Once it gets more restrictive, a law will never be passed to be less restrictive. Remember you are dealing w/ gov. here, and you guys are inviting them into your hobby. Make it three poles now, in 5 years on another lake down cycle, the single pole guys will complain enough and you will be spider rigging w/ two poles, and Sardis Lake will be full of 6" crappie.
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There's not an elected man or woman working for the MDWFP. No government here. I'll have to speak up for the MDWFP here. These guys and gals are professional folks that put a lot of time and effort into conserving the resources of our state. The commissioners are appointed by the State's top elected official, and they are the ones who get beat up by sportsmen and businessmen when it comes regulation changes and or proposals. The department survives on what revenues they get from permits, license, fines,and grants, or donations. Some of the wardens can get out of hand once in a while, but the ones at the top are dedicated folks who have their job at heart. I probably stand to be corrected on some of this, but it is an honest mistake.
Say what you want, but I will make you a case of beer bet, that we will never be able to keep more than 15 fish again from Sardis
Is it catching or keeping fish that's the most important to you? I much prefer to catch'em. What we have to fish for in future years means more to a lot of us old birds. It would not bother me to see the creel limit set at zero for a year if it was thought this would preserve the lake for future generations, but that would be a slow death to the local economy.
Catching and keeping fish is important to me. Have been going down with a group for 15 years (sometimes multiple trips per year), we enjoy catching, keeping, and frying these big fish. The fishing was best 10+ years ago when it was 30 & 10" and it was also when the lake seemed to have the most pressure. If i wanted to catch and release i would be a bass fag. The gov. caved to a vocal minority and made the limits more restrictive, trust me they won't ever loosen the strings. If they do I will meet you at the ramp with a case of beer
I'm sure the commissioners were bombarded with requests from all quarters and listened to various biologists' recommendations. That would be a lot of folks staring at them. Then you throw in Mother Nature and the Corp of Engineers, there is no way for everyone to win. Somebody is gonna come up short somewhere.
I understand that you aren't going to make everyone happy. I just don't remember there ever wing a problem. Some years we did great, some years no so ugh. The lake always seemed to come back. My prediction is that the number of people fishing will decrease, the number of 9" fish dramatically rises, and we start going to Reelfoot
Would not hurt my feeling if you went to reelfoot. I've been fishing the lake for 20 yrs. pressure has gotten worse every year and trolling has become the popular method. Before the 12 inch rule Sardis was a dink hole. In the past 5 yrs I have caught my best fish ever on Sardis. The state is making these rules to protect a great class of fish that are between 13 and 14 inches right now. And for your comment on the fish overpopulating is retarded. It's a watershed lake!! Thousands of fish go through the spillway every year. The watersheds will never be overpopulated because of the size and spillway.