Need input

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Originally Posted by slabin

So one can only assume with the popularity of trolling for crappie 365 days a year is starting to maybe show a decline in the population vs when folks only fished until the spawn was over. With what you are saying maybe there should be a pole restriction for certain times of the year.

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I think he's speaking of way back when vs. today.
When I was a kid we would go to Washington trolling (now days spider rigging) and there wasn't many folks there.. even on a busy day. Today when it's hot, it's like bumper boats.
The sport has grown tremendously and washington is a small lake. 30 fish limits were ok when it was way less fishermen on the lake... fast forward to today's crowd.. maybe it is time to reevaluate the limits for that particular lake??
Other lakes, like Barnett well they're way bigger, always have great spawns, don't have a huge winter draw down so I would assume they don't lose as many fish to that as the corp lakes, etc. can handle a little more pressure and increase in fisherman a little better than a small lake.

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Originally Posted by torch

You can spin it any way you want but where else can you profit from public resources

You can't guide a deer hunt on public land

You can't guide a duck hunt on public waters

All I'm saying is it needs some oversight


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So, let me ask this....
Where is a MS crappie fishing guide suppose to guide in comparison to your example?????
In private ponds? Or they going to make Grenada Lake a private lake just for guiding clients?

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As a out of state fisherman, and I love visiting down there as much as I can, Lake Washington is very much need of assistance. The quality has gone way down over the past 3 years for sure. The changes made last year were very much needed, but I agree with lowering the creel to 20. Possibly moving the minimum up to 12", but completely remove the option of keeping 5 short fish, period. Way too much wiggle room there for abuse.


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Originally Posted by bandchaser

As a out of state fisherman, and I love visiting down there as much as I can, Lake Washington is very much need of assistance. The quality has gone way down over the past 3 years for sure. The changes made last year were very much needed, but I agree with lowering the creel to 20. Possibly moving the minimum up to 12", but completely remove the option of keeping 5 short fish, period. Way too much wiggle room there for abuse.


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There's a catch 22 in the 5 under rule, if someone is satisfied to keep 5 under on a good day that 5 goes toward their 20 fish limit so they can only keep 15 over, aren't the bigger fish what we are trying to preserve? I think we are all caught up in trophy fish and are forgetting the sportsmanship and our responsibility of be good stuarts to the outdoors. If you need fish keep em if legal if you don't there is nothing wrong with catch and release. I have not put up any fish this spring, we have eaten fish a few times but I put mine up in the summer.

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Originally Posted by slabin

So one can only assume with the popularity of trolling for crappie 365 days a year is starting to maybe show a decline in the population vs when folks only fished until the spawn was over. With what you are saying maybe there should be a pole restriction for certain times of the year.

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Crappie fishing has exploded in popularity in the last 10-15 years. Which is a great thing. Trolling brought more people into the sport including myself. This lake is extremely small compared to the other popular lakes in Ms. The lake still has a good population of crappie just not the older age class of crappie it once had. It gets hammered from the yoyo's , single poles and trolling during the spawn. So no,I don't think a pole limit is not the problem. I'm hoping they lower the daily limit (30) and possession limit (7) days. That is the right direction in my opinion for Washington to keep quality crappie in it.

To me a restocking program would be a better thing to do. A small fee paid by fishermen to restock for what they love to do fish. It would be a win win thing as far as making more jobs also. I know of some MDWFP that have closed the restocking ponds that could be reopened. If the lake needs more fish then just restock more fish each year. The only problem would be the moneys paid toward this would be handled by some that would misuse it and we would be back to what we already have now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYcr0yj_YMU

Way to deep for me.

Carry On!!!


BRM

I guide on KY and Barkley Lakes in KY. I pay the state of KY $150 for a yearly guide license PLUS I have to buy a separate fishing license, guide license doesn't cover that. I have to carry guide insurance, essentially the same policy pro anglers carry. It covers damage/theft to my equipment, liability to cover my clients, all kinds of stuff about clean-up and pollution fees if my boat goes down and pollutes the water. Believe me when I say it's not cheap. It is painful.

Now the topper---since KY and Barkley Lakes are part of the inland waterways system, I have to be certified as a U.S.Coast Guard Captain. My license is called OUPV or "6 pack". It took me several months of bureaucracy and over $2000 in fees, schooling, testing, drug tests, eye tests, you name it to qualify to get the credentials. If I choose to guide without it, I'm subject to up to $25,000 fine and forfeiture of all my equipment (boat, tackle, truck at the ramp). Am I happy that I have to go thru this? No, but I see no way around it that I could deal with. The 6 pack is good for 5 years. I won't have to retest as long as I have a certain number of hours on the water each year (not a problem).All the other stuff has to be renewed.

I was not aware that MS didn't require a guide license. There may be other states that don't also. I never had to have a MO waterfowl guide license in all the years I guided/outfitted over there. I'm not going to throw my hat either way in this debate.

Carry on.

I

Who's going to say, prove you're a guide? You camp in one site for it's limit then move to another campsite or campground using the same ramp. You invite family, friends, neighbors and campers to spend a day fishing. You're on the water most everyday. You might ask them for the launch fee to help with gas, might split the cost of minnows. Most likely after cleaning the catch it's sent with them or a campground fish fry.

The officer will see your trailer in the parking lot most everyday. He will see you with a different person each time. Likely to use your equipment since it's on the boat and set up the way you like to fish. If he watches you at the campground he will see the person leaving after the fishing trip with the catch.

I'm a little confused with the part ''a level field'' what do you mean by this?