# Fish Dumping



## KMckie786

Hey guys just putting this out there ... Me and my Wife went to the Riverside boat ramp at the Savannah River to do a test run on my boat and just get out and enjoy the river for a while. I have recently started shooting fish, but I am by no means an avid bowfisherman. However, I was standing in my boat as my wife was backing the boat in the water and got this horrible smell of rotting fish. I didnt have to look far as there were about 20-25 gar and suckers half of them laying on the bank and the other half floating in the water all with holes in them. There were probably 20+ kayakers and a couple of familys around the boat ramp and on the dock, and the smell of fish was everywhere. I was ashamed to be backing my boat in as it rigged and obviously a "Bowfishing boat". 

This is not only bad for the sport and a surefire way to get it outlawed, but it gives others who actually do the right thing a bad name. I felt 2 feet tall yesterday backing my boat in around all of these people, and I wasnt even the one who dumped the fish. Other people use these ramps, and non of them I am sure want to smell or see dead fish while they are going about their business. 

All in all, its just flat out lazy!


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## thompsonsz71

Been having that problem there for a while..... thought we had it fixed..... guess not....


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## j_seph

Preach on brother, preach on. I have started seeing this myself up here in North GA. I have mentioned it and all it seems to do is make folks mad that I mentioned it. We just got into this sport this year and at times I have asked why I did just because of what you mentioned. Especially when you show up at a boat ramp and get to hear from the local fisherman about how all these dead fish were in the cove they fish in. Hopefully your thread will help out and not tick someone off as when I mentioned it.


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## thompsonsz71

Nothing will help that ramp..... it only happens during the summer..... all the high school kids get out of school and they don't care.... we are going to loose the right to fish there.... only way is to start turning folks in...


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## alligood729

That's no good man....and just the same as the lazy suckers that dump a deer carcass with just the head cut off beside the road, or just cut the antlers off and leave the whole deer. Just plain old sorryness is all it is. I hope it can be straightened out for you guys.


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## j_seph

I have PM'd a moderator and hopefully we can get some support and help stop this. Hopefully he will make a sticky for us


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## Michael

thompsonsz71 said:


> Nothing will help that ramp..... it only happens during the summer..... all the high school kids get out of school and they don't care.... we are going to loose the right to fish there.... only way is to start turning folks in...



Sometimes the only way to teach a moron a leason is the hard way.


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## Trizey

I don't bowfish...so excuse me, but what do people do with gar, suckers, and carp??


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## castandblast

Michael said:


> Sometimes the only way to teach a moron a leason is the hard way.



agreed


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## castandblast

Trizey said:


> I don't bowfish...so excuse me, but what do people do with gar, suckers, and carp??



The majority of people use them for compost in their food plots and gardens. However, some people eat them. I used to give all my fish to a guy from work that would take every fish we would give them. I would also give them to a friend who owned a landscaping business. His "amegos" that worked for him were always happy to take them. I haven't tried them but apparently Buffalo are pretty good and iv heard (don't know for sure) but "white fish" in restraunts is buffalo.


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## j_seph

Trizey said:


> I don't bowfish...so excuse me, but what do people do with gar, suckers, and carp??


We put all suckers in the freezer for catfish bait, no more carp than we have killed this first year we have put most in the freezer for catfish bait and rest have been for compost.


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## j_seph

Trizey said:


> I don't bowfish...so excuse me, but what do people do with gar, suckers, and carp??


we can change those first 3 words for you if you'd like


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## Augustabowhunter

Just a thought. Why dont we all pitch in a few buck and have some no dumping fish signs made up to place at the problem areas. It cannot cost much to have this done. I would hate to see something I love to do take away over fish dumping. If you dont have a place for the fish dont shoot them.


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## thompsonsz71

Im in for the signs.... maybe I could get in touch with brian hobbins and have the dnr support as well


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## thompsonsz71

Michael said:


> Sometimes the only way to teach a moron a leason is the hard way.



Yea Michael it is..... but I would hate for that to be at our dispense


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## j_seph

Augustabowhunter said:


> Just a thought. Why dont we all pitch in a few buck and have some no dumping fish signs made up to place at the problem areas. It cannot cost much to have this done. I would hate to see something I love to do take away over fish dumping. If you dont have a place for the fish dont shoot them.


 


thompsonsz71 said:


> Im in for the signs.... maybe I could get in touch with brian hobbins and have the dnr support as well


 Would there be any issues with the COE doing this? May help keep a man honest anyway


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## thompsonsz71

I don't see why there would be...... but im sure we could find out....


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## KentuckyHeadhunter

I got a better idea.  Lets put out a trailcam and see who's doing it.  Then when they are out on the water, lets dump a bunch of dead fish in the front seat of their vehicle along with a "nice" letter.


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## thompsonsz71

Trail cam will end up missing..... way too much activity there


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## Dead Eye Eddy

Not trying to defend the idiots dumping dead fish at the boat ramp, but where should they dump them if they don't need catfish bait or compost?  I would think that a cove away from houses would be a good place, but seems like that is upsetting the fishermen as well.

I've had similar problems with dumping deer carcasses.  My dad and I debone our deer in camp, and I process the meat when we get home.  In the past, I've hunted with several "gut em in the woods and take em to the processor" hunters who didn't want me dumping my leftovers on the property or didn't like where I chose to dump them.


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## j_seph

If you have no where to dump them on your own property, or a friends then you need to find a new sport!! At the least someone could do is puncture their swim bladder and sink them which will not always keep them from floating back up(so I have heard). 
Can you imagine going to your favorite cove to crappie fish only to be stunk out by rotting fish?


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## FULL_DRAW

Dead Eye Eddy said:


> Not trying to defend the idiots dumping dead fish at the boat ramp, but where should they dump them if they don't need catfish bait or compost?  I would think that a cove away from houses would be a good place, but seems like that is upsetting the fishermen as well.




If i didn't have anywhere to take my fish I just wouldn't shoot any.


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## TBass

Catch 22.....if you don't shoot the rough fish they just keep multiplying and impacting the sport fish quality.  With few natural predators, what else is there to control carp, gar, bowfin, or any other species?  

I used to dig a big hole and bury them.  I'll clean the occasional gar and pack into the freezer, or use some carp for cut bait.  Bowfishing, whether people like it or not, is a pretty necessary sport.  It just needs to happen.


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## JpEater

j_seph said:


> Would there be any issues with the COE doing this? May help keep a man honest anyway



The actual savannah river doesn't have any corps of engineers land. The park in question is County owned and operated.


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## j_seph

JpEater said:


> The actual savannah river doesn't have any corps of engineers land. The park in question is County owned and operated.


 Ah, i was broading the horizons to Hartwell and Lanier


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## castandblast

bottom line is that dumping fish is not cool. We need to police each other and spread the word in areas that it is a problem. No one is more likely to catch them in the act of dumping than a fellow bowfisherman because of the time frames that we come in and out. If you see someone else do it, stand up and tell them to pick up their fish.


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## jmfauver

Dead Eye Eddy said:


> Not trying to defend the idiots dumping dead fish at the boat ramp, but where should they dump them if they don't need catfish bait or compost?  I would think that a cove away from houses would be a good place, but seems like that is upsetting the fishermen as well.
> 
> I've had similar problems with dumping deer carcasses.  My dad and I debone our deer in camp, and I process the meat when we get home.  In the past, I've hunted with several "gut em in the woods and take em to the processor" hunters who didn't want me dumping my leftovers on the property or didn't like where I chose to dump them.





j_seph said:


> If you have no where to dump them on your own property, or a friends then you need to find a new sport!! At the least someone could do is puncture their swim bladder and sink them which will not always keep them from floating back up(so I have heard).
> Can you imagine going to your favorite cove to crappie fish only to be stunk out by rotting fish?



This is the reason I am getting out of bowfishing.In the past I always had folks who would take the 2-4 fish we would get,but since moving to GA I have no one to do this with or a place to use them,so I am out of it....


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## NCHillbilly

Nothing more disgusting than a pile of dead fish at the boat ramp-I've seen this at Clark's Hill more than once. I just don't see why people do it. I keep the gar and eat them myself-they're really good. If I can't find anybody who wants the carp (and you'd be surprised how many people might in some areas,) we use them for cut bait or bury them around fruit trees in my buddy's food plots. the carp need to be out of the lake, but why not use them for something if you can? If you're gonna pitch 'em, pitch 'em out in the woods, not at a boat ramp. Nothing goes to waste in nature, but a pile of stinking fish doesn't belong at a boat ramp.


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## WestPointLakeGarGrabbers

TBass said:


> Catch 22.....if you don't shoot the rough fish they just keep multiplying and impacting the sport fish quality.  With few natural predators, what else is there to control carp, gar, bowfin, or any other species?
> .




Now that point of view is crazy thinking to me. Why do you need to control them? Some people actually value them as a sporting opportunity...like me. I Gar fish West Point Lake and as I recall the Elite Series Bass Tournament was very successful. I don't feel it would have been any more or less successful with controlling fish that are less valuable to you or other bass fishermen of similar thinking.

If you think Bass are being compromised by, in your mind lesser quality fish maybe you should think again. Bass fishermen themselves are a major reason for population declines in some lakes.

Another though...what if you reached a boat ramp to launch and all of those fish stuck by arrows left to decay would have been all bass? You can multiply the outrage by about 100!

Sorry just my opinion too...


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## j_seph

WestPointLakeGarGrabbers said:


> Now that point of view is crazy thinking to me. Why do you need to control them? Some people actually value them as a sporting opportunity...like me. I Gar fish West Point Lake and as I recall the Elite Series Bass Tournament was very successful. I don't feel it would have been any more or less successful with controlling fish that are less valuable to you or other bass fishermen of similar thinking.
> 
> If you think Bass are being compromised by, in your mind lesser quality fish maybe you should think again. Bass fishermen themselves are a major reason for population declines in some lakes.
> 
> Another though...what if you reached a boat ramp to launch and all of those fish stuck by arrows left to decay would have been all bass? You can multiply the outrage by about 100!
> 
> Sorry just my opinion too...


 What fish eats a gar? Gar multiply and multiply with nothing to eat them. Don't know of many fish that eat carp whole either. I have seen carp invading bream, crappie, bass nest.
We see bass at night bowfishing as well. We will see 10 times as many carp and gar as we do bass.
I have fished for gar as well but they continue to multiply without any predators. I love catfishing and know some of these guys shoot catfish. As long as they are not wasting them then so be it. We will pass up big catfish but yet I don't bash them for doing it even if I do not like it.


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## Nicodemus

Carp is the only one mentioned here that is a non-native invasive fish. Gar and blackfish are native to our waters, and have been here as long as all the gamefish have. They haven`t wiped out bass and bream yet. Appaloosa catfish have done more damage than they have.


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## FOD

I don't shoot anything unless somebody wants it.So I pretty much don't shoot gar(nobody wants them),some people take carp and mudfish,therefore,if somebody wants 'em,I'll go get 'em a mess,if they don't,I don't fish.


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## FULL_DRAW

The last few times i have been there have been people at the ramp when we come in that were more than happy to take a bucket or 2 home with them.

HAHA....... one night at Oconee a lady on the dock paid me $10 for my $2 20 gallon tote i had fish in. We packed it full of carp, suckers and a few small gar. Then she asked us to put is in her car!( a 98 or so mustang convertable) NOT IN THE TRUNK>>>>>THE BACK SEAT!!!!  We did......we plopped it in there and a few carp slid out and right on her seat.     
You know that smell will never leave that car!!!!


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## FOD

I put a grassy in a ladies trunk that weighed about 75 lbs!


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## j_seph

FULL_DRAW said:


> The last few times i have been there have been people at the ramp when we come in that were more than happy to take a bucket or 2 home with them.
> 
> HAHA....... one night at Oconee a lady on the dock paid me $10 for my $2 20 gallon tote i had fish in. We packed it full of carp, suckers and a few small gar. Then she asked us to put is in her car!( a 98 or so mustang convertable) NOT IN THE TRUNK>>>>>THE BACK SEAT!!!! We did......we plopped it in there and a few carp slid out and right on her seat.
> You know that smell will never leave that car!!!!


Now that's funny


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## NCHillbilly

I'm exactly with Nic-gar and bowfin are both native fish and have earned their place in the water-they've been there a lot longer than most of the gamefish. Carp are a different story, though-they are an invasive eurasian species that has done a lot of damage to our waters. The introduction of carp to North America was one of the bigger government *****s. Every carp gone from the lake is an improvement, but I have a healthy respect for gar and bowfin. Anything that's been around as long as they have deserves it.


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## j_seph

NCHillbilly said:


> Anything that's been around as long as they have deserves it.


That includes NIC


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## Nugefan

j_seph said:


> We put all suckers in the freezer for catfish bait, no more carp than we have killed this first year we have put most in the freezer for catfish bait and rest have been for compost.



you need to fry up one of the suckers just one time , you won't be using em for bait anymore I'll bet ...


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## shakey gizzard

j_seph said:


> That includes NIC


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## shakey gizzard

Anyone want to get rid of some up my way? Ill come get em!


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## Nicodemus

j_seph said:


> That includes NIC



Hey!!  




Nugefan said:


> you need to fry up one of the suckers just one time , you won't be using em for bait anymore I'll bet ...





Yessir, they eat good!!


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## Michael

Nugefan said:


> you need to fry up one of the suckers just one time , you won't be using em for bait anymore I'll bet ...



One of the Chinese resturants I take fish to heard me talking on the phone to another resturant owner. When I hung-up she brought me a slab of sucker that she'd prepared from the fish I'd taken her the night before. It was good, but every bite had 4-5 bones in it. When she later asked how it was I told her "Good, just too many bones". She laughed and said "Silly Americans, you don't like bone".

Here I had a plate full of Sesame Chicken, Moo Goo Guy Pan, Sweet-n-sour pork... all boneless... and I was silly ?


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## Nicodemus

Gash those suckers, and jack, and fry em in hot grease. Good as any fish that swim.


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## j_seph

shakey gizzard said:


> Anyone want to get rid of some up my way? Ill come get em!


 You eating Carp now are you?


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## Bowfisher

FULL_DRAW said:


> The last few times i have been there have been people at the ramp when we come in that were more than happy to take a bucket or 2 home with them.
> 
> HAHA....... one night at Oconee a lady on the dock paid me $10 for my $2 20 gallon tote i had fish in. We packed it full of carp, suckers and a few small gar. Then she asked us to put is in her car!( a 98 or so mustang convertable) NOT IN THE TRUNK>>>>>THE BACK SEAT!!!!  We did......we plopped it in there and a few carp slid out and right on her seat.
> You know that smell will never leave that car!!!!



Better watch out, someone people on here will blast ya for selling fish without a license.lol


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## FULL_DRAW

Bowfisher said:


> Better watch out, someone people on here will blast ya for selling fish without a license.lol



hahah No joke!!....kinda sad ain't it?

Thats why i sold the bucket...NOT the fish!


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## shakey gizzard

j_seph said:


> You eating Carp now are you?



Not yet!


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## KentuckyHeadhunter

I am currently in Eastern KY and stopped and grabbed a KY rules and regs guide.  In the paragraph about bowfishing (which is pretty much the same as the one in ours) it ends with two sentences that need to be added to our own guide.
....."FISH TAKEN BY BOW MUST NOT BE DISCARDED ON THE BANK.  BANK DISPOSAL IS LITTERING AND SUBJECT TO A FINE."

How hard would it be to get that little bit added to our R&R guide?  I'm all about enforcing it this way.  Sure people will still do it and get away with it, but this makes it illegal to do so.


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## Brianf

I assumed it was illegal now, if it isn't it should be. But the people that dump fish at the ramp will still do it, if nobody's looking.


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## Dog Hunter

j_seph said:


> We put all suckers in the freezer for catfish bait, no more carp than we have killed this first year we have put most in the freezer for catfish bait and rest have been for compost.


See below


Nicodemus said:


> Gash those suckers, and jack, and fry em in hot grease. Good as any fish that swim.



If not better.


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## j_seph

Dog Hunter said:


> See below
> 
> 
> If not better.


 Maybe that's why them catfish love so much!


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## FERAL ONE

j_seph, it is a good idea about the sticky and i will work it up as soon as i get a minute.  we have the same problem on oliver and bartletts and it is just not good.  at the very least folks could keep them off the dang landings !!! the commercial catfishermen are just as bad , dumping all the cleanings back on the landing on goat rock.  as far as gar , i shoot them , but i do have a healthy respect for them and i am not out for total anhialation of them. they have every right to be here and i am thankful to have them to hunt.  the carp on the otherhand , i show no mercy to. they are truly a destructive species and that is proven fact.   the chicken turtles are so thick in my area you can't hardly run your trolling motor. i sure wish there was a good use for them. they silt in the shallows worse than the carp could ever hope to !!!


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## j_seph

Thanks Feral

By the way, what is a chicken turtle


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## shakey gizzard

j_seph said:


> Thanks Feral
> 
> By the way, what is a chicken turtle



x2!


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## TBass

LOL.....chicken turtles????  You Southern folk have some of the craziest "different" names for the same fish I'm used to.  Sometimes I get absolutely lost in some of your posts because of all the different names people use to describe ONE species!  Or even the words you use to generalize a number of species......cultural differences I guess. It's entertaining to me regardless.  I don't doubt that "chicken turtles" was intentional.


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## Nicodemus

TBass said:


> LOL.....chicken turtles????  You Southern folk have some of the craziest "different" names for the same fish I'm used to.  Sometimes I get absolutely lost in some of your posts because of all the different names people use to describe ONE species!  Or even the words you use to generalize a number of species......cultural differences I guess. It's entertaining to me regardless.  I don't doubt that "chicken turtles" was intentional.





Welcome to God`s Country.


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## j_seph

So what is it??????


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## shakey gizzard

j_seph said:


> So what is it??????



X4!


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## Nicodemus

j_seph said:


> So what is it??????






Around here, you will hear some folks call a softshell turtle that. In the past, I have heard some old Florida Crackers call a gopher tortoise that same thing. And you will hear some South Georgia swampers and Florida Crackers call a softshell a cooter. At the Yearlin` Restuarant in Cross Creek Florida, that`s how it was listed on the menu. 

To further confuse ya`ll, there is a genuine bonified species of turtle called a chicken turtle. To me it just looks like a long necked slider turtle. That`s also a nickname. You`ll also hear some folks call that one a river cooter, streaky legged bait stealer, and other assorted colorful names. 

Confused yet?  Just wait, we ain`t got into the terrapins yet. I`ll learn you boys how us South Georgia folks talk, given enough time.


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## j_seph

All I know is a snapping turtle and stay the heck away from that head. Also I have heard how good a softshell turtle is to eat but just can't bring myself to clean one.


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## Warped Arrow

Tell yall what, once I get my bowfishing rig set, I will go with any of yall and take all the carp and large gar ya wanna give me. That there is GOOOOD eatin!!!

I agree that there should be something done about bank dumping. I'm not in GA, but in SC. Dont matter though, wrong is wrong no matter what state your in. If I ever see someone dumping like that, you can bet they will get told about it.

Del


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## FERAL ONE

sorry yall !!! i got so many irons in the fire right now i ain't got room for fire !!! i got a few neat things in the works and a biggie tonight so when it is over i may have a bit more time ! the chicken turtles i am talking about are the painted looking turtles that are so prevalent in our river system. they are thick as fleas around here and a passle of them will silt up a creek or slough so fast it is almost unshootable .  we need more gators in our area to thin these suckers out !!!


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## Bowfisher

Warped Arrow said:


> Tell yall what, once I get my bowfishing rig set, I will go with any of yall and take all the carp and large gar ya wanna give me. That there is GOOOOD eatin!!!
> 
> I agree that there should be something done about bank dumping. I'm not in GA, but in SC. Dont matter though, wrong is wrong no matter what state your in. If I ever see someone dumping like that, you can bet they will get told about it.
> 
> Del



We are going tonight....tell me where leave these 300-500 Gar,carp and shad if u want them all


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## shakey gizzard

FERAL ONE said:


> sorry yall !!! i got so many irons in the fire right now i ain't got room for fire !!! i got a few neat things in the works and a biggie tonight so when it is over i may have a bit more time ! the chicken turtles i am talking about are the painted looking turtles that are so prevalent in our river system. they are thick as fleas around here and a passle of them will silt up a creek or slough so fast it is almost unshootable .  we need more gators in our area to thin these suckers out !!!



They are called painted turtles, But green sliders look painted too !


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## Warped Arrow

Bowfisher said:


> We are going tonight....tell me where leave these 300-500 Gar,carp and shad if u want them all



Cant take 400+, but I'll take an even dozen large carp if ya keep them on ice for me. Send me a PM and I'll get back to ya.

Del


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## Bowfisher

Dude I ain't putting ice on  carp. Sorry. Maybe next time


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## Warped Arrow

Oh well, Maybe I can go with ya some time after I get my new bow set up.

Del


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## shakey gizzard

Bowfisher said:


> We are going tonight....tell me where leave these 300-500 Gar,carp and shad if u want them all



Where they gunna be?


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