Steve Weisman
12-31-2007, 11:17 AM
For the past year or so, there has been a movement by a group of concerned anglers of the need to put a daily limit on crappies and bluegills on the Iowa Great Lakes. A proposal was presented last year and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Commissioners ended up divided in a 3-3 tie.
This issue is again being addressed in 2008. The proposal is for a daily limit of 20 perch, 20 crappies and 20 bluegills. The proposal also provides a possession limit that would be double the daily limit. It is hoped that this will go before the commissioners as early as this spring.
There are, of course, two sides to this issue. There are those that like the limits just the way they are: a daily limit of 25 perch with no daily limit on crappies and perch. One of the ideas here is “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!”
The other side wants this new daily limit to be implemented.
Here’s my two cents! To me, it all has to do with control and respect. One of my fishing friends said to me recently, “You know, fish with no limits get no respect.” I think there is a lot of truth to this statement.
Although crappies and bluegills are very prolific, both of them are a valuable resource to our local fishery. They, along with perch, are some of the most sought after fish in our lakes. Plus, they are great table fare.
I think the regulation idea comes from seeing six-gallon buckets of crappies and bluegills coming out of the lake, sometimes day after day and by groups of anglers. A lot of it has to do with the skill that these anglers have developed over the past few years. From lures to line to expertise, more of us are catching more and bigger panfish than we used to.
I talked with an acquaintance as we fished the canals last spring. I asked him his thoughts on a panfish limit. “I’m all for it,” he said. “Because I saw people doing it day after day just before the ice went out, and by golly if they can do it, I’m going to get my share, too.”
I certainly understand his point. As we see buckets full of fish being taken off the lake, it’s easy to think, “I’ve got to get my share, too.”
Part of the answer comes down to the need for anglers to regulate themselves. You know what? That can be very difficult to do when the bite is on and those big slabs are pounding your bait. It almost becomes the mentality of “I’ve got to get them today, because they might not be here tomorrow. I just can’t stop!”
Now here is the key in this entire thing. There is nobody saying we can’t catch a hundred panfish a day or even 200. The bottom line in this whole thing is “Do we have to keep all 200?”
It is really no different than the bass fisherman that catches 40 bass in a day, and even though the limit is five bass 15 inches or larger, he releases all of them!
So, to me it comes down to a matter of ethics and the need to have a daily limit with which we all can live.
If you are interested in sharing your ideas about the panfish limit, contact the following: Marion Conover, DNR Fishery chief, marion.conover@dnr.state.ia.us; Greg Drees, DNR Commissioner, jfille@longlines.com; Mike May, State Legislator, mike.may@legis.state.ia.us; Marcia Frevert, State Legislator, Marcella.frevert@legis.state.ia.us.
This issue is again being addressed in 2008. The proposal is for a daily limit of 20 perch, 20 crappies and 20 bluegills. The proposal also provides a possession limit that would be double the daily limit. It is hoped that this will go before the commissioners as early as this spring.
There are, of course, two sides to this issue. There are those that like the limits just the way they are: a daily limit of 25 perch with no daily limit on crappies and perch. One of the ideas here is “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!”
The other side wants this new daily limit to be implemented.
Here’s my two cents! To me, it all has to do with control and respect. One of my fishing friends said to me recently, “You know, fish with no limits get no respect.” I think there is a lot of truth to this statement.
Although crappies and bluegills are very prolific, both of them are a valuable resource to our local fishery. They, along with perch, are some of the most sought after fish in our lakes. Plus, they are great table fare.
I think the regulation idea comes from seeing six-gallon buckets of crappies and bluegills coming out of the lake, sometimes day after day and by groups of anglers. A lot of it has to do with the skill that these anglers have developed over the past few years. From lures to line to expertise, more of us are catching more and bigger panfish than we used to.
I talked with an acquaintance as we fished the canals last spring. I asked him his thoughts on a panfish limit. “I’m all for it,” he said. “Because I saw people doing it day after day just before the ice went out, and by golly if they can do it, I’m going to get my share, too.”
I certainly understand his point. As we see buckets full of fish being taken off the lake, it’s easy to think, “I’ve got to get my share, too.”
Part of the answer comes down to the need for anglers to regulate themselves. You know what? That can be very difficult to do when the bite is on and those big slabs are pounding your bait. It almost becomes the mentality of “I’ve got to get them today, because they might not be here tomorrow. I just can’t stop!”
Now here is the key in this entire thing. There is nobody saying we can’t catch a hundred panfish a day or even 200. The bottom line in this whole thing is “Do we have to keep all 200?”
It is really no different than the bass fisherman that catches 40 bass in a day, and even though the limit is five bass 15 inches or larger, he releases all of them!
So, to me it comes down to a matter of ethics and the need to have a daily limit with which we all can live.
If you are interested in sharing your ideas about the panfish limit, contact the following: Marion Conover, DNR Fishery chief, marion.conover@dnr.state.ia.us; Greg Drees, DNR Commissioner, jfille@longlines.com; Mike May, State Legislator, mike.may@legis.state.ia.us; Marcia Frevert, State Legislator, Marcella.frevert@legis.state.ia.us.