Are NY panfish limits too high?

[buz23]

Sorry to open a can of (meal)worms here, but it seems to me we are hammering the fish very hard on the ice now days.  Warm clothing, fish finders, ATV's, snowmobiles, and gas and electric augers have made the game much easier than it used to be.  I'll bet the panfish take during ice season is several times that on open water.  Smaller lakes get "fished out", e.g. Lake Lonely.  On Saratoga Lake they cut the sunfish limit down.  I wonder if we are headed for a dive in the numbers or quality of fish in other waters.

For instance, do we really need a 50 perch limit?  Does it encourage selling them?  Crappie sales were outlawed because of negative impacts on the population.  Are we headed there with perch?  Yes there are tons of little guys around, but how about quality fish?

Look at NE saltwater fishing to see what can happen if you don't get out ahead of this problem.  Cod, haddock, no more fishing allowed.    Stripers in significant decline. 

What do you think?

[NatefishNY]

IMO the panfish limits are not a big issue, maybe they are more so on smaller bodies of water... You mention Lonely which has an ok panfish population but was always known for its pike, the limits on pike are not large but by that small lake getting hammered by fishermen most of which keep every pike, the lake has been hurt badly, what once was a great pike fishery now is terrible, so I guess I think it's not the limits but the amount of fishing pressure and the lack of C and R.

[stringer01]

If you put on here that lake so and so has nice keepers than a couple of years the lake is wiped out the only lakes i know of that can stand the pressure are lake george and onieda just my opinion !!!!

[hunt4perch]

Round Lake used to be full of Perch and Gills. Now, you can't find a dink>

[jeffro9023]

I will throw my .02 into the bucket with my belief that smaller lakes get pounded to oblivion with everything above thats been said. Better equipment electronics and so forth. This comment might get removed bcuz like it or not this site has a lot to blame for smaller lakes that get beat up. Before this site many guys didnt even know certain lakes existed now? All the info is at everybodies finger tips. Will putting a 25 fish limit on gills prevent smaller lakes from getting "fished out"? Perhaps, perhaps not. At first ice ive watched a small lake near my camp get absolutely trampled with guys that in years past would only get a handful of guys, IF ANY. The sport is growing and thats AWESOME.
      Heres the deal, everything balances out. Once the fishing gets tougher on all the lakes and the lazy couch computer lurker guy looking for the quick fix cant find it easily then gear will pop up on craigslist like crazy and things will level out. Some lakes needed a good purge of take, some have taken a little to much some still not enough. Guess time will tell but i think things will level off and right itself.

[NatefishNY]

I will throw my .02 into the bucket with my belief that smaller lakes get pounded to oblivion with everything above thats been said. Better equipment electronics and so forth. This comment might get removed bcuz like it or not this site has a lot to blame for smaller lakes that get beat up. Before this site many guys didnt even know certain lakes existed now? All the info is at everybodies finger tips. Will putting a 25 fish limit on gills prevent smaller lakes from getting "fished out"? Perhaps, perhaps not. At first ice ive watched a small lake near my camp get absolutely trampled with guys that in years past would only get a handful of guys, IF ANY. The sport is growing and thats AWESOME.
      Heres the deal, everything balances out. Once the fishing gets tougher on all the lakes and the lazy couch computer lurker guy looking for the quick fix cant find it easily then gear will pop up on craigslist like crazy and things will level out. Some lakes needed a good purge of take, some have taken a little to much some still not enough. Guess time will tell but i think things will level off and right itself.

I think this is a pretty good post

[jiignut]

Why is the sport growing, awesome?

[jimski2]

Panfish do not limits on the Great Lakes . Too many perch etc. consume all the fry a fingerling walleye, bass, whitefish and others. The biologist report year after year we do not take our quota.

[Shouldabeenhereyesterday]

Everybody loves to think they are Dave Genz, aka"Mr icefishing" sorry but, myself included, we are not that good to fish out a lake...any person who says they are...here's a question for you, why aren't you making millions a year being a pro fisherman??

[Shouldabeenhereyesterday]

Also would bet that more fish are harvested during April and may then all ice season combined.

[Gills-only]

Why is the sport growing, awesome?

                      Warmer clothes, nice portable shantys, flashers, ect

[jeffro9023]

Why is the sport growing, awesome?

power in numbers, interest = harder for the tree huggers to politically destroy fishing/hunting

[jeffro9023]

Everybody loves to think they are Dave Genz, aka"Mr icefishing" sorry but, myself included, we are not that good to fish out a lake...any person who says they are...here's a question for you, why aren't you making millions a year being a pro fisherman??

were not talking one guy eliminating a species of fish single handedly out of a lake dont be goofy. How about 150 guys keeping 25 plus panfish out of a 250 acre state owned lake. Then throw arms up wondering where they all go 

[rgfixit]

Sorry to open a can of (meal)worms here, but it seems to me we are hammering the fish very hard on the ice now days.  Warm clothing, fish finders, ATV's, snowmobiles, and gas and electric augers have made the game much easier than it used to be.  I'll bet the panfish take during ice season is several times that on open water.  Smaller lakes get "fished out", e.g. Lake Lonely.  On Saratoga Lake they cut the sunfish limit down.  I wonder if we are headed for a dive in the numbers or quality of fish in other waters.

For instance, do we really need a 50 perch limit?  Does it encourage selling them?  Crappie sales were outlawed because of negative impacts on the population. Are we headed there with perch?  Yes there are tons of little guys around, but how about quality fish?

Look at NE saltwater fishing to see what can happen if you don't get out ahead of this problem.  Cod, haddock, no more fishing allowed.    Stripers in significant decline. 

What do you think?

I think I'd like to know where you obtained this information.

Rg

[GAMBELL]

I believe the DEC should take each lake case by case.  Should Lake Erie have the same 50 perch limit as Honeoye?  Should pike limits be the same in Conesus as Lake Ontario bays?  I don't worry about Panfish limits as much as bigger species like pike, walleye and lake trout. 

[adktony]

Not every angler is out there to catch a limit. C & R practices can be huge if done properly. What gets me is when ppl throw dinks on the ice because that's all they are catching and leave them there to die and then complain there is nothing to be caught the next yr. Personally if I know I have a small fish on the line in will try and let the fish decompress or even shake the hook off at depth so that they have a better chance at surviving instead of getting the bends and dying in the hole. As long as we do our part as anglers we can help preserve our resources just my 2cents

[buz23]

I think I'd like to know where you obtained this information.

Rg

It is my (perhaps incorrect) memory that crappie sales (of fish caught in NY) were legal up to about 20 years ago or so, but the internet is not very good for digging up old information, so I can't confirm this in any official document.  Why would they ban the sale if they weren't concerned for the population?

[don519]

Not if you as a sportsman take care of your fishery and teach your friends and kids not to take more then the need or to take a fish or limit just for bragging rights but this just my take on it

[jeffro9023]

usually  I  jump  to   tell  these  morons  off  ...bottom line  guy  is  a  ______  stirrer  and  I'm not  wasting my  time  ......  I  think it  would  benefit  everyone  if  threads like  this  disappeared

Why delete this thread? I think its a legitimate topic that needs to be discussed. Its fact that ice fishing pressure has increased exponentially over the past ten years and conservation matters need to be discussed. No harm in that is there???

[trapper2000]

you   can  hug  the  tree over  there  ....most  people   that  are  interested   in ice  fishing  don't  start  fighting  with there  first  post  .....

 

  played  enough  poker  in my  day  to  spot  a  pair playing  as  a  team   

[Icedog40]

Why is the sport growing, awesome?

Yes, do tell?? I think it's actually a bit overgrown...

[trapper2000]

Why delete this thread? I think its a legitimate topic that needs to be discussed. Its fact that ice fishing pressure has increased exponentially over the past ten years and conservation matters need to be discussed. No harm in that is there???

jeff  your  actually asking  in a  nice  way  so lets  look at  some  facts  ok   

1  crappies  didn't have  a  limit   or  a  size  put on them  because   the  sale  was  hurting the  population  at  all!  in  fact the  DEC   recommended  agaist  it  ,how  ever  if  you  go back  and  actually  reseach  it  you  will see  that the  federation of  sportsman lobbied   for  that  to  stop the  sale  and  they lobbied  for  the  limits  on  panfish  ...it  was  nothing  the  DEC  asked  for  or  recommended.

2  areas  where  we  have  no limits  on perch  and  bluegills   are  the  top   fish producing  areas!   also there  is  a  economic  befefit  to the  area  bait  shops  and   restraunts  and  so on!

3  tourism  has  slowed  in  some  areas  because  of  limits! whitney  point  ,Saratoga , black  lake    no  one  wants  to travel  a  hundred miles  for  25 crappies

4  again the  DEC  did  not  want  to put a  limit  on the  gills   on  Saratoga !  it   was  lobbied  for  by  by the  locals  to  cut  down on the  amount  of  ice  fisherman  and  the  parking  issues   , you  can research  this .....

often  things  are  done  and  people  don't  know  the  real  reason  why they  where  done ...... the  reason this  thread  in my opinion  should  disappear  is  people  with  few  to no  recorded post  are  only  attempting to  cause  fights  and  brawls  ......  right now  in  new  you  (call  your  regional office and  ask)  we  have  more  fish  more  fishing  opportunities   we  have  more  game  with  hunting and  trapping   opportunities  then   ever  before  ....  don't try to  fic  things  that  are  working that's   why  America  is  so  screwed  up  just  go out and  enjoy it     I know  I  do

want  to  help  out  fishery  go  kill  some  gobys

you may  now  pick your tree  and  hug 

[NatefishNY]

you may  now  pick your tree  and  hug

     
Sorry but that's funny

[rgfixit]

Well, since none of the biologists who used their education and expertise to established the existing limits are here to tell us why,everything here is pure speculation.

Rg

[1CE]

Limits just right.  It's the snowfall that's too high

[Shouldabeenhereyesterday]

were not talking one guy eliminating a species of fish single handedly out of a lake dont be goofy. How about 150 guys keeping 25 plus panfish out of a 250 acre state owned lake. Then throw arms up wondering where they all go 

95% of limits are caught by 5% of fishermen!

[rgfixit]

Ain't that the truth.
Rg

[jeffro9023]

95% of limits are caught by 5% of fishermen!

Show me where you found this to be truth? go back to last years Silver Lake R&C board on how many guys boasted and bragged how many slayings of limits of bluegills were posted.....Go on this years and read how many posts of " really slow today".....Then come back and lets talk about truth.

[rgfixit]

Silver lake is no example. It's stunk for decent fish for more years than I can count.
How come Oneida has steadily increased in both quality and quantity ( for those who know the water) while its bombarded year after year by all those greedy limit takers?

Your correlation makes no sense .

Rg

[filetandrelease]

There were more fished killed and sold back
In the day than in the present , ,  at least where I live and the places I fish , years ago you had a bud on a lake and got on the rotary phone or got up and drove there and did your home work ,and today many want the easy bite , and the Internet Has help provide this , , but what do old guys like Trapp and I know that have been able to fish on our own for over 40+ years , , and I was  at some Federation meetings back then ask questions and got answers that made no since from the state , these are MO