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IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: Night Eyes on Feb 15, 2010, 02:15 PM
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If you catch a rockbass do you toss it on the ice or let it go? are they a junk fish that can damage a pond or lake? when i fish in Canada they tell me to kill everyone i catch.
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If you catch a rockbass do you toss it on the ice or let it go? are they a junk fish that can damage a pond or lake? when i fish in Canada they tell me to kill everyone i catch.
!!??! Rockies? They're good fish!!! I've eaten hundreds of rockies!!! If you aren't going to eat them, throw them back! They do NOT damage anything, anymore than a sunfish would. (They're a member of the sunfish family) We like 'em down here in Minnesota! ;D
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other than the goby I've never heard of killing any fish for anything other than consumption.
To further that, in my zone it would be illegal and due cause for a warden to release you of ownership of all your gear, including the vehicle that got you there (seldom happens but has before).
Just because some guy on the ice thinks they are junk fish doesn't mean they are invasive or harmful to the ecosystem. I would suggest leaving the biology to the biologists. If they consider them a problem they will handle it with a targeted kill.
On the other hand, read the regs for the zone you were in, maybe there is a viable and legal reason for it but I kinda doubt it
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other than the goby I've never heard of killing any fish for anything other than consumption.
To further that, in my zone it would be illegal and due cause for a warden to release you of ownership of all your gear, including the vehicle that got you there (seldom happens but has before).
Just because some guy on the ice thinks they are junk fish doesn't mean they are invasive or harmful to the ecosystem. I would suggest leaving the biology to the biologists. If they consider them a problem they will handle it with a targeted kill.
On the other hand, read the regs for the zone you were in, maybe there is a viable and legal reason for it but I kinda doubt it
i totally agree
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other than the goby I've never heard of killing any fish for anything other than consumption.
To further that, in my zone it would be illegal and due cause for a warden to release you of ownership of all your gear, including the vehicle that got you there (seldom happens but has before).
Just because some guy on the ice thinks they are junk fish doesn't mean they are invasive or harmful to the ecosystem. I would suggest leaving the biology to the biologists. If they consider them a problem they will handle it with a targeted kill.
On the other hand, read the regs for the zone you were in, maybe there is a viable and legal reason for it but I kinda doubt it
Good reply. Makes me wonder who "They" is... ??? When in doubt, ALWAYS read the regs.
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some people around here kill sheephead. I am in no way condoning needlessly killing a fish when it wont be consumed(unless its a gobie, and "consumed" means by humans, not seagulls or pelicans).
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"They" where the locals who i rented the cabin from, i never ate one but don't knock it till ya tried it right. and i know the kids have fun catching them.
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All I can say about Rock Bass is try them you will like it. They surely are not perch but they ain't bad. ;D
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Happens alot with whitefish here in montana, guys, throw them up on the bank, they think it lowers the competition for other trout.(even though they are a native species, whereas browns and rainbows are not) Same thing w suckers, no one releases those. Guys on the missouri slaughter the invasive carp with bows, and then toss them on the bank. In yellowstone lake in the park, lake trout are hated because they have desimated the native cuttthrout trout. they were illegally introduced. The park service spends 2 million dollars a year trying to gill net the fish by the tens of thousands, and if you fish for them there are no creel limits, and you have to kill everything you catch. In the end something eats the fish if not a human, not to mention not all the fish we release survive.
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i have much respect for the mighty rock bass, i can't bring myself to eat them so i just put them back,they do put up a good fight
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We catch them a lot in the summer with sunfish, we let them all go..
They are a running joke with my family..the red eyed devil fish!
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I like the taste of rockbass. Once they hit 8" there is enough meat to justify cleaning the bone filled critter (imo). I say you keep the ones you catch and EAT THEM.
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Rock Bass are fun to catch and good to eat.
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!!??! Rockies? They're good fish!!! I've eaten hundreds of rockies!!! If you aren't going to eat them, throw them back! They do NOT damage anything, anymore than a sunfish would. (They're a member of the sunfish family) We like 'em down here in Minnesota! ;D
Not everyone, because I've heard so many people say they'd never eat them. They give you a million reasons too. I just laugh because they've obviously never tried one. Usually tell them to try one and then come back and talk to me. They're great.
They are a little different to clean compared to a sunfish. They have a very hard rib cage. Most everyone I know saves the meat above the ribs or back I guess, cuts around the ribs and the down the tail. You end up with a strange looking filet, but worth it to me.
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I used to fish those back when I lived in Ontario around 1994. At that time I was lucky to be able to afford a spool of line as this was kind of a low point in my life. I would entertain myself for hours just jiggin' them off the pier in the Welland canal. The water was kind of gross so I didn't eat them(obviously I wasn't TOO hungry then :-\ ) but sure was fun when it's your only access to water. At that time my only mode of transportation was a bicycle.
Anyways....to answer your question I definitely threw them back. Years later and now a father of three, I think they would be a great species for kids ;D
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If you catch a rockbass do you toss it on the ice or let it go? are they a junk fish that can damage a pond or lake? when i fish in Canada they tell me to kill everyone i catch.
If your not going to eat them let them go. ;D ;D
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I would think they are a good food source for the muskie, northern, and walleye. Don't know why the locals would want to release them.
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I would think they are a good food source for the muskie, northern, and walleye. Don't know why the locals would want to release them.
Musky, northern, and walleye dont like to eat bluegll, crappie, and rockbass. They prefer bass, shad, shiners, minnows, ect. Fish with soft bodies and no spines.
If you have a l lake with bass northern and bluegill, the northern are going to take a bass over a bluegill every time.
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I used to fish those back when I lived in Ontario around 1994. At that time I was lucky to be able to afford a spool of line as this was kind of a low point in my life. I would entertain myself for hours just jiggin' them off the pier in the Welland canal. The water was kind of gross so I didn't eat them(obviously I wasn't TOO hungry then :-\ ) but sure was fun when it's your only access to water. At that time my only mode of transportation was a bicycle.
Anyways....to answer your question I definitely threw them back. Years later and now a father of three, I think they would be a great species for kids ;D
Wow...That was me back in the late 70's...no jobs, nothing anywhere. Did what you could to make a buck. Catch some fish to have a meal. Took your mind off of things for a while, too. I had great fun catching a pail of rockies. Good fighting little fish...and kids love to catch 'em. Oh, and RowdyRay..you're right about cleaning them...that fat, big backbone is a pain to work around. I always ended up with lots of chunks I used to call "Rock chips". Put them all in a flour/beer batter and into the deep fryer, until you had a pile 'o chips...Hmmm..maybe I should of starting selling 'em...I'm getting hungry now.... ;)
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If legal, then use it for bait!
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some guys around here throw pike & perch on the ice and leave em for da Eagles..
ive never understood that thinking......if im not gonna eat it , i wont kill it
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some guys around here throw pike & perch on the ice and leave em for da Eagles..
ive never understood that thinking......if im not gonna eat it , i wont keep it
Can u do me a favor the next time you see that? Drag those guys out behind the proverbial shanty and educate them please ??? ??? ???
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Dont kill the rockies...what did they ever due to you other than make you think you caught something else when you get a big one....
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I only keep what I will eat. Everything else goes back in the water. I agree with leavng the biology to the biologists! If the wildlife managers want to cull a certain species they will publish it as a directive....as with the Goby in certain areas. I fished up in New Hapmshire last season for Brown Trout and Bows and there were dozens of dead pickerel laying in the ice. I caught a few pikerel that day and put them back....some guy came over and said I should not put them back because they kill the trout. I told him that they are my fish to do what I want with and he got po'd and said the pond was his home territory and they want to keep the trout!! What an A%^ this guy was! HIS home territory?!?!? I didn't argue with him...being out in the middle of nowhere and all but it was definately a public body of water. never ceases to amaze me that some bumpkins think they have the credentials to be a wildlife manager and tell others what to do with their fish!
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if your not going to eat them at least throw them in your garden , they could feed you one way or the other. steve kreis
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Don't kill something just for the sake of killing it.
There are plenty of us out there that will eat the rockbass, whitefish or pickerel.
If God wanted rockbass killed, he would have listed it as the 11th commandment.
Wiener
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I can't stand when people kill fish for no reason. >:(
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i cant tell you how many times ol' rocky has saved me from gettin skunked out there..throw em back if youre not gonna eat em they arent hurtin anything!!
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Just understand that you might one day release a fish that will die because of the fight that you brought to it in the name of sport. That fish will have died in vain i guess. Actually in parts of europe they consider it inhumane to catch a fish and not eat it, for the same reason i believe. It is illegal to practice catch and release there, go figure...
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Musky, northern, and walleye dont like to eat bluegll, crappie, and rockbass. They prefer bass, shad, shiners, minnows, ect. Fish with soft bodies and no spines.
If you have a l lake with bass northern and bluegill, the northern are going to take a bass over a bluegill every time.
walleye love perch which have bigger spines than any sunfish member and they do eat sunfish as well so do the pike family . although they prefer fish with soft rays in their fins they will eat anything that fits down their throat i have caught walleye and pike with all types in their gut.
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why would you kill em?? there good fish and put up a fight
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throw em back the only fish i know that your sopose to kill is snake heads dont even throw them on the ice or shore cuz they will crawl back in :S so ive heard
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Only keep what you are going to eat.Release the rest.Same with hunting.
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snake heads kill and eat everything in the lake and then then cross over [then can crawl on land] to the next lake
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state laws say to kill it right away not to toss on ice or land
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snakeheads are an invasive species.
IF I remember correctly, the DNR wants them killed. They also want you to report the lake that you caught it on so they can keep track of "infected" lakes.
Same with Gobies, and fish that have VHS.
Wiener
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I think that Rock Bass are great fish for the kids to catch! Now if they only grew bigger because these guys put up a bigger fight then a Small Mouth!!! Doesn't matter what I catch, I release almost everything unless it's hooked in such a way that the fish wont make it. I have never caught a Goby but that is one species that I wouldn't put back or release, I would just leave them for the coons!
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I think that Rock Bass are great fish for the kids to catch! Now if they only grew bigger because these guys put up a bigger fight then a Small Mouth!!! Doesn't matter what I catch, I release almost everything unless it's hooked in such a way that the fish wont make it. I have never caught a Goby but that is one species that I wouldn't put back or release, I would just leave them for the coons!
make sure the fish cant get back into the water if you do just end its pain but bullet in its head
or just stab it a couple times take your anger out on it then the coons gte free dinner anyway
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It's been a long time since I ate a Rock Bass but as I remember they didn't taste much different than a Blue Gill. I thought they were good eating, and easy to catch, the fight isn't the greatest, they fight hard for about 10 seconds then come in like a weed on your hook.
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snakeheads are an invasive species.
IF I remember correctly, the DNR wants them killed. They also want you to report the lake that you caught it on so they can keep track of "infected" lakes.
Same with Gobies, and fish that have VHS.
Wiener
Every non-native fish and plant for that matter is an invasive species.......
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If you catch a rockbass do you toss it on the ice or let it go? are they a junk fish that can damage a pond or lake? when i fish in Canada they tell me to kill everyone i catch.
Don't listen to people, they're idiots. ;)
I'd never intentionally kill or keep anything I wasn't going to personally consume (which is rare). I don't even keep fish for other people anymore.
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eat them or throw them back they good fishing for the kids so lets heat up some oil and get to frying
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adkroy would have ur b@llz if you kill any of his buddy rockbass....lol
i caught a nice one a few years ago filleted it up with my mess of perch me and my family sat down and ate the fish nobody spit it out meaning there wasnt much of a difference after batterd and fried...put them back ...darn trout lovers
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If you catch a rockbass do you toss it on the ice or let it go? are they a junk fish that can damage a pond or lake? when i fish in Canada they tell me to kill everyone i catch.
Sounds like you may be getting advice from ignorant people. I say ignorant as a fact and not a derogatory term. If the RockBass is Native to the body of water then it has more right to be there than you. They have a specific role in the ecosystem of that lake/pond. Just because they may not be the best tasting or sporting fish in the water, in no way makes any species of Native Fish a junk species. Even the Precambrian dog fish has it's place in the Lakes.
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It's been a long time since I ate a Rock Bass but as I remember they didn't taste much different than a Blue Gill. I thought they were good eating, and easy to catch, the fight isn't the greatest, they fight hard for about 10 seconds then come in like a weed on your hook.
I agree...Northern MI lakes are full of them and they all they do is trash your plastics, fight long enough for you to think you have a nice fish, then play dead. I hate 'em, but don't kill 'em.
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I hope it's OK to kill Asian Carp, because if I ever run across one that is what I plan on doing!
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they are called panfish for a reason...rockys will always have a special place in my heart...i mean tummy ;)
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Musky, northern, and walleye dont like to eat bluegll, crappie, and rockbass. They prefer bass, shad, shiners, minnows, ect. Fish with soft bodies and no spines.
If you have a l lake with bass northern and bluegill, the northern are going to take a bass over a bluegill every time.
That couldn't be further from the truth, with muskies atleast. Crappies are a preferred food for them as are suckers, trout, shiners, ect (We regularly use small crappies for bait and do quite well ;)). While I'm sure they do make a meal out of the occasional bass they are defiantly not a preferred food source due to wider bodies and sharp spines where the crappies are more streamlined.
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/MikeThePike/vac%2009/100_1048.jpg)
Muskies will never eat crappies...I read it on the internet by an expert :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
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snake heads kill and eat everything in the lake and then then cross over [then can crawl on land] to the next lake
i think i just saw one run by the window :o
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i think i just saw one run by the window :o
didnt you see the movie about them i know it was realistic fiction but what if somone did dump hormones into the lake
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spines dont matter to most large preditors that is why they swallow head first it lays the spines down i'v cawt walleye with bullhead in ther guts up to 8" long with the spines still standing up i dont know how they could swallow them without tearing their innards apart but they were perfectly fine.
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didnt you see the movie about them i know it was realistic fiction but what if somone did dump hormones into the lake
they might grow a beard or god forbid some breasts. ;D . all kidding aside they do the same function as a bowfin who can also live a long time out of water, is aggresive, eats anything it can swallow its just a fish . look at what brown trout have done to native brook trout and rainbows in some places look at what pike and bass and walleye are doing in introduced areas . thins will change but will balance out after a while probably not to our likeing but it's to lake for that now we just have to cope with the problem and avoid making the same mistakes in other waters. it's amazing how people will tolerate fish that "they " like but persicute one on their s@#t list .i'm in no way defending snakeheads i think they should be killed off but the paranoia that puts them at almost mythical status is a bit much.
pacific salmon = introduced to the great lakes
brown trout = introduced from europe
walleye = introduced to the columbia river
the list goes on and on. the adirondack mountains have countless numbers of native trout ponds that dont have trout because people brought in bass, pike , perch , all native fish but NOT to these ponds which have caused the extinction of certan sub-speces native to only these waters. the state is trying to reclaim them and introduce certain strains of brook trout from this area but as long as people stock THEIR favorite fish in bodies of water that they dont live in it's no different than throwing a snakehead in the mix.
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it is funny how people form these opinions... I have a buddy (walleye fisherman) that said in minnesota they would throw all the northerns on the ice cuz they are slimy trash fish. I will happily eat the northers he catches these days.
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i see burbot on the ice on chamlain
sunfish on several lakes
small perch also on several lakes ( bucket biologists trying to save the lake from overpopulation )
and to many different species to count in the summer thrown on the bank including bass,pike,and panfish
as i previously said some guys feel that THEIR favorite fish is the only one to save
saw a guy kill a northern on the salmon river in puaski he said " they kill they babby salmon when they leave the hatchery so he just saved hundreds of babby salmon "
so this is the mentality that is out there.
p.s. my responce to him was " the pike were here first the salmon arent native to this area if you want to be a biologist educate yourself before pushing your ignorance "
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p.s. my responce to him was " the pike were here first the salmon arent native to this area if you want to be a biologist educate yourself before pushing your ignorance "
Great response...one that could be directed to many out there. One thing that many over look is the fact that they have little knowledge in environmental science and the balance of an eco system. There are non native species that are NOT invasive species. I'll let those who disagree look up the definition of each term. With that said, many areas that have had species that are NOT invasive, have over the years produced excellent fisheries for both the native species and those introduced. The introduction of these species were done under study. The major damage that occurs to ecosystems are from those of ignorance driven from economic gain. The best example of that can be seen in the Great Lakes from the ocean freighters and the ballast discharge. The introduction of Brown Trout from Europe, The hybrid Tiger Musky, and other productive/beneficial species will never have the same magnitude of those from ballast tanks. BUT the government looks at the immediate monetary gain of current practices rather than the long term environmental impact.
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When I was a kid I can remember everyone throwing small gills on the ice as population control so the lake wouldn't get stunted. One day the game warden came out and gave a couple guys fines for having over their limit. I don't see any one doing it any more except on some small farm ponds I fish. The owner of those ponds makes us throw out the small gills and bass under ten inches to avoid his pond getting stunted.
I am a Biologist and Environmental Scientist and it is possible for a population growth to get stunted for any species if the population is to high for the available resources. Most of this is controlled by the predator fish however. The best thing any one can do is release the large predator species you catch, these guys are the 'police' of the lake. I know it's hard, but get a picture and make sure they swim off on their own power (after the lactic acid has been metabolized from the fight).
For the record, every state will have exotic nuisance species listed in the guide that should be killed when caught. Check that out and abide by it, alot of research has gone into determining that. And the non-native species that aren't exotic nuisance, are helping to keep the ecosystem balanced and should be considered for all intents and purposes as native, respect them...Alot of research has gone into determining that as well.
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When I was a kid I can remember everyone throwing small gills on the ice as population control so the lake wouldn't get stunted. One day the game warden came out and gave a couple guys fines for having over their limit. I don't see any one doing it any more except on some small farm ponds I fish. The owner of those ponds makes us throw out the small gills and bass under ten inches to avoid his pond getting stunted.
I am a Biologist and Environmental Scientist and it is possible for a population growth to get stunted for any species if the population is to high for the available resources. Most of this is controlled by the predator fish however. The best thing any one can do is release the large predator species you catch, these guys are the 'police' of the lake. I know it's hard, but get a picture and make sure they swim off on their own power (after the lactic acid has been metabolized from the fight).
For the record, every state will have exotic nuisance species listed in the guide that should be killed when caught. Check that out and abide by it, alot of research has gone into determining that. And the non-native species that aren't exotic nuisance, are helping to keep the ecosystem balanced and should be considered for all intents and purposes as native, respect them...Alot of research has gone into determining that as well.
Great points. I agree....leave the biology to the biologists! There are way too many guys out there that think that they know how to manage a fishery just because they like to fish as a passtime. I have spent many a time listening to these bumpkins go back and forth about what they "know" is good for the lake and how this and that effect the population and that the fish and game departments are wrong. But I just shake my head and laugh.
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It is all pretty simple really... If you want to kill it...EAT IT!!!
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Great points. I agree....leave the biology to the biologists! There are way too many guys out there that think that they know how to manage a fishery just because they like to fish as a passtime. I have spent many a time listening to these bumpkins go back and forth about what they "know" is good for the lake and how this and that effect the population and that the fish and game departments are wrong. But I just shake my head and laugh.
LOL...becareful...not all of us bumkins are as ignint as you may think. Some of us don't state that we have degrees in ENV Science, yet some do :) You can pick us out from the big words we use like ecosystem. When we are really feeling smart we will even throw in a few like ichthyologist ;D
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eat the good ones toss the dinks back for next time
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LOL...becareful...not all of us bumkins are as ignint as you may think. Some of us don't state that we have degrees in ENV Science, yet some do :) You can pick us out from the big words we use like ecosystem. When we are really feeling smart we will even throw in a few like ichthyologist ;D
I hear ya and agree with ya. I can definately tell the difference in the bumpkins and the ecologists. I got my BS in Forestry in 1994 from Umass Amherst......had to take a few courses in wildlife biology and also icthyology. However, I'll still leave the biology to the biologists that are actually on the government payroll and have access to the real data. ;)
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LOL, well said..lol
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they do mess up small bodies of waters ecosystems in that they eat everything in sight but if they are already in where you are fishing your not gonna stop them by killing a few (and they taste good)
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kill to eat, if you ain't goin' to eat let em' go
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LOL...becareful...not all of us bumkins are as ignint as you may think. Some of us don't state that we have degrees in ENV Science, yet some do :) You can pick us out from the big words we use like ecosystem. When we are really feeling smart we will even throw in a few like ichthyologist ;D
What can I say, sometimes you need to back up your opinion with some crudentials. I apologize if I am coming across as arogant (not my intention at all). I chose the field I'm in because I love the land and resources God gave us, and I'm proud to say my job is to protect it and find ways to clean up what's already been impacted. This discussion is surely not the case, but I have grown tired many times of listening to people regurgitate old wives tales about ecology. Sometimes it's a just insulting to me and my collegues when a guy fishes three days a week and thinks he knows better than the professionals. That being said; i still fish, trap, and hunt with some people that never got past highschool and alot of their knowledge is invaluble to me as scientist and sportsman because they spend most of their life living off the land.
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The only fish i kill are the ones goin in the pan or them snake fish
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If you catch a rockbass do you toss it on the ice or let it go? are they a junk fish that can damage a pond or lake? when i fish in Canada they tell me to kill everyone i catch.
let dec tell you what to kill, that is as bad as the people leaving sheep heads all over the ice