Confrontation

[Don G]

I was putting out 2 small cane buckets the other day....Another fisherman was pulling out as I was getting ready to launch and made a remark about the buckets..

He said it was not any different than shooting doves over a baited field or shooting deer in a fenced in game reserve...He was very unhappy so I didn't say anything because a close friend lets me launch at this private dock..He went on to say that a true sportsmen would not do that & if I couldn't find fish in their natural habitat that I should take up golfing..

I just told him to have a nice day...I have fished this lake for 40 years and had never seen this guy before..

I have been thinking a lot about what he had to say..

[popperonahead]

you should be ashamed dong. what you did to the lake and to this country are unforgivable. a true sportsman would noodle them crappie with their bare hands.

[kycreek]

I'd bet he fish them if he knew where they were located.

[SteveJ]

Then I guess by the same token AL should not have put all the artificial reefs in their saltwater for snapper. Now you can't hardly catch anything else for the snapper, sure is hurting the red snapper population have all that stuff in the water. I think the more habitat the better for the fish and fisherman, I say put even more out.

[Barnacle Bill]

Don, you should have asked him why the state's fisheries put them out too?

[CrappiePappy]

As long as it's legal, you're actually enhancing the possibility of better fishing ... by providing habitat.

Think about it .... guides do it, everyday anglers do it, & even the state's Fish & Game Depts do it. If it was so "unsportsmanlike", I doubt it would be considered ethical/legal for ANY of these people to do it.

Lake cover"naturally" declines, over the years. With little to no cover for the fish, the top predators usually decimate the population of the other species, and in turn they set upon their own (for survival). This leads to a serious imbalance, if not downright catastrophic decline in species & numbers ... leading to the remaining fish getting thin, & dying prematurely.

When lakes & ponds are made ... isn't the land to be submerged, often times "enhanced" by adding structure & cover In his "opinion", one would get the idea that he thinks only naturally occuring structure & cover should be considered. (wonder what he thought about the docks & launch ramps ... they aren't "natural" habitat :rolleyes: )

That was his opinion, and you respectfully disagreed with it. End of story

(and I'm willing to bet my favorite jig rod that he'll fish those "boo buckets", should he happen to find them :p )

... cp

[roybuoy]

Don , you go and fill the lake full of boo.Then tell me where it is at.lol I'll come help you fish it.

[skeetbum]

I just want to point out the success that Jerry Blake has had in Arkansas. Not only does he catch fish and run a successful business due to the 'boo, but the Wildlife agency has commended him on the increase of the population of the fish in that lake. I don't see any down side to the placement of the buckets, except a few whiny tree huggers who would find something to cry about no matter what. So, where are these buckets?

[beagle man]

you just never know what kind of nut your going to run into, I bet that ole boy fishes brush that someone put in and he probably knows it.

[deathb4disco]

... a true sportsmen would not do that & if I couldn't find fish in their natural habitat that I should take up golfing..

Sportsmanship, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I guarantee you that guy fishes in a manner that some people would find "unsportsmanlike". I understand why you didn't say anything but, if you had the opportunity, I would have asked him what he considered to be a "true sportsman".

Unfortunately, there are fishing snobs out there. You have "fly snobs" (I know of a local fly guide who honestly believes you're not fishing if you're holding a spinning rod.) There are also plenty of "bass snobs" that believe anything other than bass is a trash fish. There are "anti-trolling snobs", "artificial only snobs", etc.

Here's the bottom line: ignore idiots like that and fish however you want to fish.