Where Everyone going Opening Day Spearing?

[bassNspear]

I hear ya man.

[bassNspear]

There is nothing better then seeing that big hog coming in.

[bassNspear]

Are alot of people using live bait with fake or just fake or what? Im curious to see what people are using. Thanks

[fishin magician]

If you take a good look to the left of the live decoy you will see a small northern staring it down.

[bassNspear]

I know, that was the first thing that i was looking at when you posted that pic.

[10,000 Casts]

One of the lakes that we have a cabin has somewhere around 20 ft secchi disk rating and it is unbelievable to spear on. However back in the 80's or 90's the spearing did take its toll on the fish population. Now there are only "snakes" and there is alot of them. It is to a point where I don't even fish it even though we have a boat on the lift there. But I beleive that we can't blame the spear. Its up the the person that is throwing it if they want to be a conservasionist or not. And if there is someone that has never been.... it is something that you have to try. What Bass N Spear is saying is correct in that its not the kill but watching that big Jack come in that is priceless.

John

[bassNspear]

Casts, Its the time where ur out there looking at that hog. Maybe there is a time that people need to go out to ur lake that your talking about and help the population but taking a few of the smaller fish out of the lake. Maybe im wrong, but if it get over populated, it might get out of hand. Dont you think?

[mplspug]

Yeah, you have a lake with a bunch of snakes then they need to be thinned out. Nothing wrong with pickled northern!

[bassNspear]

You got that right.

[bassNspear]

Does anyone know where a guy can pick up a spear for a good price?

[tonyjor]

I would go to your local High School and have someone taking a metal shop course make one for you. Throw them $5 over what the metal costs and they'll get a little something along with a good grade. Plus they'll know they did quality work if you get back to them with a success story

[bassNspear]

I will have to take that into consideration. I never thought about that. I was just thinking of a place that sells tons of them where they have alot of them on hand.

[Central Bassman]

Spearing rocks!!!! If people are goin to cry about ppl spearing they might a well start crying about all the big bucks that get shot to.

[bassNspear]

Ya know you have a point there Bassman, People are out there shooting bucks that are monster racks, kinda goes hand in hand on spearing as well.

[muskylover9]

That is completely different. How can you even begin to compare the two?

[bassNspear]

What do you mean. Explain please?

[muskylover9]

Big pike are the dominate predators of a lake. Other than removing them from the gene pool, how can killing deer with large racks have the same effect as removing big pike from a lake? Do the deer in your area keep the squirrel population under control?

[bassNspear]

Its the same way as taking big pike out of the lake. If your having guys/gals taking all the huge deer around a area, that area is not going ot be holding other deer. Its the same thing as big pike, you take them out of a lake, that lake will die out. Everyone has been saying that, so how can you not say that for taking the monster bucks?

[muskylover9]

When it comes to killing a deer, the size of their rack does not determine the effect that killing it will have on the area. You could shoot a small buck or a big buck, they both eat about as much and breed about as much. Killing a deer for whats on its head really only means that there will be one less deer with good genes in the woods.

When you kill big pike you affect the whole lake. The pike keep the lake healthy by keeping other fish populations in check. Without the big pike as predators, fish like sunfish, bass and northern pike get over populated and their growth becomes stunted. Pike also help keep rough fish from taking over a lake.

[bassNspear]

You might have a point in a few areas, but i feel that the bigger pike that are in the lake kill the population of smaller fish as in sunfish and smaller fish. Yes they keep others in check, but its not going to beat up on the lake with a few of the monsters in the lake.

I have been spearing all my life. And for myself always going to the same two lakes, the pike population has never went down. Other fish in the lake are killing off becuase the population of the pike has became to a point where there running the lake. There is a place where u can say the pike are keeping the lake in check, and there is a place where you can say that there over populating the lake.

[Central Bassman]

LOL Muskylover9 you act like a big pike is the only thing in the lake that iwll help keep the population of some fish down and that not right there are many different thing that help keep fish population down. Many type of birds for one!!!

[muskiemachinery]

In a system without Muskies, large pike & monster walleye are in a class by themselves in controlling schooling species population, That's why C&R of large predators is so important. Spearing has had it's time. My grandfather and obviously RK's speared for food in the winter. I also grew up in my Grandfather's spearhouse. It is true that you do learn much about the nature of the lake viewing it thru a spear hole. However, these lessons could be learned just as easily and have the exact same impact with a quick strike sucker rig instead of a spear. You could even still use decoys to attract the Pike in. That way C&R would be an opinion. There is no reason in this day and age not to move in this direction. Spearing is to wasteful, uncontrollable, and devastating to the Pike and other unethically speared species. The temptaion is just to great to many to justify the risk.IMO

[bassNspear]

Spearing is not wasteful. If you would read a few pages back, on where everyone is talking about taking the smaller pike out of the lake to make it less populer. Its not always about spearing the big fish, its about controlling to population of the PIKE. Are you against it or what?

[Central Bassman]

100% for it... There is nothing better to do durning the cold winter mouths!!!!!

[bassNspear]

Got that Right

[Hockey Guy]

Correct me if I’m wrong (and I’m sure some of you will), but I have read this entire post and here is the bottom line conclusions I have come up with:

1. Spearing is fun.

2. Spearing is educational.

3. Spearing is traditional for many families.

4. Pickled Northern is awesome.

5. There’s nothing else to do in the winter. Being the Hockey guy, I have a little problem with this one.

6. It’s a fact that Large Pike are not as common as they used to be. This may or may not be attributed to spearing.

7. Large pike control the population a smaller fish.

8. CPR is not possible when spearing.

9. Somehow large Bucks control the population of squirrels in some areas.

So my solution to all this would be to introduce and enforce a slot limit for spearing. Say… nothing over 26” or something like that. That way the small pike that are over-running the lakes will be reduced by the spearing guys, and the larger pike will be alive to eat the smaller pike as well. After a few years the big pike population should come back.

I also think that large deer should be trapped instead of shot. They should then be released in areas that are over-run with wild squirrels. That should take care of that problem as well!

[MJBo]

I nominate hockey guy for head of the DNR.

[bassNspear]

Ok first off, there is a slot. A angler can not take no more then one fish over 30 inches long. This will allow the lake to be able to hold the bigger fish so there no just taking out the hogs.

Second, if you take a deer to a different location, it is not only going to take away from the location that they are at, but that deer will eventally leave the new location to make its way back to a different location. Plus, can you image how much money will be invested in trapping deer. Think about that for a min.

[Central Bassman]

LOL trapping deer i just stupid...I agree with Bass N Spear!!!!

[PikeKing]

Not only do i worry for you two and your enjoyment of poking fish with spears, but im shocked you cant see the sarcasm of what he is saying about trapping deer. And since you like shooting pike did you ever think of catching a deer with a rod and reel? Just wondering.