Fishing experts

[ozark]

Our fish and wildlife ponds have been cleaned our again by River Otters. This is expensive, aggravating and to a point interesting. Our ponds are close to a half mile from the river. Others with ponds long distance from rivers are also losing their fish to Otters.
Early settlers got rid of the bear, beavers, elk, otters and cougars. I seem to think they did a good thing. But now the Game and Fish Commission feel that we need these animals back.
Fish in a river often can find safety under a rock or some other hiding place. In a pond they are fenced in and have no chance to escape an Otter. I don't understand why the Game and Fish people don't come to me and get my approval before jumping head over heels into some hair brained activity. At the very least they could seek the advice of Dougs message board.

[KerryB]

I do love to watch Otters fishing, but they sure can deplete a fish population when they become numerous. I watched them in the clear waters of the Snake River just below Jackson Lake in Grand Teton Park a few years ago and it was like watching them in an aquarium with the clear water. They would catch any fish they desired and generally chased the fish as if playing tag till the fish tired out and then they grabbed it and ate it with wild abandon! Fun for me, but the fish didn't care for it too much! I know it is a difficult task maintaining the balance of wildlife populations and keeping property owners and outdoorsmen happy to boot. I don't know if there is a happy medium......., you just can't please everyone and i wouldn't be too happy it Otters cleaned out my fishing hole. Wonder how those Otters taste? ;D

[ozark]

[quote Wonder how those Otters taste? ;D[/quote]

I hear they have a fish taste, somewhat like a Bald Eagle.

[KerryB]

;D ;D

[youp50]

I have a very vivid memory about otters and taste. I was skinning one with my mouth open. They are skinned cased and while I thought I was plenty far from the scent glands one peed into my mouth. Perhaps that drink of ATF was worse perhaps the otter spray was. I know it is one of the two worstetest baddest awfullest grossest thing I have ever had in my mouth.

Kind of funny now though.

[ozark]

youp50, you have provided me with one more reason to justify shooting the rascals. What an afful experience.........

[simong]

Ozark, not sure exactly where you are located but it seems Fish and Game people have gotten together to make both our lives miserable.
They trapped many , too many, otters in my neck of the woods of Northern NY and shipped them off to the south, where it seems no one wants otters and all it did was take money off our tables and put it on yours where it wasnt wanted!
before you trap the otters out I think we'd be farther ahead starting with the F&G people THEN working on the critters....the F&G folks are a bigger nuisance!

[ozark]

You are right simong but the penalty for shooting Game and Fish personnel is much harsher than shooting the otters.lol
In large lakes and place where the fish can hide like in large riversm fish and otters can probably live in reasonable harmony. But here, you can have one but not both. I suppose when the fish supply is exausted they will move on somewhere where there is easier picking.

[DBinNY]

Ben, you could introduce a little "structure" into your pond to give the fish a place to hide. Anything from used Christmas trees to old bed springs would at least put a little sport in it for the otters.

[ozark]

DBinNY, Bed springs and Christmas trees......UMMM, let me see...I hook a good catfish or bass and in a flash it is tangled up in bedsprings or christmas tree branches. I break the line and the fish dies without fattening the otters. I am getting to old to and feeble to fish or trap either so I guess it is put up with what the Game and Fish people gives me. Or break the law and shoot the critters. The penalty for shooting otters might be pinching off my oxygen tubes. That would get me off the computer for good. Many may be praying for that.lol

[chuck41]

Well now, I understand an otter trap, but what does a G & F guy trap look like? Do the make the kind of traps where we can just haul them down the road and release them where they won't bother us? That's what we use for the other vermin.