Yellow Perch

[whitetips]

This is nothing against you, Nate, but I am glad you brought up Prairie Queen.

Prairie Queen, Kramper, Summit.....they were all built by NRD's, not the Game, and Parks Department of Nebraska.  But the Ne Game and Parks (interesting that there is no FISH in that name?) is more than happy to take credit for the success of those reservoirs, but if you take issue with litter or noise at the campground they are the first to send you to the NRD headquarters.  Oh, and if you buy a Ne Game and Parks park sticker that's great, they will take your money happily, but if not don't worry, nobody is enforcing it at NRD/NGFP parks anyway.  I'm sure that is the NRD's fault, too somehow.

There are a lot of sportspeople in this state that would do well to not believe everything you read on the internet or hear at the coffee shop.

I'm done now.

OK I am throwing the BALONEY card again.

Yep, Prairie Queen and Kramper are newly-built NRD reservoirs and Summit is one that recently had an Aquatic Habitat Rehabilitation project completed.  Every one of those projects had a huge chunk of funding from the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission.  In fact none of those projects would have been anything like they were without our involvement.  We love being asked to partner with the NRDs in the construction of those new reservoirs because then from the ground floor we can ensure that those reservoirs are constructed with clean water, aquatic habitat and good fishing in mind!  It would be a lot cheaper to just go in, grub out all of the standing timber and throw up a dam, and that structure would serve flood control purposes just fine.  But with the Game & Parks involvement you are getting reservoirs that will provide excellent fishing opportunities for a long, long time.

Some of the parks areas around some NRD reservoirs are managed by the NRDs and some have been turned over to the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission.  Who has jurisdiction there depends on the particular area and how that NRD wanted to handle it.

Yes, never believe everything you read on the internet or hear in the coffee shops and bars.

Daryl B.

[whitetips]

How many people travel to our state and spend money here for wipers that's why not Daryl

There absolutely are some!!!!

http://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/2014/05/spring-wipers/

And some come for muskies, some for walleyes, some for trout, some for catfish, I even know a bunch that travel south to Nebraska to ice-fish every winter!

Like I said before, "the grass is always greener. . . "

http://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/2014/09/grass-always-greener/

Daryl B.

[warrior1]

Lol Some is the key word

[FishGut]

Valentine National Refuge is not managed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

[Unclegillhunter]

Well this post got it of hand! Mr.B  I am sorry that I have to agree that the baloney remark was unprofessional! You should have said Black Forest ham or maybe Cajun smoked turkey!

Keep it safe! JDL

[eyecrosser65]

I have fished in Kansas for 30 years now, both open water and ice fishing.  I too, am concerned about the Wiper stocking program, fun to catch? Yes, but they have definitely had an impact on other fisheries. I'd like to know what time of year the stomach content studies were done? If after the shad hatch of course they are more likely to be full of those, but no one can tell me that if a school of Wipers come upon a school of stocked walleye fry that they won't make short order of them also, as well as many other fingerling fish. Not sure what both the Kansas and Nebraska Game and Parks fascination is these days with stocking Wipers in any size body of water that will hold them. Love to fish for white bass at Milford Lake, last May we were catching 20:1 Wipers to white bass and the whites were thin and smallish in size. I understand cycles, food chain, carrying capacity, etc… I think it's time to slow down on some of the Wiper stocking in Kansas for sure,  some days they are just a plain nuisance when targeting other fish. I used to be quick to report violaters when seeing them take too many of them, now I'm getting to the point where I want to just turn the other way and ignore it. One other question I do have, if both perch and northern pike are cool water fish, and pike are natural predators of perch; why aren't yellow perch being stocked in the same lakes that contain pike. I have  ice fished one or two lakes in Nebraska with pike and no perch, the other panfish seem to be thriving there, plenty of food, deep enough water, flats and structure for both hiding from predators and searching for prey, just an observation? I have traveled to North Dakota quite a few times now and don't see much difference between some of those lakes and some of the lakes I've fished in both Kansas and Nebraska.  Water temperature shouldn't be an issue if the pike are thriving there already.

[Unclegillhunter]

Well I mentioned that this post had gotten out of hand. The baloney and suggesting another kind of meat was kind of a joke, unfortunately this post has gotten out of hand! Too bad this might have been a good discussion about Nebraska fishing. Instead it turned into an argument about the practices of the game and parks.

Keep it safe! JDL

[eepks]

I thought this was a post about Perch..Wow was I wrong

[PhishOn]

Back to Perch... How about this 12 3/4" 1lb 8oz Nebraska Bar of Gold!!!
 

[eyecrosser65]

Now those are some nice perch, congrats! After reading all the posts in this thread I was making an observation in my post. I think it's ok to question the fish and game department from time to time to gain insight into what their thoughts and reasons behind certain management practices are? That way we as sportsmen get a better understanding of both there logic behind them and how to better fish these waters for the species available. It doesn't have to turn nasty and become a name calling fight. I think they are doing a fairly good job, but as sportsmen and taxpayers we  should be able to voice an opinion as to what we're seeing and experiencing at the lakes we fish. And just to add; I'm not a guy that goes out a couple weekends a year to wet a line, I probably fish 100 days a year on average all across the midwest.

[PhishOn]

^^^ Well said... I like your style... We are all our own worst enemies when it comes down to it. Not everyone is going to be happy with Game and Parks practices. When do I get my Sandhill lake with length limits to preserve the big panfish and to create a trophy fishery?! 

How many of you guys would travel to fish a lake with panfish restrictions? Like 12 inch minimum on perch and only 1 over 14"   I like fishing good lakes where I know I have a chance at a PIG!

I got on a lake a few years ago with very minimal pressure.. Loaded with good bluegills and perch.. Did a lot of catch and release of Master Angler bluegills and perch.. Well guess what!?  It found its way onto the internet, Facebook, Twitter, on and on... It's now half the fishery it was last year. Makes it hard to keep throwing em back as you watch everyone else haul em out!! Lol.. I just try to sting as many as I can! Get good pics and be selective on the harvest...  Dang interwebs anyways lolol

[EyeDoc]

How many people travel to our state and spend money here for wipers that's why not Daryl

You ever been to big mac on the weekend? loaded with out of state cars (colorado and KS) who come to catch walleye and wiper. Doug Stange with Infisherman is another. He comes to Nebraska to fish a lot...often with the guy you were questioning.... (daryl B.). Saw another walleye/wiper episode on Big Mac the other day. The host of the Next Bite was fishing with our own Ben Garver.  You ever casted into a school of boiling wiper and hooked one on light line? These are the closest pull you can get to a saltwater fish....here in the mid west. Those things absolutely SMOKE your drag. Think a little before you speak.

One more thing to tie this back into perch....saw a yellow perch from our sandhills that went just under 16" last week...... food for thought.

[Scotty]

I love to fish the sandhills lakes. I also like to eat fish, even stockpile a few for a neighborhood fish fry to share with those not lucky enough to get out fishing. It's at least 100 miles one way for me to get to almost any sandhills lake. I would definitely support a 10 fish limit on panfish. We have to do something about this situation where the word on a bite gets out and there's 75-100 rigs in the parking lot the next weekend no matter how remote the lake. There is also an issue of folks that are fortunate enough to fish several days a week taking buckets of fish home every day. There are problems facing our perch fisheries that are out of the Game and Parks hands. We as sportsmen need to self police ourselves a bit or we will continue to see lakes overfished within a year or two. This is just my opinion and I apologize if anyone finds it offensive.

[whitetips]

I have fished in Kansas for 30 years now, both open water and ice fishing.  I too, am concerned about the Wiper stocking program, fun to catch? Yes, but they have definitely had an impact on other fisheries. I'd like to know what time of year the stomach content studies were done? If after the shad hatch of course they are more likely to be full of those, but no one can tell me that if a school of Wipers come upon a school of stocked walleye fry that they won't make short order of them also, as well as many other fingerling fish. Not sure what both the Kansas and Nebraska Game and Parks fascination is these days with stocking Wipers in any size body of water that will hold them. Love to fish for white bass at Milford Lake, last May we were catching 20:1 Wipers to white bass and the whites were thin and smallish in size. I understand cycles, food chain, carrying capacity, etc… I think it's time to slow down on some of the Wiper stocking in Kansas for sure,  some days they are just a plain nuisance when targeting other fish. I used to be quick to report violaters when seeing them take too many of them, now I'm getting to the point where I want to just turn the other way and ignore it. One other question I do have, if both perch and northern pike are cool water fish, and pike are natural predators of perch; why aren't yellow perch being stocked in the same lakes that contain pike. I have  ice fished one or two lakes in Nebraska with pike and no perch, the other panfish seem to be thriving there, plenty of food, deep enough water, flats and structure for both hiding from predators and searching for prey, just an observation? I have traveled to North Dakota quite a few times now and don't see much difference between some of those lakes and some of the lakes I've fished in both Kansas and Nebraska.  Water temperature shouldn't be an issue if the pike are thriving there already.

Sampling of wipers and their stomach contents in that research study occurred as much as possible throughout the year.  Not much sampling was possible during the winter, but other than that, as much as possible.

Sampling of wipers was especially intensified right after the stocking of walleye fingerlings.  As I said before, not at single walleye of any size was ever found in any wiper stomachs.

Before you assume wipers impact other species, consider that if there is enough prey to feed everything, and in the case of gizzard shad in most reservoirs there is, then there can be no impacts because every predator has more than enough prey to eat.  They may not even impact gizzard shad because they are so prolific.

Why are we stocking pike in some of those waters you are thinking about?  In most of them we are trying to bolster predator populations to control unwanted species, and in some of those we are protecting the pike with more restrictive regulations if not total catch & release.  Or, as is the case with Lake Wanahoo, we have a window of opportunity where we might be able to provide a pike fishery for awhile in a part of the state where we have none.  Sure, we could have stocked some yellow perch there too, but that cool-water panfish species would not have done as well as the bluegills and crappies are doing.  And yes, I am saying there are not going to be northern pike in Wanahoo forever.

How well do yellow perch do in Nebraska's sandhill lakes in comparison to bluegills and crappies?  Sure bluegills and crappies can do very well in those waters, but in those sandhill lake habitats the yellow perch tend to do even better.  Yeah you can stock a lot of things in different waters, but what is MOST SUCCESSFUL depends on a lot of factors including especially HABITAT.

There ain't a whole lot of similarities between many waters in North Dakota and Nebraska.  Some of the natural lakes may compare to our sandhill lakes, and some of their reservoirs may compare to our largest reservoirs, but that would be about it.

Daryl B.

[whitetips]

Now those are some nice perch, congrats! After reading all the posts in this thread I was making an observation in my post. I think it's ok to question the fish and game department from time to time to gain insight into what their thoughts and reasons behind certain management practices are? That way we as sportsmen get a better understanding of both there logic behind them and how to better fish these waters for the species available. It doesn't have to turn nasty and become a name calling fight. I think they are doing a fairly good job, but as sportsmen and taxpayers we  should be able to voice an opinion as to what we're seeing and experiencing at the lakes we fish. And just to add; I'm not a guy that goes out a couple weekends a year to wet a line, I probably fish 100 days a year on average all across the midwest.

I love the discussions and think that is very useful!  That is exactly why I try to participate in on-line forums like this one!

Most of the time all I do is try to explain what we are doing in the Fisheries Division of the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission and why we are doing it.  I will call 'em the way I see 'em and be truthful about every bit of it.  I am completely willing to listen to opinions and comments, and if you got complaints, I want to hear 'em.  Just know I am going to answer what I can.  I fully realize that some folks are never going to believe a word I say, just because of my position.  Makes no difference to me, you can take it or leave it.

Daryl B.

[eyecrosser65]

Thanks for your input Mr. Bauer, you definitely answered a few of the questions I had. I had been wondering with two cool water species the pike and yellow perch, why they hadn't been stocked into the same lake is all. May I ask in relation to predation; what size bluegills and crappies a Northern Pike of average size in Wanahoo will consume? Or is it mainly fingerlings? Also, may I ask what is the baitfish source that is present in Wanahoo at this time that the Crappie, Walleye, and Northern Pike are preying on? Thanks again for your input. I did notice with the panfish caught there recently they had little black leech or snail like insects in their mouths when they came up through the hole?

[eepks]

Back to Perch... How about this 12 3/4" 1lb 8oz Nebraska Bar of Gold!!!
 

Very nice!!

[eepks]

[Munger1]

I have followed this post from the beginning when MR. B posted the article in Nebraskaland magazine.......by the way one of the best magazines in the business. There is a common trend that has developed in this forum and others and it is usually started by the same individuals over and over. We are blessed to have a representative like Mr. Bauer who is out there publicly defending/explaining the position of the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission. Why does he have to continuously defend the agency and its positions? Is it his or the agency's fault that 90% of the states population is in the Eastern third of the state? Is it his or the agency's fault that the eastern third of the state does not have sand bottom ponds, lakes and reservoirs? Is it his or the agency's fault that there are limited funds that are appropriated by politicians who more than likely are not outdoors people and could care less whether the agency has funds to operate properly? Mr. Bauer I thank you for your continued effort to educate and promote the outdoors in great State of Nebraska and I apologize for the BALONEY that you have to take by being out there for the people to complain to! If the people that have such a problem with the NGPC try and be part of the solution. Write your state senator, write to the newspaper, write the NGPC and express your concerns. In the end there are a few factors that make all of the difference, funding, landscape & population. Once again Thank You Mr. Bauer and Mr. Wagner and all of the folks at NGPC!

If you folks that will never be happy do not like it MOVE!

[hankthecrank]

I have followed this post from the beginning when MR. B posted the article in Nebraskaland magazine.......by the way one of the best magazines in the business. There is a common trend that has developed in this forum and others and it is usually started by the same individuals over and over. We are blessed to have a representative like Mr. Bauer who is out there publicly defending/explaining the position of the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission. Why does he have to continuously defend the agency and its positions? Is it his or the agency's fault that 90% of the states population is in the Eastern third of the state? Is it his or the agency's fault that the eastern third of the state does not have sand bottom ponds, lakes and reservoirs? Is it his or the agency's fault that there are limited funds that are appropriated by politicians who more than likely are not outdoors people and could care less whether the agency has funds to operate properly? Mr. Bauer I thank you for your continued effort to educate and promote the outdoors in great State of Nebraska and I apologize for the BALONEY that you have to take by being out there for the people to complain to! If the people that have such a problem with the NGPC try and be part of the solution. Write your state senator, write to the newspaper, write the NGPC and express your concerns. In the end there are a few factors that make all of the difference, funding, landscape & population. Once again Thank You Mr. Bauer and Mr. Wagner and all of the folks at NGPC!

If you folks that will never be happy do not like it MOVE!

Thank you well said.

[Slimdog]

I have followed this post from the beginning when MR. B posted the article in Nebraskaland magazine.......by the way one of the best magazines in the business. There is a common trend that has developed in this forum and others and it is usually started by the same individuals over and over. We are blessed to have a representative like Mr. Bauer who is out there publicly defending/explaining the position of the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission. Why does he have to continuously defend the agency and its positions? Is it his or the agency's fault that 90% of the states population is in the Eastern third of the state? Is it his or the agency's fault that the eastern third of the state does not have sand bottom ponds, lakes and reservoirs? Is it his or the agency's fault that there are limited funds that are appropriated by politicians who more than likely are not outdoors people and could care less whether the agency has funds to operate properly? Mr. Bauer I thank you for your continued effort to educate and promote the outdoors in great State of Nebraska and I apologize for the BALONEY that you have to take by being out there for the people to complain to! If the people that have such a problem with the NGPC try and be part of the solution. Write your state senator, write to the newspaper, write the NGPC and express your concerns. In the end there are a few factors that make all of the difference, funding, landscape & population. Once again Thank You Mr. Bauer and Mr. Wagner and all of the folks at NGPC!

If you folks that will never be happy do not like it MOVE!

Excellent post, Munger1!  Very nicely put.

[ClearCreek]

you know Bauer you are so full of it. I live at Big Mac. When I was a kid we caught kokanee in the lake and crappie and perch and huge rainbow trout. Then the G and P in all there wisdom and knowledge put stripers in the lake then the populations of the money fish went down.The lake turned and a tempature inversion the kokanee died the stripers ate all the trout and panfish . So the G and P stocked awiles and gizzard shad. The stripers died off an no one caught any thing thru the 90,s and the scubadivers were blamed for killing all the walleyes plenty of stuff written in papers and nebraskaland magazine. Same S$$$ on the refuge Hackberry was a perfect lake now you cant buy a perch or bluegill  you can get a pike. Wonder where all the panfish went. All the refuge lakes had fresh water shrimp or scuds they were gone for years but we saw them last year on Pelican and Dewey. Now we don't see the fisheries trucks of South Dakota up there as much. Game and parks are in it for the money when they get a lake going with panfish you seine it and sell or trade the fish to other states. Deny it Daryl all you want you are a phony . I have worked for Nebraska G and P. Its all about money.

fish98:

Just wondering where G&P keeps all that money they make by selling those fish to other states.  I will bet they have a secret underground cavern someplace that is FULL of money.

ClearCreek

[Sandbilly]

Nope, no pan fish in the Valentine Refuge Lakes. Don't need to fish there anymore. 

btw: The SDSU fisheries folks you mentioned work in conjunction with the Ne G&P and Federal Fish & Wildlife conducting studies on state, federal, and private Nebraska Sandhill Lakes. ALL documents are public domain. If Daryl's word is not good enough, there is plenty of reading material available about those lakes.

I believe the future is brighter now than it has been in two decades for our Sandhill Lakes. A sustained period of normal to above normal precipitation covering all but the eastern portion of the Sandhills.  G&P implementing new pan fish length limits on certain lakes. Complete system renovations instead of a lake by lake approach when applicable. I'm confident my sons and grand kids will have ample fishing opportunities in NE.   

dc     

[jthod]

I was blown away with the number of small perch on one particular refuge lake last weekend.  Perfect snack size for pike, and they are capitalizing.  The pike we caught were FAT, even the 18-24" pike.  Going to have a couple of years of great pike growth, and hopefully a few perch that elude them.

[EyeDoc]

you know Bauer you are so full of it. I live at Big Mac. When I was a kid we caught kokanee in the lake and crappie and perch and huge rainbow trout. Then the G and P in all there wisdom and knowledge put stripers in the lake then the populations of the money fish went down.The lake turned and a tempature inversion the kokanee died the stripers ate all the trout and panfish . So the G and P stocked awiles and gizzard shad. The stripers died off an no one caught any thing thru the 90,s and the scubadivers were blamed for killing all the walleyes plenty of stuff written in papers and nebraskaland magazine. Same S$$$ on the refuge Hackberry was a perfect lake now you cant buy a perch or bluegill  you can get a pike. Wonder where all the panfish went. All the refuge lakes had fresh water shrimp or scuds they were gone for years but we saw them last year on Pelican and Dewey. Now we don't see the fisheries trucks of South Dakota up there as much. Game and parks are in it for the money when they get a lake going with panfish you seine it and sell or trade the fish to other states. Deny it Daryl all you want you are a phony . I have worked for Nebraska G and P. Its all about money.

Does Daryl always have all the right answers.... nope. Does he agree with EVERYTHING the G&P does all the time....pry not. If he is one thing....it is honest. In my experience with him...he calls it as he sees it. Another thing....he posts under his name....and not an avatar. It'd be nice if some of the constant Ney-sayers would post their name, phone numbers, and titles. That way we could look more into your businesses and criticize every aspect as we see fit.

[whitetips]

you know Bauer you are so full of it. I live at Big Mac. When I was a kid we caught kokanee in the lake and crappie and perch and huge rainbow trout. Then the G and P in all there wisdom and knowledge put stripers in the lake then the populations of the money fish went down.The lake turned and a tempature inversion the kokanee died the stripers ate all the trout and panfish . So the G and P stocked awiles and gizzard shad. The stripers died off an no one caught any thing thru the 90,s and the scubadivers were blamed for killing all the walleyes plenty of stuff written in papers and nebraskaland magazine. Same S$$$ on the refuge Hackberry was a perfect lake now you cant buy a perch or bluegill  you can get a pike. Wonder where all the panfish went. All the refuge lakes had fresh water shrimp or scuds they were gone for years but we saw them last year on Pelican and Dewey. Now we don't see the fisheries trucks of South Dakota up there as much. Game and parks are in it for the money when they get a lake going with panfish you seine it and sell or trade the fish to other states. Deny it Daryl all you want you are a phony . I have worked for Nebraska G and P. Its all about money.

BALONEY.

"fish98", Your mind is made up, you have all the answers.  But, there are a lot of other folks reading these things, my reply here is intended to inform them. . . .

Pointy-headed fisheries biologists working for the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission knew 40 years ago that McConaughy, a man-made reservoir, would eventually age and the habitat would change to the point where that fishery would no longer support cold-water fish.  They predicted it way back then, and in fact the habitat conditions at McConaughy have changed dramatically over the years.  That is why Kokanee and Coho salmon and rainbow trout fisheries no longer exist there.

The striped bass in McConaughy continue to be scapegoats and blamed for a lot of things they had nothing to do with.  McConaughy is so large and wind-swept that some winters the water is "super-cooled" to the point that most of the gizzard shad perish.  That was a problem about 30-some years ago, and at that time gizzard shad were the primary baitfish in the reservoir.  When almost all the gizzard shad died, all the predator fish, walleyes, white bass, channel catfish, rainbow trout, crappies, and striped bass were hungry.  The stripers were the biggest "dogs" so they ate what they could.  The stripers were not the problem, an unstable prey base was the problem.  At that time Nebraska Game & Parks Commission fisheries biologists introduced a variety of new baitfish to diversity the prey base.  Alewives were most successful and have provided a much more stable prey base of gizzard shad AND alewives to this day.

Once the alewives became established, feeding behaviors of the predator fish in McConaughy changed dramatically.  There were a period of years in the 1990's when McConaughy was chock-full of big walleyes and other predator fish.  Big walleyes that not many folks were catching because they had not figured out the new feeding behaviors.  Once a few anglers figured that out and the word got out the catch of trophy walleyes from McConaughy went through the roof.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the panfish fishery on Hackberry right now.  There is some good pike fishing there too, http://outdoornebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2015FishSamplingReport_ValentineNationalWildlifeRefuge.pdf.  If you wonder where all the panfish go to from those sandhill lakes, check the buckets of anglers coming off the ice.

All of our sandhill lakes are incredibly productive including all of them on the Valentine National Wildlife refuge.  Amphipods or "scuds" are present in abundance on those waters, ALL the time.

The "fisheries trucks" from South Dakota were driven by graduate students from South Dakota State University (SDSU) who did several years of research on our sandhill lakes.  We contracted with SDSU, one of the best universities in the country for doing that work, and we learned a lot about our sandhill lakes fisheries from that.  That project has been concluded and that is why you do not see those pickups anymore.

Yeah, you bet, I do this for the money, I am getting filthy rich having discussions like this with you and others.  Planning to take a 2-week vacation to Cancun later this month.   If you think any of us do this for the money you are crazy.  I do what I do because it is my passion, Nebraska's fish and fisheries resources are my passion, it is my home, those are my resources, they are your resources too.  It not only is my passion, it is who I am.

I can be no "phonier" than that,

Daryl B.

[masonfromMO]

great, professional reply....Kudos Mr. Bauer, keep on keeping on....there are people out there that do appreciate what state fish biologists do

[PhishOn]

I don't live at Big Mac but I did stay at the Trade Winds last weekend!! Lmao... Jab. Jab....  Yea Hackberry sucks... I can't believe G&P would put crappies in there... Ruined it...


 
Well I know there is at least two big perch left;)

[nubrook18]

Daryl, you're way more patient than I'd be. Those of us that read your posts for the helpful information you provide, certainly appreciate it. Everybody loves good conspiracy theories but good grief, like you said, some minds are just made up. What a thankless job. But who needs a pat on the back when you're rolling in all that cash, right? *extreme sarcasm intended*. Seriously though, thanks to everyone in your profession for your dedication. A little food for thought before I go eat my BALONEY sandwich (sorry had to), if the fishing in our state is so terrible and our fisheries employees are doing nothing to improve it, why am I catching fish EVERYTIME I go to any of the public lakes around me (northeast Nebraska)? And just imagine what it'd be like if the fisheries dept was non existent, like a couple of "theorists" imply? Have a good weekend everyone!

[Unclegillhunter]

You know what? If you can't find a place in Nebraska to catch fish, I don' think crying about there are no good fisheries in the state is going to help! Don't blame game and parks cause you have to go some place else to catch fish! Shut up! And go some place else! Those of you who yap about how many days a year you fish, as if that makes you more qualified then folks who have spent their working lives trying to make sure that when I get a chance to go fishing I can have a quality experience? I spend as much time as I can on the water, hard or open, and I ain't got no problems with the way the folks the have been entrusted with taking care of our waters are doing their jobs! To bad this post went off the rails?

One other thing! I see all the time people talking about the buckets of fish being taken home from a hot lake! Are they catching really big fish? Or are they using really small buckets? Cause daily catch limits for pan fish, see the fishing quide is 15. Just wondering why the folks that see buckets of fishing being taken from the lakes don't make a call to the local game warden? See the fishing guide for the numbers .
Those that can catch! Those that can't whine about how the state won't play nice for them!
Pease out!