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Originally Posted by
INTIMIDATOR
I can come at this from different angles than most others! IMHO, Bluegill/Bream fishermen have waaaay to many obstacles to overcome!
My background comes from Bass and Walleye fishing first, then Crappie later....
Bass Fishermen view Bream as FORAGE ONLY! The Big Bull Bluegill to them, serve no purpose other than something to remove! Most Believe that Big Bull Bream can upset and harm the forage balance in lakes/ponds that are growing Big Bass.
You also have Bass Fishermen, Catfishermen, and Muskie/Pike fishermen, that catch and use any size bream possible for bait!
Like it or not, Bass Fishermen are the real drivers of the fishing industry...First you have to understand the Money that is behind the Bass Industry, compared to the Panfish industry...Billions and Billions of dollars....and in ALOT of ways this is the fault of Panfish-fishermen!
Everyone wants Pan-fishing to grow, but it remains a small market because of the stubborn continual use of live-bait and techniques not conducive to ALOT of Big sponsors like Bass Fishing is! BIG Money equals regulation and Management! If you want Companies to invest, you have to use their products and win or set records...Live Bait companies and sit down techniques are not Billion Dollar Sponsors! Without Money, you get no regulations or management!
Then You have to overcome the fact that Bream are just so easy to catch all year long, especially in Ohio....unlike Crappie, smaller Bream tend to stay close to shore, don't mind high temps, and can be caught year round, by even shore fishermen, which increases pressure even more than other fish.
To be honest, I cannot force myself to eat a dark meat fish...just cannot stand them...But I watch people around my home lake keeping buckets upon buckets of 4 inch fish...Heck, I have bigger fish in my aquarium than what they keep on a DAILY basis. People catch them to grind up for dog food, etc, Ethnic groups fry the entire small fish to eat, and since Bream are considered a high reproductive forage, there are no limits whatsoever in Ohio.
As someone said earlier, those who think even a Huge lake can't be fished out, are mis-informed. Fishing Pressure increases every year as populations increase, people are needing more and more food, or supplemental food to save money...and Bream can be caught year round! Add Enviromental or Natural weather extremes and the population can be destroyed!
At my home lake (2500 acres), my son caught a 10.5 inch bluegill 3 years ago on a 3 inch swimbait....TO THIS DAY, IT IS THE BIGGEST AND ONLY FISH THAT SIZE, THAT I HAVE SEEN OR HEARD OF, COME OUT OF THAT LAKE....SINCE 1974!
With the vast majority of Panfishermen set in their ways and not receptive to change, I don't see any Bream regulations or management of any kind, coming to Ohio in my lifetime!