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Post by BigDaveE on Jul 26, 2006 9:26:26 GMT -5
It all comes down to ethics, people without them SHOULD NOT be fishing!
Fishing Ethics: It's Up to You Fishing ethics could be evaluated as what anglers do when they are unobserved. Ethics govern impulses when no one is looking. Basically, fishing ethics is conscience.
Millions of anglers fish. Without ethical anglers following fisheries regulations, there would soon be little of value left to catch.
Ethical fishermen don't keep fish caught out of season. They don't keep egg-bearing females during the sport season either. Without ethical fishermen highly valued species could literally be eliminated from a fishery.
Ninety-nine out of a hundred anglers are law abiding. Based on arrest records, that one-in-100 violator adds up to appalling 30,000 law breakers every year.
Limit your take; Don't take the limit. While there is nothing illegal about taking home a full limit of fish, day after day, that number adds up to more fresh fish than most of us could comfortably eat, and results in unnecessary stress on fish populations. The brightest hope for continued availability of sportfish is for all of us to limit our take, rather than take our limit.
Diversity is another answer for the ethical angler. By targeting more than one species of fish, pressured fish populations will receive a needed rest.
Fish have invaluable worth as living creatures to be admired for their beauty and grace; appreciated for their individual adaptations for survival. By learning respect for all the forces that must work in harmony to produce a healthy marine resource, we can ensure good fishing for generations to come. After all, respect for nature and for other anglers is what fishing ethics is all about.
The Ethical Angler:
Can identify most of the species commonly caught in their area, and knows the current regulations for each. Understands the legal requirements for licenses and stamps. Appreciates the importance of habitat and a clean environment. Knows how to fight and release fish in a manner that gives the fish the best possible chance of survival. Understands and observes safe boating practices; is conscious of his boat's wake, and does not speed past anchored boats, anglers on shore, swimmers or non-motorized craft. is courteous of others and does not "move in" on another fishermen's spot. Keeps trash out of the water, disposing of fishing line, napkins, food containers and other waste in a proper receptacle ashore. Shares his ethics and expertise with others. Abides by the law, and is not afraid to report those who do not.
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Post by stradic on Jul 26, 2006 9:59:19 GMT -5
Dave hit it on the head....they were literally "harvesting' the fish from their beds.
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Post by love2fish on Jul 26, 2006 10:57:39 GMT -5
Hey Big Dave, WELL SAID! I performed the ethics you mention to myself and the only trouble I have is unhooking fish so it does not hurt them. All the fish I catch are panfish and when I catch smaller ones, I release them back, but sometimes they swallow my entire hook (I usually use size 8 hooks). So the only thing I can do is cut the line that the hook is tied to, then release them back into the water. Is that the right thing to do or is there a way to remove the hook without it puncturing the heart, liver, etc.?
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Post by BigDaveE on Jul 26, 2006 12:36:32 GMT -5
on panfish thats the only thing you really can do that I am aware of. The hook will rot away & pass through eventually. There is another technique for bass that was in outdoor life, I believe, which shows you how to release the hook through the opening at the gills in the case of a swallowed hook.
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Post by crappieman1 on Jul 26, 2006 23:04:19 GMT -5
I read every word of every post and I feel the disgust that some of you have.
Its happening on a larger scale than most of us know.
Trust me, the Fish Cops know quite well what is going on and are doing what they can to correct the problem.
A fisherman from Reading had over 100 illegal fish, lots of small bass ETC in his car trunk, yes they were fined and lost more than I can say on this message board.
The best we can do is have a number that will get a quick response from law enforcement, get vehicle license # if possible.
I think the next step would be to list all the lakes we fish and get a hot number, so we can use our cell phones to contact the fish cops.
This will take some work but I am willing to do my share.
I would say this, do not get face to face with these law breakers, getting hurt or stabbed is something that you do not want.
Is our Fish Commission understaffed? YES, sometimes I fish all summer and I never see a fish warden, than I see 5 in a week.
When 69 percent of all license sales dollars, is spent on a put and take trout fishery, the warm water fishery gets 31 percent, maybe if there was more of a balance where the Commish spent there money, we would see more law on the water chasing law breakers.
We all agree there is a problem, now lets talk how each one of us can make a difference.
Thanks for listening.
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Post by stradic on Jul 28, 2006 8:12:54 GMT -5
I'm always willing to do my part so...here goes. Let's get a hot #. These are my usual haunts...
Memorial French Creek Struble Marsh Creek Blue Marsh Chambers Speedwell Forge
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Post by crappieman1 on Jul 28, 2006 23:39:38 GMT -5
I will visit Memorial lake and get what I can since its close to home, doesn't speedwell have a office right on the lake.
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Post by stradic on Jul 29, 2006 0:01:10 GMT -5
Yep...they love me there. The same officer checks me at least once or twice a month. I've never done anything but pass with flying colors. I guess he gets bored. lol
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Post by GordonsOwner on Jul 30, 2006 7:10:44 GMT -5
Damn dave you are HOT on this topic Everyone here would have LOVED what I saw at struble last nite. Right around dark, were heading in to the ramp to pack up, on our way in manuevering through the stumps I see an overly large stump thats never there, and it was orange! So I backed up to it and low and behold it was a tide bottle, with some ungodly rope tied to it, with a sack of something nasty hanging from it. Lets just say this isnt the first time I've seen 'jug fishing' at struble. One day last year there was a boat full (and I dont mean 3 person max capacity boatfull, I mean BOAT FULL) beyond all means, of people....paddling all over the coves, throwing out jug lines all over the lake. So much that me being quite far away almost got one tangled in my trolling motor, so I snatched it from the water!!! Either way struble is a direct hit for law breaking fishermen. 1 its too far away from most other park based lakes to be patrolled to much, 2 the local fish warden for the area is apparently not nearly as hardcore as Mr. Bonney. (ive seen him there only once) so its basically an anything goes kind of lake. Sadly enough I think even if someone was to call some kind of authority in this situation, I doubt many would respond to it. As a more than regular at struble I've seen it get worse and worse in the past 2 years. I do believe the tree farm is a big contributer to all this BS fishing anymore, but what can you do? Its nice to come here to vent and be reassured that its not everyone breaking the laws, but at the same time everyone here shares the same common interest of catching and releasing our fish, especially bass. Personally for me I just like to see it, I dont even have to hold the fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I dont know what much else there is to say or do about the situation, unfortunately none of us are in a position to do much more than talk about it and pass it on to authorities.
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Post by Hawgcatcher on Jul 30, 2006 7:58:43 GMT -5
Just a quick point. I've tried to talk to a few fishermen that I have seen doing things that they shouldn't be doing. And to my surprise they couldn't understand me. They couldn't speak English, so they probably can't read it either. I know it probably won't change their habits much but a start would be to have the regulations printed in a few other languages just like a lot of other things are. And I know there are people who can speak and read the regulations that are doing things they shouldn't be doing. I don't have any answers for them. Maybe if they read this they can send me their address and i'd be glad to drop them off some bluegill fillets if their so hungry they need to break the laws to get food.
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Post by dbass on Jul 30, 2006 10:20:09 GMT -5
are you sure they don't speek english or slective use
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Post by fishncool on Jul 31, 2006 13:31:07 GMT -5
99situner, if you think its the tree farm, then maybe you can make a difference directly. get the number of the employer, give it to the fish.comm. officer, the officer will call the employer. the employer tells them the laws and if they get caught breaking them, its could cost them their job. its worth a try
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Post by BigDaveE on Jul 31, 2006 14:40:28 GMT -5
Well I called the main office today and they gave me the number to the local office it is 717-626-0228. I told the lady that I have been witnessing alot of illegal fish being kept & that people are jug-fishing, she said she would tell one of her officers. I asked her if there is a number to call when it is happening & she said call the local police dept & they can try to get in touch with one of their officers.
NOW HERE IS WHERE ALL OF YOU THAT CARE COME INTO PLAY, CALL THIS NUMBER NOW!!!!! tell them what is going on at struble, if they hear from enough of us , they may actually do something about it!!!! Make sure you call the police when it is going on also, they may get sick of hearing from us & they will be forced to do something also!!!!
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Post by BigDaveE on Jul 31, 2006 14:56:26 GMT -5
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Post by BigDaveE on Aug 1, 2006 7:21:32 GMT -5
I emailed him & he replied quickly, hopefully something will be done
here is his reply: Mr. BigDaveE, Thanks for your e-mail about Struble Lake. I'll forward it to some contacts I have in Harrisburg and see what I can find out about whether this is being addressed. Tim Hennessey
here is my original e-mail to him: MR Hennessey, I am a local fisherman and I have fished the beautiful Struble Lake in your area for some time now. This lake was an exceptional place to catch fish 2 or 3 years ago and it has been on the downslide since. This is mainly due to alot of people going to this lake and keeping a quantity of undersized (illegal) fish. Theese poachers are destroying this lake and are there quite frequently anymore due to it being off the beaten path. I believe you need to know about this as a figure of authority and someone who may be able to make a change or help make the right people aware of what is going on so they can fix this problem. There are many other fisherman on the local fishing boards & websites that are seeing this happen all to frequently and it is a very hot topic right now that we all feel needs to be addressed properly asap or it will totally ruin the fish and fishing in this lake. Any help would be appriciated. Sincerely, BigDaveE.
***I used my real name in the e-mail, just edited it for on here ;D.
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