State Derby Is It Time To Re-Think It

[bee]

 Being new to ice fishing and the StateDerby is it time to rethink the reason for it. Is the belief that the targeted fish will be exterminated the same as it was a few years ago? Is this a fishery that could be promoted in Maine to attract dollars without the current slaughter thing that is going on. There are alot of seasoned ice fishermen out here who may have some ideas on this derby and ways to improve on it. Lets not get into a war of words here. I hope not to open up a war just some ideas.

[PIKE FISHERMAN]

I think either way this probably will turn into some sort of war. To meet people half way. i'd like to see a 10 pike limit for next year.

[livinbass]

I would like to see less garbage. 8)The only reason they started this is becouse of the ice on sebage one year it shouldnt be like this.

[mainedukblaster]

I agree with the 10 pike limit, especially in Pike water, i.e. Sabbatus,  but I don't see Maine putting that LAW on the books, because they are an invasive.... Just like no limit on Musky or Crappie..  So even if you limited the pike to 10 I still think people would just follow the law of no limit

[sst4life]

  So even if you limited the pike to 10 I still think people would just follow the law of no limit

Then those people should be punished and more tickets written !!!  Maybe that will reduce some of our taxes !!!  ( dream on I know )  In other words I do not agree with the statewide at all.  They opened it up statewide just because of ice on Sebago then they kept doing it.  I dont like it dont believe in it.  It is totally bogus. 

[mainedukblaster]

Kevin... the state of Maine has no limit on PIke...  so How can Derby's write tickets for over 10 Pike?? no one broke any laws.

[buddah]

It sounds like there were just too many people at Sabattus,so you had a magnification of problems all in one spot,it just looked like another day on the ice where I was,but I wasn't pike fishing.I mentioned before that they should have included crappie in the derby to spread the pressure around a little bit.Add yellow perch too,people love the no limit thing.

[sst4life]

Kevin... the state of Maine has no limit on PIke...  so How can Derby's write tickets for over 10 Pike?? no one broke any laws.

I am saying a limit on them statewide.  Before we all ruin or resources and all have to fish for Bass wouldnt that be totally boring !!!

[pegasus]

We could feed all the yellow perch to the prisoners at Warren and pretty quick there wouldn't be any crime because of the harsh treatment. Oh that's right Bammy doen't want to treat prisoners harsh. Oh well, it was jast a thought.

[PIKE FISHERMAN]

In other words I do not agree with the statewide at all. 

This is the first year i've really know anything about this derby.. Have to say i agree with you on this one.



I'd be a different story if pike were in Sebago or moosehead.

[No Time To_Fish]

It sounds like there were just too many people at Sabattus,so you had a magnification of problems all in one spot,it just looked like another day on the ice where I was,but I wasn't pike fishing.I mentioned before that they should have included crappie in the derby to spread the pressure around a little bit.Add yellow perch too,people love the no limit thing.

I agree. It was a magnification. If you really look at the number of holes versus the areas littered with trash its clear that there area  lot of responsible parties out there and its the classic few that ruin it for the many.

I myself didn't enter the statewide this year because after last year I wasn't sure what the point was of killing fish to win a few bucks.

[mainedukblaster]

I just don't see the state put a limit on fish that were introduced..
Kinda in the same way the state Wont acknowledge Mountain Lions.. because they will have to make some sort of regulation on them..

[No Time To_Fish]

I just don't see the state put a limit on fish that were introduced..
Kinda in the same way the state Wont acknowledge Mountain Lions.. because they will have to make some sort of regulation on them..

I know, classic argument, but Sabattus is a pike water. You're never going to get them out, so why not manage it for what it is?

[JimP]

Why add crappie? To get another group up in arms? The point is that a lot of folks like to fish for crappie and wouldn't appreciate the mass of folks just killing fish for a ticket to win something. It is exploiting the resource, dividing fisherman and what kind of message does it send for our image with the general public? It is causing landowner relation problems. It should end in its current form.

Sebago tourney has a specific management goal in place, taking them togue makes sense. What is the management goal of statewide? It has morphed into something very ugly.

[livinbass]

I just don't see the state put a limit on fish that were introduced..
Kinda in the same way the state Wont acknowledge Mountain Lions.. because they will have to make some sort of regulation on them..

I agree with you it wont happen.

[mainedukblaster]

I know, classic argument, but Sabattus is a pike water. You're never going to get them out, so why not manage it for what it is?

I hear ya I am for it.. For established waters..  but... then you would have to make exceptions to lakes that shouldn't have Pike like Sebago..

[JimP]

I just don't see the state put a limit on fish that were introduced..

There are limits on Bass, Rainbow trout, Brown trout. All introduced.

[Frozen__Nutts]

Let's add bass to next year!

[billditrite]

    I am pretty sure that the derby staff work hand in hand with the states biologist in determining which species to target. i believe it is not only to keep populations of invasive species down but also to cull some less sought after species like pickerel.

   The trash is a shame...I honestly didnt see that much more traffic for a weekend but I was way at the north end got there early and stayed late.

[livinbass]

Im sure the derby guy is seeing this and not likeing it.I made good $$ that weekend but thats not what its about for me well was kinda this year but i love to fish and hunt and hate to see what happened on a small pond like sabattus.I wouldnt want to see that anywere.I was going to take a pic but i didnt want to be reminded of it.As for now ill never do the sebago derby or statewide again.

[No Time To_Fish]

I hear ya I am for it.. For established waters..  but... then you would have to make exceptions to lakes that shouldn't have Pike like Sebago..

I totally agree with you. The thing is, it could indeed be done. Try and battle it on somewhere like Sebago for a while. If it works great. If not well adjust the management to suit.

I'm a forester by trade and in general foresty is a management practice that focuses on the very long term. Many of the things I do now will not be realized by this generation or in my life time, but hopefully for the next. With that said, forest mgmt. plans are generally reviewed and renewed every ten years. The point being you adjust your mgmt. strategies to account for what is happening or what has happened. For expample the ice storm of '98 caused a lot of forest landowners to make diffrent choices and management decisions based upon the damage. It would have been foolish for them to just say, hey we only get to stick to one mgmt choice and thats all there is to it no matter what our timber looks like now.

Same analogy holds true for fisheries. Its not a short term management regime. Let me rephrase that - Its not a one shot and and your done decision or a one size fits all policy application.

(Hmm I wonder if I could have worked the word "management or mgmt" in a few more times "

[buddah]

Why add crappie? To get another group up in arms? The point is that a lot of folks like to fish for crappie and wouldn't appreciate the mass of folks just killing fish for a ticket to win something. It is exploiting the resource, dividing fisherman and what kind of message does it send for our image with the general public? It is causing landowner relation problems. It should end in its current form.

Sebago tourney has a specific management goal in place, taking them togue makes sense. What is the management goal of statewide? It has morphed into something very ugly.

I said why in my post,to spread the fisherman around.It wouldn't even put a dent in the crappie population with all the bodies of water they're in,just like yellow perch and pickeral.Nobody's complaining about the crappie competition that's happening on this site.

[No Time To_Fish]

to cull some less sought after species like pickerel.

 I struggle with that statement, because if you want to get kids into fishing, a good pickerel fishery is important to. The provide a good little fight, fast flags and excitement for the little ones. There are so many viewpoints on this its hard to make a blanket statement like that, which holds true.

[livinbass]

I said why in my post,to spread the fisherman around.It wouldn't even put a dent in the crappie population with all the bodies of water they're in,just like yellow perch and pickeral.Nobody's complaining about the crappie competition that's happening on this site.

Thats why i dont do it anymore im not going to keep more fish than i can eat or give away.

[sst4life]

Nobody's complaining about the crappie competition that's happening on this site.

I know that is a invavsive species that I am sure is eatin g the smelt at a alarming rate in sebago.  I bet they are putting a huge dent on that lake also.   Almost like the pot calling the kettle black

[JimP]

kai you're right about that, and it is a good analogy.

When you mix money and fishing it brings out the worst in some people. I fish to get away from stuff like that. I didn't do statewide and had the best day fishing with bee and MG39 in solitude.

I get that buddah and spreading folks out sure does make sense. I guess I just don't like what I see when fishing gets competitive and about winning something. It has gotten to big and it is out of control in some ways. The folks catching the crappie are not just killing fish to win. The catching is for the meat, the trophy is about a group of friends in a friendly competition. You can be sure those same guys wouldn't like seeing 500 guys fishing for them statewide.

[billditrite]

I struggle with that statement, because if you want to get kids into fishing, a good pickerel fishery is important to. The provide a good little fight, fast flags and excitement for the little ones. There are so many viewpoints on this its hard to make a blanket statement like that, which holds true.

...most people do not keep a limit of pickerel when they go fishing like they do when they go trout fishing. you cant honestly think that never killing any fish is good for the fish. it's called management and its what we hire biologist for in the first place...the stae issues permits for derbies and help make guidelines for those derbies when they do so.

[Frozen__Nutts]

 Bass and crappie next year!

[sst4life]

kai you're right about that, and it is a good analogy.

When you mix money and fishing it brings out the worst in some people. I fish to get away from stuff like that. I didn't do statewide and had the best day fishing with bee and MG39 in solitude.

I get that buddah and spreading folks out sure does make sense. I guess I just don't like what I see when fishing gets competitive and about winning something. It has gotten to big and it is out of control in some ways. The folks catching the crappie are not just killing fish to win. The catching is for the meat, the trophy is about a group of friends in a friendly competition. You can be sure those same guys wouldn't like seeing 500 guys fishing for them statewide.

You just hit the nail on the Head Jim !!!

[JimP]

Good luck getting bass included, those guys are organized and protect their fish. Never going to happen. Which brings me to say, not all the decisions on permitting are made with a strict eye on what is biologically the best course. One of the most telling statements I ever heard come out of Augusta was they spend more time and effort managing fisherman than fish.