practice C P R

[bob 13]

I have been catching some nice pike over the years at braddocks. i kept one yesterday, because it swallowed the hook. it upsets me to see guys with 4-5 pike laying on the ice. i have no problem keep one for eating. CATCH PHOTO RELEASE. This is how we keep our fishery going for our kids. comments good or bad

thanks

bob13

[L&M]

Same with any species. If your not going to use them. Return em.

[GAMBLER]

Braddocks gets hammered every year and bounces right back. It has been this way for years. There is more catch and release now than there was back 10 - 20 years ago. If nobody took pike out, the pike population would get out of control and the throw the food chain out of wack. Braddocks is a pike factory that is fed by Lake Ontario. I don't care if guys are keeping them as long as they are not wasted.

[LongLine]

I agree with Hank & Brian, as long as it's legal, keep your limit. Myself, I'm 100% C&R.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[web-fisherman]

Yeah - I agree with Bob - I was talking to a guy that had some pike on the ICE and wanted to show some people his catch. He had no intention on keeping them. Few hours later - There sat (alone) 3 northern's in the 28-32" range on the ice.

[Ronix 51]

personally it disgusts me when someone takes nice sized northern or tiger...(35 inches and up) these big girls a crucial part of spawning and by taking all the big ones it seems as though the once excellent trophy waters (conesus for example) are dwindling down to just hammer handles bc of over harvesting. i understand too many of them can throw off the food chain but i dont understand especially how some people ice them just for the sake of decreasing their numbers for the sake of their prized panfish or bass. so im with the CPR practice i practice it with every esox i get!

[Grady95]

I took one out of Sodus last year. It was the biggest and baddest looking fish I have ever pulled through a hole in the ice. I brought it home, showed it to my wife and off it went strait to the taxidermist. It is now a part of our collection of mounts in the office room of the house.

Large pike have a place out of the water IMHO. I hope that every pike that is caught, especially the big ones either get eaten, mounted or released. I don't do well seeing dead fish left out on the ice. Please guys, enjoy that thrill of hauling the big ones through the hole, maybe take a picture, go ahead and add it to your creel, but have a plan for these fish before you catch them. Responsible harvesting just makes sense. We benefit at home from the bounty, the sport benefits by showing the public, especially the non-fishing public that we do more than pay lip service to our rhetoric and we manage our catch with care.

That big pike last year was on the ice for at least two hours while I continued to fish. I was surprised to be approached by several non-fishermen who were just out cross country skiing or walking who wanted to see the fish and talk about it. I felt good telling them that the fish was being kept for a trophy mount, and they in turn told me they felt good not just seeing "some guy out there just leaving dead fish all over the ice."

Ultimately, we are the keepers of our sport. Make it your commitment this season to show the public, especially the anti's that we are truly the sportsmen we claim to be. Our sport will benefit from this.

Thanks from a fellow fisherman. Good luck this season.

Stay Sharp, Be Safe

Grady