First attempt at wisconsin spearfishing

[chris_h]

I finally got my license, so I went out to check out some lakes today.

First was Beaver Lake. The visibility was not sufficient for spearfishing; I could not see my spear tip . I swam out past the danger buoys hoping that the water would clear, but it did not. I left the water after 40 minutes or so, and I was pleased that I was still comfortable temperature wise in my 1.5 mm suit. As I left the parking lot, I noticed a no swimming sign…

I then drove to lower/middle Genessee lake, only to find that the road was closed for flooding. I have been here for a month and it has not rained much, flooding?


Last was Upper Genseee lake. The path to the lake was flooded, so I had to wade through knee deep muck to get to the lake, where I found clear water. I swam about a third of a mile before I found fish along the middle of the eastern bank. Lots of nice bass circled around me, apparantly curious of my presence. I saw a big long/skinny fish, perhaps a gar. Do we shoot gar? Good eating?

The bluegill were more skittish, and located in shallower water, 1 to 2 feet. Fish seem to be able to sense whether or not it is legal for me to kill them. I shot a six incher, but passed up on a lot of oppurtunites, as I would pause, thinking that I did not really want to shoot a six inch fish, and then the oppurtunity would be gone by the time I talked myself into spearing the fish.

I saw one really nice bluegill, ten inches or so.

I was shivering after 10 minutes or so. I guess surface swimming generates more heat than stalking bluegill. I am going to buy a hood.


I was ready to head in after about an hour and a half. At the shore, covered in muck, I was happy that I had only shot one fish, which by now smelled as if it had been away from ice for too long. Perhaps I need a kayak with a cooler in it, which would solve todays problems of long surface swims, rotting fish, and anoyance of dragging my dive flag floaty through the weeds.


I had problems with my mask foging, as the water was very cold a few feet down.


I had fun. I will be fishing everday this summer until I get sick of it.

 

[Whopperhead]

Good to see you get in the water chris h. Those long fish could of been northern pike- which you cannot shoot. The Gar have a Long 'needle' like nose/mouth. Gar can be shot- not sure how they taste? That fishy smell is just the way they smell- they still taste really good. Do a google image search for these fish that you can shoot: Crappie, bluegill, sunfish, Perch. Perch is my favorite, then Crappie, then Bluegill. If you get a chance to go out diving with someone - it might benifit you. especially if your going to lakes that might not be worth your time. Lake Geneva is a clear lake that has lots of fish.


depending on the mask- some of my mask only stay clear with a 'anti-fog' spray, others can get by with spit.

 

[the_duckinator]

Mucus works better than spit IMO. So if you can hock one that may help. Bluegills are just about to move onto the beds, lots of males cruising the shallows. I shot six big males this morning and passed up on many more. I found that taking my fins off and substituting booties worked much better. I crouched in the water very still and they'd swim right up to me. A few crappies in the shallows, and the perch seemed to be in about 5-6 FOW. Some largemouths were bedding up, but mostly just swimming. Also saw 3 walleye, from 12-16" I'd guess. Please don't shoot the females at this time of year, we need them to make more for next year!

 

[fleshy]

The females will only produces stunted little fish if you knock out the competitive large males, allowing the smaller males onto the beds. Dont shoot blues at this time of year.

 

[the_duckinator]

Taking six out of dozens and dozens of big male bluegills will not make a dent in the population. Many of the gills ran over 9" with some into the 10-11" range. Responsibly shooting large males will not harm spawning numbers.

 

[chris_h]

Good to see you get in the water chris h. Those long fish could of been northern pike- which you cannot shoot. The Gar have a Long 'needle' like nose/mouth. Gar can be shot- not sure how they taste? That fishy smell is just the way they smell- they still taste really good. Do a google image search for these fish that you can shoot: Crappie, bluegill, sunfish, Perch.

I did a Google image search, and it was a northern pike.

I am familiar with carp, bluegill, sunfish, and crappie. Bluegill do not stink when I fillet them alive right out of a live well or bucket, so I was afraid that the fish had gone bad. I will try not worrying about it and eating my catch next time regardless of smell.

 

[ILDiver]

I did a Google image search, and it was a northern pike.

I am familiar with carp, bluegill, sunfish, and crappie. Bluegill do not stink when I fillet them alive right out of a live well or bucket, so I was afraid that the fish had gone bad. I will try not worrying about it and eating my catch next time regardless of smell.

If the fish was on a stringer and in the cold water, it would be fine, the water is cold enough. Not sure how long your drive is, but it should be fine to get it home to clean. I brought my Crappie 3.5 hours home on ice from Madison.

Good to have another diver.

 

[fleshy]

Im glad to see youve come into the fold. Duckinator, its not about denting population. Shooting big gills on the beds will actually INCREASE the population of gills. But they will become smaller and smaller gills, untill the whole lake is stunted. Ive seen it happen. I have a large private, privately stocked pond, and so my sense of how stocking, and harvesting is increadibly fine tuned. My grandpa was a gamewarden for his whole life, and my brother works for the florida DEP. Ive been imployed in aquaculture, and fish stores, as has my brother. We know our fish. Simple rules. Dont kill fish that are breeding, and never take the largest fish that you see. And remember its not just you taking the big gills, and everyone makes a difference. Think about conservation. I would like to be able to say that spearos were the best conservationalists, being selective in the animals they harvest, and being more aware of what their effect was.

 

[chris_h]

I went out again yesterday, this time to lake ottawa. Visibility was not bad, but would have been better on a more sunny day.

I saw some good sized carp, but I did not feel like taking any. I saw some little perch and a few decent bluegill.

A good toothpaste job solved the mask fog problem.

 

[the_duckinator]

I also have a background in fisheries fleshy, as I have taken many classes focusing on aquatic ecosystems. From what I have learned, taking a few mid to large sized bluegills out of a large population will not harm the population. When a large percentage of these dominant males are removed, then the size distribution of the lake changes. Seeing as these gills came from a large lake, the ecology is much different than a small, stocked pond. I understand your concern, and you are right when talking large numbers. But this lake has more than enough large fish of every species to survive a minor population change. Herons eat more large bluegills than spear fisherman and yet the populations remain stable. Populations are stabilized by this predator-prey relationship.

Also, as I stated, the largest dominant males were not shot, lessening even more the impact of my hunting.

 

[fleshy]

How many herons do you see. Not as many as there are fishermen. The herons also dont need very many fish to survive, and the reason fish populations remain stable is that unlike people, the herons illiminate the smaller, stupider fish. Part of the beauty of being a spearo is picking and choosing your catch from range. Theres nothing wrong with taking a few big gills. I do it. Just dont do it while their sitting on beds. If you owned a fish farm you wouldnt let little gills onto the beds, think of it that way, its your fish farm. You get to decide the trend the population will take. I wont do it. If you want to contribute to a problem thats largely overseen by the DNR, go ahead.

 

[the_duckinator]

It is not "overseen" by the DNR, it doesn't matter in most cases, because of the ratio of fish taken versus fish left. It's a small problem compared to runoff, carp, and other water contamination issues. I'm going to have to agree to disagree with you, because we'll never see eye to eye on this one.

 

[fleshy]

I will agree to disagree but theres no way around that the state has it backwards as far as bag sizes go. Most places I know of have a minimum, and a maximum. We are starting to do this, but not enough. Setting these minimum sizes elimnates age groups, and once again, will set a downward trends, and in time reduce the average size of fish taken there. Im not talking about just us. Im talking about EVERYONE that fishes.

 

[the_duckinator]

Fleshy, if it's so easy for you to recommend size limits that will keep our fish populations steady, then why don't you tell the DNR? You can say what you want about what bag sizes and limits should be, but I'm going to let the guys with the PHD's figure them out. They probably know a little more than we do.

 

[fleshy]

Its VERY simple genetics. The reason why fish get big is to be able to beat other males out of nesting sites, and to get a female to breed with them. If you eliminate the big genes, and take the big ones off the beds, that allows fish that wouldnt have gotten the chance to reproduce to do so, producing about 2,000 smaller fry than if you hadnt have killed that fish. It doesnt take a PHD to figure this out. It takes a little common sense, and a couple of highschool level biology classes.

 

[ILDiver]

How do you know the smaller fish is actually smaller? It could be just as big next year. You can't assume a fish is a runt just because it is smaller when you see it.

 

[the_duckinator]

Fish don't get big because of nesting, they get big because of having access to sufficient nutrient sources. As a result of being large, they can beat other males off of the beds. If a smaller fish reproduces, there's no telling what the fish's genes look like. It's age is no indication of its genetic background, as ILDiver pointed out. I'm bowing out of this thread now, to make sure this debate stays friendly.

 

[fleshy]

I wont argue anymore, but when animals are born, there is a maximum size they can achieve. Generally by the time they are nesting they wont get much larger because... they don't need to. Life in the wild is about survival of the fittest/biggest. Ive seen lakes that have gotten "runted" the biggest lake in my county suffers from this. Plenty of food. Fifty eight feet deep, so theres no lack of open space, and lots of good vegetation for shelter. No bluegills larger than 5". Im not objecting to shooting large animals, Im just saying that I wont shoot them while they are reproducing.

 

[the_duckinator]

"there is a maximum size they can achieve"

This size (though not a true maximum, as there are no set rules for how large a fish can become, it depends on nutrient intake, and space available) does take years to reach. A five inch fish this year may be 10 in 3 years.

Bluegills tend to reach sexual maturity in two years, and are generally in the 3" range when this happens. This does not mean that the fish is done growing, just that it is able to reproduce. This also doesn't indicate that its offspring will be a maximum of 3". The size is a function of age.

I'll be willing to bet that if you took away a large number of those small bluegills, more bluegills would reach a large size. This population of small fish is due to total population size, not genetic deficiency.

Okay, I'm really done now :head

 

[SpearFishingKiD]

Hey guys im new to spearfishing anytips is there an age restriction like you have to be 18 yr old or anything?