Do people not care?

[Pilchard]

I'm not one to say "where I'm from" or "down south" or "in my day" but.... since moving from Florida to TN I have noticed that many people who spend time outdoors are really terrible stewards of the resources this state has to offer. I have seen simple things like people leaving their garbage on a creek bank or discarding fishing line and soft plastics. That sort of thing doesn't really surprise me- there are dirtbags everywhere.

What does surprise me though are the folks that seem to be true sportsman that don't seem to care about how they handle their fish in catch and release scenarios. In the past few weeks since I have gotten serious about figuring out how to fish middle TN waters, I have seen people drag fish across a sandy bank, intentionally let them flop about the rocks, boat swing trophy fish and intentionally let them hit the deck, etc.

To completely contradict my opening statement, it was different where I spent my life before TN. People seemed to take great care to release their fish unharmed and there was an inherent respect for your foe on the other end of the line. Maybe I haven't fished with the folks who are really great anglers in TN but it seems everywhere I turn I see some guy mishandling a fish only to feel good about releasing it.

Thoughts?

 

[WTM]

most havent been taught any better. look at some of the instagram hero pics sometime as it seems to have gotten worse since social media.

 

[WTM]

fyi, this is what i call a hero shot. notice anything about this pic, hint: this guy was busted shortly after this pic for fishing in a closed section.

 

[catman529]

Every popular fishing spot has plastic bags from the gas station and empty chicken liver containers sitting on the bank because people are too dang lazy to take out what they brought in.


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[WTM]

Every popular fishing spot has plastic bags from the gas station and empty chicken liver containers sitting on the bank because people are too dang lazy to take out what they brought in.


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yeah, i always have some garbage bags on my boat to pick stuff like that up.

 

[Pilchard]

Yeah- I see the trash and it's from people who have no care for the environment whatsoever. Those kind are everywhere, not just TN.

I'm more surprised by those that seem to care about the resource but have no idea how to properly handle a fish they intend to release.

 

[Pilchard]

A decent article for anyone that care to read on the topic: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/cat ... e-fishing/

 

[larry ipock]

All you tournament guys oughta learn this. I've seen too many dead and dying after a summer tournament.

 

[RUGER]

fyi, this is what i call a hero shot. notice anything about this pic, hint: this guy was busted shortly after this pic for fishing in a closed section.

Only thing I can come up with is he should have it out of the water and touching it with bare hands?

What am I missing?

 

[WTM]

fyi, this is what i call a hero shot. notice anything about this pic, hint: this guy was busted shortly after this pic for fishing in a closed section.

Only thing I can come up with is he should have it out of the water and touching it with bare hands?

What am I missing?

he was targeting big browns on the redd, see the beat up tail. when he was caught in closed water downstream, he was ticketed. although legal on open water, its considered unethical.

 

[RUGER]

Got ya !!
I wasn't even thinking along those lines... obviously. :D

Same reason they close part of the White I rekon.

 

[7mm08]

It's a blood sport.... bass fisherman fish over beds as well.

Hey, we aren't called TENNESSEE TRASH for nothing! Sad but true. It's not just the waterways it's the roads and streets too.

 

[7mm08]

All you tournament guys oughta learn this. I've seen too many dead and dying after a summer tournament.

Personally I don't think they give a crap about the fish, just winning and getting more sponsors. And before you crucify me, why don't bass tournaments insist on circle hooks and not J hooks ?!

 

[Spurhunter]

What does surprise me though are the folks that seem to be true sportsman that don't seem to care about how they handle their fish in catch and release scenarios. In the past few weeks since I have gotten serious about figuring out how to fish middle TN waters, I have seen people drag fish across a sandy bank, intentionally let them flop about the rocks, boat swing trophy fish and intentionally let them hit the deck, etc.

One of my favorites is the guys who haul fish around in their livewell all day to get a hero pic of the biggest 5 at the end of the day, then release them.

Btw, has anyone noticed Bill Dance pulling on the fish's gill plate all the time? Drives me crazy. Why???

My absolute biggest pet peeve is the tv guy that holds a fish out of the water for 2 minutes while he talks about everything he can think of. Makes me want to hold him under water for a minute or so. Barry Stokes on Fox Sports Outdoors is the WORST!

 

[WTM]

What does surprise me though are the folks that seem to be true sportsman that don't seem to care about how they handle their fish in catch and release scenarios. In the past few weeks since I have gotten serious about figuring out how to fish middle TN waters, I have seen people drag fish across a sandy bank, intentionally let them flop about the rocks, boat swing trophy fish and intentionally let them hit the deck, etc.

One of my favorites is the guys who haul fish around in their livewell all day to get a hero pic of the biggest 5 at the end of the day, then release them.

Btw, has anyone noticed Bill Dance pulling on the fish's gill plate all the time? Drives me crazy. Why???

My absolute biggest pet peeve is the tv guy that holds a fish out of the water for 2 minutes while he talks about everything he can think of. Makes me want to hold him under water for a minute or so. Barry Stokes on Fox Sports Outdoors is the WORST!

my favorite is the bikini gal holding 3 in one hand and 2 in another with her long arse fingernails run all up in the gills.

or possibly the young tourney guys doing the same but dropping 2 fish on the docks. lol, sam about came unglued.

 

[catman529]

All you tournament guys oughta learn this. I've seen too many dead and dying after a summer tournament.

those same tournament guys get all bent outta shape when a guy takes a few bass home for the deep fry


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[Pilchard]

Glad to see a few like-minded folks around here. One thing I know to be different is that there are many scenarios in Florida where your mistakes are magnified. I think this forces a decent person to learn from their mistakes in an effort to take care of the fish they release.

For instance, in deep water, a bottom fish needs extra care to be able to swim back to the bottom due to their swim bladder expanding. If you simply throw them back and don't do anything to help, they just float off behind your boat. Another example would be catching a fish that is too large for your tackle. If this happens when the water is really hot, the fish will literally fight to their death with the lactic acid build up.

From what little I know about fishing here, I can imagine similar scenarios playing out with muskie and trout here in TN.

 

[RUGER]

All you tournament guys oughta learn this. I've seen too many dead and dying after a summer tournament.

those same tournament guys get all bent outta shape when a guy takes a few bass home for the deep fry


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Haven't ya'll been paying attention?
NO fish die after a tournament. If you don't believe it as a tournament fisherman. :rotf:

 

[WTM]

this about the worse tournament post fish kill ive seen. it was terrible, water conditions were terrible with high winds and 3-4 ft swells. this is what caused paris landing to consider banning summer tournaments. there were some summer fish kills at night tournaments on beech lake a couple of years ago that was due ill equipped live wells. it happens but it can be prevented.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wideop ... -pics/amp/

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I don't need to see how people handle the fish to know that they don't care. All I have to do is look at all the trash at the river and lake accesses and boat ramps to know they don't care.

 

[Biggun4214]

It's not tournament fishermen, the lower end of Cherokee Lake closes in July and reopens in September because the striper fishermen were catching fish deep off the oxygen generators and releasing them to die so they could keep fishing. There would be times where 200 or more dead fish would be lying around the picnic and swimming areas.

 

[DRSJ35]

If you read the warnings most lakes and streams are polluted and they recommend not even eating the fish. I eat a bunch of them. But mercury levels must be sky high around the eastern part of the state anyway.

 

[Crow Terminator]

They usually have 1 or 2 river cleanup events per year. I know Tellico River was having one this month (may be this weekend actually). Few people ever show up at them to participate.

Its not just fishermen with trash either...people as a whole, suck and are pigs. Pigs are cleaner than some people. I live on a shortcut access road that people take to go to the county landfill. There are dumped couches, chairs, mattresses, washers, dryers, tires...you name it...in nearly every ditch or pull off on the road. People are too lazy to stop and pick it up if it falls off their trailer and then some don't want to pay the landfill disposal fees and just dump the stuff out. I drove up on 2 guys unloading their couch and junk in one of the curves down from my driveway one night. I knew they weren't heading to the landfill cause it was well past closing. I was a little irate and probably didn't handle it as well as I should have. But I ended up making them load every bit of stuff back onto their trailer. They refused at first but I "persuaded" them into doing so ;) Had another guy that lives down the road that would throw his trash bags out at the end of my driveway instead of going to the landfill. I put a camera up...saw who it was. Promptly saved his bags and some other odds and ends and then distributed them back in his yard. His dogs then had a grand ole time and they decided to help spread the love even more.