Wasting Fish - Saratoga Lake

[bigredonice]

Although i respect a lot of the guys on here, leaving fish to waste on the ice is a terrible idea.  It looks bad for us ice fisherman...  Pickerel are a good food fish.  Just because they don't look like walleyes doesn't mean they aren't deserving of respect. Most states have laws against it, called wanton waste.   

Yeah, Saratoga has a lot of pickerel, but last time I checked, its been that way for my entire life!!   

[deadsmelthead]

I used to hate the lowly pickerel, then i learned how to fillet them remkving the Y bones... Man what a great tasting fish, ill go as far as to say right there with eyes and perch... I peronally like 24+" fish you get a nice fillet out of them..Ive heard  people say they taste awful, and i believe they have never ate them, and that they are just repeating what someone else has told them and so on...

[hardwater diehard]

http://www.in-fisherman.com/recipes/cleaning-care/cleaning-catch-y-bone-removal/

[Huntyeraws]

I used to hate the lowly pickerel, then i learned how to fillet them remkving the Y bones... Man what a great tasting fish, ill go as far as to say right there with eyes and perch... I peronally like 24+" fish you get a nice fillet out of them..Ive heard  people say they taste awful, and i believe they have never ate them, and that they are just repeating what someone else has told them and so on...

Right on the bullseye

[T-Rok]

I see a lot of people throwing mud puppies on the ice.. Those things are so gross and disgusting even the seagulls usually leave them alone. I wonder if people feel differently about them than fish.? One of the weirdest things I seen was an eagle drop something on the ice. I went over to see what it was. It was a muskrat head.. just the head. Since I walked all the way over I decided to drill a hole and ended up with a limit of perch in no time. Lucky muskrat head hole. Go figure.

[greensider]

mudpuppies are a protected species in ny as are all amphibians in ny its just amazing how in this day people will kill any wild life for any reason other than to eat it i call shame on any one doing this and i can only hope to see you do it in front of me and as for the pickerel the smaller ones just over the legal size limit are the best for frying the bones will disintegrate when cooked well done

[njg0621]

I'm torn on pickerel..... Obviously I would prefer is no one wasted them but at the same time I'd rather see them thrown on the ice than back in the hole.  Pickerel do more harm than good 90% of the time. 

[LP Steve]

I saw some fish on the ice at Oneida lake. I didn't get too close but they looked like carp or something.

[trapper2000]

this same  fight has been  going on  as long as man  has  fished ....we all will say   a  bunch of crap and the  next time ya walk out on the  ice  you'll see  a  few  fish on the ice  ....right or wrong it will never change .....I've seen it my whole  life  and  it  really hasn't appeared to  hurt the  population any .... however I wonder  as  a stress  relief  if  it has  helped  people  copy with the  pressures  of  society, the  changes  in  or  world,or made  them  feel better about that last bite off that cost them a  new 2 dollar  jig!!!!  ....no matter what  we  have  fat seagulls and  happy  yotes ..... and  if  ya  hold them firmly  bye the tail  and  do a  side swing  they actually  spin like a frisbee and  I think you get a  few extra yards out of them .....

[Ice Chipper]

I hate them and squeeze everyone until they pop!  They ruin your line, cut your baits and sometimes your fingers. Can't even imagine the amount of small fry that they eat. They make good turtle food!

[bigredonice]

I just don't get you guys.   You wouldn't leave bass, pike or walleye on the ice, right?   How are pickerel any different or deserving of less respect?   'cause they look different?  They are a native fish that evolved a niche in the lake.   I guess you feel you have the right to kill them, punt them, throw them, kick them, whatever makes you happy and feel good about yourself.   But don't leave them on the ice. 

[greensider]

what a complete disgrace all of you are for wasting a recourse and yes the same a holes have been doing it for a long time far to long and all the common sense in the world has not made them understand that it is just wrong and they do no damage to anything they belong there period i am so happy i am not in your circle of friends apparently i was raised by a better type of sportsman  i feel sorry for the future of your up coming group

[LP Steve]

Good answer ice chipper. Did you learn what a spud bar is yet?

[NatefishNY]

I just don't get you guys.   You wouldn't leave bass, pike or walleye on the ice, right?   How are pickerel any different or deserving of less respect?   'cause they look different?  They are a native fish that evolved a niche in the lake.   I guess you feel you have the right to kill them, punt them, throw them, kick them, whatever makes you happy and feel good about yourself.   But don't leave them on the ice.

Are you pulling the discrimination card? It's not racist since pickerel aren't a race, maybe it's speciesist?

In all seriousness eat more pickerel, grow more tomatoes, feed more birds/yotes/turtles and enjoy which ever you choose... I'll say it again, I'm not losing any sleep over a dead pickerel

[trapper2000]

their basicly a  unwanted  fish that annoy people their  not  homeless children ...... ones to small to  eat I toss  to prebait  for coyote sets ....I think  the  slim  draws  em ..........mink and coons seem to like them too

[NatefishNY]

their basicly a  unwanted  fish that annoy people their  not  homeless children ......

We've kind of created a class system with out actually fully stating it... It's like flashers... MarCum guys at the top, followed by Vex guys, followed by Hummingbird guys, etc ....  Uh oh I'm really stirring the pot now

[trapper2000]

ya  don't  need a  flasher to catch a  stupid pickerel

[adkRoy]

At this rate, people will be spraying the pickerel down with WD-40 in order to get extra slide when they toss them down the ice. 

[Kobey]

At this rate, people will be spraying the pickerel down with WD-40 in order to get extra slide when they toss them down the ice. 

Might just replace curling in the winter Olympics.

[Ice Chipper]

Good answer ice chipper. Did you learn what a spud bar is yet?

Are you worried about that?

[deadsmelthead]

Might just replace curling in the winter Olympics.

lol we can call it Picurling...

All joking aside, I really understand both sides of the argument/thinking whatever you want to call it.. Ive see waters where they just completely rule the roost and could use a good thinning out.. But i also know of a couple waters where they provide a very good balance in the food chain..Just a tid bit here but, Pike love small pickerel, and some of NYs trophy Pike fisheries have Picks in them...

I really think when it comes to Picks its a double edged sword, Without them in some waters i think yall would be complaining that such and such a lake is loaded with dink perch, gills etc etc...

In the end everyone can do whatever they want with their legal catch.. But i can guarantee , a few if not all of us have been saved from a skunking by the lowly pickerel, I have had many a day where its all i could catch, or sat there for 6 hours with nothing and finally a pickerel gave me a little something to get excited about..Granted no one is in love with them, and they do seem to be about the dumbest fish in the water..

[trapper2000]

did I have a  post  deleted or  did I mess up  posting it   

[greensider]

see you sportsman next season i am out of here as for the rest i hope you find a hole in the ice big enough to fit in

[trapper2000]

see you sportsman next season i am out of here as for the rest i hope you find a hole in the ice big enough to fit in

you  really need  to get a  since  of  humor  , and  wishing harm on other people is totally uncalled  for  just because  they  disagree  or  have other beliefs  then yours ......shame  on you

[bigfish1212]

Just a tid bit here but, Pike love small pickerel, and some of NYs trophy Pike fisheries have Picks in them...

 
 

[ship of fools]

We've kind of created a class system with out actually fully stating it... It's like flashers... MarCum guys at the top, followed by Vex guys, followed by Hummingbird guys, etc ....  Uh oh I'm really stirring the pot now

Seriously??

Vex on top of course 😜

[jigshimmer]

Seriously??

Vex on top of course 😜

X2

[phil2]

Who ever owns the shanty off of browns I suggest you get it off today shore is flooding and you won't get it off by tomorrow.

[NatefishNY]

Seriously??

Vex on top of course 😜

Vexilars are like pickerel... you should leave them on the ice and go get yourself a MarCum... 

[delawareriver]

Vexilars are like pickerel... you should leave them on the ice and go get yourself a MarCum... 

Who leaves the ice while fishing with a vex? They are catching too many fish to leave.  Those marcum boys are just jealous