How to Fight your States Division of Wildlife

[BIGBASSMARTY]

I'm new here, and so far I love reading it all. I've written just once since last week but I wanted to add another story that is important to fisherman and their families, boat or no boat, rich or poor. Back several years ago here in Southern Ohio, the years aren't too imporant but it was around 1999 to 2001. Everybody I knew and bass clubs starting fishing early spring at Ross Lake near Chillicothe, Ohio. It's our only lake in the county. By comparison, It's only 150 acres, electric motor lake only. But the lake was a big bass lake and I mean the average bass was 4 pounds, m/l and many were plus 10 pounders.

In that spring we noticed a rather brownish color to the water where it always was clear and a blue hue to it that time of year. Always. There were shad floating everywhere, Bass everywhere were either dead or the eyes of all of them were sticking out, sores all over their body and some dead 10 lb'ers lying up by the dam on a sandy flat were all scabbed up from tail to head. Disgusting looking. But there were thousands of them, bluegill too and crappie. I took hundreds of pictures of these dead or dying fish.

Then others starting talking bout how the DNR was at the lake two weeks before this event. While fish die offs are not uncommon, scabbed and pus fish with their eyes sticking out and you couldn't catch one was not normal for this lake. It seemed something did happen. Local residents from around the lake remember seeing tanker trucks and boats one day and they say the lake looked like and smelled like copper sulphate. When some asked their friends in another county( who worked at the DNR) what went on at Ross Lake they said copper sulphate and another indgredient was added to make sure all the vegetation died in the lake.

If I keep on going this would get boring and I want you all to know that what happened was tragic enough, that 99% of all game fish died in the lake. DNR tried to insist that 1000 grass carp had eaten cleanly all 100 million metric tons of grasses in the lake in a four month span.

We pulled in our local Senators, House of Reps and 500 members of a group, not a club, that took on DNR in Town meetings, getting the local newspapers from everywhere, radio and NBC tv to get in on this.

Through the efforts of everybody, something decent happened. DNR, the people, plus local law enforers took over and worked together to make this lake once again a place we could all go to. The drug addicts, the trash throwers, condoms and tampons, food containers just doesn't show up here much anymore. Now I went with DNR to watch the schocking to check fish populations and health, and in the five years after the lake is once again a great place to take the kids, hold small tournaments and even though to this day it has been denied , stocking the lake with fingerlings has made this lake once agin wonderful.

Just remember. If you want something done, get going with getting your people together, contacting the DNR in your state. Contact the appropriate politicians and local newspapers and TV stations and get the word out that you want your lake fixed, looked after. Get those drug dealers out of there. When your young daughter picks up a used condom or tampon, you will know what to do.

Get ready for heated discussions. It's your money from the sale of fishing licenses that goes to support those programs and your taxes pay your politician. TV and newspapers are always looking for something called news.

The fish I'm holding where never caught. I picked them up by hand. They were diseased, puss , distended eyes. I brought them home the first day I saw what was happening. They ruled out the bass disease and said they died from unknown causes. We didn't think at that early stage to send this fish to a lab to find out what happened.

Bass fishing, and all fishing is a sport for all ages. It doesn't matter if you have a $50,000 boat or a jon boat, fish from the bank or by the dam. What matters is you have fun. For those who take the time to take a child fishing, my biggest repect go's to those who know our future, and their future rests on what happens today, or what happens in the future. Fishing will get a kid that proverbial high without smoking it. It's the anti-drug to whats infesting our kids today. Show them there's a better way. There is and you know it. Show them.[timestamp=1197551409]

[Branuss04]

I'm glad to see that many people who all enjoy the same sport, get together and accomplish something major like that.  I"m happy you got your lake back.  Fish on.

[Zel]

Welcome!   Good read!   Great job!

[Gatorbassman]

I think the Georgia Fish and Wildlife Department is great. We don't have to fight them. They aren't our enemy. They hold public meetings all over the state to let us know what is up for change the following year and then they listen to us. We vote on those changes at those meetings and also on the most popular state wildlife magazine and they take those votes into account and respect our wishes. We are listened to and it's great to have that in a state. It is also written in our state Constitution that Hunting and Fishing is a right. We have several laws that combat the real enemy. (The Antis and environmental wackos.) Our DNR would never do this without letting us know through the organization we have recently put together called The Georgia Outdoor Network. It is designed to get the word out to everyone fast so we all can have a say in it.

[Micro]

I've got the highest regard for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.  These guys and girls are out there everyday looking out for our public lands, enforcing games laws, and protecting the rights of hunters.

This is Krista.  She's an enforcement officer that patrols, among other places, Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area, where I frequently hunt and fish.  I feel really good when I see her truck cruising around the area.  

[luckyinkentucky]

I don't have a problem with Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources other than the fact that they don't pay their employees enough.   ;D  

The only problem I have had with them in the past is the 150hp limitation on Lake Malone from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  It really inconveniences me to have to miss fishing on Lake Malone between these times unless I either troll or switch out my motor.  The argument they use is that it "disturbs the delicate ecosystem during these times", but they know better than to try and sell that crap to me.    I helped to rebuild that "ecosystem" when they were all sitting around scratching their heads, but I have to follow the rules like everyone else.  

[FishTank]

I don't have a problem with Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources other than the fact that they don't pay their employees enough. ;D

The only problem I have had with them in the past is the 150hp limitation on Lake Malone from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It really inconveniences me to have to miss fishing on Lake Malone between these times unless I either troll or switch out my motor. The argument they use is that it "disturbs the delicate ecosystem during these times", but they know better than to try and sell that crap to me. I helped to rebuild that "ecosystem" when they were all sitting around scratching their heads, but I have to follow the rules like everyone else.

I have had good luck with DNR here in Indiana with the exception of Eagle Creek and Geist. They have limited it to just basically John boat fishing. They also have had out breaks of blue algae that have kept the water in bad shape do to contamination. They have done a good job cleaning up a couple of toilet bowels here, like Monroe, Lake Lemon, and Morse Lake.

As far as Monroe goes, I think they are not out to get the fisherman but to cut back on pontoon boats and skiers so we can fish. The bad thing is the guys on waverunners.