Ron620DVS Loc: Guntersville Alabama

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.....🎣🐠🐸🦞USA....."Gone Fishing!!-----~~~<*))}}}}>><{{ 🎣🐠🐸🦞USA.....

About Fishing: The Ethics Of Fishing.....


What impact does better fishing electronics have on the fisheries resource? How does fishing spots marked with GPS coordinates, shared readily with others, affect game fish populations? Or the growing popularity of luxury home sleeper wheelhouses? What will the additional day and night fishing pressure do to the fishing and the resource?

These are questions often discussed in the boat, fish house, coffee shop and campfires around the state—questions that are now being discussed at citizen specie resource committee meetings organized by the Minnesota DNR around the state.

There are no easy answers, that is for sure. Or do we do anything at all? How do we get the message about the importance of ethical fishing practices and focus on how wrong it is taking more fish then legally allowed?

Ninety percent of fish harvested from a body of water can happen during the winter. The resources are accessible, and people have more time for fishing during the winter compared to the summer.

With more anglers fishing longer hours on the ice, it is possible a spike in fish harvest is happening.

Are anglers getting the message of the importance of ethical harvest practices that fits best for the resource? For example, an angler relatively new to fishing recently shared his experience on a hot crappie bite with a friend of his. The lake had a five crappie limit.

The crappie were found in 35 of water and very cooperative. Instead of keeping a limit of five fish apiece and stopping, they kept fishing, releasing the smaller ones, concentrating on keeping only the bigger fish. The pair admitted to releasing 80 to 90 crappie in one evening., assuming that all the fish released survived, which is not always the case. ( "Crappie Caught In Deeper Water, Then Released, Are At Risk For Delayed Mortality.")

At an area lake, several wheelhouses converged on a hot crappie spot. They were part of a larger statewide organization with over 15,000 members. On a lake of less than 500 acres, the group fished day and night. They wanted only the larger crappie. They tried to release the smaller ones. Realizing the fish that could not be released, they refused to keep the fish. They chose to bury them in the snow, with the carcass remains of crappie that were cleaned and taken home. They relied on fishing spots marked with GPS coordinates shared from another wheelhouse outing.

Another group converged on Lake of the Woods, camped on a walleye/sauger spot. During three days of fishing, they caught eight limits of walleye and sauger, all which were consumed while on the ice, then kept a limit for each angler to take home.


It is not the wheelhouse that causes concern. Instead it’s those inside, raising eyebrows.

In my opinion, we shouldn’t blame or limit wheelhouses with special restrictions. The popularity of ice fishing has increased with better equipment, and wheelhouses are part of the boom. Comfortable wheelhouses and warmer clothing enhances the appeal for more people to ice fish and stay out longer on the lakes. Placing more restrictions could curb fishing enjoyment and participation. Instead, let’s educate anglers as to why it is critically important to always practice of ethical fishing for the long-term sustainability of the resource. Limits are set for a reason and it’s important to adhere to them.



.....🎣🐠🐸🦞USA....."Gone Fishing!!-----~~~<*))}}}}>><{{ 🎣🐠🐸🦞USA.....



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