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If the miss. was being over fished I personally beleive the dnr would step in with slot limits and ect. as they have in other parts of the country and I don’t see that happening for a long,long time if ever on pool 4.
over fishing??….no, probably not
EVIL ASIAN CARP!!!!…..no more wallys left 
Thanks Evileye. I appreciate the comment.
Gotta give credit to MAH for keeping his cool through this. I agree Mike, adversity has it’s beauty but I hope we will always rise above bash fests. And please, I hope no one interprets defending this site as bashing………….cuz I’ll do it as long as I have breath.
I am going to be blunt with this though…………….if we’re sending the wrong message………..one that doesn’t show professionalism, are we……….the general populus………too stupid to recognize unprofessionalism? There are times to buck the wind……………example: CPR. But in it’s logic, we’re making HUGE strides in conservation that will still allow stringers of fish to be kept. Wrong message? I think it shows how well it WORKS! Record deer harvest in MN this year? That didn’t happen without conservation efforts made by sporting men and women and that’s exactly what we’re doing here!
If this sends the wrong message, why do so many come here, …………………. and stay here?
The pics of the old meat pole of old doesn’t deter hunters. Harvesting game is the quest, all the while acting in methods of conservation. The stringer of TODAY should hold the same image because both the practice and intent are absolutely identical.
Maybe we need to spread more of the word around regarding this instead of misleading people into thinking that release is the ONLY means of conservation. Harvest is necessary and in the name of conservation, the stringers show a great measure in it’s effort. Truly Professional.
Sorry guys…Had to do it for a good laugh!!!
That old pic of the stringer of fish, by the way is legal, but is one with too many big fish on it. Much bigger fish than the pool 4 guides allow their customers to take home. Its plain to see just by the size of the fish in the pics that the guides are much more concerned with conservation and protecting our resources than the stringer that the fisherman in the old pic is holding. I have to say ”Thanks” to the guides for putting the well being of our fishery ahead of allowing clients to take home a stringer of big fish. In doing so they may be reducing the amount of guide business they have but they are protecting the resource for all of us in doing so. These guides spend more time on the water than any of the rest of us do so they know where the fish are yet the stringers of eater size fish instead of stringers of big fish show their concern for the fishery even more so than the average fisherman. And for that I am very gratefull. Thanks, Bill
Your right Bill. It gives me nightmares to think what would happen to the fishery if this was done today. 4 or 5 years and you wouldn’t see photos of these catches anymore, the fish would be gone. These fishermen in the photo were feeding thier families then and it was important to keep food on the table. Now today its a completely diffrent scenerio. Thier wasen’t as many fishermen then as today with much better equipment and we all realize this, thats why we catch and release! Theres only so many fish and spawning grounds. Personally pictures of eating sized fish is to show others that those fish are biting and to get thier lines wet now. What great info. Madashell don’t over stress things, were looking out for your behalf too, or you’ll have yourself believing bad things are happening, which i can gaurantee you they aren’t! Good luck fishing around here.
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Let me try to make a couple points a little clearer.
1- I am not trying to cut down anyone’s Hero’s with my post. I enjoy this site and the way it is managed.
2- I am well aware that this Site is a promotional tool.
I am also aware that the true “Big Boys” in the Fishing Promotion industry know that the consistant use of “Stringer Photos” has an adverse affect on the general public. In particular the guy that loads his boat up with Ringies,Dingies,Dooy’s and Don’ties and and doesn’t come home with limit after limit. As well as the do gooder that believes there is a massacre going on and now has the photos to prove it.
I know the guys have no wrong intentions. I was simply wondering if the are aware of the messages this site has the potential to send.
Hey Mad,
Looks like you rustled more than just my feathers. I like a good conversation. While I disagree with you completly, I”m not saying your opinion is wrong. You made a comment about not bashing anyone’s heros. I guess I took that personally, my heros are the men and women fighting overseas, their families left at home to fend for themselves and people like my mom and dad. These people are heros!!
James Holst is not my hero, he is a man I have the upmost respect for though. This guy puts in more time for this site than anyone could ever imagine. Is a promotional tool, yes, it has to be. I know there is no way James could afford this site without advertisers, not on a guides salary. No offense, but anyone who has ever tried to make a living guiding would agree with me when I say you aren’t going to get rich. I commend James for stepping out on his own, it’s the american dream. While your opinion isn’t wrong, I think you have a very simplistic view. Black or white, not always the case. Another reason this site is a promotional tool: James and everyone else promotes the education of a hobby/burning desire we all hold near and dear to our hearts. I’ve learned so much from this site and met some great friends who I will likely know for the rest of my life. Heck ya, I promote this place like mad. James promotes the good folks who choose to advertise with him. Like it or not it’s how business works. Is he benefiting from a natural resource that happens to be in his back yard, maybe. I’d say the resource is probably benefiting more from having James and the other guides in it’s back yard.
You’ve said you don’t feel like you are personally attacking anyone, I disagree. You have called the guides/owner of this site to the carpet. I know I’m more upset then they probably are. One lessoned I’ve learned, your never going to make a 100% of the people happy. These guys deal with the public daily, they are probably better at it than I am. If the photos posted here are detrimental, then we should see a decline in user traffic and these guides businesses.
I am going to go a bit against the grain here – this will be of no surprise to the people who know me. I think MAH has a valid point, maybe we should more carefully consider the image we are projecting.
My interpretation of what MAH is saying is that there is an unfavorable “Show Me the Meat” image being projected to the general public by the stringer photos from the guides. Although the stringer fish being shown are much smaller than past years, it is still viewed by some people as a poor way to promote business and conservation.
To turn this into a more positive discussion why don’t we discuss the types of pictures we would like the guides to post. I personally look forward to all our guides fishing reports/pictures but like MAH I really don’t care to look at a stringer of dead fish. The kinds of pictures I enjoy seeing are:
1. A picture of a client in the boat holding up a fish of any size (it does not have to be a big fish) – the client usually as a big smile on their face. A picture like that projects a fun time for the client along with showing that the guide can put their client on fish. This is the type of picture I would think most clients would like to frame.
2. My favorite kind of guide picture is one where the client is releasing a fish into the water while facing the camera. We don’t see many of these pictures because it is a very hard shot to get everything just right (try to holding onto a fish that is halfway into the water).
3. I would also like to see more pictures of the guide along with their clients, each holding just one fish along with the best lures for that day.
What kind of guide pictures do you like to see?
Dave Gulczinski
Thank you waterfowler for making the point I wanted to make yesterday but some of MAH’s comments got me so upset I figured if you can’t say something nice don’t say nothing at all, I have respect for the great guides that help us here and I patronige them with my $$$ when I can, thanks again…….PS my hero’s have always been cowboys….. 
Gentlemen,
Just a few last comments on this subject.
I have spent some time looking at other sites and publications that promote Walleye Fishing. I look at the TRUE LEADERS in the fishing promotion industry,Parsons, Kavajecz, Takasaki, Anlauf, Martin, Olson and the late Norb Wollock and i certainly don’t see the type of images that i am disputing. Do you know why? Because it is not an acceptable practice in the fishing promotion industry.
As a matter of fact it seems that those Leaders have nothing to do with this site. Although they are very active with other sites.
I know the guys that have posted the pics have friends that are way further up the food chain in the promotion industry. Like a Chris Gilman, Scott Fairbairn, Sam Anderson to name a few. I would ask that they follow thier lead and simply refrain from that style promotion. Its simply not cool anymore.
Also, i too have noticed there are far more anonymous viewers here than registered viewers. I know for a fact that i am not the only one that feels the way i do.
I would like to hear how the guys Justify using these techniques while other far more notable anglers in this industry do not.
Quite honestly maybe I want to return to being anonymous and not hang out with you guys.
Sounds like a good idea
I must admit I do see where MAH is coming from. I do agree with Dave Gulczinski’s comments in an earlier post #75861, good comment.
Tim Harms
Ya know what! ….I think MAH may have a point! He is correct, Stringer shots are and probably should stay a thing of the past. Does it send the wrong message? Maybe. Is it ok to keep a limit of eaters? HECK YEA! What we as fisherman, I believe, have more to worry about is the promotion of catch and release. Now before anyone jumps on me here, let me explain. If, Fishing, goes towards a total catch and release sport, than the antis have some ammunition, that it is just a way to harrass fish. It is VITALLY important to practice selective harvest. Which if you see any of the “Stringer Shots” any of the guides on here have, it is apparent that they are practicing selective harvest. Personally…And this is just my opinion…I could live with out stringer shots. But! Keep those piggie pictures coming in!!!!!
Cory Frantzick
http://www.AtHomeOnTheLake.com
I would like to see the rule book that states it’s unethical to post pictures of clients with fish on your own website. Are you saying what these other guys choose to do is the right thing for everyone?? I hope not, I like to make my own decisions on what is right me. I guess that it what makes me, me. Good, bad or otherwise I don’t think pictures influence us humans nearly as much as you make it out to be. The inteliigent person would read the content, deduce their own opinion on all the facts, not just isolated information.
I’m interested in content, depth, color, structure, weather etc…..I’m intersted in tweaking a presentation to optimize my catch oppurtunities with my limited time on the water. The more I share, the better the odds someone may just help me to put that 32″ mamma in the boat. Is she going back, 5 years ago-NO, today yes. Just like any other fish over 19″ inches does in my boat. I learned this from this very site!! Tell me these guys are hurting the fishing industry, BS.
If you can provide me with some historical facts that prove your theory, I’ll be more willing listen/discuss. Just because Ted T or Keith K don’t post pics of fish they’ve caught doesn’t mean it’s right thing for the industry. These guys sell themselves out on a daily basis, so their stock doesn’t have the greatest value in my eyes anyway.
Ranger, I value your posts very much 
, and this isn’t directed towards you, but i’m going to use your picture as my example.
I don’t see how a “stringer” through a fish’s gills are any more offensive than having your hand up that musky’s gills (common and accepted practice) instead of having that fish cradled to support it’s body weight. (it may be, doens’t look to be by picture). See what i’m getting at?? That may have been a released fish, but how was it handled etc?? If we’re going to judge pics, why not blame Ranger for even boating that fish…instead of reviving it boatside and letting it go? Kinda get where i’m going w/this??
I think people are being way to sensative and critical over a picture.
Once again Ranger, nothing ill meant towards you at all.
I totally agree Waterfowler. Theres no harm being done with a stringer of eating sized fish. Does it get to the point where you have to hide your days catch for petes sake. I’d tell “ol pete” to put it where the sun dosen’t shine. Go tell everybody thats hired guides and just plain had thier pictures on this site that they can’t do these kind of fun things anymore, thats total bull—-. If they think its still wrong tell them to pay for a study, not out of our pockets to determine weather theres real harm being done here. When it comes to what the other numbskulls think about what those pictures project it isn’t going to make any diffrence because to those people they don’t like it anyway. I’ll be darned if my kids want thier picture taken by the guide and someone tells me i can’t because of what someone else wants that i know is totally full of s—. Its only a photograph of someone fishing from a boat with thier kids, dam-!
I think mention of “Selective Harvest” is key in this debate.
Personally, other than trout fishing, I don’t believe “Catch and Release” should still be around or used in our vocabulary.
True Catch and release will only harm fish and their habitat.
Selective Harvest enhances.
SHowing stringers and it’s proposed ill-effects….oh hum.
Valid arguement, but lacks substance.
Here is a semi-related question for everyone. If “the majority” of river walleye/sauger fisherman are Catch and release fisherman, not “really” caring if they take any home,
How come the last few times I have been on Pool 2(Catch and release only) I feel oh so alone!????????
Thanks to all who continue to provide easy access to fishing information!!!!
Keep the rods bendin’!!!
Jim W
Food for thought here….
First, things that make me MadAsHell – Kidnappers, Murderers and Rapists. Important to keep things in perspective.
Second, perhaps it’s not the stringer of fish that makes you mad. Could it be the actual number of fish? In other words, if a persons limit were 2 fish and a stringer shot with a couple of guys had a total of 4 dead fish, would that make you MadAsHell?
Jon J.
And I want to make one rebuttal to your comment about the “True Leaders” and the “Other Sites”.
I have followed these leaders and the sites they host. Tell me, what is worse. Knifing up 8 pounders because they are the keepers and tossing back 15-18 inchers for being too small. Come on, we live in two different worlds here. Sites for home waters of Erie and Michigan are a hell of a lot different than this site that caters to the Mississippi river and Minnesota inland lakes.
Jon J.
Hey Slop Bass!!!!! (With a name like that I KNOW we would have fun in the boat together!)
You got me to thinking…….Your RIGHT….Was that the best way to hold that fish no….Have I learned over time..Yes….Am I hypocrite? Probably!! LOL!
(I have typed and retyped what I was going to say here 5 times, and every time I finish I read it back and it sounds lame!)
Looking back on the different stringer shots, there is a couple of things that I see over and over again in all of the photos.
1. Happy people enjoying the River.
2. Eater fish that Looked like they would taste good in a little beer batter.
3. People that learned a ton by being on the water with a knowledgable guide.
4. People that were taught the importance of “Selective harvest!”
So I am politely stepping off of my soap box!
Cory Frantzick
One thing almost always stays constant in life. Once someone or something is successful there will be somebody who will invariably want to criticize. 
I believe Gianni coined the correct terminology : Troll
If you can put me on fish like that Musky….I’ll be up ASAP!!!!! 
We’ll set something up when the time comes!!!
Leaders are leaders……….period. They make their decisions, live by their convictions, and if that excludes this site, so be it. It’s not a right or wrong until someone decides that this person is right and that person is wrong.
MAH – I can’t tell you what to believe or where to hang out. I would hope that you’re objective neutral enough to enjoy the finer points of both sides. Birds of a feather flock together and if those guys all feel the same, great! More power to them. But there will be other leaders, living no different in actual action than them, doing their own thing and many others will follow. There’s no need to divide the groups but if you relate more to them, relate ’til it almost becomes spiritual!
We have great leaders here and no one is condemning trophy pics only. We’re all sporting men and women with a common goal and fish stringer’s on camera shouldn’t…………SHOULDN’T cause dissention between the groups.
For the sake of not turning into a “what’s politically correct” fishing society, I hope stringer pics are never discriminated on this site. Maybe they don’t thrill me as much either but it has nothing to do with right or wrong and I’d feel less of a person if I thought it did.
What one man does, leader or otherwise, does not dictate the path of every man……………nor should it.
Well Said Mr Positive!!
On that note! I am going fishing!!! Have a great day everyone!!!!!
MadAsHell,
I should have said this in my first post, Welcome to In-Depth Angling & I hope you do stay here as a registered member. I admire you for having the guts to post your opinion when you knew that it probably not be a popular one, heck that is what makes this site so great that someone can feel comfortable voicing there opinion here without being ridiculed.
With that being said I need to clarify something from my first post, even though I do not agree with your opinion on photos of eater sized fish I am glad you made the post it is food for thought. Here is the part of your original post that I have a problem with.
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wouldn’t it be more responsible to actually practice “Catch & Release”?
That is not an opinion it is a statement that is dead wrong! These guides are the poster children for “Catch & Release” or as was said earlier a more appropriate fraise would be selective harvest. Lastly the biggest problem I have with your post is that even though you are a registered user you still are Anonymous as you did not sign your post, it is very easy to get on your soap box and criticize someone when no one knows who you are, if you are going to call someone out on the carpet like that you should at least have the guts to sign your name to your post or fill out your user profile.
And that is just my humble opinion 
Steve Plantz
Were all pretty darned humble Steve! If my kids want to show the rest of the world what the’ve caught, darn don’t take the wind out of thier sails.
Hi there MAH…..
wow.. what a long and controversial thread… one of those things thats just begs to be answered… first of all it seems strange to me that there are suddenly 2 pretty similar posts going currently on this board, both fairly anonymous… both posted about an issue that I think would have been better off addressed via PM to the individuals named….. makes me wonder about hidden agendas and such….
Ive been spending a lot of time on some photography forums… and the relevance of that is that this sort of thing happens there all the time (daily Im afraid!)… the individuals that do it are named “trolls” because they enter a post they KNOW will be controversial and are “trolling” for a heated debate….. so let me be the first to shout “TROLL!”…… once a troll has been identified then everyone just stays out of the post as its pretty much of waste of their time…..
OK…I got that out of my system….. everyone has been really really nice here… and thats cool…
Everyone should NOTE….
1. This Thread was NOT deleted!.. pretty cool…. I know many sites where it would have been gone in minutes…
2. Your Logon still exists and you can still post! … cool.. ditto to the above comment… gone baby gone!
3. The individuals called to carpet have not felt the need to defend themselves… very cool……. could have been ugly… but nothing but class has been shown…… on both sides really… good job gentlemen……
If your entire intent was merely to address the photographic merits of a stringer shot vs that of a live shot… sure I gotcha… I like those “live” shots… the fish is just in.. maybe lure still in mouth even… very natural shot….. my favorite kind… surely better than fish laying on concrete or fish cleaning boards or sinks or even stringers….. but Ive never taken it upon myself to critisize anyones photographic technique here… because this is all about fishing….. and all of these shots are associated with fishing…..
MAH.. whoever you are, you know how to make a point, you know how to write… how to debate… makes me think youve done this sort of thing before…. please dont take this wrong… but I really think if you have a problem like this… consider using a private message, and work it out behind the scenes….. there is already plenty of excitment on the board without this…..
thanks…
Hey RiverEyes,
Life would be pretty boring without public posts like this one from MAH. I personally think it is good to bring up subjects like this in a forum where we can all discuss its merits.
I also think if MAH did use his/her real name it would substantially improve on the creditability of what they are saying. Unfortunately, some people (unlike us) don’t like to publicly get shot down for their opinions – they should know that after a few flamings an automatic asbestos shield builds up over the skin.
With your photography expertise maybe could you take a bunch of different kinds of “guiding photos” had have us vote on the best ones.
Dave Gulczinski
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