This Makes Me Mad!

I was looking around in a marina in Ludington at some of the fish, and I found a 4 inch burbot dead. I think that it was caught in a minnow trap, and died, since the water is like 4 feet deep and really warm. There aren't any currents going into the marina either, so it wasn't pushed in there by the water.

I had been finding a lot of large golden shiners with their heads half cut off on the beach at the reservoir by my house. So then two weekends ago I see this guy (who looks like his own uncle...) fishing from shore, he catches a large ~10in shiner and throws it on the sand.

So I says to him, "Out of curisoity, why are you killing the all the shiners you catch?"

He says, "I leave 'em for the seagulls. They're junk, and a pain in the ass. Besides you can't eat 'em."

So I says, "I think the seagulls do just fine without your help. There plenty of people all over the world that would eat a minnow that size, if you're after a meal. But what bothers me is that the walleye I'm aiming to catch out there tonight would certainly eat that and the hundreds or thousands of young that that single fish would make next spring. Not to mention it would feed the fish you want to eat. Think about life beyond your hook for a second, Buddy."

I can't repeat what he said then. But, I haven't seen anymore shiners on the beach

I had been finding a lot of large golden shiners with their heads half cut off on the beach at the reservoir by my house. So then two weekends ago I see this guy (who looks like his own uncle...) fishing from shore, he catches a large ~10in shiner and throws it on the sand.

So I says to him, "Out of curisoity, why are you killing the all the shiners you catch?"

He says, "I leave 'em for the seagulls. They're junk, and a pain in the ass. Besides you can't eat 'em."

So I says, "I think the seagulls do just fine without your help. There plenty of people all over the world that would eat a minnow that size, if you're after a meal. But what bothers me is that the walleye I'm aiming to catch out there tonight would certainly eat that and the hundreds or thousands of young that that single fish would make next spring. Not to mention it would feed the fish you want to eat. Think about life beyond your hook for a second, Buddy."

I can't repeat what he said then. But, I haven't seen anymore shiners on the beach

Way to go! I had a similar situation, but the guy was throwing Mooneyes up on the shore.

That would be one way to get some mooneye's and do a community service. Save the mooneye's from the birds.
How big were most of them?
I don't think killing the burbot was intentional because around Ludington, I've learned that most people have a lot of respect for fish (except gobies, which I don't blame them for).
My friend goes down to florida and says that they hate bowfin and kill them a lot, but in the marina, the people really enjoy watching them, and if bored, catch a few and release them right away.

Way to go! I had a similar situation, but the guy was throwing Mooneyes up on the shore.

People are so stupid. When I've been out in the field, there were definitely times when I probably should have said something, but my desire to save the ichthyofauna was outweighed by the desire not to have some redneck sic the dogs on me and/or break my neck. You guys are lucky that you can get away with challenging these morons, though. The message probably sinks in better when it is delivered by a burly guy rather than a 5'3" tall girl.

People are so stupid. When I've been out in the field, there were definitely times when I probably should have said something, but my desire to save the ichthyofauna was outweighed by the desire not to have some redneck sic the dogs on me and/or break my neck. You guys are lucky that you can get away with challenging these morons, though. The message probably sinks in better when it is delivered by a burly guy rather than a 5'3" tall girl.

How about a 5' 2" 14 year old. People think I'm just some little kid trying to catch minnows on the bank. Sometimes this is helpful because they don't really question me about what I caught, or if they do, I can act like I know nothing and just say some crayfish and minnows when I'm really catching pike and bass.

How about a 5' 2" 14 year old. People think I'm just some little kid trying to catch minnows on the bank. Sometimes this is helpful because they don't really question me about what I caught, or if they do, I can act like I know nothing and just say some crayfish and minnows when I'm really catching pike and bass.

Ignorance is not an excuse.

Ignorance is not an excuse.

Agreed.

(scottefontay @ Nov 5 2007, 11:10 AM)
I had been finding a lot of large golden shiners with their heads half cut off on the beach at the reservoir by my house. So then two weekends ago I see this guy (who looks like his own uncle...) fishing from shore, he catches a large ~10in shiner and throws it on the sand.

So I says to him, "Out of curisoity, why are you killing the all the shiners you catch?"

He says, "I leave 'em for the seagulls. They're junk, and a pain in the ass. Besides you can't eat 'em."

So I says, "I think the seagulls do just fine without your help. There plenty of people all over the world that would eat a minnow that size, if you're after a meal. But what bothers me is that the walleye I'm aiming to catch out there tonight would certainly eat that and the hundreds or thousands of young that that single fish would make next spring. Not to mention it would feed the fish you want to eat. Think about life beyond your hook for a second, Buddy."

I can't repeat what he said then. But, I haven't seen anymore shiners on the beach

All good points, and I have had quite a few close encounters of the mentally retarded kind as well, glad to see I'm not alone. It amazes me how many people think their they're doing the world some huge !@#$ing favor in killing a 'too small to eat' or 'pest' fish, instead of simply letting the little guy go or doing something else with it. Or, there is this hillbilly moron who left out a bunch of dead brook trout on the dock a few years ago up here for the raccoons and the birds at Round Lake (local sunfish and trout heaven, by the way ), but then a hungry black bear shows up, and then it's all the bears fault for wanting to eat like the birds and the raccoons, and then Fish and Game comes out to take the bear out because it acts like a hungry wild animal that just found a food source. It is this simple minded but (sometimes) well-meant stupidity that instigates stuff like those problem gators in Texas and Florida who eat all the small rat-like dogs and retired people.

I'm amazed our goverment allows these people to mate and make offspring! Anyways, I just had to rant. Oh, by the way, I'm in the situation of being a seventeen year old, one hundred and eighty-nine pound male who lifts weights and plays sports, so if someone is giving me a bunch of bolognao the point I can't stand it, I will defend myself, and sometimes I had to, but those are stories for a different post, eh!?

The message probably sinks in better when it is delivered by a burly guy...

Thanks, no one has ever called me burly before...

Seriously though, I have found that most stupid things people do are not done out of evilness or with bad intent, just ignorance. Approaching someone doing something "bad" is tricky. Never put someone down, you will turn them right off. If someone isn not breaking the law, say your point (be direct , short and polite) and don't indulge someone in meaningless argument. Some folks are too proud to be wrong, especially if they are with their kids or buddies, etc, but may think about it and not do it again (or they may tell their new fishing partner that they know something they don't and pass on the word).

I lost my temper with the person in my litlle story, not the first interaction I had with this miserable little man. A week prior to that event he yelled at me for launching my canoe next to where him and his wife were fishing.....next to the canoe launching area. Brilliant.

Ignorance is not an excuse.

I know, I just don't like people coming up to me and being like, "those aren't bass, they're largemouth minners", or something like that. Then they try to give me a lesson on how to catch fish properly. Once, someone actually took my net and chased a group of banded killies around for like 10 minutes trying to catch them before I told them I get the point on how to catch them.

I had been finding a lot of large golden shiners with their heads half cut off on the beach at the reservoir by my house. So then two weekends ago I see this guy (who looks like his own uncle...) fishing from shore, he catches a large ~10in shiner and throws it on the sand.

So I says to him, "Out of curisoity, why are you killing the all the shiners you catch?"

He says, "I leave 'em for the seagulls. They're junk, and a pain in the ass. Besides you can't eat 'em."

So I says, "I think the seagulls do just fine without your help. There plenty of people all over the world that would eat a minnow that size, if you're after a meal. But what bothers me is that the walleye I'm aiming to catch out there tonight would certainly eat that and the hundreds or thousands of young that that single fish would make next spring. Not to mention it would feed the fish you want to eat. Think about life beyond your hook for a second, Buddy."

I can't repeat what he said then. But, I haven't seen anymore shiners on the beach

Dont ever come to Miami . Complete disregard for fishing regulations not to mention most dont have fishing licenses . Water snakes that swim by have rocks thrown at them.
Some cast right infront of softshells or big sliders trying to hook them (havent seen one yet get hooked) . Cigarrette boxes-beer cans thrown right into the water the list goes on.

I dont blame the people because people (well some) will do what they can get away with and the politicians here couldnt care less . They I blame 100%

I dont blame the people because people (well some) will do what they can get away with and the politicians here couldnt care less . They I blame 100%

Education, not legislation. That's my new mantra.

Education, not legislation. That's my new mantra.

I agree with you on this Irate, education is the only way to defeat ignorance. However, I think that somethimes you first need to slap ignornace in the face...a ticket can help...