Bluegill Guided trips (a few pics added)

This gill season has about 3-4 weeks remaining and the bite is still pretty good. Of anyone would like to get in on some of the action, please give me a shout at 2149261255. I've added a few pics of some of our trips...

Nice job!

What lake?

Nice haul! Good job.

Wow, you guys sure are working those bedding fish over pretty hard.

Hmmm...Abuse of a finite resource ?

Kind of my thoughts as well. I take some really good slabs off my favorite lakes but I nearly always turn the larger fish loose, unless they are hooked in the gills, and I rarely keep more than a half a dozen for my own table. If all these slabs are coming off the beds then that is a lot of spawners out of the gene pool. Not cool in my humble opinion.

Fairfield from what I heard by someone.

I can certainly appreciate resource concerns Tom Rom and Vogey. That being said .harvest is absolutely imperative and even tho there is no " state imposed" limit on bluegills I impose one myself. We have not impacted the resource in the slightest and do know that bluegill are not only caught off beds...They are caught free roaming, in grass, on trees etc. Thanks for the feedback

Slab...Just curious how you know that you "have not impacted the resource" in the slightest ? Is this an opinion, or has there actually been studies that support this claim ? I have read several articles about other states that have placed restrictions on the numbers of sunfish taken from their waters because it DID impact the resource significantly. I know that our growing season for these fish is longer, and they probably spawn many more times than those in many other states north of here, but if everyone takes the same approach as you, I don't see how the resource can't be devastated.

It won’t take “everyone” doing this to devastate the QUALITY of the bluegill in that lake. Just all the guides that are strip mining this lake of trophy size bluegill using sidescan sonar. Slabrador is far from the only one doing this.

It has been PROVEN without question that if you harvest the biggest bluegill the balance on the lake will be impaired and the size will decrease.

You guys should limit your harvest to fish NO LARGER than 9 inches. If you do this one thing your impact will be lessened significantly.

.

Hey Vogey I actually have communicated extensively with a biologist that worked for the lake that I'm fishing and according to creel studies and other surveys the sunfish population is beyond great!! Many of the gills don't bed up at all and will never see a hook at all. I do realize that the preference of some would still be the same regardless of evidence and that is perfectly understandable but just know that we are working to guide responsibly. There arent but a few people that guide the lake im fishing and i cant count them on one hand. I'm out there I know. Thanks for your concerns and your points are well taken

Wisconsin DNR did a study that showed small lakes like Fairfield do get negatively impacted by removing too many large males. By fishing for spawning fish and removing the numbers and size in your pictures, you will find it hard to convince most of us and I bet the fish biologist for Fairfield that repeated harvests like you are showing wont have an impact.

Personally I have always followed to concept of limit your catch, don't catch your limit. Now there are some exceptions like when they stock trout because none of those fish will survive the summer heat to spawn but on naturally reproducing fish I follow that concept. That's just me and you are free to disagree but a fish with no daily bag limit still should not be fished too heavily. I want the people 10 years from now to enjoy the resource as much as I do.

just because you can doesn't mean you should

As previously mentioned I do have a self imposed limit for my clients and I gladly welcome any client who'd like to do a "catch and release" trip. That being said most clients desire fish and we certainly work to provide a few fish for them. Flags I'd like to see fish around beyond 10 years . There is a such thing as too many fish in a lake in which size is impacted. There are some professionals that have equal or greater conviction than you that bountiful harvest is imperative to the health of a lake. The truth will speak for itself and we'll await to hear what it has to say. I realize there will always be a differing view regardless of the side of the street u stand on..it's all apart of living.All conversations can be had. Just be sure to do them with respect and consideration for each other. Yall take care

Actually you have not mentioned a "self imposed limit." I just looked over your posts. All I know is that you posted some pics that showed an awful lot of big slabs that will never get the chance to spawn again. In the pictures you posted in the original post there are at least 200 fish in the photos and most of those are really good sized gills. Instead of filling the cooler with 9 and 10 inch fish why not require all the big slabs be released and let your clients keep the 6 and 7 inchers for the table? That is exactly what they do with the big cats on Tawakoni. The big fish go back in the water and they will let you catch a bunch of 2 and 3 pounders for the table. This insures good populations down the road.

Value the resource, don't treat it as a way to plus up your bank account.

Slab...Would you be willing to provide the name and number for the biologist that you have been working extensively with ? Thanks...

You overlooked this post Flags: It clearly states "even tho there is state imposed limit on bluegills I impose one myself

"I can certainly appreciate resource concerns Tom Rom and Vogey. That being said .harvest is absolutely imperative and even tho there is no " state imposed" limit on bluegills I impose one myself. We have not impacted the resource in the slightest and do know that bluegill are not only caught off beds...They are caught free roaming, in grass, on trees etc. Thanks for the feedback

For the record. Slabs this size don't start spawing when they get this size. The notion that these fish have not already contributed to the "gene pool" for several years is unfounded. From the time of maturity the genetics of these fish are circulated through the lake.

Lastly Flags..Guiding is how I take care of my family. ..u may not personally see value in a job like that but I do as well as many others. It's a really cool job!! This has been an interestingI thread. Please understand that 'm not seeking anyone's approval AT ALL but if you guys really want people to HEAR u and consider what you have to say u might be a bit more tactful. Your energy can be perceived as flagrant if someone didn't give u the benefit of the doubt.

I have kind of adopted Chuck's (Bankers) rule of thumb. The perfect eating size 7 to 9 inches. Anything over 9" goes back unless gut hooked. I am also OK with fish being kept as long as no laws are being broken. I have fished Fairfield a couple of times over the years and have always caught plenty of top quality fish. I also feel that "Trophy Fish" sunfish 10" or over should all be released. They are the gene pool of the water body.

If Slab or anyone else, is over harvesting, there would be limits and size restrictions, and there are not. If he catches a lot of big ones, they're replaced by nature. That's how it works. Just like black bass and others, if you like to eat them, eat them.

All of those fish will probably not get cleaned and cooked. A smaller self imposed limit on keepers makes sense. Catch all you want, but keep only enough for a meal or two.

I have always kept enough fish to eat throughout the year. I made sure that nothing went to waste. Most of my trips are catch & release. However I usually make a couple of trips a year where I stock up my freezer. I always stay in the limits and release the trophy fish to spawn again. That is just me. I do not care one way or the other what a angler keeps or releases as long as it is following the law.

I see pics of 100s of sandies lined up on boards and no one flinches..flinched...

My concern with these meat hauls like those and the one here is that the meat maybe wasted. I know a lot of guys who like to go out to "stock their freezer". And then a year later are throwing out tons of fish because it's freezer burned now

That is a serious problem.

There's a good reason why we can harvest fish like that.; It simply doesn't harm the population. If it did, there would be a limit. The state biologist probably has a little firmer grip than most of the critics on here. As far as a study in Wisconsin, that's a whole different ball game and has nothing to do with Texas. I'll leave limits and possession limits to the state biologists who are experts in that field. They are so plentiful, you can use them for cut bait. It's kind of like black bass. I eat every one I catch that's legal size.

Great trips there. Looks like everyone had some fun. I fish them(just not that size) with my daughter at Fork. Every once in while we get a few over 8 inches and just have a blast. They pull so hard on 3 and 4 lb line and a UL rod. I would like to learn more about catching the larger fish more consistently. Maybe just haven't found them on Fork yet.

What is the largest you have caught?

Well unfortunately whether you see nothing wrong with what some think is meat hunting, it appears Fairfield will be closed to the public at the end of this year. Maybe the guides can offer their services to the new owners.