West River Nov 3rd

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

Its official I guided a client in his boat today using TUBES! Patrick Beltz caught a nice 47 1/2" muskie! Cullen is also still on fire,he will tell you about his great day I'm sure!

[Mike "the facilities" Fortunate]

The only thing I said once was that the only way I would support it is if the season opened 2 weeks later but I have since changed my mind ...and to be exact at the meeting I said i would need more info to vote!...

[John Pensyl]

Sorry mike, I could have sworn your hand was up with mine at the meeting and I was suprised by that at the time. I apologize if I remembered it incorrectly bro. Mike do you believe that the fish that are still around may show up a little later than in the past? Do you believe that our window of opportunity to encounter these fish has shortened? I've been duck hunting for 11 years and seasons are back 2 weeks and there are years where the ducks still aren't here until its over. Years ago all of these great wny musky anglers had a solid 60+ days some years to find a giant or 2. We are lucky if we have a few days. With another 2 week's of opportunity we may get lucky and get a few more days. Things have changed, we'll never get to experience what it was, but it doesn't mean we should waste what we have now.

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

  Also just because you do not live right here in Buffalo and you fish for muskies in waters here it doesn't make you a Locust! Most out of state guys that do still come here that I know have caught many muskies and are very gentle with the big girls.If your a member of the NMA and you live outside NY or even Buffalo area of NY your vote on NMA Club Issues should be no different then someone that lives here,the NMA is not a Private Organization.A lot of harm is done when someone starts tossing names at out of state fishermen!

[Mike "the facilities" Fortunate]

Honestly I still think they are there....and if they wanna bite they will!! Maybe not as many buy travis got a 50+ and we have seen 50s in November boatside....but again 50" is only a number and measurement.. for all we know fishing in February would produce 10x the size and numbers of fish........ I am happy with what we have currently as an end date and would actually like to see the start date moved later! All I want are fish to catch and they dont have to be 50"..

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

Changing the Openning date for Lake Erie above the Peace Bridge to the 1st Saturday in July would most likely be the Best thing to help the Buffalo Harbor Fishery.I stay away from the Harbor until the last week of October.

[Mike "the facilities" Fortunate]

Larry didn't you come up with that term? Have a good day!

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

No I have never called anyone a Locust! I have however got right in people's face yelling other names at them when they were misshandling one of the Big Girl's in the Harbor Just as many local fishermen as out of state fishermen!

[John Pensyl]

It all starts with one guy Mike. If that's what you believe don't fish the river before July. I will probably never fish the harbor in The spring just in case those big girls are in there spawning or recovering from the spawn. Just like I won't bass or pike fish up there in may because I believe any encounters would be negative. December musky encounters are the least of any worries we should have about our fishery. You don't need laws to govern your own beliefs. I don't think its right to target drop back steel in small spring creeks, so I don't. I don't want to pull bass off of their beds, so I don't. I would never take a musky out of the water in below freezing temps, these things are all legal to do, but I believe they may hurt the fish so I don't do them. If you don't think its right to target Niagara muskies in June, don't. Go to the inland lakes and give them a break. I for one have the opinion, a well read opinion, that targeting muskies during the first 2 weeks of Dec today is very much the equivalent of targeting them in the last 2 weeks of Nov years ago and keeping the season closed so others don't target them with me is a waste. Especially for fish that receive near zero pressure at any other time during the season.

[33sjfo56qd2lf]

I’m sorry I missed the February meeting.  I just love logging on the NMA site only to see these posts, where members are going back and forth on extending the season where it is pointless to do so on this site.  I must be one of the few that picked up on the fact that the NMA is a conservation club after all of the ridiculous bickering that has gone on throughout months of these posts.  If you are a member of the NMA, you are a member of a conservation club. 

Initially, any changes made to the season through petitions made by the NMA to the DEC, were made with conservation in mind, hence the reason the DEC and the NMA have always had a good relationship.  With that being said, the NMA is not the proper venue to vote on changes that have nothing to do with conservation.  Unless you can explain how extending the season promotes conservation, then I am sure the NMA would be all ears.  All I am hearing from people petitioning regarding reasons to extend the season is 1) for universal season matching, 2) so people can fish the Buffalo harbor & NY side of the river till December 15^th……. Not to say, as a musky fisherman myself, I wouldn’t fish till December 15^th if the season changed, because we all know I would be out there fishing.  I want to fish till December 15^th just as much as any of you do.  But, we all need to understand that the reasons for the so called “vote” for the season extension change has nothing to do with conservation and therefore the NMA is not the proper venue for such a petition.   Why people are continuing to push this is beyond me so can someone clarify this for me?

Why do people waste their time suggesting the NMA move forward with a request that contradicts the very purpose of the organization?  When I want to buy fruit I go the farmers market, not the hardware store.  You guys are trying to buy fruit at the hardware store, and no offense but it’s really amusing to me. 

The petition to the DEC to extend the season should be made by Chapter 69 Muskies Inc, not by the NMA. 

The NMA is about conserving to be able to fish and catch more fish in the future!   Please don’t ask the NMA to do something that would diminish everything it stands for, then go to the meetings and say you’re a member that cares about the organization, because you don’t care about the fishery or the organization if you are asking the NMA to petition changing the length of the season for any reason other than conservation. 

Musky fishing requires conservation, we all know that, and that’s where the NMA comes in.  Keep petitioning the DEC for the season extension changes within the proper venue, which would be through Muskies Inc Chapter 69.  I have no problem going to the meetings and discussing this.  I’m sure the NMA may have some issues with it since it is not promoting conservation, which is the reason for the most recent discussions at the meetings, but if the NMA petitions for the season extension, it would defeat the purpose of the club in its entirety.  So I highly doubt the NMA is going to do that.  And if they did, I wouldn’t want to be a part of the NMA.  I would only want to be a member of Muskies Inc.

Hopefully, this hits it home for all of you responding to this post regarding the season extension topic.  Please do not take anything I said the wrong way.  I love all my fellow NMA & Muskies Inc members.  Remember, we need to all stick together.

Adam Kaz-

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

Adam,Your point is well taken. But the 15 days of December being open will not add extra pressure on the fishery. More NMA members need to consider not fishing the Buffalo Harbor the 1st two weeks or the Niagara River when the water temps are over 75 degrees,if they really want to see a difference, a true conservation mind set!

[33sjfo56qd2lf]

I'm not saying that I don't agree wit you Larry.  I really do catch fish with eggs in them in the Niagara River up to July so changing the start time for only the great lakes may not be a bad idea.  But I think the DEC is trying to keep the entire state universal.  With that being said, I would be extremely mad if they changed it to July 1st for the entire state when Chautauqua and Cassadaga are stocked fisheries and any natural spawning on those lakes is done far before the current opener.  Those fisheries should be open year around in my opinion.... because they are stocked! LOL.  

Anyway, I'm simply stating that the NMA is probably not going to petition to extend the season since it does not promote conservation.  I think we both know that Larry.  

I would love to go to a Muskies Inc chapter 69 meeting man.  So when are the meetings?

[John Pensyl]

Nobody is asking the NMA to start a movement to extend the season Adam. We're not sure where we stand as a club on the subject. It's not cut and dry, its not up to the board to decide for us. The topic is going to come up in the 2014 regulations changes and we need to be educated so we can support whatever stance the membership as a whole supports. Is it detrimental to the fishery to target muskies during the month of December? The club does not all agree on this topic, we all agree we must promote conservation, but it doesnt mean we don't support a new point of view on an ever changing fishery.