Rec on Rec fishing...

[Night Nurse]

Mark,
I did not mean to offend anyone, just saying we need to stand together for all rec fisherman not just pick and choose.
I want everyone to catch a fish however way THEY choose to.

TED

[reds]

Rumor has it, there is a red herring within your group. He is working hard to do harm to the Spring Season.

Here is a little tip to the red herring. If the catch and keep season is shortened, the catch and release season will be also. *** for tat.

[B-Faithful]

Reds, I doubt the catch and release season could be shortened. I know I would be one of the first in line to potentially challenge that under the Freedom to Fish Act. As Baldy stated, we all stood together on that subject and I know that would be the same.

Point of my thread was to address the growing sentiment against the practice of trolling, not attack those that primarily enjoy fishing in other ways. Also, my addressing the issue wasnt solely based on Shawn's articles at all but a growing judgement that is becoming clearly evident, particularly on Tidalfish, through many other responses. There are numerous posts that show either an sense of elitism over those who troll or deragatory remarks because so many people enjoy the practice this time of year. Some may believe it is an over-sensative concern but lets also face the facts that:

• DNR targetted trolling specifically with their catch and release restrictions without any science or information on the efficiency or impact of the practice
• DNR is now interviewing anglers at access points to how they are fishing and how many rods
• Representatives on the SFAC have shown little appreciation for the act of trolling during the catch and release debate with their vote/recommendation(CBF member stated that he didnt think it was particularly sporting, Lateral Line/TidalFish rep wanted to limit the number of days one can troll, CBF presented a compromise that all but eliminated trolling through gear restrictions of one rod per angler and it was deemed acceptable by others on the commission)
• DNR has noted the increase in "efficiency" by recreational anglers in their report to why Maryland recreational anglers drastically increased the fish harvested during the trophy season (went from about 1 fish for every 5 trips taken to almost 1 fish per 3 trips taken by recs- they did also note larger min of 2006, no take slot of 2007, fuel prices of 2008, and more "fishable" days of 2009)

There are just concerns over this growing sentiment by some from within our community and it encouraging our fisheries managers to further restrictions are valid. I thought enough so that it is worthy of addressing publicly.

My post was not to "call out" anyone or specially target Shawn or Jamie, both of who I and many others have the highest level of respect for. However Shawns article and the thread that Jamie started, whether innocent or just having fun, do contribute to the other fires that have seemingly been burning. Lets face it Jamies post can easily be read that he was implying this:

Just curious...I was just wondering, some guys have had great success so far this week and some have not...just wanted to see how big your boat is and how many rods do you troll....
I will start...I use 1 rod (because I am so good I dont need more)...st. croix med action avid...3000 Shimano saros....of course not (lowly) trolling it's only for Light tackle (which is a better method of fishing because it doesnt require multiple rods for effectiveness) ......
Sometimes I throw trolling rods on the boat... (only because) it looks really cool riding down the road with the parachutes waving and all lined up.....

To state other-wise is naive. Why would he ask how many rods people are trolling then state that he will start the thread by stating that only uses one rod to jig? He also noted that he will bring trolling rods but doesnt say how many (the whole point of his thread!) and only notes that he thinks the parachutes waving in the wind look cool. If he was looking for real information on efficiency he could have asked how many fish were caught and how many rods were being trolled to see if there was a link given the opening statement of his thread. Like I said, I normally would find it innocent and did initially until my phone was ringing off the hook with guys questioning what is going on with DNR interviewing anglers at SPSP about trolling effort after what we went through over the winter.

If it makes me a bad guy for asking all recreational anglers to not foster these-types of sentiments or fuel the fire, whether the posts are in fun or not, then so be it. I have tried not to criticize those who enjoy fishing in different manners than myself. I have strived to point out that we all have the same creel, size limits and season length. We also strive to maximize efficiency on the water with the methods that we choose to use. Again, I dont target Shawn or Jamie but do want to target the judgement against trolling. Jamies post just was the best place to communicate it publicly since the thread had so much attention.

I should also note that I probably make almost as many trips jigging a year as I do trolling. The trips are just shorter and mostly through the summer and fall until late oct/november when the migratory fish show back up. I have also learned a lot from shawns articles and Jamies posts and believe I have become a better fishermen because of them.

I hope this clears up why I started this thread and took the time to respond to the the thread on TF the way that I did. It is not my intentions to be critical of any person specifically or the method in which one choses to fish.

If anyone wants to call to discuss further, my cell is 410.533.1435.

Originally Posted by Night Nurse

Mark,
I did not mean to offend anyone, just saying we need to stand together for all rec fisherman not just pick and choose.
I want everyone to catch a fish however way THEY choose to.

TED

Ted,
No offense at all..in my own way i as agreeing with you, just letting you know about Shawn standing right up for all recs rights this winter...I'm pretty sure he was at every meeting. Hell I fish every way known to man...while I consider myself a Light Tackle guy, I like almost every method...(I can take or leave chumming )

I just think this topic exploded...but I've been trying to stay away from this issue and C&R lately as I Get too fired up about it...

[Shawn Kimbro]

Don't you guys have better things to do than worry about what me and Jamie think about trolling? I mean, c'mon. With all the challenges out there to sport fishing, you want to go after your friends? Greg, I'm surprised and disappointed. You have more worthy battles to fight.

Reds, I dunno if you're talking about me, but you are damn right I am working to reduce the killing of pre-spawn cows and it ain't no secret. I think a slot is the best way to handle it.

[Shawn Kimbro]

So now I get a backchannel message that says, "we know you are working behind the scenes to ban trolling."


What?

Like I said, I don't have a dog in the fight. The only "behind the scenes" stuff I even know about is that DNR is preparing a "Best Practices" list for trolling. I didn't have anything to do with it and wasn't asked for my input. In fact, when I heard about it, the first person I called to get advice was....... guess who, Greg "Be Faithful". Why? Because I know he understands the issues better than I do.

Otherwise, I've had some conversations with some people (not DNR) about trying to get cradle net videos on some trolled fish for CarefulCatch.com. I hope to do that at some point.

I'm not, never will be, never want to be, in a position to have any political input on trolling. If it comes up again in C&R, of course I'll stand with the trollers because it's rediculous to go after the least harmful method. Read my lips: I support C&R trolling and C&K killing except for killing the cows.

That said, I don't see why everyone isn't casting lures because of how easy it is. And, I'm still gonna laugh at you when you're dragging around those rake handles. I look at trolling like bad breath. Some of my best friends do it but I don't want it right it in my face. So shoot me. Every fishing friend I have, on the Bay or otherwise, sometimes trolls. So far, except for Greg, they haven't started shooting.

So, I'm also gonna take the most drastic political action I've ever taken on this subject. I'm gonna say a prayer for Greg: "Dear Lord, please let Greg catch more fish with 24 rods than I catch with one so he will shut up and leave me the hell alone."

[JohnnyO]

Man I am all sorts of poorly named things because I troll,chum,live line and jig! My heart certianly is in the right place though in my truly humble opinion when it comes to the verilaty of the fishery and getting along with other anglers.
I trolled with 10 rods 2 days in a row and boated 1 fish each day for what it's worth.I like to eat fish and follow the rules set by our govt.. I would be fine with a 1 fish creel limit year round in all bodies of water Rock roam, it wouldn't keep me off the water one more second than I already do. I personally find enjoyment in caching fish with each different type of fishing because it is a challeng or sometimes just a nice change of pace, but i can assure you there is some talent in setting up and catching fish using a trolling spread and sometimes more than jigging!
It doesn't make any sense to me as we ALL have rights (commercial,rec and so on) set up by the powers that be to bust on anyone that follows the rules!
Most anglers are men (or boys in mens bodies!) and there in lies the problem! Our egos, our wounds and other issues we have as men are the problem and there is only one way in MHO to correct that.

Johnny O

[reeltor]

I hope he catches more too...I'm out with him often

Point made time to move on....together. Sounds like we have the same big picture goal in mind, protecting the cows.

[jumbo1]

When this first started out I was sincerely trying to prove a point to a guy at work...about the number of rods he can fit on his boat...
But it seems as though some "true colors" are coming out...
Let's see...I have trolled...chummed..live lined..and didn't like any of them...LTJing is my thing..
Truth is trolling is the easiest way of fishing there is...IMHO opinion the reason trollers don't like LTJing guys is because they can't do it!.....
It's the only game they have,...
Greg..you know damn well I have bmailed you for trolling advice in the past..and as far as this bull about having "all of this repsect" for me and Shawn...Than why do our names keep being brought up.?

I got a bmail from a troller who is really a mate on a charter who keeps posting about how well his boat has done trolling....thats the Capt not the mate...I say good for Him!...
I was accused of being an "arrogant" LTJer....
OK I am...who gives a Crap!!
So let's do this...you trollers (Or should I say the ones that have a problem with LTJers)go back to riding around in the spring and killing cows and us LTJers can catch the rest of the year...and we'll keep catching.....You know as well as I do a monkey can catch a fish with a parachute..(though I have struggled at times with it)..
And don't foget about the Cow Killing MSSA Slaughter too......I have referred to that many times and I think thats how this whole thing started...
Dam glad I bought a Parker!

[5th Tuition]

I was out the other day on a friends boat and we were trolling. After several hours, we only had one fish. If only we had one of those trolling monkeys at the helm.

But seriously; I'd be willing to buy a drink for Shawn, Jamie, Greg, me, and that booze hound monkey (if we can sneek him in the bar); just to stop the misunderstandings among friends.
Come on Baldy, set up another TF get together. I need some more of Fish Nut's chutes anyway.
5th (Marty)