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| In my 45min at the Milwaukee show I picked up a free copy of "Wisconsin Outdoor Guide", just finished looking through it. It says it's the issue for the Muskie Show. On the front page is a tag line "Is Catch and Release Going too Far?" Read the (story) page ,"Reflections" and see what you think. To me it was an insult that this publication targeted at Muskie Hunters at their show would print something like this. Shades of two years ago and the 50" size limit vote. And stories about Little Johnny, With articles like this floating around the popular phrase will be "Catch and Kill".
If you can't stop by their booth and express your feelings about this storie then e-mail them [email protected] | |
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Posts: 336
Location: Lino Lakes, MN | Old Navy,
Im pretty sure that the article was put in there to try and get people to think. I know for a fact that when i started out, I felt a lot of people had the same elitist attitude that you are coming across with right now. Rod does a great job with his FREE paper. He is'nt making any money off of it. The articles are there to help people keep up to date on whats happening on the local lakes. If you actually took the time to read the article, you would see that there is a note stating that they strongly support catch and release, but were printing it to spark some discussion. Personally, I think as a whole, we should work to educate people more than to just jump down their throats. As far as an insult to the musky hunters at "their" show, that is a joke. Rod is one of the best sticks that I know, and there is no way that he meant to insult anyone. I don't see how it could be taken as an insult. If anything, putting the topic out there for discussion does far more good than harm. Look at the board here....people don't always agree with everything that is said, but more often that not, a good discussion comes out of it and people learn things that they might not have previously thought of. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should think about what you are posting before you hop online and rip someone who does a lot of good with his paper. Just my $.02.
Lazer | |
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Posts: 41
| Old Navy,
I'm glad to see that you picked up a copy of the paper. If you would've read through it maybe you would've seen what the article represented and taken it for what is was. Yes, it was one person's opinion just like the one that you expressed yourself. I apologize if this has offended you or anyone else. Bottom line not only am I looking out for the future of my(Our) muskies I'm looking at the future of us as Anglers and moreover Outdoorspeople in general. Judging from what I saw at the musky show this past weekend all of us are not getting any younger and I really didn't see very much new blood coming into our sport. We need to do all that we can to continue to bring our future fisherman up throught the ranks and if that means that a kid can keep a fish and not be chastised for it so be it! Thanks again for reading and more over thanks for the extra publicity you have produced for my publication.
Thank you lazer as well.
Rod Grimme
Managing Editor
SE WI Outdoor Guide Bi-Weekly
[email protected] | |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I read the article, and found it to be very well written (albeit a bit melodramatic). The theme is one I've talked about myself; the elitist attitude that some of us manage to acquire as self appointed Protectorates of ALL fish Great and Lesser. This was a stroy form a KID'S perspective.
If we EVER want to get anywhere with overall public acceptance of solid, well grounded improvements in our regulations improving the trophy potential in Wisconsin, it's education and public relations we need, not grouchy, unfriendly, elitist behavior. We all know the story was a dramatic representation of a possible scenario, BUT I've seen it, up close and personal, and the behavior was even worse. The story:
Russ Roehl, a very good friend of mine, and his lovely wife were fishing Pelican Lake. Russ was an outdoorsman and conservationist, and was a true supporter of MI and the release ethic. His wife caught a 39" fish on a topwater, and the fish just plain died. They know how to handle muskies, Russ had caught many up to near 40 pounds, and had the right tools and abilities. The fish tore out an entire gill grouping, and bled out very quickly. They tried to revive the fish for about a half hour, and gave up.
They then brought the fish in to Thiels, and asked to freeze it for the Taxidermist because it had died, and they didn't want to waste the fish. Everyone in that tavern knew what had happened, and Lou felt terrible the fish didn't make it.
Despite all of this, a guide and local chapter MI member and some of his buddies decided to rip on Russ and Lou anyway. I still am embarrassed for my friends; the behavior was absolutely uncalled for, elitist, boorish, nasty, and any other descriptive term I could use. Lou was VERY upset. The owners, new to the place, didn't seem to care about the behavior at all. Russ never brought his wife, friends, or family back to Pelican, Thiel's, or this area again, which was MY loss, as they were friends and guide clients, too. Russ had released countless muskies on Pelican and other area waters, and his wife had NO intention of keeping a first legal. Brutal. I virtually quit going to that tavern, even though I had been guiding out of that location for near 20 years. ( There, Norm, now you know why I haven't been at the KW Memorial for a few years, long story)
Want to rip on someone for killing a muskie? Take your best shot at me, I've killed a bunch. I've been fishing them for over 30 years, and the release ethic came about many years after I had begun guiding. I have not killed one intentionally since 1984. I did lose a 50" fish on Sioux Narrows a couple years before the new limits went into effect there, tried for over an hour to release her but she had jumped in very shallow water on the rocks and I honestly think she broke her back. I found her floating that very early morning, dead. Russ had released a fish that size on Wabigoon, so I had her mounted and gave the mount to Russ for Christmas. It was the only skin mount in his house. That's FACT, not a story designed to elicit exactly the reactions it did, and show us all how we might appear to someone not familiar with our ethic.
My Two cents.
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | I read "Reflections" yesterday while drinking a beer with an established guide and looking out at Pewaukee lake. He asked me to read it and give my thoughts. I did. Nobody should be judging anybody for keeping a legal fish. There has to be harvest!!! We all know this!! I hate to break this to some of you people, but there's other species in lake ecosystems other than Musky!!!!!
Rod, please don't feel as though you have to offer up an appology to anybody, this article was thought provoking and very very well written...far from being offensive!! If a guy picks up a paper and sees a topic that he doesn't agree with....DON'T READ IT!!!
Edited by Gander Mt Guide 2/14/2005 8:21 AM
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Location: Athens, Ohio | So, how much energy are we gonna expend on an anonymous, one time poster who must have taken his site name from his clothier? One of the highlights of my trips to southern Wisconsin is obtaining the latest copy of Outdoor Guide. Great little paper, I wish it all the best of success. m | |
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| The intent of printing the story was not to promote catch and kill, but to get us thinking about the joy of a kid catching his first big fish and what the elitist attitude is doing to the future of our sport. It has come a long way - I released a musky on Okauchee 22 years ago before catch and release became a widely used term. I've released hundreds of muskies since then but I mounted my biggest before replica mounts were readily available - Does this mean I don't support catch and realease ??
Rod is a respected member of the musky community and has done much for the sport that he is passionate about.
I worked the Outdoor Guide Booth at the Musky Expo with (and sometimes without) Rod all day Sat. & Sun. and did not hear one negative comment about the story.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone...
Kevin Moore
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Wisconsin Outdoor Guide