Posts: 296
| cdubs - 9/8/2021 11:03 AM
Tournament guys don't even hardly pre-fish anymore. I watched Pete Maina drive around for almost 2 hours one day before he finally stopped and fished. 360 and side imaging are a game changer and I don't necessarily agree with either. Totally taken the art of being a musky guy away. Guys drive around, mark a fish on side image, throw a couple of cast and move on to the next, have no problem cutting in front of guys on a spot to do it. It's totally here to stay though, so I guess we need to get used to it. As far as the sharp shooting, that is happening around my area as well. Hayward, WI area. Also guys are trolling the Thermocline as well and yanking those fish up into warm water on short lines going 4 MPH or greater. Is it an efficient way to catch fish? Absolutely, but as Kirby stated we shouldn't even be targeting those fish as I guarantee it's contributing to dead fish. Long story short, guys these days are more about the pictures and stories than putting in the work to gain knowledge and create the stories. Back in the day nobody said anything about what they were doing and you were able to keep certain things to yourself. Now a guy in my area can dissect 4 or 5 lakes in an afternoon without throwing a cast.
That is right on CDUBS!
IMO, 'Target Fishing' as they call it theses days all borders on being unethical as a fisherman, particularly when the muskies are in their deep water sanctuaries. Its destroying what's left of legendary lakes like Vermilion. Fish need a break, an escape from us, and now we don't allow it. Its really a shame in my eyes, and I think the worst is yet to come. There is no end in site to these electronics.
Stocking is down nearly everywhere for one reason or another. Muskie angling is up and more popular than ever. Mortality/Delayed mortality of adult fish will continue to go up. Its not a good combination. It was rare to see a floater years ago, now it seems to be quite common, and some BIG ones.
Climate changes create warmer epilimnion temperatures on an annual basis these days in the north. Historically the natural evolutionary process is not this quick. Most animals can't adapt fast enough to the current environmental changes going on. Rapid changes in environment lead to the extinction of certain species. I see muskies being on the low end of the survival rate due to increased warmer waters and their sensitivity to them. The don't exist naturally in the warmest areas of North America. They are an apex predator, and naturally exist as a low density population even in the most optimal environment. |
