Hello fellow hawk-talkers,Fishhawk wrote: Don't be sorry RR - I'm not surprised at all by the lack of comments.
If people read it that is good too.
I still feel in my opinion it is all about the image of the "walleye".
Well this is a topic very close to my very existence as a walleye angler. I would not be a walleye fishing fanatic if it was not for Quinte.
I agree with Dr. Pyzer and still preach (when I get a chance) everyone has to work together to preserve, promote and educate the walleye fishery in Ontario.
I hope with the increase and potential growth of walleye tournaments in Ontario we will start to form a passionate group of anglers and ambassadors like the Bass and Musky organizations of today. I still feel that walleye are looked upon as table food, until this image can be deconstructed through education and live release we will not see any change in the number of walleye taken from our lakes.
As an observation or example of a fish species image, lets picture a large group of bass anglers on a fishing trip...how many bass would they bring in for a feed? They know if they do keep bass, the backlash from the bass community is going to be massive and they will also have many anglers within their ranks that will not agree with the idea. As a walleye angler I wish I could say the same about a group of anglers fishing walleye, but I can not.
Hopefully over time we can all change the image of the walleye.
All the best chasing eyes...
-Sheldon Hatch