Thread: Mark One Up For The Whiners

If they don't do something about the Asian Carp problem, pretty soon you won't have to worry about a 20/person/day creel limit ... since you'll be lucky to catch that many keepers, anyway.

I agree about the carp problem, but as far as I could discern, this issue was never mentioned by TWRA as a reason to effect the creel limit, pole limit or length limit. I can't speak for TWRA's omission of the carp factor on the crappie fishery, but I can say that the creel limit was instituted to make a few people "feel good". That's Commissioner King's words, not mine. IMO, Ms King should have focused her attention on pressing TWRA to institute carp reduction/eradication policies rather than appeasing the guides and a few friends, all of whom are able to fish much more often than many of us who are unable to do so. Apparently, they want theirs, and to heck with the rest of us. I think that's called greed. I have also lost all respect for TWRA for their willingness to to disregard their own research in lieu of her totally unsubstantiated claim. Just my opinion.

Lowering the creel limit seems to be going along with what happened in Mississippi on the big 4 reservoirs. They all went to 4 pole limit/person and 15 fish per day. Those things happen when a lake gets promoted and fished as hard as lakes like Kentucky Lake does (or Grenada). More people fishing through the week as well. Lots more pressure. Makes a guy learn how to release a fish so he can keep catching fish.

The carp are a nuisance for sure, but there will be crappie to catch. I fish the oxbows of the Mississippi River and the White River in Arkansas and we still catch crappie.

Bad spawn years caused a lower keeper rate for alot of people this year.At the twra meeting at paris the biologist presented the info he had and said we've had some of the best spawns he had saw ,they just aren't keeper size yet.From what I see next spring you should see a bunch of 10 in fish.At the end of the meeting they wanted a show of hands for who wanted change and a show for who didn't want change and almost everyone wanted change.Thats the reason for the creel change,majority rules is how things work anymore.

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If I remember correctly, and please correct if I'm wrong, the biologist stated very few fisherman regularly caught the limit anyway.

Originally Posted by arkcrappie

Lowering the creel limit seems to be going along with what happened in Mississippi on the big 4 reservoirs. They all went to 4 pole limit/person and 15 fish per day. Those things happen when a lake gets promoted and fished as hard as lakes like Kentucky Lake does (or Grenada). More people fishing through the week as well. Lots more pressure. Makes a guy learn how to release a fish so he can keep catching fish.

The carp are a nuisance for sure, but there will be crappie to catch. I fish the oxbows of the Mississippi River and the White River in Arkansas and we still catch crappie.

Don't know about the creek limits in miss,but some lakes had different pole limits a few years ago.From what I heard it was from the majority rules.Heard a bunch of single poler showed up at a meeting and raised cain,lol.People that are serious about crappie fishing need to show up and voice there opinions at these meeting.I know at the paris meeting most people didn't like me.No one cared about the creel data,when they opened the floor up for comments and questions a guy by me got up complaining.He also said you know somethings wrong or nobody would be here.Well I got to speak next and told them what I thought,shortage of fish in the 10-11.5 in range and you can catch more short fish that I have ever.

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I have been to those same meetings, sat beside those same people and heard those same things. It amazes me that these people can sit there and listen to quantifiable data, presented by competent & qualified people who we hire to do it, yet, in total disregard to what they just heard, still feel the need to hear themselves talk about something they know absolutely nothing about. The single-polers hate the multi-pole fishermen because it is "assumed" that these multi-polers are catching more fish than they are (greed). I'm a spider-rigger because I choose to fish that way, but the reality is that the single-polers have cleaned my clock more times than I care to admit. The fact that the single-polers choose to sit on top of a brush top all day and clean it of all fish is their business and I feel no need to gripe about it, because at the end of the day we all have to honor the same creel limit. That also happens to be TWRA's position. At this past meeting (and as mentioned by Blueball), TWRA made a compelling case against the need for a reduction to the creel limit. They even went on to say that two good spawning years should result in much better catch rates in the coming years. Yet the unknowing still "raised their hands" in a support of a decreased limit. The difference in this year's "vote" from that of similar past votes however, is that the unknowing (including some guides) have now convinced a commissioner to join their ranks and to voice her support of their ridicules claims. Whats most disturbing to me is that TWRA decided to abandon their own beliefs in order to appease Ms King and her few co hearts. From the outside, the entire process appears to be a sham. Apparently, if the commissioner is local and the guides are local and the vocal unknowing are also local, then (along with a wink and nod of the Commission) they get to make the rules. So, why do we even have TWRA fishery biologists if their recommendations go unheeded. Why do we have a Commission if they are too weak to stand by their own recommendations? The current decision making process is a farce, a total waste of license payers money and is in serious need of a major overhaul.

Originally Posted by dragline

I have been to those same meetings, sat beside those same people and heard those same things. It amazes me that these people can sit there and listen to quantifiable data, presented by competent & qualified people who we hire to do it, yet, in total disregard to what they just heard, still feel the need to hear themselves talk about something they know absolutely nothing about. The single-polers hate the multi-pole fishermen because it is "assumed" that these multi-polers are catching more fish than they are (greed). I'm a spider-rigger because I choose to fish that way, but the reality is that the single-polers have cleaned my clock more times than I care to admit. The fact that the single-polers choose to sit on top of a brush top all day and clean it of all fish is their business and I feel no need to gripe about it, because at the end of the day we all have to honor the same creel limit. That also happens to be TWRA's position. At this past meeting (and as mentioned by Blueball), TWRA made a compelling case against the need for a reduction to the creel limit. They even went on to say that two good spawning years should result in much better catch rates in the coming years. Yet the unknowing still "raised their hands" in a support of a decreased limit. The difference in this year's "vote" from that of similar past votes however, is that the unknowing (including some guides) have now convinced a commissioner to join their ranks and to voice her support of their ridicules claims. Whats most disturbing to me is that TWRA decided to abandon their own beliefs in order to appease Ms King and her few co hearts. From the outside, the entire process appears to be a sham. Apparently, if the commissioner is local and the guides are local and the vocal unknowing are also local, then (along with a wink and nod of the Commission) they get to make the rules. So, why do we even have TWRA fishery biologists if their recommendations go unheeded. Why do we have a Commission if they are too weak to stand by their own recommendations? The current decision making process is a farce, a total waste of license payers money and is in serious need of a major overhaul.

This all comes down to the fact that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. When you have enough people complaining a political hack is always going to cave in and kiss butt. POLITICS AT ITS FINEST.

Having said this I really won't be affected at all. I never catch 30 keepers in a day but it wouldn't matter if I did. I usually only keep enough for a meal and seldom freeze a bag of fish since I live at the lake and can fish when I want.