01-16-2014, 07:57 PM
[quote PBH]kent -- no. What he's saying is that people are too concerned with protecting the larger pike. There isn't a lot of biological reason to protect them. They will eventually disappear, regardless of a slot to protect them, and they will not be replaced because the smaller pike won't ever reach those trophy sizes. So, eventually, what will you be protecting with a "trophy" slot regulation? Nothing.
The answer is to continue to harvest pike. Any size. Lot's of them. If you continue to harvest a lot of pike then you keep all pike in the zone of high growth rates. High growth rates result in big fish. Slow growth rates result in no big fish.[/quote]
so there's no biological harm in releasing trophy fish? But in doing so, it increases the opportunity for anglers to catch that trophy multiple times? I don't see that as bad. I understand SOME harvest of small pike as a necessary tool, I maybe don't agree with a boat full of fisherman taking 80 pike home, and people will do that, just because they can... But every fishing mag, fishing show where they fish trophy waters, articles I read etc, all say release the big bruisers!!! and keep the smaller ones if you want to eat them, SELECTIVE HARVEST.. I don't see any biological harm in releasing big fish because they do eat BIGGER prey and will much rather go after those bigger prey, they aren't going to eat up the smaller pikes forage base. Sure, big pike can be opportunistic and will eat smaller baits at time but they mostly eat carp of bigger size and eat small pike as their main source of food.
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The answer is to continue to harvest pike. Any size. Lot's of them. If you continue to harvest a lot of pike then you keep all pike in the zone of high growth rates. High growth rates result in big fish. Slow growth rates result in no big fish.[/quote]
so there's no biological harm in releasing trophy fish? But in doing so, it increases the opportunity for anglers to catch that trophy multiple times? I don't see that as bad. I understand SOME harvest of small pike as a necessary tool, I maybe don't agree with a boat full of fisherman taking 80 pike home, and people will do that, just because they can... But every fishing mag, fishing show where they fish trophy waters, articles I read etc, all say release the big bruisers!!! and keep the smaller ones if you want to eat them, SELECTIVE HARVEST.. I don't see any biological harm in releasing big fish because they do eat BIGGER prey and will much rather go after those bigger prey, they aren't going to eat up the smaller pikes forage base. Sure, big pike can be opportunistic and will eat smaller baits at time but they mostly eat carp of bigger size and eat small pike as their main source of food.
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