Morality Questions 2024
Broc reply :
I'd say this has to do more-so with fishing in general but certainty applies to bass.
1)The age old question, you catch that monster trophy fish/bass from your dreams... do you keep it/mount it?
2)What if you gut/gill hook it and it has absolutely no chance of survival. Do you keep it/eat it? what if it isn't within the slot limit, but at the same time have ZERO chance of being caught if you do?
1 - Personally if i could afford to mount a fish, i would go with a replica.... but really depends on the lake. If im muskie fishing on a smallish lake (less than say... 25,000 acres. like Cass lake) i would always release because i know how genetics play a role in a trophy fishery.
2- If i could afford it and its a monster fish i would certainty mount it.... But last summer i was walleye fishing up in LOTWs Canada and gill hooked about a 35.75 inch pike. Slot limit says 1 over 36 inches... but it was bleeding out badly and I literally spent 15-20 minutes trying to revive it. i was in very remote with very slim chance of being checked for fish, so i filleted it on an island and ate its delicious steaks.
So theoretically if you legally catch a big fish? is there a certain size you would kill it to mount it??? or if you accidentally kill a fish, do you mount/eat it? even if breaking the laws but with no chance of being caught?
Loop_Dad reply :
1. Replica mount. (Used to be my answer was not to keep it.)
2. If absolutely no chance of survival, I'll keep it to eat it. That's absolute no chance meaning it is practically dead already. I will not keep it if it is not legal to do so. Hope some turtle will benefit from it.
martintheduck reply :
1) When it comes to saltwater fishing, I keep every legal fish and eat the hell out of it.... I will only mount a monster redfish... say like above 20 pounds. NOW - When it comes to bass, I'm pretty firm on the idea I will ONLY mount it if it's my state record fish. Currently our record is like 15.97lbs which was pulled out of my home lake in 94'. If it's anything smaller , I just want the picture... I just really want some evidence to corroborate my story that "the fish was THIS big..." So - I'll mount the fish only if it's some kind of record. I don't even care enough to get a replica because no matter how good they CLAIM the replica looks, they end up looking nothing like the fish and it's a fake plastic fish that looks stupid hanging on the wall in my living room.
2) I have yet to lose a fish by gut hooking it and NOT being able to save it. You can get a gut hook out pretty well with fingers through the gills. I'll say, if I really butcher it up bad and it's bleeding everywhere I will just cut the line and use a "styptic pencil" to stop the bleeding. SO - No I don't keep it because I don't take chances like that when fishing or hunting. With my luck I'd get caught and they would take my house, boat, truck, dog, refrigerator, and my left big toe.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I'd much rather have a picture of a big fish than a skin mount. I'd like to get a replica made if I ever catch another largemouth over 10 or if I ever get a smallie over 6.
The only mount I have is a 6 1/2 pound largemouth that was gill hooked on a small crankbait on light line. The combination of the long fight, blood loss, and high water temps were too much for her and I didn't want to waste the fish. It was well within my rights to keep it, but I wouldn't have if she wasn't dying.
If a fish is dying and it's not a legal fish I'm not keeping it regardless if I feel I'll get away with it or not. I know some guys that say it's a waste if a fish is dying but nature will take care of it, isn't like it's just going to rot away and nothing will get any use out of it.
Even if I caught a record fish I'd rather put it back and get a replica made than keep it for myself and prevent someone else the chance to have the same thrill that fish gave me.
Bankbeater reply :
Replicas and a couple of gigs worth of pictures if I catch a healthy record fish. If I catch one that I know won't make it I would still take pics and get a replica, but I would turn the fish back into the water.
jeb2 reply :
1) Pictures and release. I doubt I'd even get a replica. I just don't have any desire to have a fish hanging on the wall. I've seen some nice mounts, though.
2) I don't care if I have zero chance of getting caught, I follow the law.
Grizzn N Bassin reply :
Im going to get a replica for sure when the time is right..
On the other hand if i catch a fish and its dying due blood loss like blue said i think would keep it and get a mount...I've only seen one rotten bass head at my uncles pond which is about an acre or so.. it has turtle , Bullhead ,which i think they did a number on that thing when it died.. id much rather have a big bass on my wall then letting the turtles or catfish eat it.. they have plenty of food in the pond to gorge themselves on.. Seeing a bass like that up here is rare and deserves to be cherished by someone who knows the odds she went through to get that big..
If i catch her and she is fine after you best bet she'll be swimming around to fight another day!
SirSnookalot reply :
I don't view this as a morality decision, it's a personal choice and people may differ. My view is a legal fish becomes personal property and it's up to the owner what to do with it. If a fish is not legal I would not keep it even though I know it won't live. It isn't worth the risk of getting caught, some critter in nature will benefit. Is the extenuating circumstance being in a very remote area with little chance of being caught? If survival were the issue I certainly would eat the fish, most likely that would not be the case. In all likelyhood whatever I chose to do would remain totally silent, things have a way of jumping up and biting ya in the butt.
MarkH024 reply :
I'd only do replicas on a DD LMB, 6+ Smallie, or a 50"+ Musky/Pike. Everything else is a photo for the memory book.
Regarding gut hooked bass, I'll let nature serve dinner. Plenty of turtles and birds that could use a free meal. Bass just isn't good tasting to me, so I'd rather it go to better use. I can't remember the last time I've hooked a bass to where it is actually bleeding out, which is a good thing!
jaybird71 reply :
"Morality, like art, means drawing a line someplace" - Oscar Wilde
For me, that line is my conscience however big or small. I haven't drank in almost 8 years and have taken heed to the following question..
"Will she still be pretty in the morning?" Chances are, if you answer honestly, you will wake up alone but with a clear conscience 
.
Mytoyzfishing reply :
IF i mount any fish its a replica. Take the pictures and measurements. I do keep fish to eat but not bass. Either stripers, catfish, or salwater fish and all within the legal limits. No way I keep any fish outside of the legal limits even if I know I am not going to get caught. Back in the water goes to become food for something else.
J Francho reply :
1. Depends on the species. Trout, salmon, or panfish, I'm more likely to take it. Bass, Esox, or other top predator, probably not. A big walleye, I'd be torn.
2. If it's legal, I'm eating it or feeding it to my dogs. If not legal, it's turtle food. I consider it a minor loss due to attrition.
Missourifishin reply :
1. Release it.
2. If legal, definitely eat it. If not legal, well it's a tough call for me honestly. I'd rather eat it than leave it to die in the water. But I'd still probably play it safe and abide by the law.
ww2farmer reply :
1. Nothing is going on my wall.... Ever. I am happy with just a picture.
2. Back it goes. Only god knows if it's going to make it or not. Zero fish have ever survived the knife and hot oil. If it doesn't make it in the water, it will be food for turtles, bugs, etc......
tomustang reply :
A picture takes up less room on a wall and you can carry one with you to show it off easier.
Hyrule Bass reply :
1. if i catch a fish i want to have mounted, im mounting the real thing. I like the look of a skin mount much better than a fake looking replica. replicas just dont do it for me, i can get a replica without ever having caught a fish in my life.
2. if its an illegal fish, im throwing it back regardless of if its dying or not. i dont eat fish anyways, so its no loss to me. nature will run its course and take care of the dead fish...
bostonsox2904 reply :
On 10/15/2013 at 9:37 PM, SirSnookalot said:I don't view this as a morality decision, it's a personal choice and people may differ. My view is a legal fish becomes personal property and it's up to the owner what to do with it. If a fish is not legal I would not keep it even though I know it won't live. It isn't worth the risk of getting caught, some critter in nature will benefit. Is the extenuating circumstance being in a very remote area with little chance of being caught? If survival were the issue I certainly would eat the fish, most likely that would not be the case. In all likelyhood whatever I chose to do would remain totally silent, things have a way of jumping up and biting ya in the butt.
SirSnookalot, nice picture. Looks like the top of a fish behind you in the clouds!
SirSnookalot reply :
thank you
bigbill reply :
I personally would measure it and take a pic of it. Then have a replica make of her. I did nothing with my PB but my neighbor and my fishing buddy did show up to see it.
Now I take a few smaller bass each year to feed my abandoned kittens that I find while fishing in the wilds. Some of them just fit in the palm of my hand there so small. I'd like to meet the people who do this. I put my new 7' whooping stick to work. The kittens who are dumped are traumatized when compared to the kittens I adopt normally from the ones who don't want then. No animal deserves this. Sorry.
einscodek reply :
I do what I always do (unless its a state record fish.. prayin')
1) Handle it gently without rubbin off its slime
2) Take a video of it on the weigh scale and measuring tape pulled .. and a video of releasing it as soon as possible
(I used to take a video of fightin it in too but lost too many good fish doing the action shot myself)
That's good enough for me as far as the memories.. no unnatural mounts for me and no killin' the fish.
I love those fish!
bigbill reply :
Now I forgot to mention about the winter kill that happened during the winter when the ice was on. I talked with some ice fisherman and they told me that the ice was full of bass. And bigger bass too. I guess no one really fishes these places for bass like we do. There is a handful of guys and practically no boats. Since its rowboats with electric motors. There is no boat launch too. This is the largest place that I fish at. Now the question is do I remove bass or release them knowing the place was over populated once already do to the winter kill? I do take the 1 1/2# to 2# bass once a year maybe once a year.
At my two other spots one has no boats allowed while the other one a row boat only no motors at all.
Overall the bass are growing and not being really targeted or caught. Since my two buddies practice catch and release we'll have an overflow of bass again.
Our government did a survey about the bass population and how to keep the numbers up without restarting up the bass hacheries again. They said to release the larger bass so they can breed to keep the population numbers up and take the smaller ones to eat. I say eat the crappies because they taste better. Ever roll a gutted catfish across a wood fired grill? Camping does have its perks. God bless, bill
Walleye2Bass reply :
1) Picture says a 1000 words, if it was large enough (8+ pounds) I would consider having a replica made. I release everything I catch, who knows I might get lucky and catch it next year when it's even bigger! Plus Facebook makes it so easy to brag if that's what you are after...
2) Slot limit is a law, plain and simple I abide by the law (I might question the law through working within the system, but it's still the law). As for throwing a gut hooked fish back: Gators got to eat too!
martintheduck reply :
On 10/15/2013 at 5:43 PM, Bluebasser86 said:
Even if I caught a record fish I'd rather put it back and get a replica made than keep it for myself and prevent someone else the chance to have the same thrill that fish gave me.
And give em' a chance to break your record!
hoosierbass07 reply :
I'm a newbie fisherman and I'm into catch and release. I'm not into hunting but I will admit I would love to have a bass hanging on the wall in the living room. If I catch a giant bass some day I might take it and get it mounted if I can afford it. Aren't there millions of bass in the U.S. alone? So what's the big deal if I LEGALLY catch a monster and get the real thing mounted? Granted, I wouldn't do it every time I catch a big bass. I only want one or two bass mounted sometime in the future.
Grizzn N Bassin reply :
if it is a state record im keeping the bass and its going on my wall.. im pretty sure that's what id do....
otulp78 reply :
1.) If I catch a trophy fish, all I need is a picture. I wouldn't keep it or make a replica. However, if it was the state record, I would keep it.
2.) If it had no chance of survival and was legal to keep, I would keep it. I love eating fish/bass. I also believe my state's DNR recommends you to keep the fish in this situation. If it was illegal, I would release it.
dignan2121 reply :
Depends where I catch them. In northeast Ohio besides lake Erie I'll catch and release. Lake Erie and my cottage in northern Ontario I will catch them and eat them.
Scott F reply :
If you saw a replica that looked fake or did not look like the fish that was caught, blame the guy who made the mount, not the process. Just because a mount was made with the actual skin of the fish, does not mean it's going to look right. All mounts, skin or replicas have to be painted. If the taxidermist is not a good artist, no mount will look good. Plus if the guy who does your skin mount takes any shortcuts, in a few years, it's going to look bad.
Marty reply :
I wouldn't have a mount of any size, because I wouldn't know what to do with it. But I'd have a fit if I didn't get a decent picture. The mount thing is a personal preference and I have no problem if others want mounts.
As to the fish that likely won't survive but isn't a legal size to keep, it gets thrown back. The agency that made the regulations knows that some fish die in the hooking and catching process.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 10/16/2013 at 7:32 AM, Scott F said:If you saw a replica that looked fake or did not look like the fish that was caught, blame the guy who made the mount, not the process. Just because a mount was made with the actual skin of the fish, does not mean it's going to look right. All mounts, skin or replicas have to be painted. If the taxidermist is not a good artist, no mount will look good. Plus if the guy who does your skin mount takes any shortcuts, in a few years, it's going to look bad.
Skin mounts will start to deteriorate with time and need a lot more upkeep than a replica. Most replicas I've seen are works of art that look like they'd swim off if you put them in the water. The one skin mount I have was done by a very good taxidermist and it looks very good also, but I would have much rather been able to take a picture and turn that fish loose.
On 10/16/2013 at 3:32 AM, martintheduck said:And give em' a chance to break your record!
I have no problem with that. If someone else catches the same fish I caught and broke my record that would be great, even better if it happened to be a young angler. My name on a piece of paper as the guy who caught the biggest fish of a certain species in the state means very little to me. Someone else getting to catch the fish of a lifetime because I turned it loose so they could have that experience would certainly bring a smile to my face though.
WRB reply :
Take a look at my avatar replica mount, this 19.3 lb bass was released alive and heathly. Absolutely no reason to skin mount any fish anymore!On 10/15/2013 at 2:36 PM, Broc said:I'd say this has to do more-so with fishing in general but certainty applies to bass.
1)The age old question, you catch that monster trophy fish/bass from your dreams... do you keep it/mount it?
2)What if you gut/gill hook it and it has absolutely no chance of survival. Do you keep it/eat it? what if it isn't within the slot limit, but at the same time have ZERO chance of being caught if you do?
1 - Personally if i could afford to mount a fish, i would go with a replica.... but really depends on the lake. If im muskie fishing on a smallish lake (less than say... 25,000 acres. like Cass lake) i would always release because i know how genetics play a role in a trophy fishery.
2- If i could afford it and its a monster fish i would certainty mount it.... But last summer i was walleye fishing up in LOTWs Canada and gill hooked about a 35.75 inch pike. Slot limit says 1 over 36 inches... but it was bleeding out badly and I literally spent 15-20 minutes trying to revive it. i was in very remote with very slim chance of being checked for fish, so i filleted it on an island and ate its delicious steaks.
So theoretically if you legally catch a big fish? is there a certain size you would kill it to mount it??? or if you accidentally kill a fish, do you mount/eat it? even if breaking the laws but with no chance of being caught?
Unless you have some device that measures live fish very accurately, your pike was a legal fish, slot limits are designed with a fudge factor built in.
Tom
wademaster1 reply :
I'll say picture on the trophy bass, but I'm not sure I'd stick to that if I ever catch one that large....
If a fish is already dead and it's something I want to eat then I'd keep it.....nothing goes to waste in nature, something would eat it anyway....
KyakR reply :
I'd try to get a pic of a big bass (in a kayak it's hard to pan back enough). If dying, legal or not, I'd give it back to the lake. Bald eagles are common where I fish, and they'll often spot it and swoop down. What a sight!
SirSnookalot reply :
On 10/16/2013 at 10:27 AM, WRB said:Take a look at my avatar replica mount, this 19.3 lb bass was released alive and heathly. Absolutely no reason to skin mount any fish anymore!
Unless you have some device that measures live fish very accurately, your pike was a legal fish, slot limits are designed with a fudge factor built in.
Tom
Don't understand a fudge factor. If a slot is say 28"-32" for an example, whether the allowable measurement is total length, pinched tail or to the fork in the tail, it's 28-32, not 27 1/2 or 27 7/8 I wonder how far one might get telling a game warden that if fish was less than the legal size, we can fudge it and make it legal. Tape measures don't lie, it is what is.
WRB reply :
To measure a long fish accurately you can't do it with a tape measure effectively unless it is laying on a flat board designed for the shape of groups of body shapes, mouth open vs mouth closed, mouth closed tightly, tail flattened etc, etc., as I am sure you well know. With pike for example, long body, little belly to create a chord (arch) witch can lengthens the fish measured with a tape, the tail is deep V, all you need to do to lengthen the live fish is push down on it, it will add about 1/2" with a 36" pike, pressure makes a big difference. With a deep V tail, you eye ball an line across the tail tips or measure the bottom of the V, difference about 1", depending on how each state draws their measurement method. Tournament fishing each organization has specific measure rules, measurement boards, sketches on how to achieve repeatable measurements, so anglers and judges measure using the same technique. There is a lot of variables; tape measures are not calibrated, steel vs cloth over 36" can vary. Slot limits are in inches, not fractions of inches.On 10/16/2013 at 8:32 PM, SirSnookalot said:Don't understand a fudge factor. If a slot is say 28"-32" for an example, whether the allowable measurement is total length, pinched tail or to the fork in the tail, it's 28-32, not 27 1/2 or 27 7/8 I wonder how far one might get telling a game warden that if fish was less than the legal size, we can fudge it and make it legal. Tape measures don't lie, it is what is.
SirSnookalot reply :
Tom, with all due respect, pressing down on a fish to try and lengthen it is not the way to measure a fish, IMO that's not fudging that's cheating. Whether the fish is on a board or other flat surface, the tape is put next to the fish measuring the length to the terms of that species the mouth can be open or closed depending on what the state says. Putting the tape on top of the fish, the contour will measured and most likely add some length, again not the way to measure a fish. There is no grey area, a measurement is exactly what it is, legal or not legal.
Tournament requirements probably are not pertinent to this thread, but if so would they supercede state law? A question I have no answer for not being a tournament angler, don't most tourneys go by weight?
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 10/16/2013 at 7:32 AM, Scott F said:If you saw a replica that looked fake or did not look like the fish that was caught, blame the guy who made the mount, not the process. Just because a mount was made with the actual skin of the fish, does not mean it's going to look right. All mounts, skin or replicas have to be painted. If the taxidermist is not a good artist, no mount will look good. Plus if the guy who does your skin mount takes any shortcuts, in a few years, it's going to look bad.
skin mounts look like a real fish to me. replicas look like a shiny plastic fish thats mass produced and sold at walmarts and outdoorsman stores around the world. they just dont look real to me no matter who does them, every replica ive seen also has this thing with the colors appearing to be too bright, never seen that with a skin mount. even WRBs 19.3 replica, looks nice and all, just not real looking. at the end of the day, its up the individual who caught the fish to decide what to do with it, i wont fault anyone for choosing to keep any fish so long as its a legal catch. but im not paying anyone hundreds of dollars to put together a fish model kit for me and paint it when in the end it looks no better or worse than something i could get for 20 bucks at walmart...
Scott F reply :
On 10/16/2013 at 11:31 PM, Red Earth said:skin mounts look like a real fish to me. replicas look like a shiny plastic fish thats mass produced and sold at walmarts and outdoorsman stores around the world. they just dont look real to me no matter who does them, every replica ive seen also has this thing with the colors appearing to be too bright, never seen that with a skin mount. even WRBs 19.3 replica, looks nice and all, just not real looking. at the end of the day, its up the individual who caught the fish to decide what to do with it, i wont fault anyone for choosing to keep any fish so long as its a legal catch. but im not paying anyone hundreds of dollars to put together a fish model kit for me and paint it when in the end it looks no better or worse than something i could get for 20 bucks at walmart...
That's too bad. It's a shame you've never seen a replica done by a professional who knows what he's doing. I've got one. if you lived near me I could show it to you. You'd have a different opinion.
WRB reply :
Maybe Broc will sign in and tell us how he measured his pike.
Chech It Stik is a common measuring device used by anglers everywhere. I mounted a aluminum yard stick onto a wooden plank with a nose stop back in the 60's to measure length and a tape measure to measure girth of a few hundred bass, not easy to do with only 2 hands and a live fish.
Tournaments always have minimum length, some have slot limits, so weight is the bench mark after it's a legal fish. I know TX anglers that stepped on bass to increase the length before weighing in.
Regarding fish mounts; skin vs replica, we have lots of posts on this topic, both are about the same cost and quality varies greatly depending on the artists doing the painting and both are painted. Fish replicas.com and lake Fork taxidermist are popular for bass mounts. My mount was by Robert Munos, one of the best in the business.
Tom
wademaster1 reply :
On 10/17/2013 at 6:21 AM, Scott F said:That's too bad. It's a shame you've never seen a replica done by a professional who knows what he's doing. I've got one. if you lived near me I could show it to you. You'd have a different opinion.
Can you post a pic? I'd like to see it....
Scott F reply :
I've tried to photograph it before but a picture cannot do justice to the mount. It just can't show the detail you can see when you look at the fish close up in the light. The paint the artist used has a light gold dust that looks exactly like the scales on a real fish.
loudcherokee reply :
On 10/17/2013 at 9:06 AM, Scott F said:I've tried to photograph it before but a picture cannot do justice to the mount. It just can't show the detail you can see when you look at the fish close up in the light. The paint the artist used has a light gold dust that looks exactly like the scales on a real fish.
Jumping off topic for a second - try an external light source, no flash, and the macro setting on your camera. One of my hobbies since i was a kid has always been model cars. This always works good for getting photos of metallic paints like the gold youre talking about.
Back on topic - legal sized gut hook - i would keep and eat it. Love fish, rolled in butter, little bit of lemon pepper...mmm mmmmm good.
As far as mounting, I would probably try for a replica for anything over 10 pounds. My PB is 5, so I may never have to worry about making that decision. The state record here is only 12 something. I just cant see killing any animal to just hang it on the wall. If the meat could also be eaten, thats a different story, like a deer. Keeping a head mount while eating the rest of the animal is perfectly acceptable to me. If the same were possible for a fish, then i would go with skin mount.
LC
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 10/17/2013 at 6:21 AM, Scott F said:That's too bad. It's a shame you've never seen a replica done by a professional who knows what he's doing. I've got one. if you lived near me I could show it to you. You'd have a different opinion.
how do you know what i have and havent seen? i've seen plenty of mounts, replicas all look extremely fake to me. i think youre confusing my stance here to begin with. while replicas look nice, they dont look real at all. when i say replicas look fake, it doesnt mean its because of poor quality in the work. it means they just dont look real. its just my personal preference. last year i took a tour of a highly recommended taxidermists house on Smith Mountain Lake. His work was unreal, it was amazing. He had a replica on his wall of the perry bass that he did, it was nice work. Then he showed me a skin mount of another bass, and i liked the look of it so much better. It looked like it had just come out of the water, while the perry replica which was excellent work didnt have that same look though
WRB reply :
Getting off topic?... Taxidermy is an art form, the end result may appeal to some and not others, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The cost of a good mount, skin or replica, are equal, so cost isn't a factor. The average is around $15 per inch, higher if you want added features. I have 3 shin mounts by very talented taxidermist; trout, bass and musky and 1 replica bass mount. The replica is 19 years old and looks new, most anglers that see this mount like it. The shin mounts are older and started to deteriorate with a few years after being done, typical with shin mounts due to how the fish skin, head, tail, fins are cured and preserved, then painted. The cured skin is grey, no color. If replica mounts were available at the time my skin mounts were made, knowing what I know today, they would be replica's. if you want a skin mount because you believe this is your fish and looks more natural, that is a choice to make.On 10/17/2013 at 10:06 PM, Red Earth said:how do you know what i have and havent seen? i've seen plenty of mounts, replicas all look extremely fake to me. i think youre confusing my stance here to begin with. while replicas look nice, they dont look real at all. when i say replicas look fake, it doesnt mean its because of poor quality in the work. it means they just dont look real. its just my personal preference. last year i took a tour of a highly recommended taxidermists house on Smith Mountain Lake. His work was unreal, it was amazing. He had a replica on his wall of the perry bass that he did, it was nice work. Then he showed me a skin mount of another bass, and i liked the look of it so much better. It looked like it had just come out of the water, while the perry replica which was excellent work didnt have that same look though
Tom
Hyrule Bass reply :
really it is all about personal preference, and i will leave it at that. im just not one to cry or get mad every time someone removes and keeps a bass from a body of water. so long as its legally harvested, then its their right...
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