Man I Hate 2024

pitchinthejig reply :

I HATE AND I MEAN HATE Hooking bass bad and killing them it makes me SICK I hooked a soild 7# fish right before dark this evening on a Lucky Craft jointed wake bait and she just inhaled it and you could see where it tore loose a few times and re hooked her in the gills and tore them to hell and back... she was bleeding so bad I put her in the live well and loaded it up with Release Chems and she just wouldnt come back so I took her home, cleaned it and fryed it for my little girl.. She always is with me unless its tourney time and she cried so hard knowing it died...

Anyone else like this? like it really truly upsets you really bad to kill a fish? Its part of the game some are gonna get hooked bad and die and thats just Bass fishing, I just REALLY try and keep it from happening and thank god it doesnt much or I would stop doing it probably it really makes me feel that crappy that I took its life for my fun.

I know I sound like a Tree hugger and trust me Iam not, Its just taking somethings life really bothers me, and I HATE hooking them in the eye really bad it bothers me a lot too...

Heres a pic of the pretty girl with my 4 Y/O holding her I got her to not be upset by making her be pretty and smile for the cam lol... But its sad seeing such a beautiful fish die.

Bluebasser86 reply :

The 6.5lb bass on my wall did about the same thing. I was fishing a small pond with a 4f fat A crankbait for crappie and she just inhaled it. The hooks were in her gills and with the long fight on light line and hot water temps she didn't stand a chance. I don't eat fish so that was the best thing I could think to do with her.

I don't know if I hate that more or seeing someone keeping big bass. I was fishing last winter in a powerplant lake in the outlet when a couple in a small boat anchored close to me. They baited up with shad and dropped them in the washout in the tailwaters. Wasn't long before the husband brought in a 6 pound largemouth and put it straight on a stringer. I tried to talk them into releasing it, even offering to trade some catfish or crappie for it but they refused saying that fish was their dinner. The fish kept jumping trying to get off the stringer. I had to leave because I was so mad I couldn't concentrate. I know there is no law against keeping big fish but it takes so long for them to get big around here that it just kills me. Keeping a fish that would have survived just to get a skin mount is just about as bad. Get plenty of pictures and some measurements and get a replica. It may cost a little more but it also lasts a lot longer and you don't have to kill the fish. Plus since all you need is a couple pictures and measurements you can take all the time you need to save up the money to get it done

Eriewormer reply :

I agree with both of ya.. My 5 yr old and I went to a small campground pond and he landed a monster, turned the other kids and parents heads. I am still kicking myself for not having my phone or camera, but we let her go as always and hopefully we'll get that shot next year.

J Francho reply :

So, one fish in a thousand you caught dies. Eat it, and forget about it. No one laments that hamburger they just wolfed down. I wouldn't get too upset, you let all those other fish go. Some may have not made it, either. One thing is for sure, all had the chance to make it. No fish in history survived release into Crisco Bay.

SirSnookalot reply :

I don't get overly emotional over any fish that dies, if I did I would not fish in the first place and seek a new activity. I have no intent to kill them but it does happen. Your best efforts in reviving fish sometimes are all for naught. How do people feel upon the pain and stress caused to a fish?

clayton86 reply :

I hate it as well but I don't get to worked up over it I like to see them get bigger we got one in a private lake I fish we named him 1 eye we catch him every year he's pushing 7lbs now and we caught him 4 years ago and he was 4 maybe 5lbs wich for wny is pretty d**n good. Killing pike on the other hand got no prob with lol I had one the other week get my spinner trailer hook and main hook in its throat and straightend the wire out. I whiped out my knife and got it back and tossed it on the rope to give my boss. Gobys are equally bad I toss them in the bushes.

Revo_Carrot Stix reply :

I agree with most. I take pride in releasing bass and impacting the water and surroundings as little as possible. When it happens, I'm bothered that day or evening as I take the day in retrospect...but it makes me a better angler or surgeon (if you will).

Like TDZ and BB, I get angry when other anglers don't share my mindset or respect for the waters - whether it's trash on the bank or a stringer filled with obiviously under-the-limit size or big catches. At least we're in a country where we can debate this topic and continue to do our thing as we fill our personal needs.

quanjig reply :

Yes it upsets me to some extent, but in the grand scheme of things - birds gotta eat, turtles gotta eat ...............

deaknh03 reply :

On 9/2/2011 at 9:06 PM, J Francho said:

So, one fish in a thousand you caught dies. Eat it, and forget about it. No one laments that hamburger they just wolfed down. I wouldn't get too upset, you let all those other fish go. Some may have not made it, either. One thing is for sure, all had the chance to make it. No fish in history survived release into Crisco Bay.

Crisco bay...

grimlin reply :

My buddy keeps bass every once in awhile. He C & R more than he keeps that's for sure. But I never have a problem with people keeping bass once in awhile.I never get worked up about it...nobody else should either. A lot of people fish for food....been doing it for generations now.

tomustang reply :

It's the nature of the game, what can be more said

K_Mac reply :

This topic comes up often, and always stirs emotion. Catch and release is as much a part of bass fishing for most of us as buying more tackle than we need.

I agree that I am not happy when people keep bigger bass. They have beaten the odds, and should be released in my opinion. I don't let it ruin my day though. The folks that keep fish, big bass included, pay their fees and buy their licenses just like I do. If they want to keep them they have every right to as the law allows. I am always talking to folks about releasing bass, esp big fish, but at the end of the day it is their decision. There are many lakes where keeping some smaller bass will improve the fishery, and in those places I will sometimes keep a few smaller fish.

SirSnook is right. Fishing is a blood sport whether we like it or not. Fish are sometimes injured and not all fish survive the trauma of being caught. The fishing community generates millions to keep our waters healthy, and to preserve and improve fishing. I can live with that.

pitchinthejig reply :

Bluebasser I totally agree it makes me SICK and SO MAD to see someone keeping bass to start with and would eat me alive if it was big fish. All my mounts are replicas I never do skin mounts because Im 110% C&R this is the first time ive ever brought one home EVER and its only because she died in the live well after me doing everything I could I turned on raw Oxygen, added Chems, some Iceto slightly drop water temps.. I have really good live wells in my Z-9 and know how to treat fish for release she just wasnt coming back she bled way to much to quick.

J Francho reply :

You don't think you're overreacting a bit?

It's one fish, we all try our best, but nothing is perfect.

pitchinthejig reply :

I mean I dont let it ruin my day or anything but I feel bad I dont like killing stuff but I love bass fishing and that part of it sometimes and you gotta live with it. its just it makes me feel crappy that I took its life.

piscicidal reply :

Try Walleye fishing...

On Mille Lacs lake, they have this silly slot limit that requires you release all Walleyes (if I remember correctly) in the 18-26" range (which is about 90% of what anglers are catching). So all these gut-hooked Walleyes being drug up from 30 feet of water HAVE to released by anglers, even though they have virtually no chance of making it. Makes you sick to see miles and miles of shoreline littered with floating fish that could have ended up as table fare.

Point is...I wouldn't worry about eating one bass as long as I was making my best effort to minimize fatalities.

Hyrule Bass reply :

wow, when did people become so sensitive about fish? if youre that worried about injuring or killing a bass then dont fish for them, plain and simple.

also, i dont see why people get mad at others for keeping fish so long as its done within the laws and regulations of your state and the particular fishery youre on. there are more bass than you can imagine in most waters, plenty to go around. its not gonna hurt the fishery unless its like a tiny small pond. if i were to catch a 10lb bass and someone came rushing over to see and then started pressuring me to release it, id most likely keep it just to tick them off and i dont even eat fish. now if someone just wanted to see it, id let it go. but if i catch i fish(legally) and want to keep it(legally) then i feel NO ONE has a right to come try and convince me to release it, sounds like unwelcomed harassment. i say just mind your business and dont worry about what others do as long as its legal. because really, its none of your business what i catch and keep. and i take this point of view knowing i dont keep any fish myself. just worry about what you can do about the fish you catch. i cant believe the nerve of some people approaching others asking them to release a fish that was legally obtained. it may be your belief and think its in the best moral interests to release the fish you catch, but it doesnt mean you should try and enforce your way of thinking on anyone else that thinks differently than you do...

Raul reply :

On 9/2/2011 at 2:55 PM, tdz105h said:
I HATE AND I MEAN HATE Hooking bass bad and killing them it makes me SICK

Stuff happens, fishing is a blood sport and stuff happens every now and then, can´t take it ? there are other sports that do not involve accidental, ocassional killing.

pitchinthejig reply :

Red Earth, The comment about mind your own business is dead on, If someone wants to keep fish thats them even tho its not right in my mind and many others as well but hey do what you wish but take to many big fish from a not so large lake and you will have issues after a while its a fact.... keep a fish just to do it to make someone mad? says a lot about some people in the sport.

Raul yes you are right it happens and it was the first nor will it be the last, my point in the post was to see how many others really truly care about killing fish that you didnt want to. I would guess 95% of real bass fisherman are C&R and care about releasing the fish healthy...

If my OP was read you would see where I said I know it happens and thats life but I hate it and it makes me feel really bad I hate killing any but really hate killing a good one. I have let 13LB fish go without even a picture as to get them back in the water lightning fast I want the fish to be in as good shape as it can be after I catch it. sure some are gonna die and some arent but when they do does it bother you or do you just not even think about it again was what I was getting at. it upsets me but if Im in a tourney my main worry is the Oz I lose for a dead fish so its not the biggest deal there is but it does bother me enough to try to prevent it any way I can. 90% of the time I fish Barbless hooks unless its tourney time and yesterday was a rare time I just tied on a bait that was in the tourney bag and it was barbed. I really wish the fish would have gotten off but of course it didnt, if that would have been in a tourney it would have came off first jump lol.

Anyhow Im not worried about it because some people express rude comment on a simple subject because this is the net and people like to run all different ways and turn it in to something different then what was Said/asked. I got what I wanted to know and thats most people care enough about the fish to have bad feelings of killing one and that makes me happy to know our sport has evolved in to a true sportsmans sport and C&R is at a high and hopefully gets higher!

Thanks all for the comments Im done with mine tho before people starting getting cranky about there views.

rboat reply :

I have to agree with tdz on this. I hate to seriously injure or kill the fish that I spend much of my time and money on catching for the fun of the sport and the great feeling of releasing her back for the future. In our past history, fishing was mostly for food. Times have changed, you will save time and money getting fish at the store and you will be ingesting less mercury and other contaminents. I believe it all comes down to education, values, and traditions. When you learn the extreme odds in producing one big bass it is amazing we have any. With all of todays high tech fishing equipment, I personally feel they deserve a second chance. If you catch for food that is your legal right, I simply ask you keep an open mind and see both sides. A great photo is hard to beat and it really does feel good to see a champion fish swim back to his underwater home.

North Ga Hillbilly reply :

On 9/3/2011 at 1:59 AM, J Francho said:

You don't think you're overreacting a bit?

It's one fish, we all try our best, but nothing is perfect.

Bluebasser86 reply :

I think part of what is so frustrating to see someone keep a big bass or to have a big bass die after being caught is we don't have any bass factories close by like some of you guys do. Probably the closest lake to me that most would know is Lake of the Ozarks and that's a 3 hour drive. Most of our lakes have relatively few large bass that tend to be difficult to catch. So to see one get kept or die is frustrating. I know some of them aren't going to make it and the more I fish the more fish I'll kill, but I do everything in my power to help big fish survive.

MAD reply :

I am totally C&R also with bass, but I agree with Red Earth, I would be pretty careful who I approached about releasing a fish they legally wanted to keep.

Mike

SirSnookalot reply :

I keep few if any fish I catch, I'm not all that fond of eating most fish species, especially bass. I love catching bass, but I love catching many other species as much if not more. As Red Earth implies, there are a lot of bass out there, I agree. I just can't seem to put bass on a pedestal above other species, it's a sportfish, nothing more.

joshholmes reply :

i honestly do undertsand that feeling you get when a fish just cant make it. i remember catching my first pike and being so excited i accidentally kept her out of the water to long, and it was a decent 10 lb. pike too. so when i wen't to release it it couldnt get its back under the water and i watched it for hours struggling until it finally rolled over and died. that was really depressing. i always feel said when i gut hook a fish and i really only keep a fish if my family asks me to, which hardly ever happens, i remember when one bass i released swam away a few feet then couldnt move anymore so i grabbed her in my canoe and put her out of her misery. it happens, you havee to accept it

pitchinthejig reply :

rboat and BB HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!!!! Well put my friend Well put!!!!

Big fish grow slow, there are plenty of them in the lakes I fish and I catch many big fish and kill very few that I know about... Its just tough to kill a big fish knowing how long that fish has been alive and top of the food chain in those waters in til it makes a mistake and grabs the wrong lure...

I have PLENTY of big fish lakes around me, I have Lake O, Stick marsh, Lower St johns, Kissimmee chain, Harris chain and many more all within an hour to 1 and a 1/2 hour drive. I have big Golf course lakes that I have access to fish and put my bass boat in that no one else gets to fish... but still kills me to see a big fish die.

North GA We see you dont care to much about C&R as your Avatar is you holding a Bass in your house......

Fishing for food is far out dated because you can go to Walmart and buy a 4lb bag of Tilapia for 11 dollars... one plug along cost 2X that much for most of what I fish.

anyhow keep on sticking them fellas and have fun!

CAdeltaLipRipper reply :

On 9/2/2011 at 9:06 PM, J Francho said:

So, one fish in a thousand you caught dies. Eat it, and forget about it. No one laments that hamburger they just wolfed down. I wouldn't get too upset, you let all those other fish go. Some may have not made it, either. One thing is for sure, all had the chance to make it. No fish in history survived release into Crisco Bay.

harsh lol u still gotta feel bad for it theres not a whole lot of 7 pounders in the world

K_Mac reply :

Quote
North GA We see you dont care to much about C&R as your Avatar is you holding a Bass in your house......

tdz105h you just can't let it go can you? You make an assumption based on the picture in North Ga's avatar. Maybe he lives on the lake on which it was caught and released it after the picture was taken. Maybe he filleted it and served the family. Maybe he keeps one in hundred. Maybe he keeps everything he catches, though I doubt it. My point is you don't know, and it really is not your business.

Most of us take catch and release very seriously and support it whenever we can. Taking a judgmental attitude toward those who keep fish for food does not help our cause. Educating people is a far better option. There are many bass fishermen who started keeping bass that now support catch and release, including me. I came around because I came to understand it was a better option most of the time. It was not because some self-righteous bass fisherman told me how wrong I was.

ww2farmer reply :

tdz105h............. ..............yeah, thats about all I have to say.

BassinMidWest reply :

I've done the same thing too, and hate it just as much as you do. I was fishing a C-rig felt a fish hit, went to tighten my line up to set the hook, but didn't feel any weight and went on fishing it on the same cast. 30 seconds later I feel a tug, and set the hook. Bring up a solid 4 ponder and it's hook deep, and ends up dying.

Not so much a big deal with small fish for me, but when it happens to a goodun, it really ruins my day!

SirSnookalot reply :

On 9/4/2011 at 2:24 AM, tdz105h said:

Fishing for food is far out dated because you can go to Walmart and buy a 4lb bag of Tilapia for 11 dollars... one plug along cost 2X that much for most of what I fish.

I and many other Floridians see this almost daily and I'm sure it's common everywhere. Even before the economy turned sour but more so today we see people fishing for food. These people are not fishing with the highest tech equipment, have no idea of lures that cost more than 10 bucks. These people are using equipment barely a step up from a cane pole and many are still using that pole. We see them along the canals by the side of the road fishing for bass or whatever is munching on their leaf worms. We see them in the ICW or at the ocean with bag of frozen shrimp and a rusty hook taking home whatever is biting that day, they aren't fussy, just hungry and need to feed their families.

These people don't have the $11 for a bag of fish at the market. At one time I was high and mighty regarding letting fish go but over the years I've tempered that position. Doesn't bother me in the least bit to see a large bass or any other fish species taken home for dinner. Their fish , their business.

bassfisherjk reply :

I don't like when it happens,but don't get to stressed out about it.

grimlin reply :

What I don't get is why it's "OK" to keep bluegills,yellow perch and walleyes but not Bass?

Lund Explorer reply :

On 9/5/2011 at 2:38 AM, grimlin said:

What I don't get is why it's "OK" to keep bluegills,yellow perch and walleyes but not Bass?

Because bass are a lot like trout and have many fans that enjoy their beauty.

Probably the same reason why pork chops are eaten by more people than lamb chops. I mean, Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow. Aside from Charlotte, who was friends with a pig?

rboat reply :

On 9/5/2011 at 2:38 AM, grimlin said:

What I don't get is why it's "OK" to keep bluegills,yellow perch and walleyes but not Bass?

These species, especially bluegills and yellow perch reproduce very quickly with a low mortality rate compared to bass. They can even reproduce too much and overpopulate a body of water quickly. Bass can do this too, but normally only in smaller ponds. These species also consume different food and have little competition for their food. The walleye may have to compete with pike, but normally will consume other prey at different depths. If you are talking of harvest for a food source, bluegills, perch, crappie, and walleye are considered a better tasting fish than bass. The walleye is usually considered one of the best tasting freshwater fish on the planet and are even commercially raised and harvested for the restaurant industry in some areas.

grimlin reply :

On 9/5/2011 at 4:01 AM, Lund Explorer said:

Because bass are a lot like trout and have many fans that enjoy their beauty.

Probably the same reason why pork chops are eaten by more people than lamb chops. I mean, Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow. Aside from Charlotte, who was friends with a pig?

I can understand that....after all I've released back crappies,perch and walleyes simply because of their beauty too.

On 9/5/2011 at 8:17 AM, rboat said:

These species, especially bluegills and yellow perch reproduce very quickly with a low mortality rate compared to bass. They can even reproduce too much and overpopulate a body of water quickly. Bass can do this too, but normally only in smaller ponds. These species also consume different food and have little competition for their food. The walleye may have to compete with pike, but normally will consume other prey at different depths. If you are talking of harvest for a food source, bluegills, perch, crappie, and walleye are considered a better tasting fish than bass. The walleye is usually considered one of the best tasting freshwater fish on the planet and are even commercially raised and harvested for the restaurant industry in some areas.

Walleyes and bass are pretty much at the same level of survival....if more people consume walleyes,then I can't see where the Bass population is even hurting if fewer people are taking them home.Specially considering you saying bass don't taste that good.

I just find it silly people get all worked up about a fish being taken home when there is hundreds or even thousands more in the lake just like it.

rboat reply :

On 9/5/2011 at 8:52 AM, grimlin said:

Walleyes and bass are pretty much at the same level of survival....if more people consume walleyes,then I can't see where the Bass population is even hurting if fewer people are taking them home.Specially considering you saying bass don't taste that good.

Sorry, but I do not agree that they are the same level of survival. Walleyes reproduce at greater depth and spend almost their entire life in deep water closer to the bottom. Few predators are found at those depths. A walleye will grow quickly to a size where it can survive most other fish. Bass reproduce shallow and are found shallow much of the year. As eggs in the nest many are consumed by raiding bluegills. In shallow water they become food for every bird of prey, eagles, hawks, osprey, etc. Every wading bird will also comsume small bass, egrets, herons, woodstorks, anhingas, cormorants, etc. Small mammals along the shore can catch fry. As they grow, larger bass, pickeral, gar and in the south, gators, will consume many more. A bass must overcome a great deal to become trophy fish and that is why C & R becomes more important. There may be many in the lake, but I doubt there are many that are truly trophy sized bass.

I am not saying people cannot keep a bass caught within the law. It is your right. I simply wish that all anglers would educate themselves to appreciate what that fish must endure to become a true trophy that all of us would like to catch, and if you release your catch more people may have that opportunity.

jignfule reply :

Ya I hate it when I gut hook a big fish, but then remember all fish caught and release will die.

(eventually)

LWD reply :

What is the law on PFA's managed for trophy bass catch and release only? If you hook one in the gullet and it's going to die is the angler required to keep it or let it go? I don't think there's a cold blooded angler among us. I mean almost all of us are guilty talking to the fish we catch in one way. We love them but we also eat them my .2 cents

grimlin reply :

On 9/5/2011 at 10:00 AM, rboat said:

Sorry, but I do not agree that they are the same level of survival. Walleyes reproduce at greater depth and spend almost their entire life in deep water closer to the bottom. Few predators are found at those depths. A walleye will grow quickly to a size where it can survive most other fish. Bass reproduce shallow and are found shallow much of the year. As eggs in the nest many are consumed by raiding bluegills. In shallow water they become food for every bird of prey, eagles, hawks, osprey, etc. Every wading bird will also comsume small bass, egrets, herons, woodstorks, anhingas, cormorants, etc. Small mammals along the shore can catch fry. As they grow, larger bass, pickeral, gar and in the south, gators, will consume many more. A bass must overcome a great deal to become trophy fish and that is why C & R becomes more important. There may be many in the lake, but I doubt there are many that are truly trophy sized bass.

I am not saying people cannot keep a bass caught within the law. It is your right. I simply wish that all anglers would educate themselves to appreciate what that fish must endure to become a true trophy that all of us would like to catch, and if you release your catch more people may have that opportunity.

Studies has been shown Bass don't all spawn shallow.I don't believe there's any real concrete proof of that they all spawn shallow.

Bass been around for generations after generations...trust me they aren't going anywhere.With the resources now,most people are more knowledgeable in protecting and caring for our fisheries.There's more C&R being practiced more than ever.

I don't believe for one minute over population is only in small ponds.I find that hard to believe.

rboat reply :

Grimlin, I respect your viewpoints and your thoughts on this topic. I simply ask you to respect mine as well. It is ok to disagree.

For a moment, Just look at the title of this website, (Bass Resource). The bass is most likely the number one most sought after freshwater gamefish in the world. Just look at the number of members on this site and where they live. That adds up to alot of fishing pressure and with the skills, high tech equipment, and information shared here. Our members are catching more bass all the time. If a few more anglers can be persuaded to release their catch it can only make the sport we love improve for all. Yes, some fish will die from injuries or handling. It is a part of the sport. Studies by B.A.S.S., FLW and several state fisheries have proven that C & R when practiced correctly, does work. I simply love this sport and encourage all to do their best to make it even better. Just my humble opinion.

To return to the original topic, I also hate it when a fish gets mortally wounded during my time on the water. I do my best not to let it happen. Sometimes it just does.

NBR reply :

We really don't know how many fish we release don't make it. Several years ago a buddy and I were fishing in Ontario. He hook a nice northern pike on a medium spinning outfit with 8# line, no steel or fluoro leader. It took a while but we boated the fish, weighed it (16) and worked on survival for probably 15 minutes and she swam away. Later maybe 1/2 an hour I saw some thing floating with a sea gull taking some interest. We went over and it was the released pike.

I have a musky cradle so we got the girl in it and I'd guess we worked on her for 45 minutes maybe more. She swam away again with a bit more gusto than the first time but I've never been sure of the survival but if we fileted her for dinner she would certainly be dead.

Partially because of this I get bent out of shape when a fishing show host holds up a fish and talks and talks about how they caught the fish. Catch the fish, get a quick picture if you want and get it back in the water or put it in the live well for dinner.

grimlin reply :

On 9/5/2011 at 10:24 PM, rboat said:

Grimlin, I respect your viewpoints and your thoughts on this topic. I simply ask you to respect mine as well. It is ok to disagree.

For a moment, Just look at the title of this website, (Bass Resource). The bass is most likely the number one most sought after freshwater gamefish in the world. Just look at the number of members on this site and where they live. That adds up to alot of fishing pressure and with the skills, high tech equipment, and information shared here. Our members are catching more bass all the time. If a few more anglers can be persuaded to release their catch it can only make the sport we love improve for all. Yes, some fish will die from injuries or handling. It is a part of the sport. Studies by B.A.S.S., FLW and several state fisheries have proven that C & R when practiced correctly, does work. I simply love this sport and encourage all to do their best to make it even better. Just my humble opinion.

To return to the original topic, I also hate it when a fish gets mortally wounded during my time on the water. I do my best not to let it happen. Sometimes it just does.

Indeed,I do respect yours. Just thought we were having a good discussion of opinions.

North Ga Hillbilly reply :

On 9/4/2011 at 2:24 AM, tdz105h said:

North GA We see you dont care to much about C&R as your Avatar is you holding a Bass in your house......

I have kept one bass in my life, the one pictured, tho I dont feel that information is owed to you.

Your bleeding heart view towards bass is rather ridiculous and I find your assumptions as to my keeping or releasing fish a classic move from folks with your personal views. As said before, if I catch a fish legally I can do what I please with it.

Both of my parents are employed in conservation, one through the USDA Forest Service and another with the Georgia DNR. If you had a grasp on the science of fisheries management you would realize that many fisheries biologist feel your beloved C&R is detrimental to bass populations in many waters. Too many fish because people are too hell bent on releasing every bass they catch, leading to even large lakes having large populations of small under nourished fish.

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/pond_management.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/slot.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/harvest.html

And those are just a few from here on BR.

On 9/4/2011 at 2:24 AM, tdz105h said:

Fishing for food is far out dated because you can go to Walmart and buy a 4lb bag of Tilapia for 11 dollars... one plug along cost 2X that much for most of what I fish.

That is a point of view, one many will find ridiculous. The sense of connection felt through a long day of fishing/ hunting ending in eating what you took so much time to procure is one you are missing out on. You cry as to the morality of keeping a bass, yet feel no pain for the 3 or 4 tilapia that swam in polluted fish farms with ammonia levels rivaling that of the window cleaner you spray on your windows that later runs into the very streams you so covet... all to provide you frozen fish for $11. Much less at Wal Mart, supporting a bunch of foreign fish farmers while hundreds of thousands scrape by to survive in our very own gulf.

Think what you will, my ability to look my self in the mirror is not affected by your opinions, much less a fish, bass or not. I do feel tho that you should look into the origins of this past time as well as look into the way your pompous attitudes make you appear, hiding behind a keyboard or not.

-Greg Mavity

SirSnookalot reply :

How did fish manage themselves before man ever fished?

North Ga Hillbilly reply :

On 9/6/2011 at 2:49 PM, SirSnookalot said:

How did fish manage themselves before man ever fished?

With out fishing pressure, commercial and recreational, pollution, damming of rivers, change in topography, etc..... I'm sure it was a lot easier for em

-NGaHB

Lund Explorer reply :

On 9/6/2011 at 2:49 PM, SirSnookalot said:

How did fish manage themselves before man ever fished?

I'm trying to figure out how any species survived the good old days of stringer pictures back in the early 1900's. Seems rather strange that we're now worried about one fish dying when some of those pictures showed hundreds of dead fish hanging in front of a handfull of anglers.

rboat reply :

On 9/6/2011 at 2:49 PM, SirSnookalot said:

How did fish manage themselves before man ever fished?

There is evidence in the Smithsonian of the earliest humans using crude means of catching some fish. Before that, there were most likely more and larger predators to help balance the fish populations.

On 9/6/2011 at 7:27 PM, Lund Explorer said:

I'm trying to figure out how any species survived the good old days of stringer pictures back in the early 1900's. Seems rather strange that we're now worried about one fish dying when some of those pictures showed hundreds of dead fish hanging in front of a handfull of anglers.

In the early 1900's the earths population was a just a fraction of what we have today. If those practices would have continued without catch limits and fisheries. It is likely that some species would be extinct. Many bird populations were not protected and we now have about 1200 that are extinct. That number continues to rise even with some of the newer protection laws.

piscicidal reply :

On 9/5/2011 at 10:00 AM, rboat said:

Sorry, but I do not agree that they are the same level of survival. Walleyes reproduce at greater depth and spend almost their entire life in deep water closer to the bottom. Few predators are found at those depths. A walleye will grow quickly to a size where it can survive most other fish. Bass reproduce shallow and are found shallow much of the year. As eggs in the nest many are consumed by raiding bluegills. In shallow water they become food for every bird of prey, eagles, hawks, osprey, etc. Every wading bird will also comsume small bass, egrets, herons, woodstorks, anhingas, cormorants, etc. Small mammals along the shore can catch fry. As they grow, larger bass, pickeral, gar and in the south, gators, will consume many more. A bass must overcome a great deal to become trophy fish and that is why C & R becomes more important. There may be many in the lake, but I doubt there are many that are truly trophy sized bass.

I am not saying people cannot keep a bass caught within the law. It is your right. I simply wish that all anglers would educate themselves to appreciate what that fish must endure to become a true trophy that all of us would like to catch, and if you release your catch more people may have that opportunity.

I'm not so sure that (red font) is a true statement. I would guess that, on average, Walleyes spawn shallower than bass. Walleye require rocky, moving water for successful spawning. On natural lakes, this means windward shorelines. Most states that have a Walleye population close the season during the spawn because they are so shallow and accessable.

Dwight Hottle reply :

On 9/6/2011 at 9:52 PM, piscicidal said:

I'm not so sure that (red font) is a true statement. I would guess that, on average, Walleyes spawn shallower than bass. Walleye require rocky, moving water for successful spawning. On natural lakes, this means windward shorelines. Most states that have a Walleye population close the season during the spawn because they are so shallow and accessable.

That is absolutely correct. Walleyes spawn shallow mostly in current or streams & rivers. You can walk across the water on their backs when they are staging for spawn.

rboat reply :

On 9/6/2011 at 9:52 PM, piscicidal said:

I'm not so sure that (red font) is a true statement. I would guess that, on average, Walleyes spawn shallower than bass. Walleye require rocky, moving water for successful spawning. On natural lakes, this means windward shorelines. Most states that have a Walleye population close the season during the spawn because they are so shallow and accessable.

You may be correct. I should have made that a more generalized statement. I lived half of my life in the north around lakes and walleyes, and half in the south on bass waters. Walleyes generally are in clearer water. Sunlight must reach fish eggs to enhance the developement process. In clear water sunlight reaches greater depths. I assumed walleyes could reproduce at a greater depth. I have seen thousands of bass nests, some so shallow the females dorsal fin is almost out of the water. Walking many shorelines, I do not recall ever seeing a walleye spawning or swimming shallow. If any professional fisheries people are on here we could get the true scoop. I know sight fishing for bass is huge and has won many tournaments. I have never heard of sight fishing for walleyes, maybe it is illegal?

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