crappie on mcgwennegar

[heine]

Today I was fishing mcgwennegar slough and I noticed a group of people fishing over to the west of me I went over to check on how they were doing and they were catching crappie, but they were keeping all of them. The biggest crappie they had was 6.5 inches they said I wanted to tell them to put them all back! That's pathetic you cant get any meat off of those! Does anyone disagree?

[missoulafish]

Yes, you should have said something. That's ridiculous given the size of those fish and that specific fishery.

[wvmountaineer]

Yes, you should have said something. That's ridiculous given the size of those fish and that specific fishery.

Agree

[Neptune]

unless they were destitute and need the meal they should have never kept any of those fish!

I hate to say it but here in Montana you have alot of that type of fisherman...I watched a guy a smith lake the other day throw every pike he caught up on the ice and they were between 8-12 inches...I know he thinks he's "helping" but those big pike have no problem eating the little ones!

[PJB_Montana]

Agreed!

[wingnutty]

Stupid and pointless.  I can't imagine someone wanting to even fillet those?  What a waste.

[mrtimrj]

Fished there this morning. Caught about a dozen crappie ranging in size, all released. FWP was out looking into reports of people staying out on the ice all night fishing.

[Papa John]

Why, what's wrong with staying out in the dark to fish??

[jign4koks]

ya....nothing in the regs saying you can't

[heine]

i regret not saying anything but they were all adults and whos gonna listen to a kid anyways

[JayHelfrich]

i regret not saying anything but they were all adults and whos gonna listen to a kid anyways

If you were able to articulate your words correctly, words from a young person can have a greater effect on people than you might expect.  Never give up!

Jay

[missoulafish]

X2

[Cornbread]

X3

You don't have to be confrontational in a rude way, just tell them why you think they shouldn't be keeping fish so small. If your points are valid and well articulated you can change people's minds if they are open to other view points. If they aren't, then you tried, no harm done but at least you planted a seed in their head and maybe next time they won't keep those dinky ones after they go home and realize "hey that kid was right, there is no meat on these and they are hard as h3ll to clean when they are this small". So long as you don't make it a "you against them" issue by being abrupt or confrontational in a rude manner at the very least you gave them an alternative viewpoint to consider which they may later adopt themselves. You can't fix stupid in some people but the other 99% just don't know any better and may be learning themselves and when given good input will learn to be better sportsmen and stewards of the fisheries they use.

[fortybelow]

IMO what they were doing was totally legal and within their rights. It doesn't necessarily matter if I would CHOOSE to do the same or not, they are entitled to. It's their right. Like owning a gun or voting or whatever you CHOOSE to do. Let it go. Everyone's there to have fun! Not b***h at each other.

[tiptoe]

I have been reluctant to chime in here but the thread keeps going so...Mr. Heine I think that you handled the situation perfectly.  I agree with your position 100%. 
If someone needs to be told that they are not going to get much meat off of a 6" fish....he probably needs a lot more education than another man can provide in a friendly chat.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, these types of anglers probably only come out 1 or 2 times a year to a body of water that is adjacent to a highway somewhere.
In my opinion, your values will be well served by continuing to lead by EXAMPLE.  Again, I think that you did the right thing in that situation.  I am glad that you brought it up here.

[missoulafish]

Seems like someone always has to say they were within there legal right. Just because someone is within their legal right still doesn't make it"right". Im curios why you think keeping fish that are to small to clean and get any amount of meat off are ok to kill? This is an extremely small and excessively popular fishery. Seems to me we should do anything we can to maintain it, not hurt it.

[heine]

IMO what they were doing was totally legal and within their rights. It doesn't necessarily matter if I would CHOOSE to do the same or not, they are entitled to. It's their right. Like owning a gun or voting or whatever you CHOOSE to do. Let it go. Everyone's there to have fun! Not b***h at each other.

I agree that everyone has their rights, but i mean there is a big difference between someone owning a gun and someone keeping dinky crappie. I can keep as many suckers as I want and your technically not required to eat them so should i just leave them all on the ice because its not against the law? I mean its my right so why shouldnt I?

and thanks to everyone else for the encouragement i know what to do next time hehe

[Zoo Angler]

Just wait til someone yells at you for releasing your fish. lol it's happened to me. Let it go. Try to spread the word of selective harvest to your friends and hope for the best. 

[fortybelow]

No one said the people were wasting them. They were taking them home and not letting them lay on the ice (despicable practice anywhere for any fish). I don't see why we have to assume they were being wasted. How many people have experience with any crappie in this part of the state? Maybe they were the first ones they had ever caught or have even seen.

I've fished lakes that only have zillions of 7" crappie and have cleaned hundreds after a day of ice fishing. Not only do you get meat, but they are actually very good eating.

This is a fishery of illegally stocked noxious fish. Many strongly believe this place should be rotenoned. Logic suggests that this is not the wrong thing to do. However, it is not wrong to let them go either. It all depends on your perspective.

[fortybelow]

And I agree with ZooAngler having been yelled at for not throwing perch on the ice to die while stepping on piles of dead rotted perch.

[missoulafish]

No one said that they were being wasted and there is a big difference between a 5" and 7" crappie.

[fortybelow]

I will agree there is a big difference between a 5" and a 7", but whatever. Live and let live. Have fun. Be nice to each other. If someone is breaking the rules call TIP MONT. But don't start fist fighting on the ice over someone's opinion of what's right and what's wrong.

[missoulafish]

"Live and let live. Have fun. Be nice to each other."
I like this, alot.
Point of the whole post was though that Heine thought keeping those crazy small fish was not the right thing to do, as do the majority of others.  You are right, it is totally legal. You are also right that they are illegally planted but they are also very popular. If everyone keeps those small fish, whether the fishery is legal or not, how does the fishery persist? I always say some fish are way more valuable under the ice than above.
I do get what you are saying.

[fortybelow]

Right on MissoulaFish.

My point is, Cornbread keeps 3" pumpkinseeds for pike bait. He is perfectly right to do so, and doesn't have to explain himself to everyone that walks by.

[pikeassasin]

Here's another view on this: Usually, most people keeping fish will throw the little ones back and keep the bigger fish. On heavily fished lakes, this has a negative effect on average size. Doing the opposite, and I am assuming by them saying the biggest on the ice was six and a half that the bigger fish were being released, I would think that this would improve average fish size. I can't speak for eveyone on here, but everyone I know and fish with would rather catch a smaller number of good sized fish than a high number of smaller fish. I'm not familiar with how fast crappie can reproduce, but assume it to be rather quickly, so i doubt a few people doing what they were doing would destroy a fishery and by the replys to this topic there aren't many people that would want to do this. So personally, I'm ok with the people that did this, as long as the fish weren't being wasted. Does anyone else agree or am I the only one out there that would rather catch a couple ten to twelve inch crappie than twenty five to six inch ones? Again, my opinion on this changes if EVERYONE out there is keeping all of the little guys. I'd imagine that would ruin things pretty quick...but a couple guys here and there??

[fortybelow]

Pikeassassin, you make a good point.


No matter how it is managed, McWennegar will never be the next Red Lake. Conditions there are suitable, but not ideal, for growing crappie.

[Cornbread]

Right on MissoulaFish.

My point is, Cornbread keeps 3" pumpkinseeds for pike bait. He is perfectly right to do so, and doesn't have to explain himself to everyone that walks by.

True but man have I got some dirty looks over the years for letting my kids keep those dinky little red ears from folks who don't realize they are my winter pike bait Never had anybody say anything to me but if looks could curdle milk I have seen a few of those directed my way over the years for sure.

[fortybelow]

True but man have I got some dirty looks over the years for letting my kids keep those dinky little red ears from folks who don't realize they are my winter pike bait Never had anybody say anything to me but if looks could curdle milk I have seen a few of those directed my way over the years for sure.

I would argue you have found a way to get meat off of them, pike meat!

[spearmaster]

i kinda think montana needs to adopt a slot limit for every reservoir fish and game stocks. like ft. peck on walleyes 5 fish between 15-20" and 1 fish over 30". or something of that nature. to many young fish get killed every year.

[heine]

i kinda think montana needs to adopt a slot limit for every reservoir fish and game stocks. like ft. peck on walleyes 5 fish between 15-20" and 1 fish over 30". or something of that nature. to many young fish get killed every year.

i agree with this spot on! and pikassassin they told me all the fish they caught were on the ice so yea kinda frustrating but oh well