Bucket Fisherman

[Caver]

At the risk of sounding stupid what are "Bucket Fisherman"? I presume they fish with a bucket, but I always hear the local guys talking negatively about them and how they are causing a lot of " damage" to a local lake. How do they cause damage?

[jokerjp]

Where I'm at bucket fisherman are meat fisherman who keep everything they catch.....frequently ignoring limits (both size and numbers) when I've encountered them in the past.

[Brandon K.]

Someone who sits on a bucket and throws every fish they catch in it, i.e. my dad

[slonezp]

They have no regards for size or limit restrictions. Keep everything they catch. Many fish without licenses. Also some will have a cooler in the car and transport their catch to the car. That way they won't get caught if the dnr is checking buckets.

[Marty]

I don't usually hear them referred to as "Bucket fishermen." Just about all fishermen are familiar with them and disapprove of them. Some years ago I coined a term which I usually use for them, which is "grocery shoppers."

[NCbassmaster4Life]

Yeah I don't look down on them, just the fact that every state does have a law to abide by. It's not the fact they keep fish, but rather break the law. Rules and Regulations are not written for laughs and giggles, there is meanining behind the laws.

[cyclops2]

Well the really good guys can & do clean out whole areas. They can empty streams in a hurry. That includes Eels & chubs.

I used to wonder why. Thanks to this long Great Depression, I do not blame them 1 bit.

Most states do not do much for maintaining fish levels or controlling undesireable speciecs or weeds. Most money goes to operating & retirement costs.

Nature is doing all the restocking.

I can afford to go anywhere in my areas in a boat. I do not get upset at people living off of nature to help make a living / existance..

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Well the really good guys can & do clean out whole areas. They can empty streams in a hurry. That includes Eels & chubs.

I used to wonder why. Thanks to this long Great Depression, I do not blame them 1 bit.

Most states do not do much for maintaining fish levels or controlling undesireable speciecs or weeds. Most money goes to operating & retirement costs.

Nature is doing all the restocking.

I can afford to go anywhere in my areas in a boat. I do not get upset at people living off of nature to help make a living / existance..

Never had them take the majority of fish out of a pond you always fish have ya? Won't keep all the dang sunfish, just the bass. Which is why the pond now has a sunfish population that would blow your mind, and you have to work your tail off to even catch a1lber in it. I have no tolerance for them anymore. There was a big uproar amongst the five that always frequented said pond when someone started hanging razor wire from the trees, and also running it at ankle length down amongst the weeds and shrubs. Apparently one of them almost had his foot removed from some. Not to mention all the clothing tatters we saw on the wire. Whoever did it deserves a medal for their hard work.

BTW it was a private pond in a industrial park. Where I worked. So no they did not have permission to fish there. They continuously cut down and stole the chains and no trespassing signs that were put up to keep people out. After a year of no bucket fishers the bass population is starting to come back in the pond. It only took them 2 months to almost completely wipe it out.

[cyclops2]

I am with anybody on nailing tresspassers on ANY private property. I simply call the State Police. What is the difference if the land is or is not posted ?

If YOU DO NOT OWN IT. YOU ARE A TRESPASSER. PERIOD!! No signs means I can walk on anybodys property and treat it like my own? BULL CA CA

[BasskingKeith]

Yeah, they're irritating, I despise them

[Raider Nation Fisher]

I am with anybody on nailing tresspassers on ANY private property. I simply call the State Police. What is the difference if the land is or is not posted ?

If YOU DO NOT OWN IT. YOU ARE A TRESPASSER. PERIOD!! No signs means I can walk on anybodys property and treat it like my own? BULL CA CA

You my friend just nailed it on the head.

Oh, and welcome to the site homie.

[Caver]

Thanks for clearing this up. It's kind of what I figured, but I didn't know they ate them all. Well if the bucket fishermen are eating all the fish out of the pond that people are complaining about by me, they'll probably be dead in a few years anyway.

[Marty]

I used to wonder why. Thanks to this long Great Depression, I do not blame them 1 bit.

It's not that simple. This has always gone on during my 40+ years of fishing, during both booms and busts. There are programs available to help people in need; breaking laws is not the answer.

[Gatorbassman]

I call them "Government Sponsored Fishermen". We had one find a way past the razor wire fence on Richmond Mill and started fishing the dam right in front of the office. By the time we caught him he had three 4lb bass in his bucket. All he had to say for himself was, "I didn't see a No Trespassing Sign". Like the razor wire didn't give him any hints. Why some people think that you can trespass as long as you are only fishing is beyond me.

[RiverFisher13]

I dont have much experience in the matter except once at my cousins pond. He had explicit rules for his renters not to keep any bass, fearing they would destroy the population. Well he went out there one day to find one fishing with a stringer full of them. Worst thing is a turtle had started to eat what been about a 4lber. ticked him off enough to tell them they were no longer aloud to fish the pond.

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Most of the time in my experience these guys are the ones that sit around with bobbers or maybe tight lines for cats. ANY sunfish whatsoever from 3 inches up goes in the bucket! Who knows what they do with them! Grind em up and make cat food or what? LOL

The ones that just plain out irritate the sh** out of me are the ones who DO KNOW how to fish rather well for bass and they throw out the 1-2.5 lbers that they should be keeping and walk away with fish in the 4-8 lb range!!! Guess they aren't exactly "bucket fisherman" but there are other well known explicit terms that cannot be used on a family friendly forum to describe these scumbags!

[Hyrule Bass]

i have no problem with people keeping fish as long as theyre doing so in a legal fashion within the law. what ticks me off is people that constantly complain about others keeping legal fish. that person has a right to keep that fish whether its a 2lber or a 10lber. as long as the law wasnt broken you have no right to complain, ok maybe you have the right to complain, but you still have no ground to stand on if youre mad someone legally kept a 10lber. maybe its not the best thing for the fishery, but that fish wasnt going to live forever anyways, now was it?

[basscatcher8]

This is what they started doing at the local lake by me to try to crack down on the ones doing this. They dont expect the undercover to be out there.

The fisherman that are breaking these rules knowingly bug the hell outta me.

[bassmedic46]

I was always taught if its not your land you stay off it unless you ask permission, These people are breaking the law.

[FD.]

they need to get permission to fish it. I got total dog doing calculus looks from them.

Best line of the thread. Two of my favorite mountain biking spots are county parks with great fishing lakes. If I see someone that's keeping illegal fish I will go up to them and start asking a bunch of questions about the fishing regulations, pretending I actually don't know the rules. I'm not confrontational (cause you don't know who's packing) but if you ask enough questions they all get that look on their face and pick up and leave eventually.

[scrutch]

How do we get them excited about bucket fishing for asian carp? I'd kinda like to turn this negative into a positive...Keep all ya want boys!

[bman310]

As a bass fisherman who fishes Los Angeles City Lakes, I've always considered a "Bucket Fisherman" a fishernan who takes home anything that fits in their bucket. From what I see, they are generally people who are fishing for Catfish or Carp, but they take home any bass they manage to catch, regardless of it's size. Always makes me sick when I see a guy with Zero knowledge of bass fishing using a 10 foot rod equipped with a rod bell, 65 lb braid with night crawler take home a 9 lb bass for dinner.

-b

[Shane Procell]

Bucket fishermen don't bother me in the least. I know they are trying to put food on the table to feed their family. I often take a portion of my limit (if i have kept any) and pass them out as I'am coming in. It is common to see migrant field hands fishing on saturday and sunday in my area. I know these guys are just looking for something to cook and eat. So helping them out puts a smile on my face.

[fishingfourfun]

I was raised in south Florida and saw firsthand the "bucket fisherman" mentality. I do however, feel for their plight but the fish are a resource for all people. It is very rarely that I keep any fish for myself but if someone with me wants to keep some I would have no objection if within legal limits. I have even been asked for the fish I caught. In my opinion we have two choices: raise the fee for licenses for more wildlife officers or we can call anytime we see someone not obeying the law.

[K_Mac]

Captain Shane I completely agree with you. People fishing for sustenance don't bother me, and I have also given away the occasional fish over the years. Within the confines of the law, more power to them. Those that disregard the law give them all a bad name, and if I see it happening I will tell them directly and call the hot-line. Unfortunately there are not enough agents to go around...