Wonder If I Did The Right Thing

[deep]

(not that it matters now...)

 

So yesterday when I got to the reservoir, I saw a couple of dudes pointing at "something" into the water and doing occasional jerking motions. They were looking at a logjam at the dam where small crappies, bluegills, and dinky bass usually hang out. I though nothing of it (should have thought harder) and decided they were amusing themselves. Fine with me. There were half a dozen young guys and girls admiring the view from the dam (it's pretty picturesque) anyway, so I drove away and fished elsewhere.

 

After a couple of hours when I came back to the dam, I found the two dudes and the other guys and girls gone, but an elderly man was making repeated casts to the same logjam with what looked like a dead(?) minnow. Not my favorite way to fish, but whatever. I wanted to fish the dam, but well, I have other spots.

 

Come back after a while, and there's no one at the dam. Yay! So I start doing my thing; chucking my swimbaits, checking for follows, and looking around to see if I see anything interesting. Well, I did see something interesting. A couple of snagging hooks tied to a high lb test line which was tied to a post (snaggers probably wanted to come back today), and a couple of decent-sized bedding bass inside the logjam; in about three feet of water. Them larger bass should have been smarter and made a bed in deeper water. Anyone could see them, with or without polarized glasses.

 

Casted a glide bait towards them, and the bigger one spooked off and didn't come back to the bed. It did come back to the general location and hang around. Well, that one was smart, and would probably not get snagged by the bedfish snaggers.

 

The other one (looked to be a 5-6 lb class fish) was way more stubborn. It just would not leave the bed (except to chase away bluegills) or get spooked. I had a dilemma. This looked like a fish that could get snagged, if someone could get a hook near her (or maybe a him). The logjam saved them earlier.

 

Thought about it a bit, and decided to fish for it. Thought that maybe she'd be wiser after she got a hook in her (mouth). No matter what I read, legally catching a (decent sized) bass that doesn't want to eat and knows you're trying to catch her isn't easy. I did have my bedfishing gear in the car, but this wasn't a place for 8 lb line and a spinning rod. So I fished with an 8" weedless hudd (lol). Yes you can do it. I've bed-fished with a punch-rig before too.

 

After an hour and a half, I catch her (hook in mouth), weigh her (5 lb 15 ozs) and release her; hoping she would be a little wiser, and not get snagged/ caught and eaten. Didn't keep an eye on the bigger one all this while.

 

After the C&R job, I see the two fish hanging out near the bed, but not quite as near; they seemed to be a lot more spooky too. Good; hopefully they have learnt the lesson.

 

So over the next hour, I do my thing; which is hauling water with a hudd and a hardgill. Come back to the bed around sunset, and I still can catch a glimpse of the two bass once in a while; but, and this is why I'm feeling bad, bluegills are running all over the bed. The bed is gone, but the two big bass are still alive and well, and hopefully will find another bed to lay eggs in. I didn't leave until it was so dark that you couldn't see a thing underwater even with polarized glasses.

 

Went back early today before sunrise, and didn't see either of the two bass anywhere near the bed. Left a rather professional note too (the first version was not very "family-friendly") saying that the snaggers and their vehicle license plate number has been reported. (The latter is a bluff.) Hopefully the note will serve as a warning for other would-be snaggers too. We'll see.

 

Makes my blood boil every time I even hear about these scumbags. Probably a good thing I don't own a weapon. I don't like meat fishermen keeping big bass either, but I'm not gonna tell another grown man what to do as long as it's legal. (I still try though.) 

 

The snagging hooks tied to the line are now residing in the trunk of my sedan. That's one snagging setup that'll never snag another fish. (The line tied to the hudd is 25# for reference.)

 

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I have no real opinion on what you did with the bedding bass, so can't really help there.

 

One thing I notice from your photo is that those look more like catfishing rigs than snagging rigs to me. Usually people who are snagging go with weighted trebles in much larger sizes than that, at least that I've seen. Did you actually see anything that points to the fact that there are fish snaggers at the dam other than the 2 rigs you found? 

 

A few weeks ago I saw a family throwing a cast net into the Potomac River during the shad run and tossing American and hickory shad into garbage bags by the dozens. When I reported them to DNR I did mention their race as it was relevant to their investigation into shad poaching, but I don't feel like it's relevant here.

 

Nothing but respect though. I know how it is to see shady stuff going down and to feel like something needs to be done about it (I also know what it's like to want to go over there and smack the people doing this.) Just report them if you're really concerned.

[deep]

No catfish in this reservoir, Whisperer. I reported that I "suspected" snagging, and wondered if the warden could do his rounds a little more frequently. It's just sad to see how it's so common to see the warden during the trout stocking season, and there's (apparently) little official presence to protect the trophy largemouths, which is the real treasure where I fish. I know there are reasons, but big bass (big anything) is a resource that should be taken care of.

 

Anyway, what's done is done.

 

P.S. See how one of the hooks is bent out of shape? I wonder if a stump did that to it? There's no trace of any bait on either of the hooks at all.. Maybe there are noob snaggers and experience snaggers.. just like noob fishermen and good ones. I have found a few weighted trebles you talk about as well (not recently though)..

[SPEEDBEAD.]

You're good in my book Deep.

 

 

Judging from the size of the fish you are on, I dont think the bluegills getting at one bed will do anything. Look at it this way, those fish that were on the bed now have a fighting chance to make it to next year.

[J Francho]

^^^  Yep.

[The Commodore]

Out of all the hobbies or interests that I have, fishing has the most shady and inconsiderate people I have ever seen.  Both fresh and salt.  I had a guy the other day tell me he breaks off spotted gar's beaks when he catches them and throws them back in cause the are "annoying".  Yeah they can be annoying but they belong there and we are the ones throwing the lines in.

[flyfisher]

Out of all the hobbies or interests that I have, fishing has the most shady and inconsiderate people I have ever seen.  Both fresh and salt.  I had a guy the other day tell me he breaks off spotted gar's beaks when he catches them and throws them back in cause the are "annoying".  Yeah they can be annoying but they belong there and we are the ones throwing the lines in.

I have seen the same thing with bowfin and pickerel.  People are just ignorant.  I hate killing any fish personally or anything else living for that matter.

[J Francho]

Out of all the hobbies or interests that I have, fishing has the most shady and inconsiderate people I have ever seen.  Both fresh and salt.  I had a guy the other day tell me he breaks off spotted gar's beaks when he catches them and throws them back in cause the are "annoying".  Yeah they can be annoying but they belong there and we are the ones throwing the lines in.

 

I completely and totally disagree.  I think it's just the bad eggs get more visibility.  99% of the time, the fisherman I meet are solid citizens.  Something about the hobby/sport that just attracts good people.

[jhoffman]

The outdoors lifestyle caters to the best of the best who love it and the absolute garbage of the earth who care nothing about the resource. The problem is the general public mixes the two and they see you with a camo hat on then they assume you beat your wife and drink and drive.

 

Fishing seems to have a lot of rude ignorant people until you are forced to hunt strictly public land and then the creeps really come out of the woodwork for the gun seasons. Guys shooting turkeys off of your calling, stealing your stands/cameras, baiting in states its illegal, killing more than their fair share of both fish and game.

Sad really, sad an entire community is sterotyped and grouped with people who dont even deserve the right to buy a license.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

No catfish in this reservoir, Whisperer. I reported that I "suspected" snagging, and wondered if the warden could do his rounds a little more frequently. It's just sad to see how it's so common to see the warden during the trout stocking season, and there's (apparently) little official presence to protect the trophy largemouths, which is the real treasure where I fish. I know there are reasons, but big bass (big anything) is a resource that should be taken care of.

 

Anyway, what's done is done.

 

P.S. See how one of the hooks is bent out of shape? I wonder if a stump did that to it? There's no trace of any bait on either of the hooks at all.. Maybe there are noob snaggers and experience snaggers.. just like noob fishermen and good ones. I have found a few weighted trebles you talk about as well (not recently though)..

lol.

 

 

Out of all the hobbies or interests that I have, fishing has the most shady and inconsiderate people I have ever seen.  Both fresh and salt.  I had a guy the other day tell me he breaks off spotted gar's beaks when he catches them and throws them back in cause the are "annoying".  Yeah they can be annoying but they belong there and we are the ones throwing the lines in.

This gets to me too, although I think the overwhelming majority of people who enjoy fishing are good people. I really hate the term "trash fish," especially when used in reference to a native species.

 

The outdoors lifestyle caters to the best of the best who love it and the absolute garbage of the earth who care nothing about the resource. The problem is the general public mixes the two and they see you with a camo hat on then they assume you beat your wife and drink and drive.

 

Fishing seems to have a lot of rude ignorant people until you are forced to hunt strictly public land and then the creeps really come out of the woodwork for the gun seasons. Guys shooting turkeys off of your calling, stealing your stands/cameras, baiting in states its illegal, killing more than their fair share of both fish and game.

Sad really, sad an entire community is sterotyped and grouped with people who dont even deserve the right to buy a license.

This is one of the reasons that I really enjoy fishing in the winter. I usually don't see anybody out there, and when I do it's somebody who's a die hard like myself. Nothing against fair weather fishermen, but it is always a little sad when the first 70 degree day comes and the waters I fish all winter are overrun with people. For some reason I feel somewhat entitled to fish certain structure areas because I "paid dues" fishing them when it was 20 degrees outside I know this isn't true, but I can't help but think of it.

[The Commodore]

I completely and totally disagree.  I think it's just the bad eggs get more visibility.  99% of the time, the fisherman I meet are solid citizens.  Something about the hobby/sport that just attracts good people.

The more I think about it I really love cars and I have met some real tools that way as well.  Don't get me wrong there are many times I have met the most helpful people while fishing.  But unfortunately I have seen things that really bother me and the people seem to think it is acceptable.

[J Francho]

I see things too, but you know the deal - if you're looking for trouble.....

 

I just do my best to educate those that can be educated, and clean up after the schmucks that refuse to comply.  Worst case offenders get reported.

[deaknh03]

The turds are pretty evenly distributed throughout hobbys, professions etc.

[lmbfisherman]

Two weekends ago was Pike opener, I decided I needed to go fishing as I needed to get my fix until bass opener which is June 22nd, 2013.  Anyway, after spending a couple of hours I decided to go home, when I came around the corner a guy was all startled while he was stuffing a 36-40" pike in a shopping bag.  I was like what on earth is he doing?  He stopped and stared at me thinking I was going  to say something.  Nothing I can say or do anyways since we "ALL KNOW IT'S PIKE OPENER RIGHT?".  So I moved along, apparently the guy got lucky and caught it on a worm and bobber.  The way he acted made me think afterwards that he doesn't have a license or knows the local regulations.  In hindsight I probably should've called the MNR (Ministry of Natural Resources) cause I suspect that some of these guys I did saw don't have a license.  I am also a victim of being stereotyped as I am looked upon as part of being a "foreigner" who keeps things no matter size or season, because of that it gets more personal when I see them do it.  So totally can agree that a few bad apples can cause others who follow rules and regulations get lumped into a category.

 

Kudos to you for helping the fish out. 

[nascar2428]

You did the right thing!!

[Bankbeater]

You did good.

[deep]

 I am also a victim of being stereotyped as I am looked upon as part of being a "foreigner" who keeps things no matter size or season, because of that it gets more personal when I see them do it. 

 

So am I. Totally understand what you're saying.

[J Francho]

That sucks.  I won't get into that topic too deep (no pun intended!), but I fish with a few Laos guys, and I notice bigotry from others.  I hate that stuff - it's fishing for goodness sakes.