Bad musky handling

[muskyfanatic]

Very well put Cancatchbass!

Cheers,

[g unis]

hi guys. theres so much to state here. i have fished st. clair for 40 years. the misleeding torpedo is an insult to the fish. you must and i state MUST take the time for a proper release. this means reviving a tired fish. their are some guides who have there heads up their a,., that will not change. as for most i must state you and me alike we have to continue to promote proper releases. after a hard fight these fish build up lactic acid swallow water depending on how the bait is taken, so a few minutes will secure a future fishery. there are groups such as muskies canada and muskies inc that have spent countless hours on just this subject. as for stopping the boat completely i will disagree. when a fish is held at boatside for revival movement will help the flow thru the gills. i am speaking of a boat speed of 1 mph. as the world descends upon l.s.c. we are actively promoting cpr on all musky. i must agree there are the numbers fishermen who really think who cares but i do feel there is a strong group here who really care. these are just a few of my thoughts on this 1 of many l.s.c. issues. george

[Big Bass Buddy]

After I read the post I was disgusted at the thought of someone treating a beautiful Muskie like that. As everyuone has said you should treat the fish with respect and make sure that someone else has the chance to catch the fish.

As for CCB's comments on the multiply lines. I think that if you can't catch one with one line then it is commercial fishing. Two lines okay in some parts. 10-12 lines. That is too much.

Now for the last subject. I heard from a guy I was talking too that the MNR is considering banning the keeping of Muskie's and that they have to be released all the time. Is there any truth to that. Anybody know's let me know.

Thanks

[Trophymuskie]

Now for the last subject. I heard from a guy I was talking too that the MNR is considering banning the keeping of Muskie's and that they have to be released all the time. Is there any truth to that. Anybody know's let me know.

Thanks

No the muskie strategie the MNR has been working on is in full effect right now but a few body of water left. What this means is they have trophy fisheries with 54 inch limits and numbers fisheries with 36 inch limts for people to take some fish. You will find some water like the Rideau with limits in between the trophy and numbers fisheries.

[dana]

> To treat magnificent muskie like a lowly lake trout

doth i detect another mooskey snob?

IMHO a mooskey is an overly large mean critter who uses his or her size
to
impress those who are impressed by size,
pound for pound i'd take a
yaller perch
any
day

df

[Markus]

My goal this year ice fishing is a 50 pound perch. Bacon may know where to find em!

[ady]

Saw the show - ouch, I couldn't believe they would do this on tv. Every muskie related magazine is swamped with release techniques and the consequences of improper treatment. I also have issues with the number of rods used - the idea that the cameraman and driver count is ludicrous, I bet they never get to touch the rods!!

I think I shall give this show a miss in future. Maybe HW could voice discontent with the program sponsors?? these guys make a mint, get all their equipment paid for and act as ambassaders to our sport - this is where the activists get their amunition from!!!

As for lowley Trout - I must admit I try to treat all fish in the same manner.

[dana]

ok i agree a muskie is probably smarter than a trout[they sre still in school]
but i hear that carp
are the brain boys

[Guest]

ady,

The situation on St. Clair is far more complicated than this unfortunately. There are two key factors that you need to consider here:

1) St. Clair is a border water body, so both Canadian and US anglers share the waterway. Legally, on the Canadian side, you are allowed one rod. On the US side, you are allowed 2 per angler. It is not uncommon to see anglers (either Canadian or American) on the Canadian side using 2 rods each. When I was there for a day, I saw at least 10 boats on the Canadian side with at least 2 rods per angler, if not more. The MNR, from what I understand, does a blitz every once in a while to bust the multi-rod users on the Canadian side. However, given that it is still a common occurance, I'd imagine that the fines are too lenient, or that they simply aren't enforcing the law with enough regularity. Whether their reasons are political, they are strapped financially, or they are based on some other rationale, the onus for maintaining and enforcing this lies with the MNR. Unless they take a more forceful stance on the one rod regulation in Canada, or follow our American counterparts and institute a 2-rod/angler regulation, I don't see this problem going away any time soon.

If you are concerned with the multi-rod issue, I suggest you lead by example and follow the MNR regulations, either on St. Clair, or on any other water body. It's not just St. Clair that has this problem. Leading by example may drive others to follow. This is what I do. If you see someone poaching, make sure to let them know, and if necessary, contact the appropriate authorities.

2) St. Clair has maintained a healthy muskie population for many years now. Anglers can go out on St. Clair today, and have the possibility of catching many muskie, even in the double-digits. It's not uncommon to hear of 10-15 fish days. The results can be staggering.

This population has maintained itself despite the fact that people are still using release tactics that don't fall within the "best practices" category, are running multiple lines, and despite the fact that there are still muskie tournaments being run on this waterbody that require you to kill the fish. In past decades, these tournaments would result in hundreds of muskie being killed and strung-up on shore for measurement and weigh-in. While these tournaments are far less frequent today, they still exist.

While many individuals and various muskie organizations have made extreme progress in eliminating these tournaments, helping to minimizing poaching, and encouraging "best practices" C&R techniques, there are still individuals and organizations that believe as long as the population remains stable, that they can continue to disregard such suggestions.

Unfortunately, I fear that the solution to this problem will only rear its head when the population starts to decrease. There are individuals and organizations that continue to work to rectify these problems, but progress is slow. If it really bothers you, I recommend you sign up with Muskies Canada, and get involved. There is a Belle River chapter of Muskies Canada that is right in the middle of the debate.

As for the sponsors, it’s back to my old adage that those at the top of the food chain should be leading by example. Obviously in this case, they didn’t.

I missed the show, so I don’t know who sponsored it. If you’d like to provide me with some details on the hosts and sponsors, I’ll gladly take a run at them and see what kind of response I get. I’ll put them on my s**t list right after the author of the recent Ottawa Citizen article.

HW

[g unis]

as i stated in my last post, so much to say on st. clair.we in fact do share the lake with michigan. many of the offenders from a club based in michigan over 400 strong are the major offenders in all areas. they do not carry a website are secretive and deceiving. going under the influence of we released this many does not wash with me. my question is HOW MANY HAS YOUR CLUB KILLED. we as residents have been embroiled over this for many years. harvest is inevitable but waste is against all common sense and the law. as hawg wabbler stated voice your opinion on all of these issues, you are a stakeholder of these resources.the present fine is 125.00 per rod over,seizure of rod plus the one your using. the rods are returned after the fine is paid. as for the 2nd rod that will be decided by the mnr. obey the law you will have fun and maybe get slimed. remember guys and gals practice c.p.r. on everting your not going to eat. george

[Legend]

With respect to the host of the fishing show, I don't think it's just Muskies that he releases in such a fashion. I think he may have had a career in the CFL at some point in his life, who knows.

In any case, what can we expect from a guy who has a tin of spaghetti with his shore lunch salmon filets anyway?

Legend

[jeffb]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one to see that and wonder what the heck was he doing!

Couple other things... The host always starts the show introducing where and what they're fishing for. The the camera pans back to show him holding a member of their target species, usually by the gill plate. At that point he says something witty like "well, lets put this girl back in to fight another day"- uh, ya right.

Also, regarding the fish they torpedoed- you could clearly see the fish bobbing behind the boat after they threw it back in, to which the Capt. said; "oh she'll be alright" while looking rather sheepish.

I thought it was pretty disgusting, and i see that I'm not the only. Remeber that if you're planning a trip to fish St. Claire.

[clam man]

Saw the show as well. Even have a copy on tape. I too could not believe the way this guy handled his fish. My firt thought was that this method went against everything I've ever learned about fishing muskie!
Just my 2 cents.

[Wall-I-Guy]

In any case, what can we expect from a guy who has a tin of spaghetti with his shore lunch salmon filets anyway?
Legend

I have to agree, what a waste of good Salmon

[BASSSTALKER]

All, I found this article. It is a good read regarding Muskies in our waters.



http://www.trentu.ca/muskie/biology/biol09.html