I'd be in for sure at Austin! I love the idea of setting up around the spearers, keep an eye on them. Like everyone has said the devastation from last winter harvest was more than obvious this last summer. Word has only spread even more about the spearing meaning there will probably be even more shanties this winter. This lake can't take another slaughter like last year, and we all know the DNR isn't going to do anything about it.
My first concern is I've herd Austin has springs, I don't want to go in or anybody else. You can be on 7" of ice step over a few feet and be thru! Seeing that there are only so many holes these guy's are going to set there shacks in the same spot. Does anybody know who the worst offender is and where his shack is? We don't want to harass anybody cause we wouldn't be any better than them. The only way is to reason with education. Are they doing this cause it's there right. Is it for food (tough times)? The day we go he might not be there or he could leave and come back another time. So the best thing is to reason with them with education. Or hopefully the state will wise up and be like MN. & WI. and stop spearing muskies or the tag system. I don't know whatelse to do!
I'm not sure how many harpooners use decoys versus big live suckers, my impression is many use the big live suckers if they can get them. I'm actually thinking of buying any/all big suckers for spearing at my local shop every week all winter. They don't stock many and it could save some good fish, plus I'll use what I can for release fishing. I live in Battle Creek so this is mainly to help save what few better pike are around. I'd donate toward the same goal around Austin if it can be worked out. I think we should consider this, we could call it Operation "Save a Ski'" or something like that, it would require a member near the most used big sucker source by the musky fishery we're looking to help. This could start with Austin since it's so shallow and clear, plus it'd seem the winter fish collect in certain predictable spots on that lake so it seems extra vulnerable to harpooning's impact.
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