Longnose Respect

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Cast_and_Blast
Cast_and_Blast's picture
Longnose Respect
<p>After I scared away some hungry seagulls, I found this Longnose Sucker on the bank of a popular Steelhead river last weekend.&nbsp; It makes me wonder if this sucker is laying here because it was thought to be a Steelhead egg eating machine.&nbsp; If that is the truth then it offends me to see such&nbsp;disrespect like this.&nbsp; It makes me want to throw a few Steelhead up on the bank to rot but then again I am not like that.&nbsp; I respect all fish more than this.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="" src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc281/mjchanning/P1000518.jpg" /></p>
TheHugbot
TheHugbot's picture
such a beautify looking fish

such a beautify looking fish too, I hope if lived long enough to breed successfuly. I have never seen a fish killed like that in england, you can get in serious trouble for taking fish unless it is a trout fishery and it allows people to take a few fish. at the moment alot of lakes and rivers over here a suffering from the effects of eastern european fish theives and poachers, I once heard of some poachers who came to a lake at night and shot all the carp witha shotgun!

Corey
Corey's picture
Dead Longnose

I caught my first longnose at Schmidt Creek, during the steelhead trout run.  There were 22 dead longnose suckers on the bank, and six of them had yarn flies in their mouths with the line cut at about 4-5 inches from the mouth.  All of these fish were caught by steelhead fishermen and killed and thrown on the bank ... most had their heads smashed with a rock ... and in many cases, the men who caught them cut the line instead of retrieving their hook and lure because they were afraid to touch them.  I would imagine if you go to Schmidt Creek this weekend, you'll see a big pile of dead longnose suckers again. 

 

Of course, genetic analysis would prove that this is not a longnose sucker.  But there's no grant money to study longnose suckers - the big money is reserved for grad students studying fancy fish like bonefish and cutthroat trout - so for the time being I'm going to enjoy calling this fish a longnose sucker.  This fish should probably be divided into 50+ different species because it has been breeding in thousands of different populations since the last ice age.  Some idiot lab monkey will probably win a nice grant for destroying this species.

 

 

Ken
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cornbread
native species disrespect

I deal with this issue ALL the time living on the west coast of michigan where the mighty non native salmon/trout species are king.  I have seen dicks in full orvis gear kick longnose all over the bank!  It makes me sick, i get so upset, i fear talking to them about it because I feel it may lead to physical confrontation, which would totally ruin a decent fishing trip.  I would like to see the DNR step in and do something about this, but it wont happen.  Its enough to keep me from going to our more popular rivers during the runs, its really a shame.

Dr Flathead
Dr Flathead's picture
Roughfishing and being a

Roughfishing and being a roughfisher can be a sweet and sour thing sometimes.  Its just the way it is.

andy
andy's picture
I saved a bowfin the other day

If only you could have been there when they caught it and decided to to kill it.  I was fishing for shortheads at a local Minnneapolis area spot the other day - no shorties, but a handful of channel cats, walleyes, drum and carp - oh and some bonus morel mushrooms :)  On my walk back, I ran across a dude holding a large bowfin on a sandy bank.  He promptly dropped it in the sand and gave the fish a good kick toward the bushes.  I stopped and enthusiastically said, "Hey nice catch!  Bet it fought hard, huh..so you're gonna keep it?"

He said "No, it's a dogfish.  I can't let it go because they eat walleyes and perch."

I said, "So do pike, muskies and catfish.  It's a native fish man, and I'd love to have a chance to catch it tomorrow if you aren't gonna eat it."

The guy with the bad neck tattoo then asked me if I wanted the fish.  I said "Hell yes!".

I walked down and grabbed the sand-covered fish, missing a few scales now from being kicked, and proceeded to gently wash him off.  Then I slipped him back into the river, and he swam off.

"What the fuck man?" the guy says to me.

I respond "Thanks for the fish."

atenkley
atenkley's picture
What a great story!  I'm sure

What a great story!  I'm sure the guy still has a puzzled look on his face.......though he thought about what just happened all the way home.  ...winning through positive action, one incident at a time.  - Arlan

....visit  .....those other fish

Muskymags
Muskymags's picture
When I found them last week

When I found them last week up there, the guy I was with thought they were White Suckers.  So when I caught one, I showed and explained to him the differences and how the Longnose is sort of a rare species here.  He thought it was pretty cool then.

Outdoors4life
Outdoors4life's picture
"What the fuck man?" the guy

"What the fuck man?" the guy says to me.

I respond "Thanks for the fish."

Love it!!!

I can so picture in my mind you doing this with a postive sound in your voice.

It is all perspective!

Acer Home Inspections

AvidFly
AvidFly's picture
"It makes me wonder if this

"It makes me wonder if this sucker is laying here because it was thought to be a Steelhead egg eating machine."  

Possible, but even if they didn't eat eggs, some guys just can't seem to release the suckers up there.  Couple years back I watched some guys looper fishing get into a pod of suckers on the Knife, which they ended up tossing those caught onto the bank.  Frustrated, they move down river shortly after.  I was on the other side of the river fishing, so I proceded to cross the river and slip the fish back in the water.  They still were pretty lively and swam away.  Such a good feeling.

Great story Andy!!  Would have love to see that!

Jason E.
Jason E.'s picture
I've seen even worse

I've seen even worse treatment of garfish on the Mississippi, near Prairie du Chien.  There was a 4 foot longnose someone had left on the bank.  The big fish was still alive, so I gently slipped it into the water, revived it, and watched it swim away.  There were bloody bluegill pieces everywhere (that's what they used for bait) and a few shorter dead gar around.  These knuckleheads were simply catching the gar and killing them.  They made a huge mess with their bait, litter, and caught fish.  I can't understand intentionally pursuing a fish species for the sole purpose of wanton destruction. 

I also can't understand leaving a fish carcass on shore.  For one thing, it makes the fishing spot smell terrible and attracts flies.  For another, it is a cruel way to end a fish's life.  Finally, that fish has every bit as much right to live in its environment as other species, in many cases more so because it's a native.

SK Justin
SK Justin's picture
There is a bizarre mentality

There is a bizarre mentality amongst some "anglers" I've noticed around here too. Some guys simply cannot fathom releasing any fish. They keep what they want to eat (usually perch and pike), and at the end of the day they will leave behind whatever they deem too small (or whatever criteria they use), along with the rest of the bycatch. Kicking the unwanted dead/dying fish back into the water at the end of the day is optional.

roughfish29
roughfish29's picture
dude andy, thats so awesome!

dude andy, thats so awesome! good for you brotha.

 

sucks to see things like this, but some people just don't ever learn. the good news is that some people do. hopefully someday we won't have to see things like this anymore

Reekfish
Reekfish's picture
People are &$#%$ sick to kill

People are &$#%$ sick to kill fish for no reason... I absolutely HATE it! But I want to say a big "THANK YOU" to all you guys standing up for these not-so-popular fish that we all love. It gives me warm fuzzies to hear your rescue stories! yes 

Cast_and_Blast
Cast_and_Blast's picture
I think it's best to just

I think it's best to just teach one person at a time.  We may not win them all over but if we can just get a few on our side it will help our cause.  I am always sharing my lifelist ambitions with other anglers and most find it interesting including the roughfish and micro talk.

shorefisherman
shorefisherman's picture
Try biting your tongue while

Try biting your tongue while you watch a couple kids with bows shoot a blue sucker and leave on the rocks to rot.  I would have said something had I actually slept within the last 36 hours, but my crankiness may have blurred my judgement on a confrontation like that.

 

I usually tell these types that it's illegal to leave the fish on the bank and my kids and I don't want to step in or smell your mess tomorrow.  Anything beyond that and they just don't care or have a clue what native or non-native even means, or that there are different species other than carp, sucker, and bullhead.

 

Lets face it, 9 out of 10 "anglers" you run into on any given shoreline are pretty dumb, so remember this when you feel your blood pressure rising.  You just have to calm down and do the best you can to inform and educate and maybe it will sink into just one of their heads.

Cast_and_Blast
Cast_and_Blast's picture
Yea, and it's even more

Yea, and it's even more frustrating when the CO doesn't even know what the hell a Blue Sucker is.  I ran across that last weekend again (not the first time).  It should be a prerequisite that if you are a Conservation Officer that you at least know the species of fish you are protecting.  I'm not even talking minnows here either.  Pathetic if you ask me.  I'm not impressed with the DNR I tell ya.

Corey
Corey's picture
It's true

We need to reach out to these people and bring them to the light.  I argue daily with real scientists about whether or not native roughfish should be eradicated.  It might not be much,but all of us were just on TV being warriors for the roughfishes.  Talking to the ranchers and farmers in the west is like talking to a brick wall, but it is the average angler who really has the power.  Scientists are useless, politicians are worse, and the only way forward is to meet people, talk to them, speak their language, and fish with them.  I know all of you guys are on board, but it's important to talk about it and keep documenting the bad apples out there.

shorefisherman
shorefisherman's picture
It really gets their

It really gets their attention when they see themselves being slobs on a video posted to their local sportsmens forum.

Heidi
Heidi's picture
"...what you do to the least of these..."

Thank you Andy, for taking a personal risk to save a fish! It's too bad we can't all be there to step in at the moment it counts and save more, but as has been posted, by living by example and speaking to these we can at every opportunity, hopefully a few more fish will be spared...

 

I believe there is a direct link between cruelty to animals - fish included - and cruelty to people. If a person doesn't feel even a slight twinge of discomfort at the suffering of another living creature, that person probably wouldn't feel much for another human's suffering either. 

 

Encouraging to know there are so many other critter lovers - here anyway...especially others who love the not so "lovely" critters too! 

"Can you pull the leviathan in with a fishook?" Job 41: 1