Nothing from nothing

[atrkyhntr]

100% here talk the talk but don't walk the walk...
Something could have been done about the state of catfishing here in Ohio but when asked to help nobody and I do mean nobody stepped to the plate... when it is to the point that there is nowhere to turn remember you had the chance to make a difference:(
Its always what can someone else do for me and not what can I do for myself and others....:mad:
CatFish Anglers Society was aborted before it had the chance to be born...

[cwcarper]

You could pretty much tell nothing would come of it anyway, other than a good discussion. I didn't see enough support even on this site to take it too seriously. That kind of movement would take a few dedicated leaders who would be willing to take control of things for it to be worthwhile.

[flathunter]

I did not have the time at all to put into it...I have had two days off work since Christmas, and working 12hr days at that........It was going to take someone with alot of time and a little money to see it thru..............I dont really care anymore, much more important things going on right now than worrying about fish.

[george tinkham]

i don't know what this is about...catfish doing ok where i fish

[mrfish/OH]

I thought we were waiting for the tax exempt status from the IRS which supposedly takes 6-7 months ?? Wasn't David submiting the papers?
I know a guy on another site who could be most helpful too. I was waiting to hear when we became tax exempt so we could collect $$ and get it rolling.

It's really only going to affect the inland fishing, Ohio has no jurisdiction on the Ohio River. In other words, the commercial fishing, limits, etc on the river is a multi-state thing.
I'm still all for a limit on catfish in state too. I'd like to see an 8 fish limit & only one fish over 30" per day can be kept. For the same reasons stated elsewhere in posts. This would help prevent fish being sold to paylakes. With more than one in their possession they would be in violation. It would be hard to catch someone actually selling them to a paylake, it would not be hard to measure & count fish someone has kept( in a tank, livewell, stringer). This way the DNR might stop fish from being removed from OUR natural resources.

Now that the fishing season is weeks if not days away, I doubt that much will be done. The people who's fishing areas are in jeapordy are the ones who don't seem concerned. It's the small rivers & streams that will be cleaned out with trot lines, etc. The Ohio River is already netted and heavily fished. It's you guys who have your "honey holes" that produce a fun night of catting, you are the ones who stand to lose the most. You all know others know of your spots, and sooner or later, someone will clean it out- legally. With no limits, they could remove ALL you 25-40# and maybe a few +50# fish in one good evening from those stretches of your river.
Interesting to me how there used to be someone who didn't like the eye & bass guys, but they have regulations strictly enforced & stocking programs. Too bad the catters can't do anything but have in-fighting. It's those spots up there that are potentially doomed, including the great flathead lakes too. Anyone can catch and keep all the fish they please the way it's written today.
Even ith new regulations, they won't affect my fishing areas. I fish the Ohio River, and often in water not bordered by Ohio anyway. Indiana is concerned and has regulations in their state waters. You can't keep all you want in there.
Another mute point I see is that whenever someone wants to catch a big flathead, they nearly always talk about coming to the Ohio River, I get a few PM's from time to time, asking for info & I see posts about fishing the big river. Why is that? Why aren't other rivers in Ohio holding big fish? Why aren't anglers flocking to these other rivers? Maybe they need protection? I don't know, I don't fish them, seems like they should have alot of fish.

Clyde, you did a good thing getting this rolling. What happened to the tax-exempt papers?

[flathunter]

Really I lost interest when I found out we could not controll the Ohio River, and protect it from commercial fishing??????

[DavidWS10]

The tax exempt paperwork is in the hands of a very capable lawyer who is going over them "with a fine-tooth comb." This lawyer is my cousin and is doing this as a favor and not charging me any money; so it is not his highest priority (and shouldn't be). If we aren't going to follow through with this, I will tell him to toss the paperwork into the trash. Clyde, you got the ball rolling, but this is a time-consuming process. If you want to let this issue die just say so. I think this is a worthwhile endeavor and needs to be brought to fruition. And apparently, Jim thinks this is a good course of action as well. Jack, I understand your situation perfectly. I was in a very similar situation 2 years ago. But I know you will contribute whatever you can.

What is the consenus?

[atrkyhntr]

I'm still in Dave....

Real busy now with spring turkey season coming and my clients needing lots of attention...
If anyone must contact me do so via email as I'll be too busy to follow/look for post on this forum till early June at the least...
email owner@beardbuster.com to contact me....
as for the Ohio river I think we'll be able to do something there in time and with help from other members from other states...

We were waiting for someone to take the donations to get our server and domain name setup... Nobody took on that role and without using the WWW I can't see us going anywhere fast...
ANYONE? I already operate 4 websites along with sun-domains that take up too much of my time and resources to become a stop gap again... we'll need someone else for the above with my support at their disposal... I am getting devorced so I can't take on the $$ without her finding out and trying to suck more out of my pocket... Think you all understand that point.

[Steve]

Why don't you guys just use this forum? We can even use a custom header for this forum should you make one up.

[DavidWS10]

Steve,

Clyde built us a website http://www.geocities.com/beardbuster2k/cats.htm and now we are needing to get a domain name registered and hosting. I realize that isn't really a big deal, nor a very expensive one, but til now, nobody has stepped to the plate to get it done. If it wasn't for my wife telling me that she doesn't like how much I've been spending, I'd do it. Know anyone who can help us out?

[mrfish/OH]

We had a poll & it looked like we had alot of donations promised. I thought we had to wait on collecting the money.
Jack, I don't understand why you aren't worried someone could go to your's or your buddy's honey holes & just remove all those fine flatheads you catch. Also the lakes that produce trophy fish, they are vunerable too. There's no limits today. What if you went there & 2 guys were pulling in their 2 trotlines each ( 4 between the 2 of them) Let's say each line had 10 fish, and maybe a few 20# and a 30 or 40# fish. They can keep them all the way the way it is now. I'm not sure on the use of trotlines, but I think they are legal in places like that. Reguardless, a bunch of guys find those holes & other productive spots, they can be fished out quick. Especially with all the information about fishing from sites like this and also all the catfish websites. Some who's never fished could learn all they need to know about catching fish. From tackle to baits, etc. Let's hope they learn to use selective harvest & let the big fish go & only take a few for a meal & not try to overstock their freezers & everyone else's freezers in the neighborhood.

Eventually , I think there could be pressure put on KY by OH & IN for some regulations on the Ohio River. It's not going to happen overnight. There will have to be studies from other states used as evidence and how fishing has improved in places like the Missouri River, etc. Also how sportsfishing is better economically for the state than is allowing (unregulated) commercial fishing to continue. Guides, guide license fees, out of state visitors, motels, tackle sales, etc would improve in the river areas. So long as paylakes are fed by the river, it's going to continue. If paylakes could change back from trophy fish to just farm raised eaters, it would take the pressure off the river. Of course farm raised huge fish for paylakes would be fine too.

[BottomBouncer]

I witnessed TWO cases yesterday where guys were taking everything they caught. Two guys were loading up on the little cats(had they caught large cats they would have been takin' too) and this other guy disgusted me the most. He had atleast 10 channel cats, maybe one was under the 26" mark. Just laying in the back of his truck. Said they were catching cats like this for the last 5 days. It's rediculous........goes to show that cats do need some sort of protection, otherwise people will just keeping taking.

[george tinkham]

flathunter...strength is in numbers,thats no attitude to have...there is a chance to make restrictions if that method cant be completely banned...its a step in the right direction