Here is my opinion Tubbaka.

[MikeA]

He PM’d me asking about my opinion on several topics related to Caney and the big fish being taken out. I expect this thread will have a short life but here goes anyway.

Let me preface this by saying I have no problem with the technique used to catch fish. If live bait trips your trigger then go for it. What I’m addressing here is the continued and growing disrespect for other boaters and anglers I’ve seen on the river and the continued harvesting of the larger Trout.

 I’m sick to death of what is happening on the upper section right now. You see, big fish brings out the worst in folks. The last time I floated it two weeks ago, at one time during the day I was surrounded by people throwing jerkbaits where I was trying to fish. At one point a dude was within my casting range floating along in front of my boat and casting his jerk bait in front of my boat in my water. At the same time there was another couple directly behind me doing the same thing. Numerous times this same group of people are running full out with big outboards through crowds. Some of these people are small boats full of FAMLIES out trying to enjoy a day on the river. It has become an unsafe environment for the canoe or small craft.  This is the most ill mannered group of folks I’ve ever seen in my lifetime of fishing this river.


The world record Brown is 40+ pounds. Do you really think these fish are maxed out and need to be harvested??? That’s the most inane and ignorant excuse to harvest fish I’ve ever heard of I don’t care where you studied fishery.

As for the fly vs jerkbait. Have you seen me up there lately? No, I won’t be a part of the mass killing going on and I don’t like being in crowds of disrespectful people. But look at it this way, 90% of fly anglers don’t fish for the larger Trout. That aside, 98% of the people fishing up there to the post spawn starving Trout are tossing gear and lures with nine total barbed hooks.. That leaves 2% fly fishing with single hook flies. Out that 2% how many know how to catch those big Trout? The ones that do most likely won’t be seen participating in the mayhem taking place up there every Sat and Sun. Your "the jerkbait is supreme" theory is based on waaay lopsided data.



As for the long term overall health of the fishery, I assure you of this. All the harvesting that was done during the spawn and all that is going on now post spawn is hurting the fishery in a major way. It takes YEARS to grow fish that size. The river has ups and downs for sizeable fish and I believe this is why. They’ll rape and pillage till all the decent fish are caught out. Then they’ll go back to jugging for catfish. A lot of them have no concern nor respect for the long term health of that fishery. Nor do they have any respect for the people who fish it.


Yea fly fishermen are mostly conservative anglers who have a plan and goal for the fishery. They fish it day in day out year after year. It’s their passion, the second love of their life It’s not just a grip and grin of a big Trout that they are after. Its really is a way of life. To me the river is alive, its fish are as much a part of it as an ear is part of the human anatomy. To take the best parts of the river is like ripping the heart outa someone you love. Yea it that’s deep.

To end my rant I'd like to just say to everyone who reads this to ask yourself what it is your after when you go out and fish. I know catching a big um is on everyone’s mind right? Now ask how much money you spend trying to get that big un. Boats and gear and drinks and gas and licenses and lines and flies and oil and insurance and tires and the list goes on and on. Great eating fish cost about an average of $7.00 a pound. You’re spending more then that in three gallons of boat gas.
I think it’s not a good eating fish most of us are after. It’s the experience of catching that fish of a lifetime that draws us there to that place. I can tell you from experience that there is nothing more satisfying then at the end of the day sharing a tale of that big one you caught and photographed and knowing you had what it took to slide it back into the water and watch it swim off and disappear into the dream again.. 

[Curtis Martin]

Yea fly fishermen are mostly conservative anglers who have a plan and goal for the fishery. They fish it day in day out year after year. It’s their passion, the second love of their life It’s not just a grip and grin of a big Trout that they are after. Its really is a way of life. To me the river is alive, its fish are as much a part of it like an ear is part of the human anatomy. To take the best parts of the river is like ripping the heart outa someone you love. Yea it that’s deep.

I couldn't have said it better myself. It is a way of life, much better than the other one I had before I waded out waist deep with that long "pole"

Curtis

[dbradyh]

Never been able to understand the lack of respect that I have experienced here on the larger water systems here in Tennessee. Many of my fishing partners are spin fishermen and we get along well on the water. I have always kept my distance from other anglers when I fish and would hope others would do the same. Even on isolated rivers, I have had to contend with spin fishermen casting at my feet while wading even though they had an entire river system to fish.
We will all have to learn to live with the lack of conservation minded folks in a put and take fishery. Personally, I find taking a large fish from a river is the equivalent of shooting a hawk or a bobcat and can not justify this to myself at any level. Sadly, the fishing could improve for all if there were no kill or fly only sections of the river. Many of the more progressive environmentalist involved in fisheries management are finding that restricted areas with no fishing allowed create more fish throughout a system and improve the biodiversity. 
I do realize that trout in Tennessee are an invasive species in an artificial managed system but over harvesting any resource is thinking only in the short term.

[Steve H]

Well stated Mike, very well stated.

I for one would like what you stated to be a sticky...maybe not all the associated posts.

[Looper Flies]

I second the sticky. 

Frankly, I wish we all had a cohesive goal in mind for the fishery we love so much.  What would we do if it wasn't there?  If you wanna jerk, then jerk.  If you wanna toss a fly, toss a fly.  Just keep our fishery safe and healthy so we can all enjoy it.  Respect your fellow fisherman, as you would respect yourself.

Nuff said.

[jarrod white]

I think it goes without saying that this subject falls right in line with my thoughts of people in the world today , they want to live for today, the here and now, and to hell with tommorrow. very sad way of life and thinking. I feel very bad sometimes that I have to raise three children in this world , and its way of thinking.  It is definately much more than fishing to me. I physically feel bad when I see what is happening to a GREAT WAY OF LIFE.   If you can get your mind out of your back pocket , think about it awile. I think you would see things differently and adjust your ways of doing alot of things.                I am sorry if this is harsh, but this stuff is my life, and I love it.


                                                                   Jarrod

[wil2hike]

All the more reason for stronger regulation of the river.  I'm up there frequently and in the warmer months we have a noticible presence of TWRA.  Not so much in the winter although I was an interested observer to an incident involving Still-In-Scrubs and bait fishermen earlier in the year.  TWRA came along after they were called and did their job.  As far as Tubakka - well, he's just the more vocal of the "take-out" fishermen.  I've seen good fish killed by worm chuckers and spoon-pluggers for years. And just a couple of weekends ago, after being nearly swamped by some wide open runniing  jon boats we enjoyed the sound of gunfire along the river just below us  -hopefully, at the very least, these sportsmen were "merely" shooting at otters.  Anyway, to conclude a point I'm making poorly - we need better, stronger regs - everything going on on the river right now is pretty much "legal" and the argument is that the stocking progam which "feeds" our river is for all types of fishermen.  Until we have stronger regulations we'll just have to live with it and do our part to be the best stewards of the fishery we can be .

[Travis C.]

I agree with the stronger regs. Leave the rainbow stockers for food (if so choose to eat) and protect the Browns. Then, once the bows get to say 18" slap a reg on them. Make the Browns reg higher or Catch/Release only. Like Mike said, nobody is up there trying to save money on the price of fish. I would sign off on Catch n Release sections or total river for the larger trout. I love to eat trout like the next guy but I would love the chances going up of any given day catching a trophy like down on the White River in ARK. I usually say to each his own and still do but when it starts affecting nature guidelines should be stiffend. That be for who ever uses any type of gear. I would fish side by side using my flyrod with the rapala guys and have no problems. We are fortunate to have such a gem so close by to everyone. Why waste it? For a big meal that lasted one night two steak dinner ago.

Just my opinion.

[Gofisher]

Well stated Mike! 

[Racer X]

Good stuff. 

[Troy Basso]

WOW that is by far the best post on the topic I have read!!! Funny my buddy from michigan fished the caney this weekend... He statement was it was worse than the combat fishing for steelhead that goes on up North. He mumbled something about people with boat manners that bad should have there boat confiscated!

[Maniac]

Well said Mike!

I feel for you guys, sounds like a zoo over there.  Getting bad over here (SoHo) but not That bad!

[RonS]

I'm with Mike. 100%.

[grumpy]

ENFORCEMENT, or in the case of the Caney, THE LACK OF Folks there isn't enough of it, not only on the regs but the boat traffic as well.
They'll bust your butt on the lakeside for doing the things these guys on the river are doing in boats, REALLY!
Maybe we should be getting the #s off the boats & reporting them, HELLO, did you hear that, ENOUGH complaints against a certain watercraft & they'll take action, ARE YOU WILLING to go to court over it? If not, no sense in complaining about it.
I do some classes & event's with TWRA throughout the year, YEP, i'm bustin their chops every chance i get, one day, i'll hit the right nerve
ENFORCEMENT, i for one welcome more of it, if i had to pay more for a license for it, so be it.

Grumpy

[Leo deMonbreun]

Yesterday, I got in the water just minutes after they shut the generaters down and I was a good half mile below the dam.  Steve and I had sat on the bank waiting and watched as two spin fishermen went by in a boat and on down the river.  Two younger guys in a flat bottom, one wearing a white tee shirt, the other in the back of the boat at that time in a brown shirt.  We had been in the water for nearly an hour, the river falling out pretty well, and up the river comes that boat, full throttle and went within 30 feet of us at full throttle, absolutely no respect for other people fishing. or wading and certainly none for their safety, as we all know what the current feels like when it is falling out.  I have a pretty good idea who it was and wont mention any names, but what I will say is that I for one will be taking boat numbers for such incidents and reporting it properly along with the title codes and sections of the laws that the idiot was breaking.

I have fished this river for a long long time and like Mike, I hate what is happening to it in the name of "sport".  I too, have not one bad feeling towards the fishing methods that anyone chooses to use, but in all fairness, every time I have seen such infractions they have been committed by people fishing bait or spinning gear that think they are on a lake in a bass tournament.  I am tired of it and I will report it when I see it, regardless.