Melton Hill Lake, TN

[intothewild]

Considering the very controversial and mishandling of caught and released musky on a recent episode of Catch Ya In The Bluegrass titled Crankin for muskies will you film any more shows there ? Watch the show. Guide Billy Davis and Crash Mullins release musky on that show THAT DID NOT SURVIVE due to mishandling and prolonged time out of the water taking pictures and talking. This has to be the most non-professional musky episode ever on TV. I hope DNR gets involved. They have been informed of the situation.

[dahlberg]

No, I have not seen the episode. I will be interested in hearing what Billy has to say.
However, until the steam plant gets protection from live bait and J hooks I think Billy and Crash are the least of the worries on MH.
Thanks for the post,
L

[meltonhillbill]

Back 20 years ago, Melton Hill was a really good northern pike lake. Most people objected to the stockings, so complaints were made and eventually the stockings ceased and the northern disappeared. They are now just distant memories. Melton Hill was then stocked with muskies in 1998 and they took off. We now see the same thing as everybody around here hates the muskies and wish they would just go away. Out of all of those fishermen, only a select few stood up and said, let's keep them in the lake because we enjoy fishing for them. Our DNR (TWRA) listens to all input about the fishery and they know that I and a few others am crazy about the fishery. The show we taped with Crash was alot of fun, we caught some nice fish really quickly and let them all go. I didn't agree with the verticle holding of fish, but believe me I am a firm believer of getting fish back ASAP. For someone to actually contact the DNR and tell them that we killed fish is way out of line. I put a ton of effort in working with our biologists to help make suggestions on how to improve the fishery. Now if that image of me being a true sportsman may have been tarnished, they may not think as highly of me. They probably think you went out behind us and actually saw dead muskies floating in the lake.

Like Larry said, there are bigger problems than holding fish out of water longer than someone else might.

All good things can come to an end and there have been years where they stocked zero muskies in Melton Hill. But a small group of us banded together and let our voices know we want muskies in the lake. But if the TWRA decides to quit stocking muskies because of absurd comments about handling procedures and killed muskies, I will not be very happy.

Thanks

Billy Davis
billy@tnmuskies.org

[aka anglinarcher]

I wonder, ...... is this site being attacked by PETA or some other animal rights group?

I ask this because for the second time in about a week we have a person with their first post attacking noted fishing authorities. Notice that intothewild is making this attack with their first post.

The method seems very close to the method used by Efishant in his attack on Larry Dahlberg on saltwater.

Let's see if we can sum up the MO.

1) Select a person noteworthy for fishing conservation and promoting improvement of fishing.
2) Make wild acquisitions about the person or their actions or the sport without providing supporting facts. (I.e., "release musky on that show THAT DID NOT SURVIVE", "Bass fisherman have really evolved over the last several years. The ethics of trout fisherman have really had an effect on them").
3) Attempt to draw the forum into a conversation where they make so many claims that not all are dealt with. The unanswered claims, no matter how wild, will later be used as ""well they must be true because they did not even bother to claim otherwise"".
4) After they have stirred up sufficient trouble, they disappear.

I wonder if it is even the same person??????

I suppose that all sites get their share of trolls, but let's keep a few things clear.

We are stronger if we stand together and not let the trolls drive a wedge between us. Claims, like Bass fishermen influenced by trout fishermen when in reality it is opposite do not make any difference, do not allow them to force a wedge between trout and bass and any other type of fishermen. I fish for all species, trout and bass included, and I will not allow unfounded claims to get between my species of interest. Finally, DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO HUMINZE fish - fish do not think, they do not have emotions, they do not suffer the type of pain or regret that we do, they have no self awareness, their lateral line detects vibration, not ball crushing pain.

The best way to deal with trolls is to simply call them what they are, wet nosed punks setting behind an anonymous screen stirring up problems. Larry may need to be nice to them, but the rest of us do not!

[Watchhiller]

.............................

[dahlberg]

Hi all
I spoke personally with my friend Billy. The show referred to was shot three years ago. Crash held the fish, and released it. There is no evidence what so ever that it did not survive.
I am curious if the same person reported the dozens of people at the steam plant on melton hill dragging muskies up on the bank that they've gut hooked with J hooks and live trout?
We have lots of photos documenting this. Why no complaint from intothewild?
In any case, I love the free speech open forum thing. It makes it easy to sort the fly poop from the pepper.
best
L

[Seminole Steve]

not that anyone is worrying, but I know the TWRA guys, and if this person really did call them about the show, their response was basically an eye roll and a click. Oh, and this person would be filed under "wackos". They know whats what - they are not dummies.