Washington State Department Of Fishing And Wildlife I don't understand

[Angry John]

I was out bass fishing today and having a hell of a time trying to get a bite.  There were a million boaters and ski's all over the place and I was just grinding it out.  Hour after hour I was giving it all I had.  I did manage 1 fish about a pound and a quarter and then about 830 I roll by a dock and the guy asked what I was fishing for.  I had a 15 or so min conversation with him and he related how last week the DNR came threw and electro shocked the lake and pulled out as many bass as they could.  The details I don't know if I completely believe but he said that a few 12 lb and many more above five were taken and thrown in a trash can.  Mind blown.  The last few hours were a drag and I caught nothing else.  This really ticked me off and I can only hope that the guy was miss informed or did not understand what he saw.  The people at the lake hate the bass as this state is very pro trout.  Bass fishing on the Olympic peninsula is very challenging for me to begin with and this just sucks!  End rant!!!!

[CeeJay]

That really sucks.

I hope he was mistaken or confused.  Throwing away good sized and especially trophy bass like that doesn't make sense. 

Unfortunately I've encountered this a lot, since I tend to fish for various species of fish.  Some people in some states, or even lakes within a state, prefer one fish over another.  Some of the folks in charge will bow to local pressure, economy, tourism and a bunch of other stuff. 

It's a sad waste and actually it's very depressing to hear about. 

 

Fortunately it's much more rare where I now fish.

[BooyahMan]

I'm just above the border in British Columbia, and 90% of the anglers in my area either hate bass with a vengeance or don't care for them. However, this is because they are considered an invasive species and compete with our native trout and salmon stocks. It's a sensitive situation as a lot of the waterways that hold bass are in some way connected to trout/salmon bearing habitat. There is a pond nearby that has been electro-shocked a couple of times now to remove Largemouths as during high water events there is the possibility of these fish spilling into sensitive trout/salmon streams nearby. 

[Lund Explorer]

I was out bass fishing today and having a hell of a time trying to get a bite.  There were a million boaters and ski's all over the place and I was just grinding it out.  Hour after hour I was giving it all I had.  I did manage 1 fish about a pound and a quarter and then about 830 I roll by a dock and the guy asked what I was fishing for.  I had a 15 or so min conversation with him and he related how last week the DNR came threw and electro shocked the lake and pulled out as many bass as they could.  The details I don't know if I completely believe but he said that a few 12 lb and many more above five were taken and thrown in a trash can.  Mind blown.  The last few hours were a drag and I caught nothing else.  This really ticked me off and I can only hope that the guy was miss informed or did not understand what he saw.  The people at the lake hate the bass as this state is very pro trout.  Bass fishing on the Olympic peninsula is very challenging for me to begin with and this just sucks!  End rant!!!!

 

This darn majority rules experiment is an obvious failure!

[Oregon Native]

_{Welcome to the Great Northwest}

[Senko lover]

Maybe you should take up pond fishing . We don't have to deal with jet skiers. 

[Logan S]

It's possible that the guy was misinformed.  When they shock fish for sampling they usually keep them on board for a short time until they are revived before releasing...At least that's according to one of the MD-DNR guys I've talked to.  He could have seen the fish go into the tank on board and assumed they were being killed.  

 

Then again, there are a few stories lately about DNR's in various states 'managing' the bass population by killing them.  DNR also usually does it at night around here to avoid traffic...So who knows.  

[Glenn]

^^  This ^^

 

When WDFW kills off bass, they kill off the whole lake, then restock with trout.  Removing them by hand is not effective. 

 

What you experienced is the poor fishing seen across the state due to the extended heat wave.  Most lakes on the west side are experiencing tough fishing right now.

 

This year, they removed all restrictions and regulations on bass, walleye, and catfish on the Columbia river, essentially declaring open season on those species.  Oregon is now moving forward with implementing the same thing.

 

As much as WDFW has a "kill, kill, kill" mentality towards warmwater species though, oddly enough, after killing off Sprague lake in Eastern WA, they restocked with bass as well as trout!  Big shock to me, as I didn't think they even had a warmwater hatchery.

[FishTank]

Here in Indiana, a few of the spots I have fished over the years have been slowly filled with silt from the over logging that has been going on the past 10 years.  This causes the breading spots for bass and bluegill to get destroyed and eventually the population goes way down.  I have asked a few of the DNR  guys and they said they have no control over it and that it has been an ongoing fight with the state since the logging companies have permission to do it.  In a way to help with the fishing issues they have shocked a few lakes over the years and then restocked after they dredge the bottom.   

[Angry John]

Maybe you should take up pond fishing . We don't have to deal with jet skiers.

What do you consider a pond. All but two spots I fish are less than 100 acres.

[HoosierHawgs]

Here in Indiana, a few of the spots I have fished over the years have been slowly filled with silt from the over logging that has been going on the past 10 years. This causes the breading spots for bass and bluegill to get destroyed and eventually the population goes way down. I have asked a few of the DNR guys and they said they have no control over it and that it has been an ongoing fight with the state since the logging companies have permission to do it. In a way to help with the fishing issues they have shocked a few lakes over the years and then restocked after they dredge the bottom.

That's big business for ya.

[BASSPATROL247]

Thats insane! If theyre killing adult breeding age bass after shocking them i cant imagine several states not trying to obtain them, it would save wichever state a ton of money compared to having them raised in their hatcherys.. here in nebraska our state guys do some things that is absoluteley ridiculous and it dont take a biologist to see it, they have to try the best they can to keep all the different fisher/hunter/outdoorsman groups and i get it but to make something worse for many to appease a very few dont make sense to me..eapecially if you look at it as a cost or investment/return.... butbwe need em either way haha

[PitchinJigz]

^^  This ^^

 

When WDFW kills off bass, they kill off the whole lake, then restock with trout.  Removing them by hand is not effective. 

 

What you experienced is the poor fishing seen across the state due to the extended heat wave.  Most lakes on the west side are experiencing tough fishing right now.

 

This year, they removed all restrictions and regulations on bass, walleye, and catfish on the Columbia river, essentially declaring open season on those species.  Oregon is now moving forward with implementing the same thing.

 

As much as WDFW has a "kill, kill, kill" mentality towards warmwater species though, oddly enough, after killing off Sprague lake in Eastern WA, they restocked with bass as well as trout!  Big shock to me, as I didn't think they even had a warmwater hatchery.

I'm so ticked about the Oregon DNR doing it. I move here and all of a sudden they put up stupid laws like this. The Columbia is an amazing fishery and they're basically ruining it...there's so many people here that will sit and fill buckets of fish.

[Angry John]

This was the response I got today from the WA DNR

Sorry for the delay in responding.  Our staff has been communicating with our staff in other regions and agencies and has not found anyone or agency, including DNR that has been on Haven Lake.  Our staff suspects the Dept of Ecology may have shocked a few fish for a study recently, but they haven’t been able to confirm that at this time.  We hope this helps.

[Angry John]

I am happy that they took the time to answer my email and that there not killing the bass