fine

[marmooskapaul]

All of us bass fisherman are doing our part to help. We are eating all the walleye. Eat a walleye save a bluegill. Heck for that matter eat a bass save a bluegill. Of course I'm just saving the bluegills, to eat the bluegills. I think I eat everything {except catfish}. PS if Summit ever dries up you can always go catch all the 7 inch gills you want out of Westwood, it could use some overfishing.

[crappie66]

There are still big fish in there.  If you are catching fish and you notice they are all small, why do you keep fishing that same area, catching 100 plus dink fish.  Move around and search for the bigger fish.

[Swedish__Pimple]

I'll tell you the reason people struggle after first Ice at Summit is because they fish the same ole spots,sometimes a mans gotta walk and drill new holes to find these boogers,the Causeway and main Boat Ramp,and Beaver Bay,and the campground have been beat to death,but yet again thats where you'll see 85% of the Ice Fishermen,none of em wanna walk thru the woods and trek the rough road,they wanna go where the snow is beat down and it isnt hard to drag they're huts.................. ..If you're strugglin,its you're own fault,I struggle myself at times,but it dont stop me from walking 2-3 miles in a day and comin home with MY KEEPERS,whether its Gills,Crappies,or them "TASTY WALLEYES",as a matter of fact,theres still people fishing them spots everyday with very little success,My point is put on you're hiking shoes and go find ya some fish or quit crying about havin no fish,if Summit truely needed a Bluegill Limit,our Biologist(Rhett)would of already had it done,if you're wantin to pound the gills at Summit and you wait on 5"-6" of Ice you could be in trouble,gotta hit the early Ice,just my opinion of it all,speaking of eating walleyes,me and 4 of my buddys are getting all the 14"-18" bass for an older man who won't eat nothing but bass,were helping ya keep them trimmed down to Paul,got 6 yesterday from 14"-20",all were took on tip ups and minnows,in 18'-22' of water,go work the water a little harder,dont be scared to climb outta you're hut and drill more holes,theres fish out there to be caught fellows,we've also got 18 walleyes these last 2 days and 9 were keepers

[marmooskapaul]

Yea ate bass myself last night. Good, I don't understand the bad rap bass get as table fare? My six year old girl caught enough big gills in an hour last night for a meal. [we thru em back] tired of cleaning them got enough in the freezer for now.Did walk [pull her] a good long way to get em.  Paul

[rico]

I like bass too.  But they are the small ones I like to eat.  I think they should do away with the length limit on all bass.  Just kidding fellas.  There used to be a 25 limit on gills.  I guess the state decided that we did need one anymore.

[Pitcherbeb]

You need more than 25 gills in a day when you can only make it out a couple times in the winter and want to stock the freezer so you can eat the best tasting panfish all year round! Summit is fine, like Sweedish Pimple said, you just have to go looking for them!

[TUSH]

I agree with you pitcherbib. Some of us don't get to ice fish to often or even get to fish during the rest of the year much. Have to work for a living. When we do get a chance to fish we go when we can and not necessarily when it is best. Then we may need to drive along distance to try a new location. I have found that if I was to catch 25 bluegill in one day that would be a very rare exception. That is plenty of fish normally but I agree that it would be nice to stock up a few for the rest of the year. I guess it gets down to personal opinions and your location to lakes that seems to produce some good fishing. I know with the gas prices as high as they are it is harder to convince my wife that the fish are worth the cost. I know that the locals in any area that has good fishing would gladly accept a limit. After all they can go the next day or the next day. I think they also call that lucky.

[Edge]

I agree that there is nothing wrong with summit. 

But could a bag limit make it even better?

Do fisherman want quality bluegill or quantity?  I'm guessing both!

[bret]

Here's a portion of a bluegill article from the March issue of In-Fisherman (by Jim Gronaw):

     "Bluegill lakes often suffer from overharvest, especially smaller waters.  Though catch and release of Sumo sunnies may seem wrong to old-schoolers, voluntary release, along with tighter regulation, can maintain trophy panfisheries.
     About 10 years ago, Maryland established a 15-fish limit on sunfish, which likely saved the outstanding fisheries at Deep Creek and Piney Run lakes.  Today at 3900-acre Deep Creek, a limit of 10- to 11-inch 'gills still is common, and at 300-acre Piney Run, a good day is a limit of fish that goes either side of the 10-inch mark.  Both lakes are popular panfisheries, so imagine the damage that could be done under a 50-fish limit, or no limit.
     Maryland DNR biologist Charles Geugeon says that panfish anglers must play an active role in preserving thier sport with selective harvest and trophy release if they want both quality and quantity.  Growth rates vary, with a 9-inch fish being about six years old at Piney Run, and a 10-inch Deep Creek 'gill being nine or ten years old.
     For years, I've imposed a 10-inch limit on myself, releasing all bluegills that meet or exceed that length, keeping only a handful of 8-to 9-inchers per year, along with smaller fish, for a meal.  I do it out of respect for those giant, humpheaded panfish that are too rare to catch only once."

Personally, I'd love to catch (or have a good opportunity to catch) several 10-inch 'gills a day and still take home fifteen 8-9 inchers to eat.
 
                                                                                                 

[taxi1]

Bert,

As a fisheries graduate I concur wholeheartledly that this is a good idea on bluegill fisheries that will produce big gills. Unfortunately everytime a rule change proposal comes around and one of us asks for a limit on bluegills it's shot down by our DNR. Our DNR is still in that old school that believes the more that are harvested the more food supply there will be, but biologists in the know know that it's not that simple. Sure wish our DNR would come out of the stone age.

[Edge]

Who's side are you on Taxi.  Yesterday you were a proud past IDNR employee, today your bashing them. 

Don't be too hard on the DNR, because for every guy that asks for a bag, there are probably 3 or 4 telling them not to change a thing.

You need more than 25 gills in a day when you can only make it out a couple times in the winter and want to stock the freezer so you can eat the best tasting panfish all year round! Summit is fine, like Sweedish Pimple said, you just have to go looking for them!

What we really need is a bluegill group.  A group similar to the muskie hunters or Indiana walleye.  These groups get taken seriously, because it is a huge group of anglers that speak with one voice. 

[taxi1]

Who's side are you on Taxi.  Yesterday you were a proud past IDNR employee, today your bashing them. 

It's not a matter of what side I'm on. Actually I know a couple of biologists that would be for this on certain lakes. Unfortuantely it seems the denial is coming from higher up. Not sure if you're aware of this, but the higher up you go in the INDNR the less qualified some of these people are. If you get high enough they are merely political appointees.

Believe it or not, it may be more of a matter of a refusal to make our regulations more complicated as this would not apply to all lakes. I think they're afraid things could get like the Michigan regs where you almost have to have a law degree to figure them out. For those of you that have seem the Michigan fish regs you know what I mean.

[Edge]

Believe it or not, it may be more of a matter of a refusal to make our regulations more complicated as this would not apply to all lakes. I think they're afraid things could get like the Michigan regs where you almost have to have a law degree to figure them out. For those of you that have seem the Michigan fish regs you know what I mean.

I think you hit the nail on the head here.  Although I think you could get support to apply a 25 bag across the state, there is definite resistance when it comes to managing on a lake by lake basis.  The state probably lacks the man power (# of biologists) to do this to some extent. 

I still think if there were some type of bluegill angler group, we could make some changes.  The DNR makes more regulation changes based on social pressure than pure biology.  Just look at the new regs, the catch and release of trout on certain streams came from pressure from groups like NETA and Elkhart Conservation club.

[taxi1]

I think you hit the nail on the head here.  Although I think you could get support to apply a 25 bag across the state, there is definite resistance when it comes to managing on a lake by lake basis.  The state probably lacks the man power (# of biologists) to do this to some extent. 

I still think if there were some type of bluegill angler group, we could make some changes.  The DNR makes more regulation changes based on social pressure than pure biology.  Just look at the new regs, the catch and release of trout on certain streams came from pressure from groups like NETA and Elkhart Conservation club.

True, there is strength in numbers and there is social pressure. Good point. But good luck getting anglers organized. I personally am appalled by the user conflict on our lakes in summer. IMPO a regular angler in an average boat being assaulted by jet skis, power boats and lakes residents that don't' want him or her there is not acceptable. I have one individual that purposely strafes me on Clear Lake (Fremont) if I anchor within 50 yds. of his pier. I have been told by law enforcement there is not a thing I can do about it. I even offered to get it on film but was told if they didn't have name to go with the face to forget it. Seems to me all they would have to do is look up the boat number.  

When I did an outdoor column I tried to get some kind of Indiana association angler thing organized but to no avail. I thought a simple solution was to have a no wake law in effect on All lakes not only in the evening but in the morning. It was pooh poohed by the boating administrator and I found he was a desk jobber anyway in Indy and didn't have a clue. Case in point: I told him there was something similar in effect on Lake George and it seemed to work quite well. He insisted there was no such thing on Lake George, and he would have to ask the northern region law enforcement supervisor about it. I had to tell him that particular individual had been retired for two years. He didn't know.  

And I have been a member of ECC and I'm a member of NEITA. Funny thing you may not know: All of these ideas Musky, trout, steelhead, etc. were started by private folks and then taken over by the INDNR. Musky are now only planted by the INDNR, Curtis Creek Trout rearing station was started by NEITA but now under state control. I was told that the steelhead program got started by an outdoor writer's son that or ginally lived in Oregon or something. Interesting eh?

[bowbass]

i have seen allot of signs this year saying 20 or 25 is the limit!
but i guess it does make sense !!

[Edge]

I personally am appalled by the user conflict on our lakes in summer. IMPO a regular angler in an average boat being assaulted by jet skis, power boats and lakes residents that don't' want him or her there is not acceptable.

Thats a different can of worms, not touching that one.

[taxi1]

i have seen allot of signs this year saying 20 or 25 is the limit!
but i guess it does make sense !!

I haven't been hitting the public lakes much since I have so much fun with my four ponds and frankly I'm sick and tired of all the noise and rude people. At times I feel like I'm sitting in the middle of a f 'ing carnival! So I haven't see those signs. But 20 to 25 is still a good clip and can produce a really good wake.

BTW you haven't lived until you've been missed by inches by an idiot going wide open at night with no lights. Happened to me once. The boat was overloaded too and they were all drunk. They laughed as they passed.

[taxi1]

Thats a different can of worms, not touching that one.

Maybe do but it's a crime it hasn't been dealth with.

I once saw a study done during Otis Bowen's governership that said Indiana's lakes would be severely overused and dangerous by 1990. I guess that flew right over someone's head eh?