This is an opinion piece by Scott Frostman.
“They Shoot Canoes, Don’t They?” It’s the title of a book by the late outdoor humorist Patrick McManus, who entertained a generation of hunting, fishing, and other nature-seeking enthusiasts with his wit. The Wisconsin DNR recently changed course on an old law regarding firearms on boats. Let’s hope no one goofs up and shoots a hole in their own canoe.
As an avid fisherman, I was hooked once I read the intriguing headline where the DNR “agreed to strike a law that bars fishermen from carrying firearms while on the water.” I am a strong 2nd Amendment advocate, and inherently don’t see any real issue with fishermen carrying, but I was really tangled up by the rationale for the old ruling designed to keep fishermen from shooting muskies. I know all fishermen experience angst at times, but I’ve never felt the temptation to shoot a fish. I didn’t even know it was illegal. It’s amazing that it took a lawsuit, filed by the amazing folks at Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty to bring about the new wave.
Shoot a musky in the water? The story referred to days of yore when sportsmen “commonly shot muskies with a small-caliber pistol while the muskie was hooked,” and before it was brought into the boat. I guess it meant keeping the jagged-toothed quarry, no matter the size. How gnarly would that be? Tough to send that one back.
As a long-time Alaskan, I did experience boat captains having to shoot large halibut before gaffing and hoisting over the side, or tying those flat behemoths to the back of the boat. Those are usually ones well in excess of 100 pounds or so. Many river-bound anglers carry powerful sidearms. Not because of the fish, but because bears often frequent the same prime fishing spots as anglers. The bears always get to fish wherever they want.
By the 1960’s, the practice had fallen out of favor. I would surmise part of it was a part of the conservation and ecological movements of that era that helped to spur the practice of catch and release. Musky fishing today is simple following a “CPR” practice. Catch, photo, release. Let the “fish of 10,000 casts” live to make the day of another sportsman.
A myriad of regulations published by Wisconsin’s DNR outline the guidelines for the limitations of keeping muskies. While prized for their fight and their might, I would suspect very few fishermen actually keep a legal musky. The DNR’s regulations also outline health advisories for eating fish, and muskies aren’t very high on that list. They’re also very bony like northern pike so it would be a tough fish to clean. Not prized table fare, but still the top prize in the upper Midwest that will spawn tales for a lifetime.
I guess there would be a bit of rationale to the old practice. If you’ve ever had one of those snaggle-toothed monsters flopping all over your boat, or twisting itself up like a cigar entangled in your net, you know the frustration and danger of trying to remove the large hooks and attached lure or bait amid those razors. You find yourself trying to hold the squirming fish like a seasoned surgeon, slowly moving your hand from underneath, pliers held carefully, while deftly trying to both pry its mouth open and keep all your digits.
Countless anglers have ended up in emergency rooms, or less severe bites result in sportsmen echoing pain in 40 different languages. Big nets may fall into disuse with a series of cuts and bites trying to free the musky or sizable northern pike that created the tangled mess. Anglers will mumble in disgust at the aftermath, all while chest-bumping proudly that they’ve bagged a big one.
So, fishermen can hit the water with a sidearm in tow. I would suspect those who are avid carriers may do so, but many will not, as it would be just one more thing that could fall off your side, and into the watery abyss. Sportsmen could then invent a few more languages of outrage as they watch it gurgle away.
It makes sense that the DNR regulation regarding carrying firearms on boats would be relaxed, given the outdated rationale for the rules. Folks will use bows to shoot carp or a few other species, but I wouldn’t think any sane fisherman in today’s culture would dare to open fire on the open water trying to bring in a musky.
On occasion, you can dare an angler to touch their lips to a prize quarry in delight. McManus penned another outdoor guide titled “Never Kiss a Gift Fish.” No, you still can’t shoot a musky in the water. And, whatever you do, don’t try to kiss one.
