Fishing Baby

[rattleL]

Hey im getting out to the Webster area this next weekend, first time this winter, had a ball slaying big perch and crappies last winter, and hope it can continue this next year. Im coming out and bringing my little brothers and my dads coming along. Was wondering what the ice conditions were and if anyone was willing to give a tip on some hot fishing, dont worry if i get in to the fish ill report back on how i did. Good luck and good fishing

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"I can sleep when I am dead lets go fishing"

[engfish]

RattleL--check out the Waubay area lakes posts. My good friend Verg up in Webster will take care of you. He might even book you a room at the Sportmen's Inn.

[verg]

engfish..next time you come, let us locals know..we'll show you where to go.

[engfish]

Verg, what started out as friendly banter between you and PerchJr has turned into a "lively" discussion. First of all, let me apologize for pushing your buttons with the "tip" to PerchJr. I was trying to make a point, which I think is valid, but it went too far.

Why do we go to SD when we have so much in MN? SD is beautiful. It's different. It's wild. It's where my wife is from...I've been going to SD for over 25 years, and I can't get enough of it. I'd move there in a heartbeat, but my wife won't go back. I've fished all over the state of Minnesota and Canada and Wisconsin. SD is still my favorite place to fish. You guys that live there take it for granted; like some of the others have said, you can't find too many places with the abundance of wildlife. Last spring the geese and the ducks flying over the lakes numbered in the tens of thousands--every day. Catching fish was only icing on the cake.

I know what you're saying about "blabbing," but your own GF and P puts out a daily report that can be found in bait shops and gas stations all over NE SD. Crowds attract attention. Bait shops sell bait and the fishermen talk about where they're fishing. It's the nature of the beast and the business. The guys from my area go over a couple of times a year. We're not going to drive 275 miles for 9" perch on a little slough, but if we're going that direction, is it really that big of a deal to tell your buddies a few places to try? I believe that most of the FMers are into catch and release. So what difference does it make what the limit is if you're really into conserving the resource? The fact that the GF and P implemented the one fish over 20" law was the best thing they have done to protect the resource. The bottom line is that much of the GF and P budget is funded by NRs, and they're not going to kill the golden goose now.

So let's make the most of what we have, enjoy it, and I promise, no more public "blabbing." For years no one believed me when I would tell them how good the fishing was in SD. The information highway has changed all of that. It's not a secret in MN, and it's not a secret in most of the country. All of those pheasant hunters have friends who are fishermen, and the hunters are fishermen, too.

Fair enough.

P.S. You've got to admit. The SD forum has gotten some discussion going, and we're not bad people.

[Fish'n guy]

You would like to believe that many of the people on FM are all for C&R but that doesn't cover 1/20th of the people who don't catch and release. Think of all the people who look at the forums who aren't members.

[verg]

engfish...i agree, enough of the arguing.

I would like to agree with fisn n guy...i would guess 90% of Nrs that come here are NOT catch and release. Why would anyone drive 5 hours to catch fish and throw them back? Yes some do but like i said - most do not. I see them on the lake and ice. I don't see many throwing fish back.

Also, there is such a huge deal about NRs fueling our economy. Yes it does help- but we hick towns function just fine without it. Waubay was a slough until the blizzard or '97. We had nothing special here, little NR traffic. We managed just fine. As a matter of fact, I believe Webster has decreased in population by about 150 in these last ten years. That is a lot for a town of 2,000. So is our economy really getting supported? i don't know for sure. Again, yes it helps a ton, state wide but we were always ok without the traffic before all these sloughs etc popped up.

Also your statement about us "taking it for granted" is false. Why do you think we get fussy about it? Heck i'm a teacher and coach. My salary here is embarassing. I could go anywhere and do better but i don't...guess why?

[verg]

oh and...truthfully, the fishing here isn't so absolutley wonderful. I think that may be a myth..NOW. 7-8 years ago it was as good as it gets anywhere in the world-no doubt. But, because of the pressure etc., the fishing isn't a lot different than minnesota or wherever. Anyone who lives here and fishes as much as i will tell you the same. Waubay is a shell of its former self. Most sloughs are fished out etc. I don't think NRs really know that the fishing here is pretty much average these days.

[engfish]

Verg, you asked why do we come? What you "take for granted" is the fact that you're accustomed to seeing all those big bucks and rooster pheasants and sharptail grouse and snow geese up there in Day County. Want to guess when we saw a flock of snow geese in Faribault? Never in my 25 years here. We don't get those sights and sounds on a regular basis. Last time I saw over 5,000 ducks and geese get up out of slough in Minnesota? Never. Why do we go to the Black Hills? Because there's nothing else like it in the Midwest. Believe it or not, I have released almost all of the walleyes I have caught in the past year. They were either too big--five 25" or larger or too small. If it was just about the meat, I'd buy it at the local market. Educating people is the key. Taking pictures is just as enjoyable as harvesting. I know it's hard to share to share a good thing, but right or wrong, all of us that use the resource share in the cost of maintaining the resource.

Take a guess at what I do for a living, Verg.

[verg]

well you are on somewhat of a different topic. Hunting is a little different. We regulate how many deer/waterfowlers can come to our state. Fishing/Pheasants we don't--and guess what? We are over-run with Nrs for pheasant. And the reason they come to day county is cuz we have lots of public land. However..day has no where near the number of birds other areas have. The key here is that this general area gets drilled by NR traffic, more so than any other part of the state.

We don't mind sharing either, however we consider ourselves sportsman where we find our own honey holes and secret spots and keep them quiet. We don't invade others when we see more than one boat in a spot, and we don't spread the word like wildfire.

When i was just talking to a few guys on the ice the other day they made comments on how 80% of all wildlife crimes here are committed by Nrs. I don't know if that number is true but i bet it's close. That fuels the fire of many locals here and it's part of why we keep quiet.

Engfish, i'm glad you enjoy your experience here, you seem to respect our resources. However-you are in the minority. Most come to harvest..period.

ps Ask Nodak what they think about NR waterfowl hunting.

[PERCHJR]

Boy I love South Dakota!!! Yeah verg, be nice to me, I am just trying to find some fish somewhere's, think there is a couple left for me to snag around your neck of the wood's!!! Oh and thank's for the info on my secret lake, I think I am going to try it on friday I will let "YOU" know how I do!!! Good luck fishing, somewhere by yourself!!!

Perchjr

[percherman]

Verg & Jr I too love South Dakota, but your 80% is way off!

Just a couple of months ago there were a couple of local boys fishing Oakwood who got busted. The fishing was so good they sent someone off with a limit of eyes to clean and kept fishing, caught several more till the warden said enough is enough and wrote them up.

I can't tell you how many deer hunts in South Dakota I have had on public lands ruined by locals who know a big buck is hiding in the area. They drive with their loudest vehicles next to the fence and rev the hell out of their engines before sunrise, honking their horns to scare them out. That really gets under my skin, after I have taken time off from work to scout, got up early that morning, sat for 2hrs freezing my butt off, in the dark, lying in the snow, so know one would get my spot.

OR>>> Have got permission to hunt a piece of land, and have made a great stalk on a animal, and was about ready to pull the string, when lead starts flying from the road. You stand up, they see you, and take off. You glass the plate and yep, it was a SD plate.

Growing up in South Dakota as a dedicated hunter and fisherman who spent more time in the field and on the water then he did at work, I have seen my share of infractions out there by residents and nons alike.

I guess what I am trying to say here Verg and Jr we shouldn't be pointing fingers at any people on this post when we know are slate is not clean.

The feelings towards nonresidents would be better suited for the Tavern and should be left off the post.

I think there are much better topics we can come up with on our South Dakota site to make it much more informative and usefull. Heck we might even have some fun, instead of running each other into the ground like a bunch of Bohunks!

No offence to any Bohunks out there!!!!

AS FAR AS THE THIS TOPIC GOES, I AM DONE!!!

I will take a crack at a new subject later today that I am sure you guys will enjoy.

[verg]

perchman..you could be right, as i said i don't know for sure about percentage. And you are right-we have a ton of critters here that don't respect our law. On the other side though, i think more crimes are committed by NRs. All i am saying is that, that fuels the fire for south dakotans.

The example i gave last year was..my neighbor is game warden. He told me there were 54 busts on lynn lake in the months of june and july for double dipping. All were Nrs.

Maybe us locals are just better at not getting caught

[PERCHJR]

It's cool perchman most of this is all for fun, mostly just to ruffle some feathers and get guys thinking and there opinion's on this subject!!! I think that we are somewhat just trying to protect "OUR" fisheries, since our SDGFP haven't been doing a great job at it, I think that is the major reason for our ranting, at least mine anyway's!!! Good luck fishing to all!!!

Perchjr

[verg]

jr..give me your email and i'll give two pretty decent spots as long as...like we've all been discussing-you zip it.

ps haven't seen you over here for a while?

[bnbrk94]

Me too Verg! I promise I won't tell that guy that jr. fishes with!

[cold one sd]

English, it is nice to read your posts and I have to admit that you must be one in a million. When it comes to hunting, I believe you will find that there were more NRs hunting pheasants in SD this year than residents. We have people here going to court to get road hunting shut down in our state. Why? Because the folks that own the commercial pheasant hunting operations don't think anyone should be allowed to hunt without paying for it. Road hunting is all that is left for people like me that won't pay. As far as public land is concerned, the commercial operations take their pay hunters into them and pound them flat before they hunt on their own land. Not trying to tee anyone off, just expressing my feelings.

[jigging-matt]

Cold one, know how you feel, about ten years back when I lived in SD we used to go road hunting all the time and some of the game farm hunters would practically run you off of the road if you got within 1/4 mile of their land. Used to really tick us off, and the local law just told us to leave them alone. I sure do miss the pheasant hunting compared to mn, but it is starting to improve over here. Moved to MN because of work but loved growing up in SD. Plan on coming over for our annual fishing trip to Webster on the 20th hope to meet some of you on the ice.

[PERCHJR]

I am heading your way on Saturday with my cousin, we are not sure where we are going for sure yet but somewhere's by Waubay!!! Send away verg!!! [email protected]

Perchjr

[engfish]

Thanks for the compliment, but I don't think I'm one in a million. But I am willing to speak up. As an NR, I have seen both good and bad--my recent Christmas trip brought me back to a time thirty years earlier when I had a guy drill holes within 15 ft. of my set up on Lake Minnetonka--a huge metro lake with 30,000 acres. I didn't say a word, but my buddy did, but eventually it ended humorously. I was fishing up in Webster when one of the locals parked his truck 10 feet from my holes and plopped his elderly father into one of the vacant ones. It was so unbelievable my fishing partners and I were speechless. Finally, the "son" broke the ice, no pun intended, when he announced, "That hole you're fishing in was the hot one yesterday." I didn't miss a beat--"That's good, because I paid that guy at the bait shop ten bucks to tell me where it was!" All of our vehicles had SD plates, so it had nothing to do with being an NR. It was just another case of poor fishing etiquette. I'll be honest, for the most part, my experiences with "the locals" has been great. Personally, I've never felt any resentment when I've been out fishing on any of the area lakes or sloughs, even when I'm out in a MN vehicle. But even my own relatives make disparaging remarks about the NRs all the time. (There must be a "protective gene" bred into the native SD population!) I've brought a total of five friends over to go fishing in 25 years, and on the last trip, they acted like I had committed a crime. (When I married their sister and moved her to MN, they treated me like a war hero!) Once they spend a little time with the guys I bring over, they always end up liking them, especially after we sit down and have a couple of cold ones at the end of the day. In my mind, that's what it's really all about--getting together with friends and family and having a good time. My wife can't raise much of a fuss when I fish with her dad and brothers and the kids, too. If I have my way, I'll retire there and get my own d*** SD license plate and blend right in!

[cold one sd]

engfish, When ya think about it, there aren't many reasons to live here without our good hunting and fishing. As Verg said, it sure isn't the good wages. lol Ihear him there.I used to go goose hunting over in the Pierre area and the owner of a goose hunting camp burned all the vegitation in the ditches and then disked them becuse he doesn't think people should have the right to lay in a ditch and hope that a goose might decide to fly over. Guys went 5 or 6 miles away and collected weeds and put them in the fence for cover and then he would drive back and forth on the roads all day to make sure the geese stayed away. When people complained to the CO he told him that he was checking cattle. I think people are just trying to keep what little is left for them. With the air space belonging to land owner issue that was going on, if you layed in the ditch and shot at a goose, it would be illegal for your spent pellets to land inside the fence line. All I have to say is prove it. All of our hunting and fishing is being picked away at and it rubs people the wrong way. When Waubay Lake flooded, GF&P said that the man hours spent fishing ao it were about 10,000 hours per month until NRs found out about it and then the hours increased to 50.000 man hours per month. There was a guy on one of these forums complaining that 100. 000 perch had benn taken out of Spirit Lake in Iowa(I think) that year. I'm not sure about the name of the lakes in Iowa. He was complaining about people at Waubay Lake being teed off when he was there. I explained to him that 100,000 perch per month were being taken out of Waubay Lake. Devils Lake perch fishing has declined a lot from over fishing. That's the reason they have a limit up there now. People think the limits went on too late for Devils Lake. I don't blame anyone for wanting to fish here, and I don't blame anyone for wanting to protect what we have left. The only thing we have here to bring our water levels back up is runoff and we are in our fifth or sixth year of a drought and I know what these shallow lakes are like when the water is low. There are knuckleheads on both sides and it really shouldn't be an issue. I welcome people here, but I don't blame anyone for not giving up their sweet spots. When I am going to the Webster area to fish, I call Sportsmans Cove for a fishing report too. Just an opinion.

[ifishsd]

I have lived in MN and now live in SD. Both states have great fishing. There is a small lake in SW MN called lake Sarah, this lake produces walleyes year after year. When the fishing is good there is over 50 boats a day on this lake. I remember a couple of years ago the sheriff was not letting any more boats on the lake one day because there was so many out there. I keep thinking that lake is got to be fished out, but almost every year I go up there for the opener and we always seem to catch some nice walleyes. I beleive the state does a great job of making sure the fish are managed in this lake. Fish are a renewable resoure. If managed correctly a lake can have alot of fishing pressure and still have good fishing year after year.

Every winter this topic seems to pop up. If you have a hot bite some where and don't want to tell anybody thats just fine with me. Baitshops are going to tell the people where the fish are biting to sell more bait.

[skinnylee]

is it safe to come to SD as a NR AND FISH WE LIKE THE WAUBAY AND WEBSTER AREA TO AND DONT KEEPMANY FISH

[cold one sd]

They say that walleyes don't reproduce in Waubay Lake and I have read how many eyes they have put in there over the years and it is a lot. I think perch reproduce in Waubay, but I'm not sure about that. In some places the perch get to jumbo size and just die off. I haven't checked, but I think SD had a perch stocking program going. I know this comes up every winter and if the SDGF&P wouldn't wait until a resource is being damaged before changing things to prevent it, it probably wouldn't be mentioned. The Dept of Tourism is greedy which doesn't help either. Another thing that doesn't help is when a NR says that if we as residents would stay home on weekends, the NRs would appreciate it. Come here and fish. You will be welcome and we aren't a bunch of bad a$$es.

[cold one sd]

Come and enjoy yourself. No one will bother you. All anyone out here is trying to do is have fun on the ice too. lol