Rich

The baitfish can be harvested and sustained with regular catch limits. I've seen no negative impact of the current limits on the perch or bluegill populations where I fish. Crappies, perhaps, i feel a lower limit would also be best. For predatory fish, genetics are of much higher importance, as much fewer fish, even in prime conditions, make it to the "trophy" or even above average size range.

I think a slot limit seems like a viable solution in most situations, provided it were abided and enforced. It would seem to be the best way of keeping the breeding/large genetic fish in a waterbody. And manage the smaller fish from overpopulation which is actually a main problem on most fisheries. Too many small fish.

Worms sure can be specific if you know how to rig em ... As for near you, keep a spinner on the line. Its simple. Cast and reel. It catches almost anything around, of all sizes, and covers lots of water so you can get an idea where the fish are congregating. Pier 4 park has plenty to catch, albeit sees lots of shore pressure, but enough throws of a spinner in that area never left me disappointed. Binbrook is great too, lots of shore access to many fishy spots. Walk a little further than the obvious spots and you may have a very memorable day. When you throw a spinner, fan-cast the area you're in, try a variety of retrieves, twitches, stops, etc and let the fish tell you what they want. Before you move to the next spot, be sure you've tried EVERY inch of water in a bunch of different ways before moving on. Pressured predators can be annoyed into biting. Good luck!

Is there any way to teach the masses "selective harvest"? Keeping the largest perch, crappies or bluegills you catch is the obvious preferred choice, and understandably. These fish are essentially baitfish and would be difficult to eradicate with sportfishing practices. However, i still just dont get the ignorance/stupidity of people dragging home stringers of big bass, pike or other predatory fish. Like, why? Those fish are unhealthy to be consumed as they are old and have soaked up years of pollutants. They dont taste as good, i dont care what anyone says as i tested the theory as a youngster. Largemouth bass in the 12-14" range are among my favorites to eat. 16" and up, i wouldn't even wanna smell that cooked driftwood. Night/day taste difference, even fried. Still, i fish a lotta little lakes and rivers, and see way too many important, large, breeding fiah go home in buckets or stringers. I often try to inform the people of the polluted fish they are keeping, but most go into this old school, defensive "its my legal right" rant and just can't be reasoned with. Seriously, the bucket your fish is in is the reason your prize is so damn rare! Thats my rant of the day. Tried to keep it non-biased and civil. Please do the same.

But, p.s. - nothing beats a live worm once the fish are used to their reservoir surroundings. Good luck!

Big O crankbaits work very well in the stocked conservation areas i fish, provided they are deep enough. Otherwise a panther martin #3 is your best bet. Gold blade, orange fur.

This is undoubtably a sign of alien attack.

I was cheap and converted my boat mount lowrance into a portable. Tackle box mounted and used an old swiffer sweeper handle and zip ties for the transducer on the go.

I have 33 fishing rods, lol. Lots of "spares" to tinker with. And yes, i tried the super 8 and the suffix superbraid (forget the name now) this spring. Both were alright, but the PP still didnt deal well with cold or rain. The Sufix was sufficient but frayed a little too easily for my liking. I still love my stealth best. It might just be a confidence thing, i dunno.

I find all power pro awful. I use spiderwire stealth as recommended by a local guide, and have for 5 years now. Never had a problem with it like other braids.

A couple wraps of electrical tape on the male end always sufficiently solved the problem for me.

Events like this, are just plain awesome! Love it!

The scariest experience i had was fishing a local stream for browns, this is southern ontario keep in mind, when 20ft away on a small island was a pack of timberwolves. Definitely nothing else. Not wild dogs, wayyyyy too big to be just dogs. They were about 5" Taller than me and my buddy with me, we agreed. We creeped across the creek to watch them, and minutes later they saw us and took off. Im sure neither one of us will forget that. My mom has seen lone wolves in the area a few times as well while walking her dog on the trails.

I personally have seen nothing but bad, in any freshwater lake being commercially fished for anything but panfish. Maybe they could focus on perch to supplement their quotas, instead of walleye, if only just for a few years. Perch fillets average $2/lb more at the grocery store i work at, and a far more plentiful. Leave the walleye for the great lakes netters!

Whatever everyone else on the pier isnt using is usually what will smash them

I wouldnt bother trying to catch muskies there. Fish pike with the biggest baits you have and you will likely eventually come across a musky. The pike are rather plentiful and will keep you busy enough, as im sure you know already. Worm harnesses drifted fast or trolled slow (electric motor speed 1) in 15-20feet is how i connected with walleye there, but not many and never a big one.

Look for shallower, hotter water than largemouth live in, with some lily pad and weed cover, wear polarized lensed glasses and look for surface activity.

I just don't report catching them, cuz it's so brutally common and easy. I'd honestly be embarassed if I did.

lol... minnows should be the fallback alternative to your perch techniques..

Every lake is different, but pike are pike. 8 - 12 ft is what I would consider shallow pike fishing, anywhere. In that depth range you can catch them on shallow running lures, year round. Provided they are in the area. Unfortunately there is a large part of the day that pike, especially bigger ones, just don't feed. Unless you happen to get your bait 5 inches from their face and make it look half dead, you probably won't hook a lot of fish. Patience and perseverance is the only trick to summertime fishing. Oh, or you can use dead bait under a float which works year round, and catches the biggest pike in the lake.

I bet a fallfish that size fought just like a musky!

Good stuff mang! Lemme know if you can do some river smallies one of these days!

At least someone is using a seadoo for something productive.

Can't wait for next year's event. Though I think next year I'll likely spend sitting on shore next to a cooler with a live worm out. lol

I think they called them silver pike.. Lmao