Pacemaker Fishing Forum

How are we supposed to catch 'em if they keep them all?

Yea no fair.. 50 in 3 hrs ... so where does the 23 dollar a pound filets go?

Capt Mike

Nice job Curly!  I look forward to learning how to fillet them.....once I catch one.  You gotta teach me dude!

I thought electro shocking was done specifically so the fish could be returned to the water unharmed and that Snakeheads had been removed from the "must kill if you catch" list.  Based on those 2 things, why are they being shocked and killed.  There is no sport in that.  And, for those of us who like fishing for them, that is a big hit in numbers making it harder to catch (assuming you are doing this more than once).  Why not return them like you do with the Bass?

Guys,
Cry me a river about the poor NSH (not you Ernie)...............It's a scientific study....plain an simple....samples are taken and a lot of high tech science and research is done on those samples.....not just by VDGIF fisheries biologists, but at many universities across this country too.  I personally know of 4 different scientific studies going on right now.  I'm actually a gov't scientist and am very interested and aware of the studies.  What was "harvested" the other day only encompassed a small and miniscule fraction of the open water in the creek we were on.  You have almost an equal chance on catching a NSH as a bass if you know the correct lure and habitat.  We shocked up about 80 or so bass at the same time as about 50 NSH......that's A 5:8 RATIO of NSH to LMB.  There are tons of NSH in the Potomac......and I assure you that there was a spectacular spawn last year......based on what I saw this week.  NSH is here to stay.  We could have caught over 150, but we harvested only what was necessary for the studies.  Probably 8000+ NSH in that creek.
Learn their patterns and you'll catch a lot.  I've been learning their patterns for 5 years now by going out and helping VDGIF.

You should be thanking VDGIF for their efforts.........instead of bitching and moaning like old ladies.

I apologize for giving the wrong impression.  Writing doesn't communicate very well sometimes.  I am not angry, annoyed, or anything like that, and I certainly wasn't "bitching and moaning like old ladies".  I was just confused because the description of what you were doing was different than how I thought electro shocking was generally done.  I thought it was always used so the fish could be returned alive.  I appreciate the further explanation.  That was all I wanted.  Didn't mean to get everyone riled up.  Again, no anger or jabs or anything intended.  Just asking.....Geez, ask a simple question!

I am not sure one can coralate bass to NSH ratios based on the shocking. Their behaviors are different. Not all bass will be shallow and maybe the NSH are.

And I am not convinced that there are a ton of snakies.....maybe in certain spots at this time of year. They get decimated by the bow hunters; at night when they are vulnerable. THAT is NOT sporting to me.  Easy pickings. Their numbers are down....and so are their sales.

AnF wrote:

Curly wrote:

Guess I have a few hundred dollars in my freezer. No meat was wasted.  They measured, weighed, pulled oteliths, determined male/female, and what each was eating.  Had to kill them to do all that.  Plenty more where those came from........

What were they eating?

Electricity?

little fishes in their stomachs...............