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Posts: 59
| I got one of the most disturbing phone calls of my muskie fishing life today. A friend of mine, who’s one of the most accomplished musky fisherman in WV, called me and told me that for the last month that this group of guys were catching and killing muskies at Stone Coal Lake in WV for the fun of it. He was absolutely livid and rightfully so. I should preface this by stating the DNR rules in regard to muskie fishing here in WV. The bag limit is 2 fish per person per day with a minimum size limit of 30 inches. The grind of it is that what these dirt bags are doing is not illegal. They are using J hooks and live bait (bluegills) to catch these fish (this is a legal practice in this state). To date they have caught and killed 19 muskies from 40” to 48” doing this. The DNR has stopped stocking muskies in WV and what these idiots have done has already set back muskie fishing on this lake back a decade. I have 2 pictures which I’m going to try to attach and I have more on the way. If anybody has any suggestions on what to do about this, I’m all ears.
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Posts: 32954
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Getting the law changed is really the only fix. Limit on my favorite lake here was 1 a day over 30. Now the limit is 50 and almost no one will keep one. |
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Location: The desert | Move from West Virginia. |
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Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | I hate disgruntled bass fisherman.
Sadly it's not illegal and there isn't anything you can do. Just practice and preach good conservation so that others don't fall victim to the dark side. |
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Location: St. Lawrence River | Nothing you can do. They are not breaking the law. You cant expect them to stop doing what they are doing. |
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Posts: 105
Location: Jane Lew, WV | #*^@. No kidding????? I live 15 minutes from Stonecoal and fish it all the time. Who is your friend you heard this from? Hopefully I see those fellas out there sometime, I would like to spread some knowledge.
Edited by darbogast90 8/3/2017 5:42 AM
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Posts: 105
Location: Jane Lew, WV | GOC, I am curious as to where you heard that they stopped stocking muskies in WV? The last report I saw was that they cut back on stocking the Mud, Coal and Guyandotte River to evaluate natural reproduction, but this was also due in part to upgrading the hatchery and losing some space in the process, but as far as completely cutting out the stocking program - I have not heard anything about that.
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/07/25/dnr-will-evaluate-musky-stocking-... |
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| They may not be breaking the law, but the might be. Possession limit is 4 per person. Guessing WV also has a wanton waste law. What are they doing with these fish? I would make the local conservation officers aware. |
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Posts: 59
| PM Sent |
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| darbogast90 - 8/3/2017 6:37 AM
GOC, I am curious as to where you heard that they stopped stocking muskies in WV? The last report I saw was that they cut back on stocking the Mud, Coal and Guyandotte River to evaluate natural reproduction, but this was also due in part to upgrading the hatchery and losing some space in the process, but as far as completely cutting out the stocking program - I have not heard anything about that.
http://wvmetronews.com/2017/07/25/dnr-will-evaluate-musky-stocking-...
This is exactly what I was thinking I had heard as well...havent heard anything about cutting completly..These guys are total idiots people gotta be blasting them on facebook |
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Posts: 611
| I agree, they are most likely over the possession limit. Trout fisherman get busted by word of mouth so this could only help the WV DNR to start a possible investigation on these guys. Also, they are still stocking the lakes with advanced fingerlings as someone else has already mentioned. Thanks for sharing this information! |
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Posts: 61
| My in laws live in WV and the small creek directly across the road from them (arm of the little kanawha) has a bunch of musky in it, guys keep them all the time it totally sucks, it's a small creek and has some really nice holes and fish in it but WV hillbillies don't know any better and they keep them. I'm sure some guys let them go but many are kept. I told my father in law I throw all my musky back and he was like why? They just don't know any better and are uneducated on them, musky are just another fish to them. |
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Location: E. Tenn | Folks do the same on the Clinch and Powell Rivers above Norris Lake in E TN.. Some even try to gig them. No point even attempting the conservation conversation.. |
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| Kgonefishin - 8/3/2017 11:23 AM
My in laws live in WV and the small creek directly across the road from them (arm of the little kanawha) has a bunch of musky in it, guys keep them all the time it totally sucks, it's a small creek and has some really nice holes and fish in it but WV hillbillies don't know any better and they keep them. I'm sure some guys let them go but many are kept. I told my father in law I throw all my musky back and he was like why? They just don't know any better and are uneducated on them, musky are just another fish to them.
Just Sick really I Live in PA but fish WV a lot...I see these guys or any others keeping fish like that I will def try and educate the people just sad they destroying our fisheries with no reguard...Creel and size limits in WV needs to be changed immediately |
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Location: Jane Lew, WV | They may keep them out of Little Kanawha, but I assure you the majority of the guys fishing them in WV are strictly CnR, myself included. I don't personally know anyone that keeps them. I would go out on a limb to say that there are 'uneducated hillbillies' all over this nation that keep muskies.
Edited by darbogast90 8/3/2017 2:10 PM
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Posts: 611
| darbogast90 - 8/3/2017 2:09 PM
They may keep them out of Little Kanawha, but I assure you the majority of the guys fishing them in WV are strictly CnR, myself included. I don't personally know anyone that keeps them. I would go out on a limb to say that there are 'uneducated hillbillies' all over this nation that keep muskies.
Agreed! I think WV is one of the most conscientious groups of muskie fisherman. There are hill jacks everywhere there are muskies. |
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Location: oswego, il | If they end up breaking the law do not hesitate to turn them in. If there is one thing bucket fisherman dislike more than releasing fish, its paying a fine to the government. |
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Posts: 72
| I really hope something is done about this. I am very concerned even though i dont fish that lake that much. What these dimwits need to realize is that if they keep catching and keeping musky like this there wont be anymore to bring back home and brag about to their redneck buddys. A 500 acre lake cant sustain 20 musky a month for very long. Hopefully they slip up and get charged with something. |
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Posts: 59
| Another pic |
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Posts: 59
| another pic
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Posts: 59
| I was indeed incorrect about muskie stocking being stopped all together in WV. My source had misinterpreted some information that he had gotten. Thanks for correcting me on this. However, it's a moot point in the context of what these morons are doing.
I talked to my friend again today and he said that he confronted them and asked them if they new the damage they were doing and they basically laughed at him and called him names. Like someone pointed out earlier these idiots probably only differ by a few base pairs of DNA.
I had received a PM from someone that told me that he had come across these losers and they claimed to have lost six fish in one day. If this is true, that's another six dead muskies that you can add to their kill list and I'm certain that's just scratching the surface. The way that they're fishing, with live bait and a single hook, this is a death sentence for every fish they hook. My friend found a big fat 47" muskie belly up and barely clinging to life. When he tried to revive it he found a cheap mono leader in its mouth that probably led to one of these single hook rigs. More handy work of these idiots I would suspect.
What these idiots don't know, or are probably too ignorant to understand or care about, is that they are single handedly bring this fishery to its knees. This is a low density lake in terms of the muskie population. If this goes on much longer they're going to reduce the number of muskies in this lake to an unfishable population. I've seen this happen in Wisconsin thanks to the efforts of another group of outstanding citizens.
I'm putting together a file of photos for a person that PMed me and offered to present this to the DNR and Muskies Inc. If anybody has any more pictures that are different than what I posted please PM me and I'll give you my email.
Thanks to everyone that replied publicly or privately. |
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Posts: 107
Location: central illinois | This is just terrible for any muskie lake. No matter what size the lake is...period. They look very proud, to be killing all of these fish. This could happen to any lake, in any state, depending on, one bad apple. Just crazy to hear about this. Also crazy, the pontoon troller story on Mille Lacs. Hopefully the WV massacre ends this year. Unlike the pontoon troller, who is way past 10 years of very bad things for muskie fishing on Mille Lacs. Sounds like he can't be stopped or educated! I'm so sorry to hear this goes on in today's fishing world. I thought this kinda thing...was a thing of the past.
Edited by dway 8/3/2017 9:55 PM
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | I see 3 grown men. 4 muskies. Capable of keeping 6. They arnt breaking the law. Not a #*^@ thing you can do dude.. get the law changed. |
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Sad thing is what they are teaching that youngster in the photo. |
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Posts: 556
| I see similar in WISCONSIN every season--(( Mostly resident lake owners who blame the Muskies for not being able to catch their walleye or panfish they are fishing for -- you know-- the Muskies have eaten all the other fish ))-- BUT---As long as they are Legal in terms of how they are fishing them--and legal size limit--legal possession limit--then not much you can do..... I have found out that best think to do is to try and EDUCATE Anglers about CPR... works better than calling them out in most cases---Some will never learn--or care to learn. Hate it when I see it--and I have felt you're frustration.. I have converted a few people and that makes me feel good---But some will never change. |
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Location: St. Lawrence River | I dont believe you can educate these guys. Its 2017. CPR is no secret. With cell phones, internet, fishing forums, television shows.. these guys are not stupid. They are aware that they are the only ones doing this.. They just dont care!
There are plenty of natives killing fish up here. They can do it. And they will.
Edited by JakeStCroixSkis 8/4/2017 9:04 AM
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Location: Ashland WI | Jake is just being honest. Nothing to do about it.
The fish is the resource of the state. Who is to say we are even right?
There is a couple of lakes near my house that are 30'' (might be 28) size limits. I asked a conservation officer at a show if the DNR felt the fish were stunted and some should be removed. If that was the case, I was willing to take some out. He said that was not the case. The state sets some lakes at a lower limit because a certain portion of the population wants some lakes where they have a chance to catch muskies they can keep. Again, we might not agree with it, but they are not our fish. |
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Location: St. Lawrence River | Dirt Esox - 8/4/2017 10:43 AM
Go away Jake from State Farm
Im all set, Joe Dirt. |
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Posts: 343
| I unfortunately got to see muskies slaughtered in Green River Lake during late winter, early spring, and saw the same at Melton Hill in Tennessee. Funny thing was the Green River fish hogs had the nerve to complain, that the fishing wasn't as good as it was in previous years (maybe its because you keep every muskie you catch!) At Melton Hill the striper fisherman would encourage anyone who would listen, to kill every muskie they catch. I got into a few heated discussions with these (sportsman?) and made sure they knew I would turn them in to the Game Warden if I saw them killing undersized muskies or over their limits. That a least would give them something to think about (if they were capable of thinking) and would usually get them to tone down their comments. |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Assuming those who disagree with you are idiots, morons, or stupid is not the way to approach the issue. I'd bet there's an excellent chance they know exactly what they are doing and this reaction is what they expect and are looking for. |
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