Poachers

[Slob_Samurai]

I hear ya

[Wayne Ek]

I can't wait to go "pike" fishing on the opener, just happens it will probably be on one of my favorite bass lakes. I am not going to go out and throw a drop shot or anything but lets face it I am going bass fishing. As long as I am throwing a spinnerbait, square bill, chatterbait or swimbait there isn't anything anyone can do about it, and as long as the pike season opens before bass season I will continue to do it.

OlY, nice Res gestae statement. Now that you've made it, give the DNR a call tell them what lake and give them a time.

[RiverFish]

I can't wait to go "pike" fishing on the opener, just happens it will probably be on one of my favorite bass lakes. I am not going to go out and throw a drop shot or anything but lets face it I am going bass fishing. As long as I am throwing a spinnerbait, square bill, chatterbait or swimbait there isn't anything anyone can do about it, and as long as the pike season opens before bass season I will continue to do it.

WOW! Nice....

[Bassburch]

For many of us, its worth the risk of a ticket to catch and release bass on our favorite lakes before the official 'season' opens.

[Craigums]

I don't see what all the nit-picking is about. OLY clearly stated he was going "pike" fishing. It's not his fault if those pesky bass keep biting his crankbaits and spinnerbaits

[RiverFish]

I don't see what all the nit-picking is about. OLY clearly stated he was going "pike" fishing. It's not his fault if those pesky bass keep biting his crankbaits and spinnerbaits

Really? He also stated this "I am not going to go out and throw a drop shot or anything but lets face it I am going bass fishing."

[luv2senko]

having pike and bass not open at the same time is the dumbest thing since non-sliced bread.

catch and release from Oct-Apr...problem solved.

Heck, the best fishery in the area is open year round to harvest and it only gets better

Let's hope none of these glass houses have ever driven 56 mph

[Craigums]

Really? He also stated this "I am not going to go out and throw a drop shot or anything but lets face it I am going bass fishing."

Why does that get your panties in a bunch? Let's say you decide to go pike fishing on opener. You happen to end up at the same lake as OLY fishing the same lures, in the same spots... How does that make what he's doing any worse than what you are doing?

[reinhard1]

it comes down to ethics realy. i dont intentionaly fish for bass when the season is not open. however i do catch them and release them quickly. do i hate every minute of the battle on the way in? of course not, but i dont "intentionaly" go after bass when they are not in season. that's where ethics come in to play. following the law is important, and important to teach your kids also.

we may not agree about how the seasons are set or which fish are protected and which are not. i have caught smallmouth when fishing for trout. these things happen all the time. just release the fish and go on with your day. admitting you catch fish out of season just riles up people on the forums who follow the law and i dont blame them either. just doesnt make for good discussion in my opinion. seems to me we should be all on the same page as far as the title of the thread which is "Poachers". good luck.

[RiverFish]

it comes down to ethics realy. i dont intentionaly fish for bass when the season is not open. however i do catch them and release them quickly. do i hate every minute of the battle on the way in? of course not, but i dont "intentionaly" go after bass when they are not in season. that's where ethics come in to play. following the law is important, and important to teach your kids also.

we may not agree about how the seasons are set or which fish are protected and which are not. i have caught smallmouth when fishing for trout. these things happen all the time. just release the fish and go on with your day. admitting you catch fish out of season just riles up people on the forums who follow the law and i dont blame them either. just doesnt make for good discussion in my opinion. seems to me we should be all on the same page as far as the title of the thread which is "Poachers". good luck.

Craigums,

I don't think I can explain it much better than this.

[Getanet]

Intent. He clearly stated he's going bass fishing under the guise of fishing for pike.

Obviously you can't always control what bites, but the philosophy of "it's only cheating if you get caught" doesn't seem to in the spirit of being a sportsman.

[Craigums]

I'm just going to have to agree to disagree. I'll just fish my bass on P2 until the WI opener in under 2 weeks.

[bASS_BLASTER]

"following the law is important, and important to teach your kids also."

very true! Good conservation ethics is another great practice.

There's an old saying, "It's only illegal if you get caught". I truly believe some people go by this.

[Wayne Ek]

OLY, not singling you out, your post just opens the door for some interesting conversations and counter points.

Craigums, here is the dilemma: First: we are a site that promotes ethical outdoor recreation. Second: If OLY hypothetically did this in a body of water that was not open to the catching/harvesting of bass he would be violating a state statute.Third:To brazenly say --there isn't anything anyone can do about it, and as long as the pike season opens before bass season I will continue to do it-- If read by a CO could be looked on as a "Na,Na,Na,Na... catch me if you can" statement. Hence the Res gestae post. A highly motivated CO could take this on as a project and create a learning experience and example. Would it be GREAT if the state DNR finally opened bass fishing on the same day as walleye and northerns;even if it were catch and release until June 1, heck yes it would. And maybe that's what we all should be calling our rep's and discussing with them. But for now it isn't open then and enforcement is lax to non-existance. Probably because of the resources it would take to truly enforce the close season at this time of year. Everyone thinks that there is no way to enforce the closed season... they will never get cited for the violation. But a Co can cite you, then it's up to you to fight the citation. And court appearances are stressful for most folks and can be expensive. So OLY's hypothetical statement would make a court case even more interesting.

[OLY]

I could email this thread to the dnr, tell when and where I will be fishing. They could follow me around the lake the entire day, and at no point would I ever be breaking a law. That was the whole point of my original post. As long as the seasons open at different times there is really no way to enforce it as long as you are not going out sight fishing or doing something that is so obviously targeting bass. I was just being honest, I am going pike fishing technically, but I know I will probably catch a lot of bass. So knowing this should I just stay home?

[eyeguy 54]

A Quote from above

Why does that get your panties in a bunch? Let's say you decide to go pike fishing on opener. You happen to end up at the same lake as OLY fishing the same lures, in the same spots... How does that make what he's doing any worse than what you are doing?

carefull, I got banned once for telling a guy not to get his undies in a bunch. lol ;>)

[Wayne Ek]

Oly, your missing the point. In your post you stated that you are intentionally fishing for bass out of season and no one can do anything about it. So here's my challenge to you if you truly believe that statement. Pick a lake that you want to fish prior to bass opening and after walleye/norther opens. Find the name of the CO that works that district. Call him/her and then e-mail him/her, then cc the e-mail to the state supervisor for enforcement. If a CO shows up at the landing at the appointed time and date hand them a copy of the original post. Then go out and target bass as your e-mail said you would. If you fish all day catching bass without a citation you were correct in your assumption. If you get a citation then I was correct in my statement. The fact that you plainly stated in a public forum that you are targetting bass and no one can do anything about it... is what has people upset. Not that you catch bass incidental to fishing for northerns or crappies or anything else that is in season and lawful to pursue. Do you see where I'm coming from?

[RumRiverRat]

I think the horse is dead and buried at this point.

[cjac]

I could email this thread to the dnr, tell when and where I will be fishing. They could follow me around the lake the entire day, and at no point would I ever be breaking a law. That was the whole point of my original post. As long as the seasons open at different times there is really no way to enforce it as long as you are not going out sight fishing or doing something that is so obviously targeting bass. I was just being honest, I am going pike fishing technically, but I know I will probably catch a lot of bass. So knowing this should I just stay home?

Yeah, with that approach you should stay home. COs and DNR officers would put their lives at risk if you were in peril; so to carry this attitude of "catch me if you can" is quite disrespectful and just plain dumb to be honest. You can't email the DNR or the County CO and tell them where your boat is going to break down and swamp in a storm.....can you?

I get your point to be honest, but if ya want to catch pike throw a 5 of diamonds Daredevil....I've caught plenty of pike on that lure, but I've never thrown a swim jig in Canada fishing for pike.

[grab the net]

You should try a swim jig for Pike as they are awesome and also much easier on the fish when it comes to unhooking and releasing, as you are dealing with a single hook, barb pinched, and not a treble. Swim jigs are very versatile in the manner in which they can be fished,shallow to deep, most are very weed resistant. They come in a plethora of colors, and weights from 1/8th up to an ounce. By simply varying the trailers used, you can change appearance, color and action. This can greatly enhance your pike fishing experience.

[Superduty]

I'm with Wayne on this one. Ethics come down to individuals. You either care about them or you don't. I think we all know the intent of the law. You can be cited for fishing for a species with a closed season. Even if you are throwing a daredevil with a steel leader. If you are catching bass after bass, you are required to leave the area.

[davidbigreelz]

There's an old saying, "It's only illegal if you get caught"

haha i actually know some people who i think live by this, they say it too! they don't hunt or fish thank god but certianly doesn't stop em in the rest of their life lol

[corncob]

Wonder why the lack of respect for the bass opening date?...DAH!... It is so obvious to me that this outdated fishing opening date needs to change.....Minnesota's DNR seems to think that a slaughter of bass will occur during the 2 weeks between walleye/northern opener and bass fishing start.. Give me a break please!!!! Bass are not our state fish, are far from the level of popularity of walleye or sunfish, and most Minnesotans don't eat bass anyway.....The bass spawn is so variable as to make opener a moot point as far as negative effect on bass populations....Then , of course, Minnesota doesn't seem to mind sending millions of dollars to neighboring states while we are "protecting spawning bass"......B ullhockers!!!!

[blakjack23]

Is there any documentation of anyone actually getting cited for fishing bass early, without any fishin in possession?

Yes its illegal, and ethically wrong, but I will have to disagree with Wayne because I don't think anyone will be going to court for it. (unless they were keeping fish).

[bassfshin24]

This topic seems to happen every year. I totally disagree with the season that is in place right now but like Wayne said it all comes down to ethics. I just wouldnt feel comfortable fishing outside of the bass season, i would be looking over my shoulder the whole time thinking that a CO is watching me. Until the season changes I'll stick with fishing pool 2. Would LOVE if the season turned into Catch in release until June.