OH, just think how big those native texas bass would have been if back in the old days of the 40's and 60's they had tossed them back instead of having stringers of them like we do with sandbass.......

If blackbass were easy to catch then more folks would be doing it day in and day out.....I tried it, caught several, but no way am I fishing a tourney again, way too much work and not enough fun...so my bass fishing is on private waters and I catch tons of them, oh it is fishing and you have to figure out what they want, but the reward is the 7 to 10 fish that are caught on a fairly regular basis....and nobody complains when you keep a few.

I have caught small bass on CC, up to 3 lbs on slabs, rattletraps etc...no bones about it, it is a bonus and if they want to keep it, then it goes in the box. I took a picture of a 6 I caught on CC on a rattletrap and pitched it back, but if that 12lb plus monster had swallowed the yellowbass that had swallowed my slab, she had a date with the taxidermist and the folks at TPW or maybe even the LUNKER program.

A very well written response, Thank You Mr. Turner and the NSBA. Let's keep converting those greenfish fisherman!

I read that as lakes age, they naturally lose their structures due to decay. And as the amount of LMB habitat are reduced so does the LMB population. But sandies and stripers don't depend on logs, stumps and such and thrive in open waters. So it's the loss of habitat that hurts one species and helps another.

I received word last night that the paper and the editor have received a number of letters, emails and calls concerning the article above. Local fishermen's letters are support to begin running in the next few days "letter to the Editor" column, and my rebuttal letter is suppose to run in next Sundays paper.

Don't let up now. If you have not contacted them, please do so. Please keep the responses factual based and a positive witness toward our sport. However, they still need to hear our voice. The newspapers editor took a meeting from our local NSBA representative (David Lindhag) only after she was informed he was their representing striped bass fishermen. Per David, she has admitted that it was a mistake to allow the article out on publication.

Remember, the main purpose of Mr. Harps article was to get fishermen to attend the May meeting of the Arkansas Fish and Game Commission and to demand that the Arkansas Commission stop stocking stripers in Arkansas waters. Our cry must still be heard, especially from those who buy Arkansas fishing license and fish in Arkansas waters as I have enjoyed doing in the past and plan to do in the future.

Again, thanks to those who have made your voice heard and thanks in advance to those that will make their voices heard now,

Warren

iwannablikeron, you are exactly right. The aging process of a reservoir combined with natural situations such as flooding during spawning periods have the biggest negative affect on the "black bass, crappie, and bream" fisheries, just to name a few. Additionally, man can cause additional problems in reservoirs and/or in the rivers below a reservoir by their dam hydro flow management practices. But the co-existence of striped bass and/or hybrid striped bass in a fishery has been proven to be the optimal fishery management position. Even the head of organizations such as BASS have publicly acknowledged this fact.

Thanks for all the nice support here. LMB, crappie, bream, catfishing, etc, and Striped bass fishermen should support a unified stance, not a divisive stance to our fishery. We are, by the way, ALL fishermen! And the threat on our freedom to fish responsibly is a present and growing trend as less and less children are introduced to this great passtime each year.

Warren Turner
President, NSBA

Hang em .....Hang em .........I say

To quote a famous old guy:
"You can't argue with stupidity, but you can darn sure beat it into submission with a 2x4"

It's obvious that the writers opinion won't get much happiness here from striped fish guides. I share his opinion of Stripers as table fare, prefer to catch Blue cats of any size, which as the fishery matures can control the shad population and last of all want my tax and fishing liscense dollars spent on fish I pursue. Just my opinion, no nukes please.

I just received a call from a striped bass fisherman on Ouachita Lake near Hot Springs. He has in his possession a newsletter and flyer for an organization that Mr. Harps is apparently a part of that is spreading the same misinformation that he wrote in his column to try and bring pressure on the Fish and Game Commission in Arkansas to stop stocking striped bass. Apparently this movement is spearheaded by a small group of local largemouth fishermen and up until recently they have made some headway in their quest.

I just wonder why, if they are so sure that their accusations are right, that they do not seek an opinion from the BASS headquarters. I already know the answer. BASS has publicly acknowledged that the co-existence of striped bass and largemouth in large deep water reservoirs is the best way to optimize the fishery for trophy largemouth and striped bass.

If you have not sent the newspaper above your letters, emails, and/or phone calls, please do so. This is a significant threat. If a small group of misinformed and ignorant people can make bad policy happen in one fishery, if could be your fishery next.

Warren Turner
President, NSBA
864-848-4417

Misinformation who is to say? I knew Texoma before stripers and liked it. If you have to shift biomass from sand bass to stripers I say you lose. It all depends on your focus. Fewer stripers, fewer striper guides fewrer rude boaters same with Black bass. I want to see some balance on what my money is being spent on, sort of like reintroducing wolves in my Wyoming elk country, it was a Democrat thing.

Those green sucker mouth fish eat almost as good as a striper. Don't worry too much about people like Mr. Harp, just try to find him some help & always try to eat a black with your striper.