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Reel Report - Flounder Issue!
Here's the article below & my response below the Bolded section. I invite anyone passionate about giging to write up a little something and send it on over.
Flounder gigging photo draws complaint
By Joe Kent
Correspondent
Published October 19, 2010
Occasionally, I get letters from readers voicing complaints about one thing or another mentioned in The Reel Report. Some of them, no doubt, likely reflect the views of a good number of other readers. A recent example of this came from a reader in Jamaica Beach. Below are some excerpts from the letter.
“Capt. Kent, I saw the recent photo of you and your partner’s gigged flounder in The Galveston (County) Daily News Reel Report and was quite surprised that you, a professional fishing guide/outdoor reporter-writer, would publish such an event! If you had caught them on rod and reel, and especially on artificial baits, then maybe I could justify your doing such a thing.
All your photo did was to contribute to even more flounder gigging, which should be outlawed in the first place. It ranks right up there with ‘snagging’ Salmon in the NW and Alaska with bare hooks during their run in late summer and ‘grappling’ for catfish with bare hooks below freshwater dams in Texas. Because of flounder gigging, we ‘sportsmen’ who mostly wade fish for the exercise, wildlife and sport have a tough time catching one, two and certainly not five of these flatfish in any one outing.
There is no skill involved in gigging, and it is certainly not sporting. I hope (the) Texas Parks and Wildlife (Department) one day outlaws this practice completely …”
Since the topic of flounder gigging tends to be somewhat controversial, let me explain my views on the subject.
First, the reader does have some good points, and I welcome constructive criticism.
Although there are good points being made, I take issue with the “no skill involved” and concept of eliminating flounder gigging for sports fishermen. Today, there are well-organized groups that want to do away with many forms of sports fishing, including eliminating professional fishing guides for hire, use of croakers as bait and declaring no-fish zones in the Gulf of Mexico. All of these I oppose as we keep whittling away at the rights of sportsmen to freely enjoy their pastime.
My main justification is that Texas has one of the best watchdogs over our stocks of fish in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Yes, there are regulations we might find onerous; however, this group has no reservation in coming forward with recommended regulations to preserve our fish and game.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has taken several steps recently to reduce the number of flatfish taken by gigging. Among the restrictions were eliminating the two-day limit that is allowed for most other fish, reducing the bag limit for all anglers from 10 a day to five and prohibiting gigging during November.
Specifically addressing the flounder gigging complaint, for my friend and me the picture in the paper reflected only the second time I have participated in that sport in my lifetime, and it was his first. Just how many regulars do we have on the gigging scene? It is easy to spot them, as they are on the water at night with bright lights.
Again, I welcome correspondence from readers expressing their disagreements.
Wednesday, I will resume the fishing reports.
To get your catch in the Reel Report, phone Capt. Joe Kent at 409-683-5273, or send an e-mail to reel.report(at)galvnews.com. There’s no charge for this service.
Captain JK-
To the reader in Jamaica Beach:
The West End Anglers would like to disagree with the quoted statement. The statement that flounder giggers do nothing for the flat fish could not be further from the truth. I challenge your reader to what has he done for the fish? Has he donated and /or participated in any TPWD Flounder Restocking Events? Lutes Marine in Chocolate Bayou together with the Sea Center have released over 5,000 flat fish in West Bay and another thousand or so in Sabine Lake... Come to think about about it, your reader had 5,000 dumped into the bay at his back door, Jamaica Beach!
FishWestEnd also participates regularly in these and even holds tournaments designed to bring in the flat fish in and then we transport them for breeding efforts. I have been an avid gigger for years now. The flat fish is on the rise. Each time I walk the flats and see thousands of juvenile flounder I smile knowing that in years to come they will be be of the legal size for any angler to enjoy.
Gigging is often misinterpreted. People think that most go on these fancy boats and run all over the flats looking for the flounder. When in reality most walk in with hand held underwater lights or lanterns and walk on foot a certain area. It takes a trained eye to spot a flounder, more often then not you find them with little ease due to the "imprint" that they leave behind... So fresh sometimes that we can see the lines in the sand from where the fins had been laying. It is no more different to walk a flat along the shoreline then it is to sit at Sea Wolf Park with your lines out hauling in limits during the annual flounder run!
When most people are asleep the giggers are out on the flats and only during certain days! Weather plays a huge roll here. Any wind and the night is basically shot, water clarity etc. None of these factors play into a traditional rod & reel. The difference is we have to see the fish prior to selecting the one to harvest if we can't see it then we can't stab it. Plain & Simple.
The debate will continue but until we as anglers all unite we will continue to be butting heads and losing focus on the real issue and that's preserving the species for years to come.
I'm happy to report that their is a Lutes Marine Tournament scheduled for this weekend where live flounder can be brought in, donated & used in the restocking efforts for West Bay! I encourage anyone seriously concerned about the flounder to come out, meet with the TPWD guys, meet Chester Moore & talk to those that are fighting this battle daily and get properly educated on the REAL condition of the flat fish!
There is another release planned but details have not yet been released.
Sincerely,
Coe Parker
Founder of West End Anglers
Flounder gigging photo draws complaint
By Joe Kent
Correspondent
Published October 19, 2010
Occasionally, I get letters from readers voicing complaints about one thing or another mentioned in The Reel Report. Some of them, no doubt, likely reflect the views of a good number of other readers. A recent example of this came from a reader in Jamaica Beach. Below are some excerpts from the letter.
“Capt. Kent, I saw the recent photo of you and your partner’s gigged flounder in The Galveston (County) Daily News Reel Report and was quite surprised that you, a professional fishing guide/outdoor reporter-writer, would publish such an event! If you had caught them on rod and reel, and especially on artificial baits, then maybe I could justify your doing such a thing.
All your photo did was to contribute to even more flounder gigging, which should be outlawed in the first place. It ranks right up there with ‘snagging’ Salmon in the NW and Alaska with bare hooks during their run in late summer and ‘grappling’ for catfish with bare hooks below freshwater dams in Texas. Because of flounder gigging, we ‘sportsmen’ who mostly wade fish for the exercise, wildlife and sport have a tough time catching one, two and certainly not five of these flatfish in any one outing.
There is no skill involved in gigging, and it is certainly not sporting. I hope (the) Texas Parks and Wildlife (Department) one day outlaws this practice completely …”
Since the topic of flounder gigging tends to be somewhat controversial, let me explain my views on the subject.
First, the reader does have some good points, and I welcome constructive criticism.
Although there are good points being made, I take issue with the “no skill involved” and concept of eliminating flounder gigging for sports fishermen. Today, there are well-organized groups that want to do away with many forms of sports fishing, including eliminating professional fishing guides for hire, use of croakers as bait and declaring no-fish zones in the Gulf of Mexico. All of these I oppose as we keep whittling away at the rights of sportsmen to freely enjoy their pastime.
My main justification is that Texas has one of the best watchdogs over our stocks of fish in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Yes, there are regulations we might find onerous; however, this group has no reservation in coming forward with recommended regulations to preserve our fish and game.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has taken several steps recently to reduce the number of flatfish taken by gigging. Among the restrictions were eliminating the two-day limit that is allowed for most other fish, reducing the bag limit for all anglers from 10 a day to five and prohibiting gigging during November.
Specifically addressing the flounder gigging complaint, for my friend and me the picture in the paper reflected only the second time I have participated in that sport in my lifetime, and it was his first. Just how many regulars do we have on the gigging scene? It is easy to spot them, as they are on the water at night with bright lights.
Again, I welcome correspondence from readers expressing their disagreements.
Wednesday, I will resume the fishing reports.
To get your catch in the Reel Report, phone Capt. Joe Kent at 409-683-5273, or send an e-mail to reel.report(at)galvnews.com. There’s no charge for this service.
Captain JK-
To the reader in Jamaica Beach:
The West End Anglers would like to disagree with the quoted statement. The statement that flounder giggers do nothing for the flat fish could not be further from the truth. I challenge your reader to what has he done for the fish? Has he donated and /or participated in any TPWD Flounder Restocking Events? Lutes Marine in Chocolate Bayou together with the Sea Center have released over 5,000 flat fish in West Bay and another thousand or so in Sabine Lake... Come to think about about it, your reader had 5,000 dumped into the bay at his back door, Jamaica Beach!
FishWestEnd also participates regularly in these and even holds tournaments designed to bring in the flat fish in and then we transport them for breeding efforts. I have been an avid gigger for years now. The flat fish is on the rise. Each time I walk the flats and see thousands of juvenile flounder I smile knowing that in years to come they will be be of the legal size for any angler to enjoy.
Gigging is often misinterpreted. People think that most go on these fancy boats and run all over the flats looking for the flounder. When in reality most walk in with hand held underwater lights or lanterns and walk on foot a certain area. It takes a trained eye to spot a flounder, more often then not you find them with little ease due to the "imprint" that they leave behind... So fresh sometimes that we can see the lines in the sand from where the fins had been laying. It is no more different to walk a flat along the shoreline then it is to sit at Sea Wolf Park with your lines out hauling in limits during the annual flounder run!
When most people are asleep the giggers are out on the flats and only during certain days! Weather plays a huge roll here. Any wind and the night is basically shot, water clarity etc. None of these factors play into a traditional rod & reel. The difference is we have to see the fish prior to selecting the one to harvest if we can't see it then we can't stab it. Plain & Simple.
The debate will continue but until we as anglers all unite we will continue to be butting heads and losing focus on the real issue and that's preserving the species for years to come.
I'm happy to report that their is a Lutes Marine Tournament scheduled for this weekend where live flounder can be brought in, donated & used in the restocking efforts for West Bay! I encourage anyone seriously concerned about the flounder to come out, meet with the TPWD guys, meet Chester Moore & talk to those that are fighting this battle daily and get properly educated on the REAL condition of the flat fish!
There is another release planned but details have not yet been released.
Sincerely,
Coe Parker
Founder of West End Anglers
. Captain JK sent me this response: "Thanks Coe, you have some excellent points" 
WTG Coe.........you said it all
COMMUNITY WITH A LARGE
PROBLEM AND A 
PROBLEM.
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