Catch & Release Vs. Keep and eat 2024

mdmaynard reply :

I by no means want to make enemy's here, nor am I trying to stir up controversy, I bring this up seeking sincere understanding.

I am relatively new to fishing -somewhat. I remember as a young child my dad was laid off a lot and I do remember fishing some as a child with my dad and keeping what we caught for food. Even the neighbor would bring 10 - 20 fish a weekend for us to clean and put in freezer for food.

Fast forward to present, the first few fish I caught I kept, until I made a post hear showing one of the biggest ones my wife caught and we kept to eat. There were some post saying I should release and not keep to eat. I just about felt guilty and almost decided to forget this forum/group.

I now release all we catch but I still wonder what harm there is in keeping a few here and there for food. I love the taste of a well cooked and prepared bass.

I personally see no harm, but say it does offend others when bass are kept and eaten and someone wants to encourage others to catch and release, there is a tactful way of doing this without making anyone feel bad especially if they were not aware of the catch and release philosophy?

I was one such person, I never heard of catch and release until looking for info on the internet about bass fishing and I came across this forum.

I just hate how some posts sound almost hateful, maybe it is just me, but I think there is way to introduce those that are unaware of catch and release and still come across as friendly - just my opinion.

By the way I am so glad I stuck around a wealth of information and great people and fun humor along the way... you get it all here and I love it.

lknbassman reply :

There isn't any harm in that at all friend regardless of what you hear.

Our friends at In Fisherman who are the most conservation minded fishing organization that I have ever come across speak regularly to the notion of "selective harvest" which means taking the 1-2 lb bass out of the fishery and allowing the other fish a chance to grow. You'll never catch them all so the fishery is not at any level of risk by doing that.

On a seperate note, not sure if you are a believer in God or in Jesus Christ but if you are then you'd know and agree with the fact that God gave man "rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on earth". Genesis 1:26

So there is that angle too to quantify your eating some bass. Not a bad thing to refer to if you are a person of faith as am I.

Deer management organizations take selective harvest very seriously so they can grow trophy bucks and doe and not have massive starvation and malnourishment issues among the population. It is what it is, and it's OK. Eat a few and enjoy them.

Newman12Fan reply :

I practice both methods. My wife does not eat fish, so I don't need to keep a lot for me. Harvesting bass can actually help the bass population in a lake, as long as they are not over harvested.

That being said, I would not keep anything of great size. I keep bass that are between 1.5 and 2 pounds. Perfect size for a dinner or a nice fish sandwich. Anything over 2 pounds goes back in to be caught another day. And I do not keep everything under 2 pounds. Just one every once in a while when I am in the mood for fish

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

You will run into some people that think it is NEVER ok to keep a fish.

While keeping the larger fish could potentially hurt your fishery, as long as you are within the law...no one can say a thing to you about it. I'm sure you are well aware that the smaller fish (legal size and just above) will taste better than an old cow bass.

I practice catch and release for a few reasons. The first is conservation. I realize that some fish must be harvested in order to maintain an appropriate ratio of number of bass for the habitat, but I will just waste them and there are enough others around here that will keep them.

The second reason is that I dont care for the taste of bass. While I am sure they can be prepared to make a fantastic meal, I prefer to eat panfish or sea-caught fish.

Third reason is...well, honestly cleaning fish is a PITA to me.

I think people, especially new posters, get some grief because they show pictures of themselves holding large bass somewhere in their kitchen or a place obviously well away from the water. Like I said before, if you caught the fish lawfully, there isnt much anyone can say about you keeping the fish. Posting pictures of a big bass, dead in the kitchen, will seem offensive to the membership here.

My advice (not worth a whole bunch)....Take a pic of the fish at the lake, tell people what you caught it on, mabybe even where you caught it. Just take a picture of a healthy, live fish and leave it at that.

Wayne

Bankbeater reply :

I keep cat and crappie only. I can't stand the taste of bass.

mdmaynard reply :

ahhh.... learn something new everyday :-)

So it is not so much the fact of keeping it is keeping the big ones that offends some here, I can see and understand that now - thanks.

I have to agree cleaning the fish is a pain but for us it is worth it because we love the taste.

I also have to agree the larger fish do not taste as good as the smaller.

I do not mind practicing catch and release at all, actually enjoy it. I was just unaware of the practice until now.

Sure I will probably keep a few here and there but now that I understand more, it will be just the smaller ones. The large ones will be turned back loose.

Quote
My advice (not worth a whole bunch)....Take a pic of the fish at the lake, tell people what you caught it on, mabybe even where you caught it. Just take a picture of a healthy, live fish and leave it at that.

I have to agree with this advice.

thanks for the input thus far, I am starting to understand it more, I hope other "newbies" will as well....

roadwarrior reply :

Great thread, nice tone and

excellent advice!

8-)

mayassa reply :

I release all unless a buddy wants one. I don't eat fish just enjoy the sport

Muddy reply :

Glad to see a good tone and some tolerance. I never keep fish because I don't like cleaning them I do eat bass and have a great recipie.

We all have to share the water and the fish. A lot of big fish hunters and tourny guys don't keep fiush because the big fish represent thier potential to win, or catch the bigger fish

I see nothing wrong if a licenced fisherman keeps fish for the pan within the legal bag limits of the waters he is fishing. It is as ethical as hunting for food. In many cases it will help a body of water to do this.

GonzoFishing reply :

Quote
Glad to see a good tone and some tolerance. I never keep fish because I don't like cleaning them I do eat bass and have a great recipie.
We all have to share the water and the fish. A lot of big fish hunters and tourny guys don't keep fiush because the big fish represent thier potential to win, or catch the bigger fish

I see nothing wrong if a licenced fisherman keeps fish for the pan within the legal bag limits of the waters he is fishing. It is as ethical as hunting for food. In many cases it will help a body of water to do this.

Dont feel bad if you want to keep a fish. There is always going to be someone around with a negative comment but for the most part this forum is awesome and the anglers are extremely helpful, even when I have a somewhat dumb question. On another note, wanna share that recipe? I dont keep bass because of their somewhat "earthy" taste but if you have a good recipe, well, I might just give it a second chance. I understand if its a secret recipe! Thanks

32251 reply :

Back in the 50s and 60s you went fishing to catch fish to eat!

Now the emphasis seems to be on the SPORT so the encouraged norm is to realease as much as you can. This can be not so good though. If you harvest the 1-2 pounders in a lake it will help out the trophy size bass. Now the issue comes into play as to what you do when you catch a trophy size fish. There was a time when many were kept for mounting. Now a days a good picture and maybe a repro fish will suffice. I always give the big ones back to the lake to have another chance and catching again and to keep the gene pool strong.

I have found that most of the people I see fishing who keep everything they catch for food are outside the realm of "sport" fisherman and really don't practice ANY sort of conservation or good fishing practice anyway. I don't let them spoil my day. They usually only catch smaller fish anyway and this helps out.

My brother lives on a 50 acre lake. The lake management company that monitors the lake sends out a notice telling them to please keep or just throw up on the bank certain size fish in order to maintain a healthy environment for the larger fish, so there is something to harvesting for food.

I see nothing wrong with keeping a few "eating size" fish. I don't know about taking 50 or 60 crappie or bream at a time. You should just take enough for a good meal.

Grey Wolf reply :

Here's my take.

If I want to eat fish , I 'll either buy it at the market or go to a resturant.

If I'm catching smaller bass I will give them to someone if they want them.

I would never keep a bass or give it to anyone if it were 3 lbs. and over.

If you eat bass , so be it but I hope you would consider throwing the larger ones back.

bass wrangler569 reply :

I don't keep bass unless they are a casualty of fishing (bleeding gill, damaged organs, etc.). That being said I would never look down upon someone who was keeping a few fish to eat as long as they throw the big ones back. Some people tend to get real gung-ho about c and r but we need people who keep some smaller bass because it allows other bass to get bigger and it stops the lake from becoming a dink-factory.

Mista B 504 reply :

You look like a big boy eat what you want just release the hogs for future fun.

dallas0996 reply :

You can reduce or eliminate the "earthy" or pond taste from fresh water fish by soaking fillets overnight in milk in the refrigerator....some people use buttermilk for catfish....

sounds weird but it works...supposedly in addition to removing the earthiness it helps to leech out some of the impurities and heavy metal traces....but that part could be urban legend...

fishfordollars reply :

A lot of the lakes here in Texas are overloaded with smaller fish. Parks and wildlife are trying new ideas to get more fishermen to keep the smaller fish. A lot of our lakes need to be culled down so the larger fish have more to eat. They are requesting that we keep a five fish limit under 12" on some of the lakes. I for one never do, but I think it helps keep the population in line.

A lot of people on this site are very quick to chastize someone that keeps fish. If it is legally caught you have every right to dispose of the fish in the frying pan.

Lake Nacogdoches here in East Texas is a perfect example. It has produced a lot of very large fish. The wildlife department has changed the regulations begining Sept 1 from a 14-21" slot to a 16-24" slot and requesting that as many as possible keep a limit under the 16". One over the 24" can can be kept for weighing to see if it qualifies for the state Share-A-Lunker program(Over 13 lbs.) and if not must be released back into the lake. This lake is absolutely covered up with smaller fish.

Raul reply :

I don 't keep fish on a regular basis, if it bleeds and dies I ain 't gonna leave it to the turtles, you want to keep your fish ? no problem ! as long as you keep your limit and the fish are of legal size, it 's your priviledge.

I don 't keep fish over three pounds, bass here in my neck of the woods get obese over three pounds, lots and lots of fat everywhere and the meat is too "fishy" tasting for my taste, with a 2-3 pounder you get a couple of nice fillets. 1-2 pounders are great simply fried on a pan, less than a pound it 's a no-no, not only it 's illegal to keep them, there ain 't much meat either.

bmuskin reply :

I am also glad to see this on a Bass forum. I love fish Bass, Crappie, and large Gills especially. I know a public lake that is stocked with large hybrid and longear panfish. The limit is 30 over 8 inches and you can catch way more than that when they are hitting. I fill my freezer with these guys a lot.

I take some bass and it depends on where I am and how often it is fished and other things. I mostly bank fish on smaller lakes and ponds most of these areas are overwhelmed with dinks. Truly they get fished mostly by local kids with a worm and a bobber. 1 in particular is filled with 10-16 inch bass. Overpolpulated really. I keep some out of this pond when I want some meat. I have relocated some also. I moved a couple of 4-5 pounders to another pond that was recently built behind my house. I put them in a cooler got a pic and brought them home to a new stable. This pond is fairly new and was stocked with some small fry size fish.

Also I fish some very remote rugged coal mine strip pits down in central southwest Missouri. These areas are never fished. You literally have to machete your way into some of these. I do keep fish all the time out of these as there is no one fishing them. The ones by the road get some pressure but any that recquire a hike get ignored.

GonzoFishing reply :

Quote
You can reduce or eliminate the "earthy" or pond taste from fresh water fish by soaking fillets overnight in milk in the refrigerator....some people use buttermilk for catfish....
sounds weird but it works...supposedly in addition to removing the earthiness it helps to leech out some of the impurities and heavy metal traces....but that part could be urban legend...

Someone else just gave me the same advise about using milk to get rid of the earthy taste. Thanks Dallas & Muddy! I might have to try that with Peacock bass too!

bmuskin reply :

Quote

Quote
You can reduce or eliminate the "earthy" or pond taste from fresh water fish by soaking fillets overnight in milk in the refrigerator....some people use buttermilk for catfish....
sounds weird but it works...supposedly in addition to removing the earthiness it helps to leech out some of the impurities and heavy metal traces....but that part could be urban legend...

I read in a recent Cooks magazine that the taste was from certain types of Algae and was very common in pond raised fish. They said Tillapia and catfish were especially prone to this. Buttermilk supposedly contains proteins that help to break the organics down.

Certified Public Angler reply :

It is interesting that when I go grouper fishing anything at the legal limit I'm taking home to eat, but for bass I am releasing everything.

I guess it just seems like bass have a lot more obstacles stacked up against them with the development of lakes. Also I've tasted it once and I just don't enjoy the fresh water taste.

Bassnajr reply :

If you use fishing to supplement the food you feed your family, or just like the taste of LMB (which I do not...) don't let anyone "shame" you into catch and release. I would say to make sure you have a vailid fishing license (which I am sure you do), obey your local limit and size regulations, and keep just what you know you will eat. There are enough catch and release guys, (I'm one of them) to keep the population numbers where they belong. I also feel that people who keep the proper size bass to eat are part of the conservation chain.

Bon appetit!!!!

ajr

Bassin_Fin@tic reply :

Nothing wrong with keeping a few.

The people I absolutely detest are the ones that have no concept whatsoever of catch and release and would take a 5lb+home in a heartbeat.

Bassaholic84 reply :

If bass waters get to overpopulated with bass then the bigs one dont get as big. Too much competition for food. So it is actually good to take a couple 12 inchers home so them 3 pounders dont have so much competition for forage and next year will be even bigger. I do think however anything bigger then say 3 pounds should remain in the water to let it get bigger. But you caught it so its your fish you can do whatever you please. For the sport tho the big ones should be left alone. ;D

retiredbosn reply :

FWIW I release all of the larger ones, due more to fear of mercury levels than anything. I have no problems keeping fish to consume, but I personally eat trout, crappie and cats, not real fond of bass, smallies although are better than lmb. If I were regularly consuming fish from any body of water I would keep tabs with the local game and fish people as they monitor the water quality of the water. Most fishing regulation have warnings on the amount of fish consumed. I live in WV and am fortunate to have clean fisheries for the most part, but I wouldn't eat anything from the kanawha, or ohio river. Good luck and good eating, fish are a great food.

FishinDaddy reply :

Catch them legally, license, limits, ect, then do what you want with them.

Personally, I am lazy and hate cleaning fish. We do keep a few a year because my wife likes the taste, so she cleans them.

Thanksgiving vacation last year, Taylor was killing 2 lb spots at West Point Lake. We saw an older couple fishing from the public dock. They were not catching much and had a cooler with them so I assumed they were fishing to keep. Taylor, my giving daughter, suggested we give them what we (mostly she) were catching. I thought that was a good idea and they were very grateful. So I do harvest occasionally, but not often.

FordNFishinLover reply :

Honestly in my mind dude. As long as your obeying the rules of the area your fishing and keeping legal fish, id say dont let anyone bother you about what you keep and dont keep.

Personally i can defenitly understand keeping some smaller 1-3 pounds too take home and eat, but anything above i think is worth throwing back and getting bigger to catch later!!

Plus many places need the 1-2 pounders thinned out. So if anything your helping the body of water to make some bigguns!

Bassin_Fin@tic reply :

Actually the real problem I have is that I mostly fish small lakes and ponds.Recently some new guys have discovered some of these holes and have to my knowledge been taking out fish every single time they are there.I have heard reports from several residents that they are also taking more than the legal limits and keeping 6 and 8 lb girls.Ever since then me and anyone I fish with are having serious problems.

I have contacted the dept.of wildlife to investigate.What else can I do? The problem now is that they have literally raped the water so badly that I doubt the game warden will ever catch them in the act. Many evil little plans have come to mind to deal with them, but I am not a teenager anymore LOL.

It doesnt take long to trash a small couple acre lake by constantly taking the bass out and especially taking out the breeding stock.Some people just dont'even realize what the hell they are doing or plainly they just don't care.They will just go on to the next place and butt rape it too.

Just venting here :-/ I think it really sucks that I USED to have a nice little place to go that is close to home,no gas usage.A place where I can try out new lures and techniques and also teach people how to fish and have the distinct possibility of catching something over 5lbs almost every time I am there.

I don't want to seem like I am a total keeper hater.I just want people who fish small waters to be careful what they take out.The day will soon come when you sit there with your thumb up your a-- and wonder why the heck nothing is biting.

If it's a stunted dink hole then by all means fire up the skillet and get your old lady to peel some taters.

bmuskin reply :

Quote
FWIW I release all of the larger ones, due more to fear of mercury levels than anything. I have no problems keeping fish to consume, but I personally eat trout, crappie and cats, not real fond of bass, smallies although are better than lmb. If I were regularly consuming fish from any body of water I would keep tabs with the local game and fish people as they monitor the water quality of the water. Most fishing regulation have warnings on the amount of fish consumed. I live in WV and am fortunate to have clean fisheries for the most part, but I wouldn't eat anything from the kanawha, or ohio river. Good luck and good eating, fish are a great food.

You mentioned the Kanawha and Ohio sounds like Parkersburg to me. PHS class of 1984. Live in Kansas City now. Miss good old WV go back sometimes and visit some family but don't get there enough.

I am 42 & I remember when the ohio river had no fish except carp and cats. Full of shad now so it is a lot cleaner if you don't mind a little C8.

snapper G reply :

I keep most of the bass i catch if they are over 1.5lbs, they should have spawned plenty of times and dose no harm to the lake i fish at, it actually helps it!

Here is a link to explain why:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1218799995

This is a post that i just put up recently

Please answer link ;D

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

Quote
I keep most of the bass i catch if they are over 1.5lbs, they should have spawned plenty of times and dose no harm to the lake i fish at, it actually helps it!
Here is a link to explain why:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1218799995

This is a post that i just put up recently

Please answer link ;D

I think you might want to read up on some info from a qualified professional...

Eating bass over 1.5lbs because they have already spawned a number of times? :

Keep what you want within the legal limits, but your line of thinking is wrong.

Grey Wolf reply :

Quote
I keep most of the bass i catch if they are over 1.5lbs, they should have spawned plenty of times and dose no harm to the lake i fish at, it actually helps it!
Here is a link to explain why:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1218799995

This is a post that i just put up recently

Please answer link ;D

grimlin reply :

Quote
Great thread, nice tone and
excellent advice!

8-)

I agree....I can't figure out why another forum couldn't take this tone.

C&R or keep and eat...doesn't bother me.I don't think anybody could have said it better than lknbassman did.

The only thing that bothers me is people running up to me on every single catch trying to convince them to give them my catches.I've gotten to the point where i really don't want to go fishing until i find myself a boat or someplace nobody else goes to.

shorefisher reply :

Quote

I just hate how some posts sound almost hateful, maybe it is just me, but I think there is way to introduce those that are unaware of catch and release and still come across as friendly - just my opinion.

It seems like a lot of people these days are infected with the holier-than-thou virus. Don't let the hate of a few idiots ruin your time here.

That being said, I never keep any of my bass because I just don't like the taste. Watching some of the city folk coming to the ponds and just filling buckets with whatever they catch drives me crazy though.

No matter what you do to an animal, do it with respect.

mdmaynard reply :

Well I have sat back and read all the posts on this thread and it just makes me that much more glad I stuck around.

As has already been mentioned, great tone, great feedback from both sides of the coin.

I asked in sincerity and I got my answers and even learned A LOT along the way.

I understand both view points now and I have a new found respect for catch and release.

Thanks to everyone that responded and even bigger thanks for keeping it friendly and not making anyone feel bad for their opinion. I have a great respect for each of you and appreciate each view point.

so to sum up my rambling post....

THANKS AND THANKS AND THANKS AGAIN great feed back and keeping it friendly and honest at the same time.

zbigbadaaron reply :

Bass are horrible tasting so i don't eat them.

But its a different story if its walleye, bluegill, salmon, or trout.

douglasd reply :

I'm fairly new to bass fishing...I was raised on hook & bobber bluegills with either earthworms or waxworms. So I look at it this way: I don't catch enough bass yet to make a difference one way or the other. I mean, 4 to 6 bass a year is not going to ruin the bass ecosystem in my area if I decide to eat them! Maybe when I get to the point where I catch them every time I go out, I may feel different...but until then, they're going home with me.

For me, half the fun of fishing is the eating. But like I said, I was raised watching a bobber, so if and when I start catching a lot of good sized bass, I may feel differently.

Terex reply :

I know there are people who have an irrational hatred for those that take home large freshwater fish for consuming. Yet, if it is within the boundaries of the law, I see nothing wrong with it.

That being said, I enjoy the taste of fresh lmb, smb, trout, panfish, and catfish. If the fish is of legal size and I have room in the freezer I keep them.

avid reply :

I now release all we catch but I still wonder what harm there is in keeping a few here and there for food.

as with most who replied, I agree that there is nothing wrong. So don't sweat it. The controversy really is about bigger bass. It is true that the bigger bass in any given system are females who lay the most eggs. It is also true that keeping a few of these fish on occasion will do nothing to damage an otherwise healthy fishery.

The only requirement is that you stay within the law. After that it's up to you.

Lots of people love to get on their high horse and condemn what other people are doing, even if it is completely legal, and ethical. It's a fact of life that this routinely goes on in the world. BassResource.com is no exception.

You don't need to hide, nor justify keeping any fish that is legally harvested for food.

If the big fish in a major system are under too much pressure then the F&W people will restrict keeping them through slot limits. If it is not a major fishery, say a small local lake, then let your experience guide you. Are you and others regularly catching 4 lbers and bigger? If so, rest assured there are 8 lbers and larger in that lake and keeping a 5+ pounder once in awhile will do no harm. If, on the other hand you and others (check the local bait stores) rarely catch a fish over 3-4 lbs. then releasing all larger bass may be a wise decision.

Again I say, if you stay within the law then you have no need to feel any remorse. If you surpass the legal requirements well that's fine, but preaching to others that they do the same, is arrogant, and a general pain in the ***.

Catt reply :

What amazes me is how many people know the benefits of catch & release but know absolutely nothing of the benefits of selective harvesting.

adclem reply :

I do both. I will release really good size fish and keep a few of the smaller fish just to try and help thin them out. As one person stated selective harvest. We do it with deer and a lot of other animals, so that the populations stay healthy.

Later,

wowyo reply :

I'm pretty much a catch and release guy, but I see nothing wrong with keeping a nice fish to eat. As long as what you're taking is within the boundries of the legal code laid down by fish and wildlife dept.... there should never be any shame.

IDbasser reply :

I am an almost all catch and release. I will keep a few smaller ones once in awhile to eat. There is nothing wrong with it. I do release most of the time. I have only kept bass once this year, I have crappie in the freezer to eat.

Eddie Munster reply :

Study was done a couple years on my subdivision lake (big pond actually) and it advocated the removal of most bass caught under 13" to promote growth of 'trophy' size fish. I asked the HOA administrator what 'removal' meant and he said basically 'get them out of the lake'.

Well, I personally am not eating fish that came out of a subdivision lake due to the chances of chemicals from lawns, septic field drainage, etc. being transmitted to the fish. Also, I am not going to kill a fish just to increase the chances of getting a trophy sized fish in that lake. I've thought of approaching several homeowners with ponds to see if they wanted these fish but haven't worked up the nerve, so for now I release them all back.

I think as others may have pointed out, the ill tempered tone mdmaynard felt is from guys suggesting it's wrong to keep a bass for the sole purpose of putting it on a wall which short of a world record fish, I wouldn't keep it.

avid reply :

"selective harvest" is a valid means of regulating the population of any game species. You say "hoa" as in "home owners association"

and that is my only concern. It's likely these guys know nothing about how to manage your lake for trophy bass. The end result of all this culling of smaller fish could very well be damage to the fishery.

Joe Boss reply :

Quote
My brother lives on a 50 acre lake. The lake management company that monitors the lake sends out a notice telling them to please keep or just throw up on the bank certain size fish in order to maintain a healthy environment for the larger fish, so there is something to harvesting for food.

I fish for sport so I practice catch and release. I don't think I could follow those lake management company rules and throw a fish on the banks to die. Seems like such a cruel way to treat an animal.

When I am in the mood to eat fish, I go to the supermarket. When I want fresh fish I go Fluke and Flounder fishing with my Father-in-Law. I see nothing wrong with keeping and eating what you catch following all the rules and regulations.

Daniel My Brother reply :

A friend of mine has a farm with 6 ponds. He is an avid hunter, fisherman, and pond manager. My 3 biggest bass this year (any my PB) have come from these ponds.

He opens 3 of his best ponds to the girl scouts and boy scouts in the spring, and let's these kids, and their parents, keep whatever they want within legal limits. Most of the folks who come are worm and bobber fishermen, and they catch a lot of nice bluegill and the occasional bass. Sometimes a kid will catch a big bass and the whole group will go absolutely nuts! It's really neat to see.

Last year a kid caught a 6 pounder and another caught a 4 pounder. Both fish were taken home and mounted. Many other 2 and 3 pounders were kept. This drove me crazy, but the kids loved it.

I asked my friend why he lets them harvest big bass from his ponds and he had 2 responses. First, he says, they've been doing it for years and for every big one they pull out, another one always seems to take it's place. Second, they were having so much fun that he just didn't have the heart to tell them to put it back.

He's not looking to raise a state record, he just wants ponds that are fun to fish and offer a good chance at a lunker. That's exactly what he's got.

Cableman reply :

catch and release! Unless of course I'm hungry! ;D

FR0G reply :

Myself, I wouldnt be able to eat a largemouth. I guess I appreciate them that much.

tyrius. reply :

Quote
Myself, I wouldnt be able to eat a largemouth. I guess I appreciate them that much.

Then why do you ram a hook into their mouth, pull them to the surface, suffocate them, take pictures of them while they're suffocating, then put them back and hope that they don't die from any complications from the fight? ;D

Sorry, just thought that was funny. Hopefully, it is taken as an attempt at humor.

Muddy reply :

Guess the same reason you get a red head drunk, she pukes in your car, sleep when you get home, then you take her back to her car in the bar parking lot in the morning

Uncle Leo reply :

Quote
A friend of mine has a farm with 6 ponds. He is an avid hunter, fisherman, and pond manager. My 3 biggest bass this year (any my PB) have come from these ponds.
He opens 3 of his best ponds to the girl scouts and boy scouts in the spring, and let's these kids, and their parents, keep whatever they want within legal limits. Most of the folks who come are worm and bobber fishermen, and they catch a lot of nice bluegill and the occasional bass. Sometimes a kid will catch a big bass and the whole group will go absolutely nuts! It's really neat to see.

Last year a kid caught a 6 pounder and another caught a 4 pounder. Both fish were taken home and mounted. Many other 2 and 3 pounders were kept. This drove me crazy, but the kids loved it.

I asked my friend why he lets them harvest big bass from his ponds and he had 2 responses. First, he says, they've been doing it for years and for every big one they pull out, another one always seems to take it's place. Second, they were having so much fun that he just didn't have the heart to tell them to put it back.

He's not looking to raise a state record, he just wants ponds that are fun to fish and offer a good chance at a lunker. That's exactly what he's got.

I personally practice catch and release. Your friend I have to say does a great service, 1) He takes responsibility of managing the ponds, 2) He puts a smile on our young folks face. We need more like him, I applaud him JOB WELL DONE.

Terex reply :

Quote
"selective harvest" is a valid means of regulating the population of any game species. You say "hoa" as in "home owners association"
and that is my only concern. It's likely these guys know nothing about how to manage your lake for trophy bass. The end result of all this culling of smaller fish could very well be damage to the fishery.

One area that I fish in has extreme game warden surveillance. The rule of thumb is 12"-15", catch and release. The smaller ones and the bigger ones are keepers. The idea is to allow the ones that reach "prime" spawning size a chance to repopulate the lakes.

I don't think his hoa is too far off the mark.

TSPfishing reply :

I'm predominantly catch and release...

I don't have any issue with harvesting when done within the guidlines set by the state's fish creel and size limits.

Rmbr to always check your state's guidelines, many lakes and/or areas can differ.

FR0G reply :

Quote

Quote
Myself, I wouldnt be able to eat a largemouth. I guess I appreciate them that much.

Then why do you ram a hook into their mouth, pull them to the surface, suffocate them, take pictures of them while they're suffocating, then put them back and hope that they don't die from any complications from the fight? ;D

Sorry, just thought that was funny. Hopefully, it is taken as an attempt at humor.

Hey, at least I am not catching them, and letting them suffer on a stringer or in a cooler.

bmuskin reply :

There are some strip pit areas that I fish. I do not think they get fished at all as you have to cut your way into them through briars and chest high grass. I do keep fish from these as they are loaded. One of the other reasons they seem to not get fished much is there is a 92, 100, and 375 acres lake(s) within 30 minutes of these smallish strip pits. I keep these fish a lot. The heavily fished areas around Kansas City I catch and release as I know a lot of kids and teenagers as well as other people fish them.

B-o-b reply :

I don't like when people keep the big fish on the lake i live on, but, its legal, so they have every right to do that. I don't care what people are doing as long as it's legal and they know what they're doing.

I will only keep badly wounded fish, which i give to my neighbor, who loves bass.

shorefisher reply :

I practice catch and release but seeing as I fish with dynamite the release part doesn't work as well as I'd hoped.

Grey Wolf reply :

Quote
I practice catch and release but seeing as I fish with dynamite the release part doesn't work as well as I'd hoped.

Did you just make a funny ?

FishingBuds reply :

catch and release on all bass family's, Croppy & red ears

Only time I have ever keep and eat is the Cat fish(tatse so much better). but I haven't done that in years, Use to do it several nights thru the summer when I was a young lad on my own. its been so long I may have for gotten how to clean'em :

pafishslayer reply :

Excellent post!

I have another perspective on the c&r deal. I personally dont like fish much so I dont keep any unless someone wanted some that did not or could not catch tany themselves.

Now my 6 yr old son loves to fish and I cant expect him to fish with artificial bait all the time. If I did he wouldnt catch anything and probably would love video games instead of fishing. Since he's been 2, any fish that he hooks deep, we keep and he really enjoys fish and now with the deer meat we harvest, he associates food with the earth and nature. Not that we need to hunt and fish to sustain ourselves these days, but we do need to respect our natural resources and the value the earth has towards all of our future.

He will not hurt the fish population any time soon and in time he will get better at fishing different artificials and wont deep hook so many fish. I think he values the resource and understands that food doesnt just magically come from the super market. Keep in mind that as we're fishing we discuss c&r and he knows that I prefer to release them to enjoy another day. Im putting a lot of stock in the lessons learned outdoors and hopefully he will grow up to be a steward of our land and water, not to mention that while he's hunting and fishing he's not getting into trouble somewhere else. I know thats a lesson that we all hope are children will learn.

Thanks for a forum where you can express your feelings and interests without making enimies.

Mike

avid reply :

Terex reply :

Quote

The lake you talk about with the "extreme game warden surveillance" has a slot limit. The slot limits are set by professional fisheries managers and the game wardens enforce the regs put into place. Slot limits like the ones you describe are arrived at after professionals study a particular body of water and determine that certain spawn years were poor, so harvest is illegal, and others were plentiful hence those fish (by size based on growth rate) are legal to keep. that is a far far cry from a local guy deciding that killing all small bass will create a trophy fishery. He could very well be advocating killing of fish in a poor spawn year and risk setting back his "trophy" program by years, or worse.

Balance is the key to a healthy system. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Let the fisheries managers manage the fishery.

Then the professionals are shooting themselves in the foot since many people keep the smaller ones as well as the larger ones. We agree the local man is advocating destroying of the smaller fish. The professionals are allowing the same.

That is why I said it wasn't too far off the mark.

Muddy reply :

I don't understand? I don't get this guys point. The slots are designed so that you take an overpopulated class of fish out, We have a 15 inch minimum here and what we have is a lot of 14 3/4 fish. S A slot might help change this big time.

PoBoy reply :

I have eaten bass and really liked it. I just can't bring myself to keep a bass because I love to catch them so much that I want to catch them again another day. Another reason is that there are plenty of people that keep everything that they catch, so I really doubt that keeping fish is going to be good for the bodies of water that I fish.

10294

Catch & Release Vs. Keep and eat 2024

related General Bass Fishing Forum topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic