1simplemann

What exactly are the allowable fishable waters? I tried to look at FLW's site and it didn't show. Are they the same as MLF's? I tried to look that up as well. I was just triing to figure out how spread out are these guys. 200 boats is a lot of boats. Hopefully they have some room to fish.

I Marshaled for him last year in SD at Lake Oahe. I found it funny that every time he goes out he "ties one on" yet here he was with several MB jerkbaits tied on and not SK jerkbait in sight! To give him credit, he had a good 1st day dropshotting and it WAS a SK bait. Also there was a wind delay the 2nd day so a lot of boats were bunched up waiting for the green light. EVERY boat around me had a MB jerkbait tied on. In 3 days ,I didn't see single fish caught on jerkbait.

He's gonna set some records for sure. He also just won the the Select Cup in Ardmore on Lake Arbuckle. I was his marshal on day 1 at Lake Oahe. He's a modest kid with a passion for fishing. Very enjoyable day.

Interesting read. Last year I read a much more in depth study on fish care and post release mortality. I wish I could find it and share it on here. Anyway, I came way surprised by the actual number of fish survival %. It was much lower than I expected. Improper fish care was one of the leading causes of post release fish mortality. I'm going to look around and see if I can find it. Anyway, getting way off coarse here and kinda hijacked the thread. My apologies to the OP. My original post was to "MLF's weird rules". I don't think their rules are that weird at all and hopefully proper fish will encouraged or rather improper fish care will be discouraged. Peace out fellas!

Have you seen MLF's recent commercial? They are promoting better fish care. I don't think it's side benefit at all. True it might make for better TV but I think they truly trying to help the species. As for this recent research, can you provide it? I'd like to read it. From what I've read, the opposite is true. I also like the idea of fish not bouncing around in a livewell all day. I've witnessed this 1st hand as a marshal and let me tell you they don't look pretty! My guy came in early just to have them weighed before they died because there was no way they were going to make it. It was business decision, not a fish care decision. MLF takes that decision away from the angler and helps the survival rate. I also like the penalty but IMO varying degrees of bad fish care should carry varying degrees of a penalty. Other sports do the same. Major and minor penalties in hockey. Football has varying degrees penalties for the same infraction. If the MLF anglers set a good example on TV then there will be a trickle down effect to anglers in general. Ray Scott helped start it when he changed to rules years ago. MLF can do the same.

My take on hooks is that it's part of the game and can't be helped. With that being said, I don't advocate snagging fish either. ( They do this here in MT for paddlefish. Different subject but I hope you get my point) What can be helped is throwing a fish in boat that the angler intends on releasing anyway. MLF says they are protecting the species. If so then then they should protect them. IMO The 2 minute penalty doesn't go far enough. It's a good start though. Fish care is getting better. How many times have you seen a dink fall off and bounce around all over? I just watched MLF the other day and some of the guys were hanging the dinks off the edge so they wouldn't fall in the boat if they fell off. For me, I just hate it when I see intentional boat flipping on the various circuits on TV. It just encourages bad fish care. Also I don't care to see anglers hanging a fish vertically to show it off for the camera. I've done it myself so I'm a bad example. I'm trying to get better and try to encourage other's in my boat to do the same. However, I'm one man, in one boat but I try to do my part to encourage better fish care. MLF has a national audience. Their impact on fish care could go a long ways. If a guy's favorite angler (KVD or whoever) isn't boat flipping them them most likely he won't either on a recreational or competitive level. You pretty much summed up how I try to treat the fish. I'm trying to get better.

IMO, There's nothing weird at about the penalties. It's all about fish care. If fact, I think the penalty should be higher for intentional boat flipping! I cringe when guys say " Get in the boat!" and then flip them in and they get slammed up against something. 1st. how would you feel if you were dropped from something that high. They can't talk but I bet they don't enjoy one bit. 2nd. It's a known fact carpet is very bad for their slime coat. It's about fish survival. if they swim off doesn't mean they are going to live. MLF should do their best to encourage the anglers to harm the fish as little as possible. IMO, If a fish jumps off, that's a minor offense. 2 minutes. If they are intentionally flipped in, 5 minutes. Incidental contact, 2 minutes. Every time a guy says "i don't care, it's worth the penalty" on national TV it encourages the same behavior on a recreational level. It will agree though that it's step in the right direction.

Have you tried another forum? Florida Sportsman has a good one. I'm sure you could find some one local to help you out.

BassnJake, Thank you. Hopefully MLF listens and keeps it diverse. So MLF if your reading this, don't go where BASS has already been. For that matter, don't go where MLF has already been!

I have a question about MLF's website. I was looking at a section that was about asking the anglers where they want to fish. When I click on it, it just says "buffing". This has happened in the past, I wait and wait and nothing happens. How do I watch it. It would be nice to know where they want to fish.

I grew up in South Jersey. It's been awhile but have you tried the Delaware Water Gap. I'm sure the river has a few. Hopatcong probably does too.

BSB, Western MT has some good pike fishing. I had blast up in the Flathead a few years ago. I've never used a micro leader but have heard good things about them. I fish SWFL every spring, every thing there has teeth and will cut you off. I frequently use 30lb fluro leader over there. It seems to work very well. I took that same technique and applied it here. Most of the time it works well for pike but I've had them engulf $10 Terminator spinnerbaits (1st cast!) and my bait was gone before I felt the bite! I saw him do it. I was pizzed! Now just 40lb and nothing cut's me off.

Davkoz, BSB speaks the truth. Pike are everywhere over here. If you specifically target them, make sure you have a leader or they will cut you off.

That's the thing. It's not that inaccurate. My finger's spread out like the angler's measure 4.5 ". The finger's are the only thing for size comparison. There's at least 5 hands worth of fish length in the pic. The fish is 24-25" long approximately. It has decent girth. 9lb's worth of girth? Maybe not but definitely not 5lb's as some have suggested on here. Read WRB's post and plug in the math. The fish may be indeed at least 8lb's if the estimation's are correct. And yes there is negativity. Some have even suggested the angler was Lying. The angler NEVER claimed it was 9 LB'S. The F&G guy did. Was he lying? I doubt it. Did he over estimate? Probably. Is it still a big fish? Definitely. The angler just repeated what the the F & G guy told him. He's supposed to be the authority so I can totally believe the angler repeating the F & G guy"s claim. Yet some people turn it around that angler was the one making the claims. In my limited experience with 7lb SMB. My friend's wife caught a 7lb 2 oz fish that was 23". It didn't have the girth that this fish does. IF and only IF the angler measured it correctly then I can totally see 8lb or more. There will always be doubter's because until they see the fish on a bump board and actually hanging on a scale some people can't accept the fact that somebody caught a bigger fish than they did.

No worries. It's a true fact about the negativity. It's not only the internet. We as a society for some reason have to knock someone's achievements. Years ago I had a friend Jack kill a 140" deer on our club hunting property. If you knew anything about our property and area 140" deer just didn't live there. This one did. But that didn't stop people from trashing him saying he poached it "over bait", "at night" etc. Some were his own club members! It got so bad he simply didn't tell people anymore. All he did was get lucky and kill a big deer yet people trashed him behind his back. Some unknowingly to his face told him about what a unscrupulous hunter he was. They didn't even know they were talking to the man himself. You should have seen his face when Jack introduced himself. Priceless! He left in hurry. My point is simply that for some reason some people have to knock someone else whenever they catch a big fish or kill a big animal. Big fish and animals are freaks. They come from freakish places. The WORLD record chain pickerel came from just down the road from where I grew up in Lower Aetna Lake. Definitely not a world class fishery but it happened just the same. We will never know how big the fish was but it's a good story.