# Michigan Out-of-Door TV Snagging Sturgeon



## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

If seems as though Michigan Out-of-Doors TV are at their snagging game again. I just watched, with disgust, a taped episode that aired Saturday on WKAR-23 from East Lansing. The episode featured the MOOD crew icefishing on Otsego Lake targeting sturgeon. On the program, they managed to snag a sturgeon, apparently on purpose. Then, after letting the fish flop around on the ice and snow for a while, they then went though a lengthy photos session with Jenny Olson holding the frosting over fish. Ice could be seen forming on the fish's eyes, fins and skin. Then after all that, they threw the fish back into the water where it probably sank to the bottom and died from the unbelievable ordeal. The methods they were using were obviously designed to fowl hook sturgeon. First they chummed the hole liberally to draw the fish into the area. Then they put down multiple lines without any weights attached. Lots of slack line was fed down the huge hole. When a sturgeon swims under the hole, the fish is bound to entangle itself in all the slack line and when the time is right they drive the hooks home in traditional snagging style. If this weren't bad enough, the MOOD crew also aired an episode last year where they apparently fowl hooked some Lake Erie walleyes and actually kept them all right on film. Ironically, MUCC was a major player in the effort to ban salmon snagging in Michgain. The law states that you can't posses illegally taken fish including fowl hooked fish: This includes possesing them for photo sessions. It will be interesting to see if the DNR ignores MOOD's snagging activities this time.


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## Brian S (Apr 5, 2002)

Here we go again. 

I saw that show also.

To say that they were intentionally attempting to snag is outrageous.

Did you see the look of disapointment on Jenny's face when they saw it was snagged?

Should they have handled the fish as much as they did? Probably not.

MOOD is the only decent outdoor show we have left. The people who host it are respectable. They aren't perfect, but I don't believe they are the type to harm any of our resources either intentially or through ignorance.


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## motornutz (Jan 23, 2003)

do you think they will air that again....that is disgusting....sturgeon are such a great resource if they cant catch them fair and square there is no reason to fish for them....sound like they only wanted a photo op. we should boycott them and inundate them w/ lots of emails..


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

> _Originally posted by Brian S _
> *To say that they were intentionally attempting to snag is outrageous.*


I don't think that Jenny Olson was intentionally trying to snag the sturgeon because she is to inexperienced of an angler to know what she was doing. The guy telling her to, "Set the hook hard," though certainly knew what he was doing and I would bet that fowl hooked fish are common using thier tactics.


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## flydunker (Sep 20, 2000)

If the fish was foul hooked I think it was not intentional. I have a friend that fishes through the ice for these great fish. He said that sometimes you will foul hook one because they come into the area with such fury because of the chumming that takes place. He has caught several in an evening (fairly) all are released.


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## Brian S (Apr 5, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Trophy Specialist _
> *The guy telling her to, "Set the hook hard," though certainly knew what he was doing and I would bet that fowl hooked fish are common using thier tactics. *


This may be true. I'll never know.

From what I saw though, no one from the MOOD crew was intentionally trying to snag.


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## kralcnod (Mar 9, 2001)

If they were intentionally snagging, they should face the same penalties as anyone else caught doing it. If they got it on film, it sounds like they could of hung themselves. That show seems like the only decent one left on TV, but if they start sinking to that level, I'll quit watching all together.


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## noheadlikesteelhead (Nov 25, 2002)

the guy they wre with admitted before they seen this fish that they foul hook alot of them


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

> _Originally posted by kralcnod _
> *That show seems like the only decent one left on TV*


Mike Avery has been producing a quality program for many years and is by far the best Michigan based outdoor program on TV today. It's a pitty Mike's program is not on PBS.


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## Zofchak (Jan 10, 2003)

I dont think I would be so critical of the MUCC outdoors show. Of all the shows that air locally their's is by far the best. They always have new footage, locally relavent stories and do a good job of keeping their viewers aware of any critical issues that have to do with the outdoors, be it sporting or not. 
As for the "snagging" incedent, who hasnt been in that same situation. When your fishing for any large species be it pike, salmon Sturgeon etc. Large fish sometimes require hard hook sets, not to mention when your own guide is telling you to do so. 
Alot of large fish are foul hooked it happens, after all there is alot more fish on a sturgeon than there is a mouth. 
As for the time the fish spent out of the water. Speaking from experience it is sometimes hard to contain your own excitment when you finally manage to catch something after a long day of fishing. Especially when it may be the first time you ever have. Yeah the fish might spend a couple extra moments on the wrong side of the ice, but I think we have all been in that situation when we managed to catch a great fish. When its your 100th sturgeon it goes back in water alot quicker.
I think it would be in everyones best interest to support shows like the MUCC outdoors show. It helps all sportsman and compared to other local shows its by far the best one we have. No bodys perfect so lets go after industry for polluting our waters and poachers stealing our resources not fellow sportsman that are doing nothing but trying to help..


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

Thophy Specialist, I think your just trying to find fault where is doesn't exist. I too saw the show last saturday and in no way was it snagged illegally. And it was returned.

Why do some of you people try and nick pick what everyone does. Just watch the shows for what they were intended(entertainment) and leave it at that.


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## east bay ed (Dec 18, 2002)

i talked to jenny the other day. they have heard from a lot of people who were not happy with the segment. i know in the past they have scraped some stories because they didn't like the way they came out. everything was legal but not what you want to put on tv.
now i've made mistakes in the past so i'm not going to throw rocks. maybe some of you have never lined a steelhead, caught a salmon on the outside of the mouth or snagged suckers while steelhead fishing. but i have. 
yes, i would like to see all foul hooked fish released immediately. but i would also like all those stealhead that are lined let go. that is not ever going to happen. 
if it makes you feel better go out to your local lake and call in all the guys that keep undersized fish and have too many lines out this weekend and stay away from the tv.
otherwise let them know your not happy with the show and offer to take them to your lake for a show. they will more then likley take you up on you offer.


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## Elk Guide (Dec 19, 2000)

Hi ........well i have read this post 4 or 5 times now and can't beleave how you people think jenny an jimmey are so innscent....they do things all the time that seem to be illegal...yet nothing is done......snagging on several shows i have saw or foul hooking......or messing up one of our owns elk hunt and when he wrote jimmy a letter about it jimmy more or less told him tuff ****..and as far as mucc goes they didn't give a **** either i droped my membership and so did a bunch of my freinds because of it......the guy who was hunting wouldn't even apolagise to skeeter what a sportsman i'm glad hes not a member on here......all i'm saying is you better look a little closer at these people are they who we really want representing us as sportsman i know i don't.


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

Yes this fish was "fouled hooked" but not snagged !!!!


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## tubejig (Jan 21, 2002)

Another one of those reality shows. I wonder if FOX is interested?


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## beer and nuts (Jan 2, 2001)

Snagging aside. I was not impressed the way the fish was handled and released. They knew before that fish came out of the water it was snagged and instead off grabbing it by the tail and left in the water and hook removed they drag the fish across the shanty and outside to take photos. This by the book was illegal, all illegal hooked fish must be immediately released. Instead because it was the only photo opportunity for them kept the fish out of the water to long(legally? unhealthy for the fish?). I was appalled by the way she released that fish back into the water after such a length of time out of the water.


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## Can't Touch This (Dec 31, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Trophy Specialist _
> * If this weren't bad enough, the MOOD crew also aired an episode last year where they apparently fowl hooked some Lake Erie walleyes and actually kept them all right on film. *


 Ya, i remember that epidsode clearly, might have it on tape. It was the guides fault, though, he told them what to do, which was something to hwlp snag some fish. I remember they were fighting the fish, i guess the guide seen it was hooked, he hurried up, swung the fish in, unhooked the fouled hooked fish, and put it in the bucket before they even knew it was in. I think he was covering for him self, since he said,"alot of people think these hooks only snag the fish, no, they are great baits, that the walleyes eat up(or something like that), and you LEGALLY hook them." I think something was fishy there. I like the show, it shows some great, imformative shows, that are entertaining, they're ALOT better than fred toast. I've seen Mike Avery, great show, and there's a couple of others on the outdoor channel that are in mich.


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

I am a member of four different MUCC affiliate clubs and I also donate very generously to WKAR specifically for their outdoor programming. I've also written dozens of articles for Michigan Out-of-Doors magazine for a sub-industry scale, pay rate to further support MUCC. However, in the past couple years, MUCC, its TV program and its magazine have been experiencing some major problems. MUCC membership has crashed to a fraction of its past strength. The TV program seems to be run by three, very inexperienced, entry-level staffers. There are many experienced, highly professional, Michigan based videographers that could produce a much better program for our money. If magazine pay rates are any andication of MUCC's TV pay scale, then I doubt that the TV staff is paid very well. I fully expect, that as they do gain more experience and expertise over the years, they will leave the show for greener pastures. The magazine could also use some drastic improvements as well. I can normally read it cover to cover in less than an hour, sometimes much less, which is a strong indication of a lack of content. In contrast, it often takes me several hours or more to read Woods N' Water News and some of the other better magazines that I receive. The TV show and the magazine are the voices of MUCC and these effective tools are not being used to their potential to foster the outdoors in Michigan, which MUCC needs for it's own survival. Last but not least is MUCC's general management problems. You'd think that their arms would be awfully sore from patting themselves on the backs about the Indian fishing settlement, which any angler I've every talked to is still shaking their heads about. MUCC's divisiveness and lack of an effective political presence have been costly. They don't seem to have a plan to pull back the lost legends of members, which is a serious threat to the organization and the sportsmen of Michigan as a whole. If MUCC can't stop their free-fall, then snagging on a TV show is the least of our worries.


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## Sturgeon-man (Mar 31, 2002)

Obviously anyone can fish for them, but to keep Sturgeon in Otsego Lake (why anyone would want to is beyond me...) you must have a metal tag that you can get at a couple bait shops in Gaylord. I wonder if anyone fishing for them possessed a tag? There's been a few guys slammed this year for untaged fish. Were they guided by someone local or just out on their own?


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

> _Originally posted by Sturgeon-man _
> *Were they guided by someone local or just out on their own? *


Naturally, they were guided and they did have a tag. I don't think that I've ever seen MOOD's TV crew do any hunting or fishing on thier own without a guide. They always go with guides who, "hold thier hands."


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