# Does anyone care?



## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

I came accross this post this morning, a proud old Dad (Bob, Hervey Bay) posting results of his daughter and family's fishing session in the sandy straights between Frazer and the mainland. Read on if you wish. I just have to know that I am not being a complete twit about this. :roll: 
http://www.ausfish.com.au/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1156987394


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Hi Karl,

I care, but from the post and the replies, it would seem that many around here don't. The wide bay area is reputed to be the ******* capital of Australia after all.

Line caught mullet, in the Great Sandy Straights - at night - no way IMHO

It's post like that one in ausfish that give the greenies all the ammunition they need to lock up even more of our water.


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

Thanks Matt, I didn't want to start a slinging match, so kept my responses to a minimum, but I really didn't expect to get two pages of people all saying it's fine if not encouraged to take that quantity of fish from an estuary that is still fighting it's way back from a very poor state. It's great to see the straights producing quantities of fish, but if I lived there I wouldn't be raping it like that, no matter how big my family may be.


hairymick said:


> Hi Karl,
> 
> I care, but from the post and the replies, it would seem that many around here don't. The wide bay area is reputed to be the ******* capital of Australia after all.
> 
> ...


exactly my point Mick, cheers. I think the mullet were caught with a spear, or so they say, then again, wouldnt be surprised if they were all caught by means of square hooks... argh, anyway. :roll:


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## PeterJ (Aug 29, 2005)

Never ceases to amaze me how people can judge anothers actions without knowing the facts.


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Couldn't see any spear marks. They were all scaled too I think. That would get rid of the net marks.

There are plenty of fisho's round here who care and take only what they need, and then there are also plenty of the other sort. This time of year, in the Burrum Heads caravan park, people are lined up filleting several hundred whiting, or buckets full of undersize tailer The next day, they do it all again and so on and on and on.


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## fishtales (May 7, 2006)

I see no reason why they should not keep that catch. They only caught a few of each species, and I am sure that it will not go to waste. Some folk just can't help themselves in having a go at people who catch a feed.It certainly wasn't a blatent slaughter of fish.And correct me if I am wrong, these were not caught by the one person, but by a few.

my 2 cents

Chris


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Blaen (Jul 4, 2006)

I think Bob's reply in that thread answered some critics:

_Yes Canoedle, It would seem like to many for some people but Marguerite and Dave have got 4 children and there all fish eaters and Dave also likes to give his parents a feed whenever he gets enough, also he only gets to go fishing about once every 6 weeks and when you equate this catch into meals it would be about the same as one 20 kg cobia or maybe a couple of good size snapper or reds. Also apart from the squid there are no more than 4 of anyone species and 4 of them are only one of. Regards Bob. _

If they did have that many mounths to feed then, there is no problem if all caught fairly in my opinion. The problem comes from people who catch and kill dozens of fish and don't even eat them.


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

I agree Blaen, my issue with the thread is that I made a valid point and all I got was a lot of people shooting off their mouths about how I should shut up and I was aparently jealous of the catch. At least one person finally stepped up and defended my question for what it was, a request for justification, which as you stated, was clearly given. It just really annoys crap out of me when you see idiots with this attitude that they should be allowed to keep as many fish as they catch and fill the freezer if they can. Argh, anyway, off the soapbox now. :?


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## HiRAEdd (Nov 12, 2005)

Assuming they were legally, line caught I see no problem with this catch. It's a mixed bag with only a few fish of each species. He's got a family that loves fish so a couple of family members can now feed a larger group of people. I'm all for preserving fisheries and obeying bag limits, etc. but that doesn't mean catching and keeping a really good feed every now and then is bad.


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## Blaen (Jul 4, 2006)

YakAtak said:


> I agree Blaen, my issue with the thread is that I made a valid point and all I got was a lot of people shooting off their mouths about how I should shut up and I was aparently jealous of the catch. At least one person finally stepped up and defended my question for what it was, a request for justification, which as you stated, was clearly given. It just really annoys crap out of me when you see idiots with this attitude that they should be allowed to keep as many fish as they catch and fill the freezer if they can. Argh, anyway, off the soapbox now. :?


You absoltuley had every right to ask the question mate and everyone else should have shut up until the original poster replied, if proper etiquitte was followed, but alas no one seems to know the meaning of the word these days. Except on this site, in my opinion this site has the most courtesous and respectful groups of people on line I have ever come across.

Being online often gives people a sense of security in their own anonimity and generally they use it to make total arses of themselves, the difference here is a lot of us interact, on and off line, so we have more respect for each other and can share things very freely and openly without fear of ridicule or abuse.

Anyway that's my 2 bob's worth. You were right to ask and others should have shut up till the original poster repsonded to the question, which would have cleared everything up.


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## Polar (Sep 1, 2005)

hairymick said:


> Hi Karl,
> 
> The wide bay area is reputed to be the ******* capital of Australia after all.
> 
> With Gympie being the epicentre


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## Peter_M (Oct 30, 2005)

Good thread - there are some big issues here...I think its OK to keep those fish if they are legally caught and they are ALL going to be eaten. In a global picture eating the fish probably means one less cow, pig, sheep whatever to be raised and consumed. Exactly the same happens in hunting, although even worse. Some shooters routinely slaughter hundreds of wallabies a night and leave 'em where they fall. Spoils it for the decent few who take just what they need.

Anyway, as far as ecological footprints are concerned (yes, I did watch Catalyst last night), yaks rule. No fossil fuel burning, combined with a sustainable method of fishing. I'm just trying to rig up a system whereby I can tow my rig on my bike. Police might not be that enthusiastic though.


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

I know a bloke that tows his 11foot canoe to the dam here, about 10Kms I think, and yes, on the back of his push bike, havnt seen his trailer yet, but when I do I'll take some pics for ya.


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## Milt (Sep 2, 2005)

I love to fish and I love to eat fish so such a catch I'd also keep, even if they were a combination of line and spear caught. Like most fisherman I rarelly catch my limit because even in a boat it can take a long day to do so.

Limits are set for a reason and providing they are adheared to and all fish is eaten not wasted then thats ok with me. When limits are constantly being caught say every week by one angler then I guess it would be ok to call it a little gluttoness "if there's such a word"?

When ever i have a great day out on the water all excess fish I give to the neighbours or people that don't fish. for them to enjoy a fresh feed, rather than the so called fresh rubbish they buy at Coles or the fish market.

In my opinion anger should be directed at proffesional fisherman who catch undersized and sized fish due to there practises. I still believe the following saying holds true "10% of fisherman catch 90% of the fish" and its ok if 10% of us manage a fine range of fish this angler managed.

Milt,


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## Peter_M (Oct 30, 2005)

Thanks YakAtak - I definately need some ideas for my 'trailer'.
Milt - I agree. I think bag limits on recreational catch are set with the idea that each angler probably averages about one day a week fishing, so catching the limit every day, while adhering to the letter of the law, is not really in the spirit of things.
Anyway, we all know that yakkers are neither greedy nor wasteful of natures bounty, and we can have a GREAT day fishing without burning a hundred and fifty litres of two-stroke fuel.


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## fishbrain (Oct 19, 2005)

Not saying that fella's in the wrong but people have to be accountable for there own actions .I have a family of 5 I sometimes keep 2or3 nice size fish I fish 1 to 2 times week can catch between 30-50 fish a session .If I keep them all & gave them to the all the mums ,dads & neighbours or froze them that would piss people off but why would I deny my kids a moment like this photo and was proud to release it ,maybe if more people adopted this additude they might not have close fisheries down .Fishbrain


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## Milt (Sep 2, 2005)

Nothing wrong with catch and release once you have caught enough fish and nothing wrong with bringing home a good bag of fish every now and again so long as its not to often that it goes to waste and is not enjoyed.

Its all part of being a good neighbour for me, giving them a couple of meals worth of fish a few times a year. Mostly of fish that doesn't cope well with freezing like salmon and tailor for example.

Milt,


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## Magicrik (Jul 12, 2006)

For me the story or post is boring so i dont really care......but yes too me it looks like alot of fish but like people have said we do not know the facts.........all we know is that the fish was not caught by one person.
But even if they was.......we dont know why he kept them.....family get together, party who knows.
I look at it like this thou food is food is food....if we dont it, somthing else will.
Or look at it like this, what he dont eat he'll throw away and the crabs will eat it and we all get bigger crabs :lol: 
The only thing that pisses me off is killing fish that you cant identify.
Its pointless IMO because you cant eat it and if you do that even more stupid
But thats MHO ill stop talking now


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## milan72 (Aug 17, 2006)

OK where to start??

I have come into this thread after a few posts have been made so there are a number of things I want to add.

Firstly, from what I can see the the pictures indicate that this guy tried to present a legal catch especially with the rule included in the photo. This is not to say that this is all he caught but lets assume he did.

Secondly, I see nothing wrong with raising questions about wether there was a need to keep all of that catch. Caring about our environment and our impact on it should be on all of our minds but that is not to say that there is no legitamate reason (if this catch was legal and I am assuming it is) why this person should not keep it all. His explanation, I think, is acceptable.

Then we get on to Blaen's post which I, in my short time here, totally agree with about the people on this site. This sadly was followed by Polar's post about ******** and Gympie being the epicentre. I come from Gympie and whilst I did not feel that this was a personal attack on me or a judgement on my character I would like to stand for Gympie's defence. Sure there a seedy people there, like everywhere! Hang around the Valley and you will find people that you would not invite in your home under any circumstances, but then there are some that would be considered as fantastic personalities with great values. Gympie, Wide Bay and for that matter anywhere in this globe we call Earth will present the same situation. Who is to say that the people that made this catch are not genuine people like most of us here???!!!

Without knowing them or the facts of the matter at hand, we should not cast judgement and maybe, Polar, you should try adhearing to the attributes of the majority of us here, as Blaen described. Let's ask the questions, raise the issues, have our opinions but lets not cast judgement on people we don't know and on situations we know little details about.

I am not a philosopher nor a fence sitter. Let's just be fair to all!

Cheers,

Milan.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

milan72 said:


> This sadly was followed by Polar's post about ******** and Gympie being the epicentre.
> 
> Without knowing them or the facts of the matter at hand, we should not cast judgement and maybe, Polar, you should try adhearing to the attributes of the majority of us here, as Blaen described.
> 
> Milan.


Milan

Perhaps you have been a little harsh on Polar, as the reply of his is a quote of an earlier reply in this thread.

And the original words were said in humour I feel also, having followed the posts of both the respective members for many months be assured they are top blokes mate and no slight would be intended to Gympie


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Guest (Sep 1, 2006)

Some of the finest people I have met in my life have been born and bred in country or so called 'red neck' areas of Tasmania and Central QLD.

I'm a country boy and proud of it


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

> And the original words were said in humour I feel also, having followed the posts of both the respective members for many months be assured they are top blokes mate and no slight would be intended to Gympie


Hi Richo,

Thanks mate.

My words were said in a sort of jest and no slight was intended upon the fine residents of Gympie. They were certainly not indended to be a personal attack on any idividual and I apologise if I have offended.

I live in the Wide Bay area and have done so since 1982 off and on. I consider myself almost a local. It is the place I have chosen to come to to retire. I love this area.

Having said that, Yakatak/Conoodle was mauled on the Ausfish forum for asking what seemed to me to be a perfectly reasonable question. (why keep so many fish?) The question was answered and then followed by about two pages of personal attack on Karl by people who I would call ********. Their attitude is fairly typical of an awfull lot of stink boat fishos round these parts. (if it is legal - do it. never mind about the moral or ethical implications)

I counted 178 stink boats fishing the waters off O'regans Creek yesterday for winter whiting. By all reports, allmost all accounted for catches somewhere between 100 and 300 fish. I would bet my superannuation that many of these same boats were out there again today and will be again tomorrow.

Wide Bay Locals themselves call this area the ******* capitol of Australia and many are proud of it.


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## milan72 (Aug 17, 2006)

Please dont get me wrong, I wasn't personally offended by the remarks as I know that Gympie does have various reputations. I was just surprised as to why or how '*******' became relevant in this thread and then for the term to be used to indirectly to describe the person involved.

Maybe I jumped the gun  I can see now that polar's comment was made directed at you hairy.

My apologies Polar (and Hairy) if I was a little quick and harsh, I was not meaning to be offensive in my remarks or even suggest that you guys are anything other than 'top blokes'. Just thought that it was an unfair generalisation to make in the context of the issue.

Hope my yak will be as quick in the water as my tongue is in this thread 

Cheers,

Milan.


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

I was born in Gympie, and I love the area, it's really pretty and I can't say I ever saw too much red neckery, hehe. I love the wide bay, but really there are a large number of close minded people who are living in a bygone era. I had no idea that those raping sessions of the winter whiting still went on up there, amazing they still can! I have no time for whiting at the best of times, and couldnt see the point in taking 20 fish let alone 300. At the end of the day, I just wanted to voice my concern that people were taking more than they really need to. Most times that I go out, I do better than most people that I encounter. I love to eat fish too, but I would also like to think that more people are taking on the 'limit your catch, don't catch your limit' attitude that I know most members of this forum have adopted. Damn, where did that soap box come from again?


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Heya Milan,

No offense taken by me mate. 

What got my back up was the unjustified mauling Karl got on ausfish for asking what I thought was a reasonable question.

Karl mate, you would be bloody amazed at the amount of people here who rape the whiting day in day out - all season.

But its not just the whiting. When the bream are "on" at Burrum Heads as they are now. The black bank is lit up at night like Queen Street, All are catching sh!t loads of bream. Now don't get me wrong here. I am a bream fisherman and I just love to eat the little buggers but how can anybody possibly justify catching & keeping 30 to 50 or so solid dungers each.

The sooner bag limits on these fish are brought in the happier I'll be.


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## milan72 (Aug 17, 2006)

I will admit that whilst I have always paid attention to size limits I have never given two hoots about bag limits!!!

I've never been lucky enough to catch that many in any one session. 

Maybe I need to get out on the water more! Or maybe it's my technique and fishing nouse (gee I need some serious help if it is)

I'll have a good enough reason to get out more and practise this art now that I will have a yak.



Milan


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

I'm always impressed with the level of civility on this forum. What you consider flaming is much less severe than the exchanges that are common in the US. Some topics (C&R in particular) frequently lead to heated debates. All too often the debate turns into personal attacks. I just wish that we could seriously discuss these issues without getting personal. Conservation areas, bag limits and C&R are importants topics and deserve some serious discussion. Sadly, we often forget the issue and attack the person. Internet forums like this allow large numbers of people with diverse opinions to meet and discuss such topics, but the inherent anonymity also leads to behavior that would not be acceptable in face to face debate. AKFF has done well to keep serious debate on a friendly level.


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## Polar (Sep 1, 2005)

No offence taken Milan - was intended as a lighthearted comment - I lived for seven (7) years in Childers and Bundaberg and also spent a bit of time in Gympie and met some very curious characters *BUT* having said that I have met some strange ones down hear as well - this may be because of my profession. In the past I have taken some lighthearted slanging from Mick - its all part of it (life) - it only gets nasty when it is vindictive


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

So much love... :lol: 
Thanks to those that supported me on this, and as DGax says, it's a credit to the patrons of this forum that we can discuss these very sensitive issues without 'serious' personal attacks. 
In the end it turned out that there are some responsible and mature fishos on the other forum in amongst those that see no need for concern about our waterways and fish stocks. I don't think I'll ever be an advocate of C&R, but I would certainly support much more strict bag limits and size limits. I love to eat fish, but I would HATE to live in a world without fishing, as much as I love being on my yak, it wouldn't be the same if I couldnt troll a lure and ocasionally take home a feed. I want to be doing this when I'm as old as ... some of the people on this forum.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

DGax65 said:


> but the inherent anonymity also leads to behavior that would not be acceptable in face to face debate. AKFF has done well to keep serious debate on a friendly level.


Doug that is what makes AKFF special, I think the majority here are happy to use real names and be identified as a real person, as you would in having a conversation with mates at the pub or club etc. and keep things civil, no matter the subject.


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