Harvest of Bass from Warren Area

[muskyjerk]

Tough issue for me, not only because of the Amish families my family has been friends with for 25 years, but also because I see enough of some ethnic groups that are no-licenses, over-limit fishermen.
I've never fished with the Amish but they sure are happy when I share fish and return the favor with farm grown food.
Could the "English" or non-Amish be dressing up in Amish garb as part of their poaching scheme.(:

Solution- Alert your local WCO about the place and individuals so he patrols. Especially if it is a consistent pattern. It'll be out of your hands and you'll know you have done what you can within your limits as an angler.

Please - No Amish lynch mobs. Plenty of people think the rules don't apply to them. sit at a stop sign and see how many people don't even slow down.

[ppalko]

Honestly the "who" involved does not concern me. It's the insane harvest rate that is occurring. The particular group involved has the time to fish everyday for months and is using that time to systematically catch and harvest huge numbers of fish. It would be no different than if a guide decided to keep every legally caught musky and pike in his boat. They have the ability to fish everyday for an extended period and could harvest a lot of fish if inclined. The impact of just one guide doing this would be severe I believe. Obviously, a guide doing this would make little sense as he would be hurting the fishery in which they make their money and thank goodness just about every guide I know practices catch and release. The group I'm observing seems to have little regard for the future of this fishery and the impact of harvesting so many fish. Even if they are doing this in a completely legal manner, I can't imagine that the bass population will be the same in the future in this area of the river and that is sad.