spearing

[Guest]

I can not believe their is so many yuppies out their. I came on this sight to ask a question. trying to word it right so I would not step on any toes,and cause all this arguing. You and I no in my lifetime I will probably not ever see one that big.Like I said It took me 24 years of spearing to stick two wall mounts. I have a lot of dedication towards this exiting sport of spearing. Just to watch a #15 pounder come in and chomp on my old wooden decoy and circle like A shark gets your blood pumping.spearing is more of an art and a lot of skill and patience Pike do not school in your hole. I have gone days never seeing a thing. Then when you least expect It one will come in like a freight train all you see is a blur. Now its skill to get him back. Which 9 out of 10 times he, or she never returns. It is not that easy! Catch & release Dudes!I did not come across saying were can I spear my limit of northerns every day, did I. We could get into the percentage of fish that you catch & release. That make it to swim again do you wait around to see? after their traumatizing experience, & just about dead after fighting with a much larger species. How many swallow the hook, and have no lips left. And for that Mn. state record. I have caught many color full fish when I worked In Alaska from dolly vardens to the trout and big salmon familys.I have to say that this is the prettiest fish I have ever seen Dark cocoa brown with Gold spots and bright reddish orange fins. Maybe I should have released him to? then I won't be famous! (Just Kidding!)

[Guest]

Hello Pete; I do not think any one could have worded It better! Thank You!!!!!!

[jkrash]

Pete
I don't know what kinda data your looking for, but if you search the net you will probably find it.

I do know when you stick a spear in a trophy pike and step on it's head and pull it out the game is over.
BUT
If I catch a trophy with a lure, fight with my extra heavy rod with 80lb test line put it in my fin saver net cut the hooks lift it up for a quick picture or two and let it go, This fish has a gazilion times better chance to pump out hundreds of thousands eggs and better yet it will probably bite off Bornafice a few more times before I have a chance to catch it again.

As far as RELICS OF A BY GONE ERA one could say that about skin mounts, we all know there are replicas out there.

Birdog
Yuppies
what's that

Thats it!

Evrybody, we are all going to meet on larson lake (Splake lake)
and dethrone the birddog;

[Guest]

Did I mention it came out of Larson! Thats right I did?

[Guest]

Robert,

I like throwing worms by your dock, too.

I know some there's some enterprising pike or muskie that has opened his own jewlery shop in that lake to display all the different baits him and his buddies have robbed from me.

Can we still all be friends?

[Piker]

I like spearing. I think it's what's great about Minnesota. I never see any big ones so I can't say what I'd do if I saw one, but I am sure I'd spear it. I think it's exciting to watch a little gator crash into your decoy, only to swim off for a moment and then approach like a wolf. It's a good time and I don't understand why it's so much different then angling or tip ups. There's no Catch and Release, but there doesn't need to be. Think about it, if you see a fish you can just let it swim without disturbing it at all. 100% survival rate. If you catch and release a fish there is not 100% survival rate, is there? So if the person holding the spear has any integrity he can rest assured that he is practicing an act of selective fishing that results in only fish being killed that he wants to take. It's kind of like the "guns don't kill people" saying; spearing doesn't ruin fishing, bad fishermen ruin fishing.

[guideman]

Here are some facts from the MN & WI
DNR...post release mortality on muskie
is (under the worst conditions) around
5 to 10%..post spearing mortality, 100%

We all have our opinions, mine is just
that, my opinion. I haven't called any names or attacked anyones morals, how about we stop the name calling and keep
this an open discussion.

Bornofice is the only "Yuppie" on the board.

------------------
Ace guide service.
Beautiful Lake Vermilion.
[email protected]
www.aceguideservice.com
(218) 753-2612

[This message has been edited by guideman (edited 12-20-2001).]

[Guest]

Guideman,

I'd like to respond to that, but I'm in a rush. I've got to pile the wife and kids into the BMW to take them to Marshall Fields to do some last minute Christmas shopping. She can't drive her Lexus SUV because it's having its weekly detailing job. Darn.

You spearers and fisherman are just savages.

[Guest]

I thaught yuppies stayed in Edina, Minnetonka, or Eden Prairie. I haven't seen any on Vermilion, yet. Not until a new Starbucks is built. I heard they serve a mean Latte. I'm sure they wouldn't be out on the lake fishing by themselves, touching a fish, eeww! Where's Macy's? Where's the martini bar?

It doesn't look like anyone's opinions will be changed. And I don't appreciate being called a yuppie, simply because I don't agree with someone elses opinion.

Now, where did I put my latte?

[Jim W]

Does anyone know of a restaurant that serves up a mean filet of smallmouth!! Very tasty fish indeed!!! SOmetimes they fight soooo hard, I have to just put them out of their misery! Those foolish fish they are!!!!!

Merry Christmas to all!!

Keep the spears bendin'!!! (wait a minute?)

Jim W

[GullGuide]

[This message has been edited by GullGuide (edited 12-20-2001).]

[GullGuide]

Hey Jimbo,
You gonna come up for my annual Muskie Feed? Got a few 55"ers I'm gonna throw on the grill! Gonna garnish em with some Jackpot shavings and a little essence of bucktail for taste!
YUMMY!
Man do we need ice!!
>"////=<

[tjwierz2]

How about some roasted loon as an appetizer with the grilled muskie?

[Jim W]

Gullguide,

I hear ya! If we don't get some good ice soon, we might start seeing ice fisherman battling in the streets, going at each other with power augers and jigging rods for swords!!

Jim W

[GullGuide]

Yea,
We could organize a disgruntled icefisherman gladiator league!

I think my weapon of choice would be one of those ice saws and a 5 gallon pail for a helmet! Maybe even rig up some fireline with a big treble on the end attached to a heavy action rod and whip it around in a circle!

When we got enough ice, we could build ourselves an ice coluseum next to the ice castle on Green Lake!
Now THAT'S entertainment!!
>"////=<

[Jim W]

Beauty!

I tell ya, I really needed the humor! Good stuff!! Laughing is definitely, the best medicine!!!

As far as Green. When we get ice, I still say we hook up. I don't care if I only catch a couple cigars. That lake keeps calling me back for some resaon.

[Perch Jerker]

BIRDOG,
I guess you should not spear any Northerns over 30# on Vermilion, just key in on all the 10#-29# you can. It seems that is what most of the posters here are saying.

Is it better to pass on the sub-30# fish and only key in on the 30#+ ones (Trophy Hunting) OR spear whatever northern comes along (Meat)? You guys slammed Birdog so hard I e-mailed this thread to a friend of mine and he had the same reaction that I did, 'How soon can I get to Vermilion and spear just because how rude you guys are'!

I have been spearing for years and have yet to spear anything over 6lbs. I just love to watch the big muskie & pike come in and 'work' a decoy and eventually grab it. A guy asks a simple question on a legal sport and you guys pound him for it, shame on you.

[guideman]

So far, there has been one post from a
non spearchucker that was rude, all the
the rest were simply opinions.
Cliff, Tom and myself all stated that it was your legal right to do so.
You interpret it anyway you want, if a
spear in the head is you idea of sport
hey, go for it!

------------------
Ace guide service.
Beautiful Lake Vermilion.
[email protected]
www.aceguideservice.com
(218) 753-2612

[Piker]

Why do some of you think spearing is not a sport? The fish aren't drawn to your hole. You still have to spear them. I don't want an arguement, certainly not a heated argument, but I don't like people bashing the sport of spearing. I don't think it's fair to people who spear honestly and with respect.

[Guest]

Don't have a real good answer for you Piker, as to why some feel compelled to attack such a fine tradition, but do have a couple of observations and generalizations:
As we get further from a "consumption-based" outdoor person - the fellow who heads out for a meal of fish, or a Sunday dinner of partridge, those who actually go out with intent to kill are decreasing. We have all read the prose of outdoor writers who wax poetic about the smell of the leaves, the gentle spring breezes, the icy crunch of the snow underfoot, etc. Getting out in the outdoors has become an end unto itself, and the rod or the gun are merely props - or excuses (or so these folks would have us believe). The actual catch, or kill (if any occurs) is downplayed - a byproduct at best.
Years back, a guy could sit in the barber shop after work and say without fear "yeah, we got our limits" to the inevitable query from the assembled guys. Say that now in some places, and the reactions vary from disdain to hostility. It is simply not "cool" to be a successful consumptive user of our fields and waters. Maybe its the fact that we have more money in our pockets, and don't need the meals as much - maybe its the fact that we seem to be getting further and further from our rural roots, maybe its jealosy, maybe its even a concern for long-term health of species - there's probably more than one factor at work.
I enjoy a good trip out as much as the next guy, but seem to find even a bit more enjoyment when I bring home a meal of walleyes, or a nice haukkie for moijakka, or some of those late season mallards to stuff with wild rice, or even a young forkhorn buck - tastiest venison on the grill. I tend to be pretty successful (by my standards) for the most part, and make no apologies for that.
As catch and release/selective harvest finally catches on with the masses (a good thing in my book), we will have some folks who carry those ideas out to a "no-kill" philosphy. At least with the rod in your hand, you can claim to be a "catch and release" type - a pretty tough argument to make with a spear in hand :-)
Another issue is that are less spear folks out there - which lessens the understanding and tolerance of others. Lets face it, if your grandpa, or your hunting partner, or your neighbor goes spearing, you are less likely to get irate than you would if it is some guy you never met. Personalizing the sport is probably the best thing spear folks could do now - take a friend spearing!
I really think that a lot of folks who blindly howl about spearing now would change their tune if they had the chance to sit in the darkhouse for a day, drink a little coffee, and see what really goes on. Granted, its not for everyone - and there are some days where I prefer to go outside and angle, or explore. Ultimately, if we are to preserve this grand old tradition, we do need to reach out to other sportsmen, and maintain as good relations as possible.

[GullGuide]

Very well said Pete.
As a kid, I remembered almost everyone I knew had a darkhouse. My dad speared, so did my grandfather and his father before him. I do not know where or how I lost the zeal to spear, maybe because pike is not my favorite table fare, but I still like going out, cutting a big hole and angling from it. Just to watch the fish is enough for me.
I guess where people get up in arms and upset, as do I, is when the small MINORITY, as I see it, of people who spear, like to brag about all the big fish they kill.
Like I said before in a previous post, your sport needs to change its' image, albeit coming from this minority. It's just like anything else, those who are the loudest and most outrageous are the ones that are heard and are the ones people associate with the sport. Until those people are policed from your ranks, there will always be an argument.
>"////=<

[BigFisherman]

Merry Christmas to all of you. I have really enjoyed reading all of the above -- this is what makes this sight so interesting, everyone has his/her own idea. We can't spear in Minnesota (Ioweigens) & we can't spear game fish in Iowa. Carp and the like are fair game. I have gotten them with everything from fish arrows to pitcforks. It was fun and I enjoyed until the time I put an arrow in a 3-4 lb carp (going clear through it) and also stuck a 20# northern to boot. It was in the spring and when she came up she was streaming eggs from the hole in her side. I cut the line, pulled the arrow out and let her slide back into the river (knowing she was done). I've never stuck another fish with an arrow or pitchfork. Not my cup of tea, but would really like to come up sometime and watch those bigun's swim by.
Bird Dog, if you enjoy then I hope you get that 30#. It's OK in my book if you're legal.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!

[Guest]

A 24#, a 28#, and now going for a 30#!!! Where do you draw the line?

Glad I'm on Cass!

[Guest]

guideman the DNR stat. is not too hard to figure out,but give me the DNR stats. on how many muskie are caught and released and how many are speared and there might be a discusion.

[Kingfisher]

firstchoiceguide, now that spearing has been outlawed for (is it over 10 years), a bet the large northerns are so thick they are busting your lines everytime you go out, eh?

[GullGuide]

Firstchoice can verify this, but Cass has some of the best quality pike fishing in the area.
>"////=<

[guideman]

Hi CLB,
It would be all but impossible to know
the exact numbers of muskie speared in
MN each season. Unfortunately there are
still many anglers, and spearfishermen
that cannot tell the difference between
a pike and a muskie, at first glance.

Every spring after ice out I find musky
floating, or on shore, that were killed by a spear. Truth is I would rather see them taken home and eaten, than wasted.

Unfortunately, many of them were sub leagals, which tells me they though it was a pike when they threw their spear.

Just for the record, my clients and I
released 48 leagals and 27 sub leagals
last season. In my opinion they all had
an excellent chance for survival, and I
believe that all or most of them did.

Harvest numbers are at best an educated
guess by the DNR. Unless we had laws to require we register all muskies kept by
anglers or spearfishermen, it will just
continue to be guesswork.

------------------
Ace guide service.
Beautiful Lake Vermilion.
[email protected]
www.aceguideservice.com
(218) 753-2612

[Piker]

Pete, Others..., I'm glad we were able to post our side of the issue without resorting to name calling or bashing (Not saying anyone did that), but just trying to make a point that I think it's great that people who share my theory on the subject conduct themselves in a professional manner when trying to prove a point. I think you point was rock solid and well presented, we need to stop trying to protect people from themselves, and make people accountable for themselves. If the message of responsible spearing/angling tactics is echoed amoungst people then we are doing our part to make things better, I believe that. Thank You.

[Jim W]

Good comments by all here!

I would have to share my two cents before I forget it.
There is indeed a mystique and over zealous ideology represented with "some" catch and release hardcores!

The only "true" catch and release folk I have run across are the stream fisherman in SE MN.
(Before someone threatens me I must say these aren't the only %100 C & R people in the state)

I guess my point here is, I'm sick of hearing the phrase catch and release. This phrase alone almost implies to people( sometimes making them feel guilty or have to explain themselves) they can't keep. Well people they can! As mentioned earlier, if it is legal, HAVE FUN!

HOwever, this doen't imply disenchantment from management or over all conservation!
It implies, an understanding of the resource you take from, looking at the grand scheme of things.

There will always be people who feel they are above the law and it is our duty to turn them in!

If spearing is legal, HAVE FUN, but please be conscience of the future of your resource that has provided that fun!!!

Jim W

[Guest]

Cass is definitely a high quality pike fishery. Some days while Walleye fishing they can be quite rude busting me off or grabbing nice 15 inch eyes while there on the line. Cass, however will not be an outstanding Pike lake until the older generations of fisher people stop keeping every 17-23 incher they can pickle. You know the type. Three guys troll the perimeter of the lake until they have there nine baby Northerns dangling from a stringer. It's just as bad for the lakes as irresponsible spear fishermen with no respect for the kids down the road.

Just my .02