What would you guys say about a river that is fantastic smallmouth bass fishing, with scores of 3 - 5 pounders and some bigger? How about throw in that lots of pike up to 50" live in the river too, with three foot gators common? It is the best fishery for smallmouth and pike in my region, let alone my state.

Now how about I tell you our fisheries managers and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are shocking, removing and killing all pike and smallmouth in the river and all our other rivers in the state, because the rivers used to have a couple species and suckers and chubs that are endangered, and were gone before the bass and pike were ever stocked?

Everyone in Colorado is so angry over it they cannot see straight. And we get tired of seeing 4 pound smallmouth and 40" pike littering the banks of the river all in the name of suckers and chubs. It makes me so angry I want to just blow up.

Not to mention its the only quality smallmouth fishery around my area and the only one in the state that produces trophy smallmouth constistantly.

Man that just plain sucks!  If I were you I would go straight to not only my governer and state legislature but also my representitives in congress.  If you can get enough voices together to tell them about not only the economic but also the political implications of their actions you will stand a better chance of being heard.

Man that just plain sucks! If I were you I would go straight to not only my governer and state legislature but also my representitives in congress. If you can get enough voices together to tell them about not only the economic but also the political implications of their actions you will stand a better chance of being heard.

I've already done all that. The governor supports it and at least one of our federal senators does too, even though their constituents don't. Some of our state reps oppose it but its a case of politicians not serving their constituents.

However now we are getting some legal stuff on our side and also some sporting goods stores are joining in. The removals have not helped the endangered fish increase at all. These fish are basically extinct and its the presence of dams and irrigation canals that caused it, as well as the fact that they actually poisoned the chubs and suckers back in the 60s. Now they are trying to save the fish they killed with poison and dams.

The pike fishing has declined on this river but its still good. The smallmouth have not been hurt at all really, but its the mere idea of them throwing these fish on the banks and killing them that ticks me off.

Icein,

Are you saying that this is in Colorado?

Reason for requesting clarification: Smallmouth...check! Pike...OK!...GATORS :-?...in COLORADO? (Psst! Do Colorado gators grow fur in the Fall?)

 

Amazing.

Fly R.

Wow gaters in colorado   never would have thought .... sorry to hear about the river  :'(

"Gator" is the pet name for a large pike

Roger

You're going to up against the Sierra Club and similiar enviro-Nazis who have a lot of money to throw around. Good luck--but you're probably going to lose.

"Gator" is the pet name for a large pike

Roger

Yep thats what I meant by gators. Big pike.

You're going to up against the Sierra Club and similiar enviro-Nazis who have a lot of money to throw around. Good luck--but you're probably going to lose.

Its been very frustrating, even though the people of Colorado are overwhelmingly against it, our senators and reps are evenly split on it, and our lousy governor supports it. We are trying to get new faces in congress, both state and federal.

Shows how these faces are driving democracy out of our republic one river at a time so to speak.

This makes me mad, but what makes me madder, is the other folks that should be angry over it, are not.  Silence, I bet, is all you'll hear from somebody like PETA.  

That stinks.  If that were to happen in my state, I would probably end up in jail after what I'd do to my governor.  If you really what to fight this, you can try to get outdoor life and some other magazines involved.  They could probably be able to stir up enough people to get it stopped.

Our local angling club is planning a lawsuit. Even if we lose we will get plenty of publicity.

Wow! That's just unbelievable what stupid ideas some people come up with. Who gives a crap about them chubs anyway. Pike and smallmouth are a major species for a lot of sport fishermen.

All that for some chubs???

Wow! That's just unbelievable what stupid ideas some people come up with. Who gives a crap about them chubs anyway. Pike and smallmouth are a major species for a lot of sport fishermen.

All that for some chubs???

Yep. For chubs, suckers, and squawfish (which in Oregon and Washington have bounties on them because they eat so many salmon).

This sounds like good Talk Radio material. Might be a good idea to contact some of the more popular hosts. I've seen them really put the heat on officials. Most times they'll tell you that they have no choice because of lawsuits by the wacky anti-human crowd.

I may be just plain dumb (which is very possible), but how are they killing only the SM and Pike without killing the other fish?

I may be just plain dumb (which is very possible), but how are they killing only the SM and Pike without killing the other fish?

They electroshock the river, scoop up the smallmouth and pike, then throw them on the banks to rot.

how about you shock the wildlife management and kill them see how they like, crap like that is uncalled for and not to mention UNETHICAL I would get a tall tree and short rope and end all this bs

how about you shock the wildlife management and kill them see how they like, crap like that is uncalled for and not to mention UNETHICAL I would get a tall tree and short rope and end all this bs

Now you know why Emperor Palpatine is my avatar. They are the ones who deserve to be electroshocked.  ;D

In all reality I think fairness would be having them fired, then publicly ridiculed and then reassigned to other jobs.

WOW, I would like to think that the US fish and wildlife service and fisheries managers know what they're doing, but this is an outrage.  I am serisouly stunned by all of this, over here in Iowa, our streams and small rivers are LOADED with chubs, suckers, and shiners.  If you throw something small while fishing for smallmouth or trout, it's a GUARANTEE you're going to catch a chun or sucker.  If u ask me, them Colorado fisheries managers can drive their u know whats over here and clean em outta our streams and bring em back to Colorado.  God knows we already have more than enough here in Northeast Iowa.

WOW, I would like to think that the US fish and wildlife service and fisheries managers know what they're doing, but this is an outrage. I am serisouly stunned by all of this, over here in Iowa, our streams and small rivers are LOADED with chubs, suckers, and shiners. If you throw something small while fishing for smallmouth or trout, it's a GUARANTEE you're going to catch a chun or sucker. If u ask me, them Colorado fisheries managers can drive their u know whats over here and clean em outta our streams and bring em back to Colorado. God knows we already have more than enough here in Northeast Iowa.

The suckers, chubs, and squawfish that used to live in that river are scarcely different than any other species nationwide. Yet because they are a slightly different sub species, they will kill all gamefish in the rivers so what very few are left have no competition.

They have removed and killed thousands of bass, catfish, and pike. In Arizona for these fish, they are killing and throwing on the bank thousands of rainbow and brown trout in the mainstem Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam.

This has been going on for about 6 years. They just simply ignore the public and act like fools on some d**n idealistic crusade.

Several times on the Yampa they have been shot at by farmers angry at them.

As bad as it may sound, I don't blame the farmers one bit...  :-/

As bad as it may sound, I don't blame the farmers one bit... :-/

Guns are way too far but maybe rocks aren't. Some anglers and guides have cut up their nets too that they use to capture pike in backwaters.