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 September December 19, 2013
Greetings!

Thank you for your interest in Vexilar Marine Electronics.  We hope to keep you up to date with the latest and greatest from Vexilar.

 

Happy Holidays from Vexilar!!  

 

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Vexilar would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy Holidays!! Best of luck to everyone who makes it out fishing and please share your photos and stories with all of us.  We appreciate all the support this year and we are looking forward to 2014!!! 


Panfish Selective Harvest Perspective   

By: Vexilar Pro, Don Cox

 

Over the last couple of decades few outdoor activities have been impacted more than the sport of ice fishing. New technologies and equipment have revolutionized the how, when and where we catch fish on ice. We now spend more angling hours ice fishing than ever before and are more productive at catching fish while we are out there. What it boils down to is ice fishing is having a larger impact on our fisheries.

 

Angling attitudes about catch and release of predator fish has changed considerably but most anglers remain set on harvesting panfish from the top down. In other words we upgrade our panfish throughout a day on the ice, selecting only the largest of the species to go in the bucket. Sure we might release a token big bluegill, perch or crappie, but for the most part we target top panfish profiles for the table. In my opinion we are shooting ourselves in the foot, genetically speaking, by continually harvesting panfish from the top down.

 

Coming from an agricultural background I view top down panfish harvest like this. The genetics in our beef herd have been selected for certain hereditary traits for over seventy years. Everything from average daily gain, milk production, fertility to carcass traits like square ribeye area, marbling and much more have been selected through genetics. It's not an exact science and it takes many generations to obtain a high percentage of the cow herd retaining targeted genetic traits.

 

Now let's say all the seed stock producers decide to eat their top genetic bulls, selling me only their lowest-end profile bulls. I can tell you I would see a drop in production those first two years. The real wreck would begin the third year when those F1 heifers were bred back to the low genetic profile bulls. I would expect a minimum of a 30 percent loss of production in the calf of that F1 cross. That means 70 years of genetics lost in three years and a downward production spiral that would continue with each generation thereafter. Even with the return of top genetic bulls, it would take years for the herd to regain the genetics they had before buying low-end genetic bulls.

 

How is this scenario any different than us continually harvesting panfish from the top down? Obviously we cannot harvest all the top producing panfish in a lake; we're making a genetic impact.

 

Panfish are a nutritious, renewable resource and a favorite table fare of many, including myself, especially when caught through the ice. If our goal is more and bigger panfish, we need to pay attention to what we harvest. Most lakes have a recent G&P/DNR report regarding size structure and species of panfish present. Try targeting the predominant species and size of panfish for harvest. Returning those 30 percent of genetic panfish profiles to the water will pay huge dividends down the road.


  

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Also, Vexilar now has FORUMS!!!

 

Stop in at http://forum.vexilar.com and register. It's FREE and take advantage of the available info from Vexilar Pro Staff and employees. Check out photos, fishing videos, latest info on products, FAQ topics and much, much more! Vexilar Pro Staff are constantly checking the forums to help answer your questions! 


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