How many more days till the Bass opener??

[dan2957]

135 more days till the Bass opener

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If it aint a BASS, it might as well be a rough fish.

[Navigator]

It's open at Red Wing and points south.

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Jon Navratil
Navigator Guide Service
www.naviguides.com
Central MN rivers & lakes

[Farley]

Yep,
you can tell he's from Texas.

Just razzin ya Dan, I used to fish for bass all the time when I was younger, but got hooked on fishin walleye's.

[ackotz]

Bass are sure fun, but so are Northerns and Walleyes...and Bass don't taste anywhere near as good!

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"Don't worry, I'll pick up your trash for ya!"

[dan2957]

I only catch Walleyes by mistake Farley hahahah.
I dont eat e'm(bass). I catch them for fun. Im strickly catch and release when I'm bass fishing. I like to eat the crappies though......
Navigator I've heard about Red Wing but I dont know much about it. Is there open water all year? If so, why doesnt it freeze over? Is it worth dragging my boat down there? How is the bass fishing? Any info would be great.

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If it aint a BASS, it might as well be a rough fish.

[This message has been edited by dan2957 (edited 01-15-2004).]

[Navigator]

Yep, it's open year round (in REALLY cold years it will some-what freeze over) or if they shut down the nuc plant that is up stream from the dam. Worthy of pulling the boat down there...I do, but then again I prefer fishing out of a boat. At this time of the year you will find smallies tight to deeper rip-rap. Everets resort is the only access point right now. Nav

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Jon Navratil
Navigator Guide Service
www.naviguides.com
Central MN rivers & lakes

[dan2957]

127 day till the Bass opener.

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If it aint a BASS, it might as well be a rough fish.

[NotoriousBLM]

Only 127 days left? That must mean winter is 1/2 over! Can't wait to hit CW in open water!

[This message has been edited by NotoriousBLM (edited 01-23-2004).]

[fishface5]

When does the archery season for bass open?

[basguy31]

I haven't been counting down the days, but my flippin hand is getting itchy.

[Guest]

Just remember it is perfectly legal to catch bass while fishing for crappies and sunfish once the ice leaves the lakes. Cold water bass are suckers for crappie size morsels.

Dogfish are also always in season and love white spinnerbaits and plastics. Check out the MN Bowfin Club. I am thinking of joining this year.
There website is http://get.to/bowfin

from there website
"...Considered a roughfish, the bowfin traditionally is not sought by sport anglers. "But anyone who has caught a bowfin knows what a great fight they put up," MBC president Chuck Fields said. "Unfortunately, many anglers kill bowfin. We promote catching these fish on artificial lures and releasing them unharmed. Bowfin play a valuable role in the ecosystems of our lakes." The MBC tournament season runs from ice-out to June 15 each year. All fish must be caught on artificial lures and released. Results are reported on the honor system. The angler who catches the biggest bowfin is Grand Champion for that year."

I think I got a shot at the Grand Championship this year. There are some big dogs in my lake.

[smallie_hawgin]

Whoa there basspastor!!! You have to be really carefull saying it is perfectly legal to catch bass while crappie fishing and then say that bass are suckers for a small fly..... this is propmotong out of season angling. Even though I may disagree with seasons in general I WILL obey the law. If you target bass before the season you are angling for them illegally. This same scenario happens on the river in the spring when some idiots are out there claiming to be "crappie fishing" yet we all know that smallies out number crappie 100:1 out there. Needless to say there is a fine moral line. Just my angry .02

[Guest]

I don't have to be careful about anything, the law has loopholes the size of Alaska that makes it unrealistic and unenforceable. I didn't say anything about "targeting," you just happen to catch them, maybe catch a lot of them. Nothing wrong with just happening to catch a fish out of season provided that you release it forthwith.

Boy this debate is getting started early this year. The ice isn't off the lake and the ethics police are already on their self appointed watch.

[This message has been edited by Basspastor (edited 01-31-2004).]

[dan2957]

I LOVE to Bass fish. Look at me, I'm counting down the days till the opener. I'm even considering driving up north on the fishing opener so I don't have to wait the extra two weeks. Sure, I can catch bass pretending to crappie fish, I can probably catch bass if I were to target Pike. There are alot of loop holes in the law. For myself I will obey the SPIRIT of the law. It will not kill me to wait two weeks to catch my favorite fish.
Just because no one is watching me in a store does not give me the right to steal. If I were to target bass early I would not feel good about it.
Every person has to make their own choice, but I'll tell you this, If I were to see someone INTENTIONALLY targeting Bass during the closed season. I would get their boat license number or try for a name or even use my camera and then call 1800 652 9093 and turn in that POACHER.

119 Days till the bass opener.

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Isnt Winter over yet????

[dan2957]

I just checked out the Bowfish wed site. I caught one of those things once. They have very boney mouths. How do you get a hook threw that mouth? The one I caught put up a good fight, but man was it ugly.

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Isnt Winter over yet????

[Guest]

"For myself I will obey the SPIRIT of the law. It will not kill me to wait two weeks to catch my favorite fish."

The problem of course is that the "SPIRIT" of this law is to protect the fish during the spawn, but neither the letter or the spirit of the law actually does much protecting of largemouth bass. The "spirit" of this law is not to test a bass fishermen's patience but to protect the resource from exploitation and harm. The law only does that so far as it demands instant catch and release of fish that are out of season. The separate "no targeting" language is vague, unenforceable, pretty much ludicrious in practice, and ethically questionable.

In the Annandale area and in all but the most Southern reaches of the state the peak of the Largemouth spawn typically will occur with the 1st full moon of of late May or Early June and coincides perfectly with the MN bass openner.

How many more days until the Cheesehead Bass Opener?
Answer:28 less days this year than in MN.

How many more days until the Minnesocold openner?
Answer:To darn many.

[This message has been edited by Basspastor (edited 01-31-2004).]

[smallie_hawgin]

Basspastor....Ethics police, please! Just an angler who obeys the law, period.
"Nothing wrong with just happening to catch a fish out of season provided that you release it forthwith." That's funny, I am aware of a couple of guys that got pinched for doing just that. Fly fishing during march for "suckers and catfish" on the miss catching smallies one after the other. The fact you discuss loopholes makes me wonder about the intentions!

I agree with Dan! We all have to have patience.

Look all of us love the sport, otherwise we wouldn't be discussing it. I used to live in TX, no seasons there, however, there are reduced bags, and length limits on all waters. Minnesotans are reluctant to do this for some reason??? Too many lakes I guess. Funny how the hunting regs are very complex and yet the anglers complain every time a new reg comes out for fishing eh?

How many days left, may arms' a twitchin'.....

[duckbill]

Hey Dan,

I got a little preseason bass fishing. Saturday night I had a 20 inch bass take a 6 inch sucker. Was hoping it was a nice walleye
but she was still fun to catch. Slid her back down the hole and will be looking for her later this summer.

[Mark Christianson]

Basspastor,
I am a little disappointed in you. You being "the" Basspastor, you have quite a following out here. A couple guys in my fishing league last summer would talk about the Basspastor, and what his experiences were the previous week and such.
I have read your posts with interest and vigor since I came on board. Now you go and say something so ridiculous about the loopholes, and basically why follow the rules. Thats what I am reading at least. Rules are rules. Sorry. You may think its a loophole, I think its an area to not mess with.
As a CO friend of mine said, he can give out a ticket for whatever he sees in his judgement as being illegal, and you can go fight it in court.
Not worth my time to try and bend the rules, or try to hide amongst the so-called loopholes.
You have a following BP, lets use this forum to educate people, and promote a positive image to all.

Yes, my rods are collecting dust, and I can't hardly wait either!!!!

[Guest]

Sorry, to disappoint you, but the Basspastor believes this particular rule is in fact a bad law and I don't believe there is an obligation on the part of anyone to obey it when you can be fishing perfectly legally and still be ticketed anyway. If you are trying to catch crappies or Dogfish, suckers, bluegills, or once legal Pike and walleyes than you are fishing legally and the fact that you are catching bass is irrelevent.

As for the story about the guys who got "pinched." You see there is this little thing called due process and the issue of citation is not necessarily a conviction or proof of guilt. Those fisherman if they so chose could go to court plead not guilty and would probably win easily in trial if the judge and prosecuter didn't throw it out before it ever got that far. The CO will have to prove that your sole intent was to "target" fish illegally out of season, but casting doubt on that conclusion would be easy. Just get a video or picture of you fishing the same area with the same gear and catching a legal in season species.

Laws or regulations that can be used against the innocent, but can't convict the guilty are immoral and should not be on the books.

[This message has been edited by Basspastor (edited 02-02-2004).]

[Mark Christianson]

BP
Your arrogance has made you victorius.
You are above the law.

I will choose to not try to bend the rules to make them as I would like them to be because I hate them.

Have fun with your "due process" if you should ever be confronted.

[Guest]

I don't think a CO would dare give me a ticket for "targeting a fish out of season". They usually just give an angler a warning and your likelyhood of seeing them again is very unlikely. If I was issued a citation I would fight it and win. And if you win that means you were not guilty in the first place and the officer and prosecuter were wasting their time and yours.

What I advocate on this issue is a fully sensible and totally legal position.

[smallie_hawgin]

BP, Lets take a look at what happens to most of us..... I bet. I also go fish for other critters besides bass, I throw a jig or whatever, and I come up with a bass instead of my targeted species. If I continue the behavior or the "pattern" to catch that bass instead of the targeted species, that is an unethical, moral decision because of the law.
Obviously you have convinced yourself that there is no need to bother with this reg. So because a speed limit says 40 do you do 60 out of spite? It's not a far stretch to put the same principle in that context.
Let me guess you got pinched before and now you hate the system??? I just don't get it. Why? Just don't dare get mad at me when I report your boat registration when I see you fishing "out of season", you would deserve it!!!

[09ultra]

Wow talk about being arrogant!!! This guy is why the CO's have to be the way they are, because of people like this that find loopholes in the law and take advantage of them, not good!I prefer to wait until the season is open and then catch my fish.

[Mark Christianson]

Hey Smallie_Hawgin,

I'll keep an eye on Platte/Sullivan lakes for people fishing for bass out of season.
Nobody is going to get away with these antics on my home away from home.

Now back to the real topic.
How many darn days do we have left until we can "legally" target bass????

[Guest]

Here is your problem people. Catching a certain species is not equal to "targeting them." If I target bass in season and catch pike than I preferred to catch a bass and wanted to catch a bass but I got a pike instead. But I never mind having a bite no matter what type of fish bites in season or out. So was I targeting pike? No I was fishing a bass tournament and wanted bass and those above the the minimum size only. The fact that I didn't mind catching the pike does not mean I was targeting them at all.

If I am legally targeting crappies, or dogfish, or suckers, or rock bass with techniques that can and do catch those fish than the bass I catch and immediately released are incidental and not targeted fish. You are NOT BREAKING THE LAW if you are specifically targeting a legal fish that is in season with techniques and equipment that catch those legally in season fish in a body of water where they are present.

What about that do you ethics police not get? You are the one in the wrong in this case to accuse fisherman fishing legally of doing something wrong. It is not your call and what is really absurd is that the reg. is written in such a way that a CO could cite every fisherman that throws a line in the water because there is not objective standard for "targeting" vs. fishing legally.

The philosophy behind my position:
This law is not objectively enforceable and that is a big difference between it and say a speeding violation, using two lines, overlimits, and slot violations. I have many times been targeting crappies and only caught bass, sunfish, dogfish, pike, or been targeting bass and only caught pike or dogfish, or targeting pike and only caught bass or targeting walleyes and only caught bass or pike or bullheads or suckers, or targeting anything that swims and caught nothing at all. Because this law is based wholly on a subjective concept it is literally always open to interpretation and if something is always open to interpretation than it is irrational as a law which should have an objective way of measuring it.

1 foot could be longer or shorter depending on the one doing the measuring. You all have a definition that is far more narrow than mine but no more legal or ethical in practice.

Why don't you go to the most "ethical" extreme and suggest that fishing for any type of fish before all season's are open is unethical because you might catch a out of season fish or possibly be targeting them. What if I don't believe you guys fishing for eyes on Mille Lacs after the openner wouldn't mind catching a 20inch Smallie before the 29th of this year. And if you catch even one, then the CO should have free reign to write you up based on the presumption of what you are doing. Right!

That is your arguement in a nut shell people.

[Guest]

"Let me guess you got pinched before and now you hate the system???"

No but I have been confronted by the ethics police on the water when they were 100% in the wrong and that is called Harrassment which is in fact illegal. So who was the ethical one?

On this one keep your mouth shut and let the CO's try to enforce it, which they really can't or shouldn't because there is no way to tell if that beetle spin is targeting crappies or bass or that spinnerbait is targeting bass or bowfin.

[basguy31]

When I am out fishing for panfish in the spring, I occasionally catch a largemouth or two. Now if I begin to catch a number of bass without catching any panfish, its time to move. If you feel fine staying there and fishing, thats fine, take your chances with the CO. I myself will do what the law was intended for, and move on to another spot in search of panfish. Yes the law may be vague and hard to enforce, but we must obey it as it was intended. Just my conservative (don't want to waste my time fighting a ticket) 2 cents.

[dan2957]

115 days till we can BASS fish. I'm really starting to get cabin fever......

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Isnt Winter over yet????

[swampman]

BASSPASTOR in reply to your earlier post regarding a co not daring to give you a citation for targeting fish out of season ,people have been issued a citation went to court and lost.I had a convesation with Earl Putzke years ago (EARL was a longtime co in the annandale are)about this exact thing. he caught two guys fishing before the fishing season opened with plug type lures they all went to court and earl explained to the judge that the type of lure the guys were using was not a lure used for that type of fish they claimed they were after. the judge agreed and the guys had to pay. now i know if the fishing season was open for northerns at the time this would be more diffacult to prove. it goes back to the spirit of the law ,and there are grey areas in many other rules too. you are the final judge as to what your actually fishing for, wheter it is provable in a court or not.