Bill Burton Pickerel Article

[goose70]

Let me begin by stating that although I am troubled by today's Pickerel article in The Capital, I respect Bill Burton and what he has given to the sport all of these years. On the issue of keeping Pickerel, I think he's just a little old fashioned and needs to be politely brought into the 21st century. Do any of you know him, personally, and if so, would you be willing to ask him to do an article on Pickerel that emphasizes the importantance of C&R? If not, maybe we could write a letter to him, as a club. Maybe we could also invite him to cover the SRRKC C&R-only Pickerel derby this winter?

Anyhow, here's the article:
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Pickerel anglers find comfort in catching
By BILL BURTON, For The Capital
Published December 27, 2007

If you're one of the old-fashioned pickerel fishermen who choose catching over comfort you might want to buy a mess of minnows and head for the Magothy some morning. Be prepared for discomfort, also a few fish - the yellow perch have to go back, but not the pickerel if they are of 14 inches or more.

That's what Harry Dunning of Glen Burnie did the afternoon before Christmas; His stocking had four pike of 15 to 17 inches, and of course the story of the big one that got away.

"I was just going out to fish for an hour or two and brought ultra-light tackle with 6-pound test line and a few Mepps spinners and minnows and hooked a fish I couldn't turn before it got into a fallen tree," he said.

For 15 minutes, he tried everything he could think of, but couldn't shake the fish and line from a maze of branches. Finally the light line snapped; "The bait must have been still hooked to the fish with the line tangled in the branches - I could hear the fish still thrashing for a few minutes, then the commotion stopped."

Harry would only say he was fishing the upper reaches of the Magothy not far from Magothy Beach Road, on the deep edge of some flats that he had not fished before He was heading to deeper water when he noticed swirls in the water and decided to check them out. He'll be back Saturday with 8-pound test line.

Pickerel are a hardy fish more immune to the cold than most Izaak Waltons of these days. Sometimes good catches come when ice forms on the guides of the rod to complicate things. If you're on the water when that happens spray a little line conditioner such as Reel Magic on the line. It'll cure the ice. In winter, low-stretch lines work best. Choose one of the super lines, they're more supple than mono when things get frigid, also they're of finer diameter than mono - easier casting and offer less resistance.

[mikie]

Bill Burton has been writing genuine "fishing" articles ever since I can remember (I'll be 60 on the next one). All I can see that he did was write an article based on what another fisherman told him and the rules that apply at this time. Am I going pickerel fishing because of this? No! Do I enjoy reading his articles? Yes, especially since he's the only one who actually writes fishing stories anymore. If you're really concerned that this article is going to start a stampede on the Severn or Magothy, by all means send him a letter. I'm not trying to start a ruckus, I just don't think anybody is going to jump up and start catching pickerel for the table based on his article in the paper.

[goose70]

No, I don't think that this will start a stampede. But then again, it wouldn't take a stampede to put a serious hurtin' on the Pickerel population in the Severn and Magothy. Heck, Virgil and Greg could probably do it themselves if they didn't C&R. And I did say that I respect Bill Burton. But this is the third year in a row that he has mentioned that Pickerel can be kept (instead of Yellows) without even a mention about C&R alternatives. So, a polite letter asking him to write about the benefits of C&R'ing Pickerel seems to be like an effort well spent.

Heck, I'd like to see the creel limits reduced, too, but until that happens, a little public education can go a long way.

A fair number of people who fish our area do seem to read his articles, and as your post attests, he seems to have quite a loyal following. I like most of his articles, too. Based on reading them, and admittedly not knowing him, I bet that he'd be receptive to the idea. I can't imagine why he wouldn't be.

[mill686]

I agree with both of you.

It was only a fishing article about our beloved pickerel. Mr. Burton was probably looking for some sort of fishing topic at this time of year and , as we all know, there ain't much going on right now. And Mike's right, if that gentleman wanted to keep his catch, he has the right to do so (I hope he knows how to clean them).

And yes Goose, maybe Mr. Burton would love to hear your take on the C&R of pickerel in our local waters. I know you could enlighten him. You have to remember though, that he comes from a generation of local fishermen who got to keep a bunch of fish (and most times did). But then again they could. Hindsight is 20/20, and we all know what kind of pressure they put on other species to replenish because of such takes.

I bet if you contacted him, he would be more than willing to spend some time with you and hear you out.

Personally, I don't keep hardly any fish, except some white perch and an occasional rock. Don't get me wrong, I love eating fish. I just can't justify having fish get freezer burn because my family doesn't care to much for them. I love catching them, and releasing them, with the assumption that they may pass my way again. In fact, I'm hoping that those two big bastards that got off last year are still hanging around this February to give me that opportunity.

[goose70]

I'm happy to contact him, but think that it would be more effective if someone who knows him did it (or made the introduction).

I hear you about catching/keeping "back in the day." Hell, I'm only 37 and even I can recall tossing everything larger than my hand into the ol' drywall bucket. Often we ate what we kept, but we wasted a lot, too.

I also was originally turned onto Pickerel fishing by a Bill burton article over a decade ago (I never was very succesful until Virgil showed me the ropes, and never fished the dead of winter until last year, but still..). I only wish that someone had educated me about the benefits of C&Ring these guys earlier.

[27 sailfish]

Goose- I know Bill very well.I'll call and explain the concern we have about keeping Pike.Until the creel limit is changed though- a few people will keep them.Rest assured-Pike are very tricky to clean and are full of tiny Y bones.I used to keep Pike over 20'' years ago- the meat is OK.

It's just like me asking anglers to release the 40''+ Rock- the law allows it but common sense tells us to let them go.

Don't sweat Bill's story- it won't be the end of Pike fishing.Alot of people read it but few follow through on the info and go fishing.

Real thing to do is talk to Marty Gary at DNR and see if the creel limit could be changed to either all C/R or 1 a day at 22'' or so.

I agree they can not handle the pressure from alot of anglers-not nearly as many as years ago. Skip

[goose70]

Thanks, Skip....much appreciated.

I'm not worried too much about this one article...more about the cummulative impact over the years and thinking that it's high time for an article mentioning Pickerel C&R. I can't think of a better messanger than Bill to deliver this message.

I'll also ask some folks at DNR if they'd be behind a creel modification....that's been on my to-do list for a while.

[Big E]

Ok so is it just me that is bothered by the fact that Harry "what ever his name is" just left a fished hooked to his tangled line and snapped it off. So the fish just died trying to free itself? I know that is a grim reality every now and then but to publish it seems well just not in good kouth ( i miss-spelled the hell outta that one).

[Virgil Poe]

He pretty much wrote the same article last winter, bucket of minnows, catching and killing the fish. I think the guy last year was from Glen Burnie too, but not positive. Goose is right. It's a matter of principle here and Mr Burtin really needs to get in touch with the world he's living in now. Don't hold yer breath though. He's showing no sign of exiting the 50's on this issue.
Mikie brings some good points to the table, but I'd still be in favor of nudging the writer with a challenge to come up with something a little more true to this day in time.

Wouldn't it have been nice to have read an article covering the fishery back when the aquatic grasses and fishes were so abundent. Maybe hit on a couple hilights of memories or stories of big fish, big catches, and the like. He could have talked about the abundance of days gone by. Catching and keeping a couple now and then, maybe compare tackle and favored technique of the day. He could have painted us a picture of then, and with a stroke of his pen, placed us fishing somewhere along our river today, having just released another, of several pickerels caught this cool crisp morning. He'd then talk about change, the fragile rivers and fishery of today vs that of yester-year. He'd encourage catch and release and condone catch and keep in moderation only. Yep! I'd sure like to read that article some day, and in a way that only Mr Burton could write it.

[goose70]

Actually, Virgil, you just did a pretty good job of writing it. Maybe The Capital would accept a guest editorial from you, or Mr. Burton could interview you. I'm anxious to hear back from Skip after he talks wth Bill.

P.S.: In the meantime, Saturday is looking like a Pickerel day if I ever saw one. How many of you are going Pike fishing?