How many more days till the Bass opener??

[Cyberfish]

imagestation not working, oh well, be back later with some fun photos

[This message has been edited by Cyberfish (edited 02-05-2004).]

[dewoutdoor70]

i second that,we dont need another HELTER SKELTER,

[Farley]

...Or Marlon Brando in Apocolypse now, but instead of having a legion of bushmen under him he has a legion of Dogfish fisherman and bass poachers.

[Icemandu]

I really don't have a problem with In-fisherman showing different styles of fishing, but what really gets me is thier magazine. I used to love to buy an In-Fishermen magazine when I was younger, as there was hours of reading enjoyment in each one. Now it seems there are about threee stories, and a bunch of advertisements. I have bought my last issue of In-Fishermen. Does anyone get Minnesota Sportsmen. I bought last month's magazine and loved it. There was actually info about lakes in there I could use.

[smallie_hawgin]

Right on Walleyehawk!. You definitely souldn't risk your future enjoyment over a principle like pre-season bass catching.

Dan, chill out, my folks are from Europe. It was/is common place to eat carp. And maybe you could broaden your horizons.... "think outside the box". FYI, Carp and redhorse actually taste really good smoked or made into fish patties

When I go fishing on the river we sometimes just go to catch fish. (btw I have a 7 year old) He doesn't care (too much) weather it's a carp, cat, redhorse, walleye or bass. It's fun just to reel them in. I have some great photos of him hugging a huge carp and smiling from ear to ear. I love the awesome topwater hits and everything else, but I don't treat bass, walleye, pike or musky as the holy grail

This single species minded stuff has got to go. You can't have one without the other. Sometimes I wonder how we all forget why we fish... Just a thought.

[09ultra]

Seems as if BP dug a huge grave for himself!! Watch out for the CO's.

[Guest]

How is it that people can call what I advocate poaching when I do not advocate such? Is not the validity of the charge only in the mind of those who accuse me of doing such?

Listen to your own statements walleyehawk:
"I love whatever is on the end of my line."
"Poachers are scum and people that fish out of season"

So let me get this straight, we are fishing Sylvia/Twin out of different boats in the same area on April 16th, you with a flu flu and a minnow below a bobber and me with a small twister tail beetle spin; We are both catching quite a few bass and the occasional crappie; Yet I am a poacher and you are perfectly legal. I switch to a bobber and Cubby and catch more bass and Crappie, and I am still a poacher and you are still legal. I don't understand how it is that I can be a "poacher" without you being one too.

Please Explain?????? Maybe you have a few honey holes that are species specific and are holding out on us. I don't know any Annandale area lakes where you are likely to not get bass and the occasional pike with panfish.

[Farley]

I'll explain for ya.

The difference is in the ethics. I don't know either of you (Walleyehawk/ Basspastor) but from reading the posts, it seems to me that you, Basspastor, would stay in that spot and keep catching bass for as long as you desire with the excuse, "I'm getting a crappie every now and then, so it must be O.K. since I'm within the law"

The "ethical" fisherman would move on to find a CRAPPIE hole, not a bass hole with a few crappies.

[Guest]

Oh so now, I am not breaking the law only your ethical code. How is it that makes me the "narrow minded" one?

If this debate was a fishing tournament, I would be weighing a limit of toads and you guys would be telling stories about the big rough fish you caught and the big one's that got away.

Let me share a true story:
I really enjoy fishing for crappie and really really want to catch a huge one over 15inches which I have never done. A few years back when my family still had a cabin on Sylvia/Twin I went out crappie fishing in a dark bottom bay. It had been a warm spring and the pads were up already. This bay generally holds at least a few Crappie every spring and boats were in there fishing and this year the Crappie in this bay were unusually large legitimate 12" to 15" inchers. I observed a boat fishing a certain lilly pad patch in the middle catch a crappie and headed in that direction. They were fishing the Eastern area of the pads and I was able to access the western edge, our boats being within a decent lengths cast of one another with sporatic and thick area' of pad inbetween us.

The boat across from me was fishing a crappie minnow below a bobber and that's what I was going to throw. I cast out and the bobber went down right away and it was a bass. My boat and the boat across from me had non stop bites and action for several hours, but all I could catch was bass and a few rare sunfish medium size sunnies. That was OK at first cause the other boat was catching bass but also getting an occasional monster crappie. I saw them pull three crappies that had to be a pound and a half to two pounds, just monsters. We were fishing basically the same water and I figured it had to be a matter of time. I am pretty sure I was having Crappies sink my bobber from time to time but I kept missing them. I fished that spot for two days and didn't catch a single crappie, but probably caught more than 50 bass from 8 to 16 inches. I don't think I have ever been so frustrated while actually catching fish. I didn't want the **** bass because they were to easy, I wanted one of those huge crappies. It was just pathetic that I couldn't catch one, they were sitting right in front of me holding in those pads the whole time.

I look back now at those two days on the water with a bit of humor and having learned a lesson about "targeting," fishing in general, and ethics that you all haven't seemed to have figured out. I defy any of you to say I should have moved, because that was a school of monster crappies and that is what I wanted and was trying to catch. The fact that I was unsuccessful and catching bass hand over fist does not make me any more or less a sportsman or fisherman and shame on those that think it does. How do you measure how bad I wanted one of those monster crappies? It drives me nuts to this day that I couldn't catch even one and they were right there for the picking.

The fact is at least on Sylvia/Twin that the Crappies that come in shallow are often very cautious and careful feeders, while the bass are agressive and vastly outnumber the crappies. It is just about impossible to fish the shallow early season crappie without catching more bass.

[This message has been edited by Basspastor (edited 02-06-2004).]

[Guest]

"If you were out fishing for bass in the middle of summer and you were catching 10 sunfish for every bass, would you move?"

Well usually when summer bass fishing the trolling motor is down and I am moving to cover water anyway.

The fact is that I regard the pressence of sunfish as a good thing and would be more inclined to stay in the area. It is a pattern of weedline fishing to let sunfish pick up and swim with a plastic worm for a while, cause the tick-tick-tick-tick is often followed by the solid tap-tap-tap or heavy feeling of a bass that scared the sunny and grabbed the worm. Bass steal sunfish's lunch or eat sunfish for lunch, sunfish good!

On a similar topic, it is an fishing maxim of mine that tends to hold pretty true. If you see a Big Dogfish than Big Bass tend to be in the same general area.

[Cyberfish]

[This message has been edited by Cyberfish (edited 02-06-2004).]

[Cyberfish]

What is the best bait for Bowfin? I prefer DuPont Spinners for explosive dogfish action!
Ok, it is getting deep in here, time to get out the chest waders!

--Cyberfish, Checking to make sure my waders don't have any loopholes...

[walleyehawk]

Basspastor

Enough. You won't be making the sale with me. We have met through a few fishing outings and I respected your fishing ability. I now question that respect.

Step back and objectively read this whole post. Have you seen others backing your viewpoint? Or is there more difference with your viewpoint? Go back to your attempt at this same discussion from last year. Have you added to your support group? Probably not. Maybe this is not the fight you need in your life. Get outside, get some fresh air, maybe fish while you can prior to the 2/15 sportfishing deadline.

I know fishing is a big part of your life right now. Why lose that right just to make a point that is falling on deaf ears. Why fight a battle that nobody cares about? Wouldn't you rather being out fishing now?

The worst thing about your arguement is that 1 person, then 10, then 100 will read it and fish for bass out of season. The "If he is going to do it, then why can't I." You know deep down that what you are doing is against the law. Why waste time rationalizing it. Why not just call the local CO to go fishing with you. Saves him launching his boat to go out and give you the ticket and at least you will have company. And you can sell him on your deep rationalizion.

When the fishery declines, don't complain to us. After all, your illegal activity encouraged others.

I guess what I think of your actions does not matter. You do what you want. I guess it will be up to your CO and altimately a judge. I just hope you don't lose your fishing license for a few years.

[dewoutdoor70]

i second that walleyehawk

[dewoutdoor70]

and third that,the truth hurts

[This message has been edited by dewoutdoor70 (edited 02-06-2004).]

[Cyberfish]

Before someone posts the beating the dead horse smiley on here, I better post my take on this hot topic.
Now just about every panfisherman who fishes early spring shallow bites will get some incidental bass. Here is an example that really happened that shows the difference between really panfishing getting a few bass, and cheating!
Last year I went fishing with a putz on a warm early spring day I was fishing for big gills with a mini mite and waxworm while he was armed with a beetle spin and claimed he was going for crappies. Now the lure he was using was perfect for slab crappies- in July!
I think it woulda been intimidating for a cold water shallow crappie, but didn't know for sure. I caught 6 really nice Bluegills, averaging 9.5 inches, two bass and a fat bullhead. He got tons of bass. I finally caught on to it and scolded him for fishin preseason bass. He denied it, "im goin' for crappie!" he kept saying. Well, he kept on getting bass, I kept harrassing him and calling him a putz. Then right before we quit, he made a cast and got a crappie, then all I heard for the next ten minutes was "See, I was going for crappie! I got one that proves it!"

--Cyberfish, Wondering when the subject of red lake crappie fishermen catching fifty walleyes in a day will come up....

[federline]

Yah, why not.

[Guest]

Catching those bass was fun and some of them were pretty nice too. Don't forget I got a couple of pike as well. And I was absolutely 100% within the law and the ethics of good sportsmanship. Beetle spins will catch aggressive Crappie any time of year as I proved that night. Cyb kept hassling me about how I would never get a crappie on that thing and I proved him wrong. Kind of like the "dollar for donuts" bass last season. Isn't a part of fishing showing your buddy up. It took a crappie for me to do that and I got him. No "cheating" was going on, and I think you are mad cause I got more bass than you and then proved you wrong by getting that crappie.

BTW thanks for reminding me about that trip and incident.

If I really wanted to catch bass in the spring I would fish exclusively with crappie minnows under a bobber. But live bait is for ice, walleye and perch fishermen.

Also some truth in advertising. Neither Cyb or I had ever been on the lake before and it was necessary to cover water and the fact is we really didn't find much. When Cyb got the sunfish I did switch to the bobber set up I had with me at least for a while. My standard set up for spring crappie fishing is a mini mite on my ultra light and a beetle spin on my medium light. Cyb's standard set up for panfish is either some type of little jig under a bobber, or a jig and twister tail (basically a beetle spin minus the spin.) The same twister tail is a mainstay of Cyb's cold water bass arsenal. Had he not been trying to catch those sunfish, he would have been throwing the jig and catching just as many bass as me and enjoying catching them just as much.

[This message has been edited by Basspastor (edited 02-06-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Basspastor (edited 02-07-2004).]

[basguy31]

Farley, you hit the nail on the head. Let me ask you this question basspastor. If you were out fishing for bass in the middle of summer and you were catching 10 sunfish for every bass, would you move? I know that I would.

[Cyberfish]

Ahhh you were the putz I was fishing with, now I remember haha
" I got a crappie"
Well, even a blind suirrel finds a nut now and then! It was a fluke! one crappie! on the last cast! the boat fishing with minnows was pounding the crappies. I tried a jig for a while and didn't get a bite, but I was more interested in the gills all close to three quarters of a pound and bigger than the crappies and most of the bass you poa..er..caught. I wasn't mad at all, because I knew I would be out fishing you as soon as the season opened, which I did, cept fally wally, we wont get into that (see above about blind squirrels) and the iceleaders, nice 9 inch walleye I am thinking of going to the next leaders event in 2 weeks, time for a rematch hehe I see you are moving up in the fantasy BASS standings, you may have finally found a tourny you can kick my butt in

[Mark Christianson]

I would love to continue to reply on this topic, but BP(aka Charles Manson of early bassin') doesn't deserve my time. I will just keep reading, and shaking my head.

[09ultra]

I agree this person BP is wasting alot of space to get what point across, what a waste of time as far as I'm concerned.

[Farley]

I agree, it does no good to try to show someone with a narrow mind that something is not right, so lets just leave it at this:

Basspastor, if you are so confident you are within the law, post on this forum what kind of boat/color/motor you have. This way when you're out there catchin the occasional crappie we can notify the DNR and they can decide what is right and what is wrong.

Around here I use a 14 ft white Starcraft with a 18 HP merc. I drive a black Ranger 4X4, with stickers of a walleye and a browning logo on the back window. Feel free to call them on me since I am totaly confident I am always within the law.

[dan2957]

Wow cool!!! How did you do the beating the dead horse smilie?? I saw a barf smilie here the other day, how do you do that one?

------------------
Isnt Winter over yet????

[Pro Fishing Guide]

How many more days until Bass opener? Actually rough fish are open year-round.

[Guest]

"the boat fishing with minnows was pounding the crappies"

Come on now Cyb, you know nobody was pounding anything that day on that lake. And I think your memory is questionable. The ONE boat that actually caught a few crappies was not using "crappie minnows" but using white twister tails and tube jigs without a bobber. Very much in line with the Beetle Spin I was using minus the spinner.

Get your facts right, Toad!

BTW Your name isn't on King Crappie Either.

[Cyberfish]

My name isn't on king Crappie, but I put the king of crappies on his winning catch, yep, A 11 year old beat everyone, why? cuz he was in my boat!

Putz!

[dewoutdoor70]

cyberfish you rule

[Guest]

As I recall there was a 3 way tie for the inagural King Crappie honors. 2 out of 3 were adults and not in your boat and neither of those had your first name, but both had mine.

[This message has been edited by Basspastor (edited 02-07-2004).]

[fishsimple13]

bp, how's Soren doing? For those who don't know Soren is bp's dog. He named him after the 19th century Danish philosopher/theologian Soren Kierkegaard....a lovable brute.....the dog I mean.