To keep or throw back.....why the complaints?? 2024

guest reply :

Why is it a touchy subject when it comes to people keeping bass when fishing? You don't hear anybody complaing about the amount of bream, crappie, and catfish that are being kept. I could see it being a problem if you were fishing a lake that held tournaments but why the complaints when your keeping bass that are coming from your own mini lake or pond? I don't foresee anybody hosting the classic on a small pond or mini lake.

I had a previous problem posting some pictures of bass that I kept. Some members thought it was excessive. I did in fact keep 11 bass and intend on eating them all. I don't do this often but when I do get a chance to keep some you can count on it that they will be put in my freezer. I'm not that fond of bream, crappie, or catfish. I was raised up on eating bass.

I only keep those that come from my pond or a friends pond with his/her permission.

Could I get some input on this subject?

dink reply :

I agree with you, Bigtex. I was raised eating bass also because that is all I ever fished for. If NOBODY ever kept a bass from anywhere, can you imagine how screwed up the populations of bass and other fish would be? Anything in excess is unhealthy and almost anything is acceptable in moderation. I have personally not kept a bass to eat in so many years but I don't mind if someone else keeps their limit to eat or keeps a big one to mount. It almost seems with the popularity of catch-and-release some people believe they know better than the fisheries biologists and DNRs of the country when it comes to creel limits. And, for those people to chastise others who are fully within the limits of the law, is just wrong. Bon Apetit!

dodgeguy reply :

nobody should say anything as long as you are within the law.some lakes actually need to have fish harvested.some have stunted populations because of overpopulation.in fisherman had a show on this before the linders sold them.it was very eye opening.btw,i also eat bass sometimes.i keep maybe 5 per year.nothing over 18 inches.i believe in keeping smaller fish and leaving bigger ones.

flechero reply :

BT,

You won't catch any flack from me. I don't keep fish but not because I don't believe in it, I just don't like them. I used to be a hard core C&R type (preaching C&R to people) but then I learned that there is a good reason for the lake's limits... they need to remove some fish to keep populations in check and provide better balance. I wish more people would keep some. I had the opportunity to speak with a parks and wildlife biologist a couple of years ago. He really enlightened me as to the reasons that fish need to be removed. (normally smaller fish) Anyway, once or twice a year, I'll keep fish for a friend or relative that asks for them.

Poor Richard reply :

Once again, all together now: SLOT LIMITS, SLOT LIMITS, SLOT LIMITS. Here in Michigan, many lakes are getting full of bass around ten inches to eleven. With a keeper limit of 14", people who want to eat bass have to take those that are just entering their prime spawning life. Also, someone forgot that when the size limit went to 14" and the number limit remained at 5, the limit in terms of WEIGHT was nearly tripled (over the original 10" measure). The best eatin' bass would be in the slot limit of, say, ten to thirteen inches.

Of course, provision could be made for trophies: a punch card system is all it would take, and the season limit could be more than one if appropriate.

------------------------------------

"You kilt it, you gotta eat it." -- R.B.

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

I don't see a problem with keeping a few small bass every now and then. It's when I see people keeping bass that are 4+ lbs that gets to me. Those bigger bass are responsible for producing off spring every year. I also don't think it's right to keep any size bass during the spawn. Even the small males play an important part of guarding the eggs/fry from predators. Now that being said, you won't hear me saying anything. If your within the legal limits, there is nothing anyone can really say. The DNR dept. must know a lot more than we do. So if they say it's OK, then I guess I am mildly OK with it. Still won't see me keeping any. If I want to keep some fish (VERY rare) their are some much tastier fish out their IMO.

Poor Richard's is right .... SLOT LIMITS IS WHERE IT IS AT except I don't think any big bass should be kept. My slot limit would be something like 15" to 35" ;D ;D ;D

DDbasser reply :

You won't catch any flak from me either. If you get too many fish in the lake/pond and they don't have enough forage to sustain a healthy population then they become stunted and unhealthy.

I like mine with a 50/50 mix of flour and jiffy corn muffin mix with a couple teaspoons of sugar and a couple tablespoons of seasoned salt. Deep fry to a golden brown, serve hot with potatoe salad and baked beans.

Man that made me hungry!!!!!!!!

guest reply :

I think catch and release is a mindset that says "I respect this noble creature as a challenging sporting competitor" rather than as a potential meal.

Personally, I have great respect for state fisheries managers. These guys are pro's who have a great track record for keeping fish populations healthy.

So long as you as you stay within the limits set by the Fish and Wildlife department, you should not feel any guilt about keeping your catch.

Just keep in mind that most people who join fishing forums are pretty dedicated to the sport. In general we like to see fish released because we respect them. We also want them to grow up so we can catch them again.

Culling a certain amount of fish (all species) from any body of water is healthy but seeing 11 dead bass appears excessive.

I don't pretend to speak for anyone except myself. Maybe others can give you their views.

I'm sorry that you felt unduly criticized or attacked when showing your catch, but again, catch and release is the spirit many of us try to embody.

I think your question was fair, and I'm glad you posted it.

Avid

langs15 reply :

Quote
I think catch and release is a mindset that says "I respect this noble creature as a challenging sporting competitor" rather than as a potential meal.
Personally, I have great respect for state fisheries managers. These guys are pro's who have a great track record for keeping fish populations healthy.

So long as you as you stay within the limits set by the Fish and Wildlife department, you should not feel any guilt about keeping your catch.

Just keep in mind that most people who join fishing forums are pretty dedicated to the sport. In general we like to see fish released because we respect them. We also want them to grow up so we can catch them again.

Culling a certain amount of fish (all species) from any body of water is healthy but seeing 11 dead bass appears excessive.

I don't pretend to speak for anyone except myself. Maybe others can give you their views.

I'm sorry that you felt unduly criticized or attacked when showing your catch, but again, catch and release is the spirit many of us try to embody.

I think your question was fair, and I'm glad you posted it.

Avid

Avid, applause!!

You said it perfect!!

Fish Chris reply :

As much as I preach about the C/R of trophy sized fish, I certainly have no problems whatsoever, with someone keeping a few small to medium fish (best eating size anyway :-)

Selective harvest is where its at !

Good fishing to you :-)

Fish

RoLo reply :

You'll catch no flack from here either, that would be the Pot calling the Kettle black.

Bear in mind, that many anglers simply don't enjoy eating fish,

and there Catch-&-Release program should not be confused with nobility.

My wife & I happen to enjoy fish very much and understand that omega-3 fish oils

are far better for the heart than prime rib.

As has been said, your Fish and Wildlife Commission keeps very close tabs

on the health of every fishery. The saltwater regulations in Florida have gotten so complex

that anglers jokingly say that you shouldn't fish in the ocean without a lawyer onboard.

Stay within the law and enjoy a guilt-free meal of bass, and you'll never eat

another mud-flavored catfish again

Roger

Replica. reply :

A few lakes in northern Wisconsin have done away with size limits on bass and encourage people to keep the small ones. Stunted growth rates and adverse effects to other game fish from over population are the reasons given by the DNR.

Peter E. reply :

Yes I would have to agree with Roger and Avid in saying that we all have our own reasons for C&R , and most of the time I am a strong supporter it. But I would say that without doubt the use of selective harvest is KEY to the success and health of the population fish in any body of water. To take only the small fish is just as destructive as removing only the large fish. When you do away with any generation of fish then the rest of the fish will suffer, these fish in any perticular size serve an important role in their biosphere, they control the population of other fish and other creatures that these fish use for sustainence. An imbalance in one genertaion of say bass, creates an imbalance in the population of bream of a certain generation and therefore size. I hope that my reasoning is clear and i didn't throw any of ya'll off.

So the secret to the best harvest of fish to cull a pond is to harvest in a selective manner, towards the generation of bass that are the most numerous, and by keeping some that are larger and that are smaller. The Key is to target a specific size and therefore generation of bass. This promotes healthy competiton and forage for all the bass in the pond. And when a entire group on anglers uses selective harvest and C&R then and entire lake or river the water ways of a state as a whole can be regulated,

This is why each State has their own rules and regulations as to the number and size of fish for each game fish species that can be kept. Some times these regulations can be very specific like in Florida, sot that there it seems like you need Roger and his Lawyer to keep you out of trouble. But I would have to say that the State of Florida has the best managed fisheries in the US. And When you look at the size and wide variety of fish that inhabit those beautiful and well managed Water ways then it seem to scream Selective Harvest Is The Key To Success! This way you can enjoy both the bueaty andd the bounty of the water, you can provide a meal for your family and preserve the wonder of our sport for generations to come. The true trophys are preserved to be caught again by another angler with the C&R, but not only is a meal provided, but you have also provided a healthy and productive enviroment with the Selective harvest. Good Fishing to all.

Peter

DR_Bass reply :

I agree with BigTex. As long as you have permission or the pond is yours it shouldn't matter if you keep the fish or not...... that's protein.

Chode2235 reply :

I don't usually complain, but I do get upset when it is the large females that are being kept (regardless of the species). The large females are the backbone of any fishery and need to be protected to ensure that there is successful reproduction. The big females have the best genes, which enabled them them to get big and fat, and you can greatly harm the future of the lake by keeping the big females.

I am a big fan of slot limits (so long as they aren't too confusing), as I think they put the emphasis on keeping the good sized eating fish while protecting the large fish which serve as the foundation of the lakes population.

I think if you look at the reduction of large (10#+) largemouth in FL as a result of increased fishing pressure (see the previous In-Fisherman Q&A with Doug Hannon), especially at spawn time, you will have to come to the conclusion that the big fish in any fishery of any species need to be protected.

I keep fish to eat, but for the most park the biggest fish in the lake need to stay there.

directlink reply :

I don't think there is anything wrong with what you are doing BT. Where I live (Yuma, AZ) we get "snowbirds" in the winter, which are actually just cheap old codgers (IMO there is a difference betwween old codgers and senior citizens) who come from Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, primarily colder states to escape the cold in their hundred thousand dollar RV's and what not (so you know they are not poor, but actually pretty well set) and choose to live at the lakes I fish at for months living off nothing but the fish! They catch their limit every day and eat all of them, for literally months, no matter the size. Some of them are so cheap they take and boil the lake water (which thay dump their septic tanks into) for drinking. People like that make me angry, not you.

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

I just have more than enough food at home to not have to kill a gamefish. If it were an econiomic thing, then absolutely, feel proud that you put dinneron the table with your bare hands but if it's just a fish dinner you want, trout are like $3.$9/ lb, raised to be eaten and much tastier.

I've just seen too many people take fish from the lake to either prove they caught it but take itunder the guise of "I'm going to eat it"...or they think they are going to mount this 8lbr and get home and find out it's only 4 and throw it away,...those are the situations that irk me.

dodgeguy reply :

i agree that people who waste the fish are idiots.

northgabassfisher reply :

the only time I will keep a fish is if we are going to have big fish fry. it saves me some money, other then that I dont really keep fish.

Ben reply :

I have a tendency to ruffle feathers all the time on the C&R debates.

1'st if it's my pond, unless someone else wants to pay my taxes, fertilizer bills and other expenses involved, they ain't got one dang word to about what I keep or throw back.

2'nd if the DNR fisheries ask people to please keep all small bass, and not release them I don't. I probably catch and keep a couple of hunder 12" - 13" bass a year from Clarks Hill.

Now, where I do have a problem is keeping a big bass just to take it home and show it off or hang it on a wall when they already have several on the wall, many even the same size.

I feel a true sport fisherman should know his waters. Know what the recommendations are for catch and release and follow them. If the bass population is limited and they ask you to release them or only keep a few to eat, then do just that. If they ask you not to release small fish, then don't, you are only hurting the lake because you have a mindset that all bass should be released.

There is no bigger advocate of catch and release than me. I've ticked a lot of people off fishing with me when I refused to let them put a big bass in my live well and told them they would either release it or hope it's big enough to tow them back the the boat ramp because they wasn't getting back in my boat with that fish. However, I still keep and eat a whole bunch of small bass, when the population supports that.

After all, what other kind of meat are going to be able to eat the probably cost you well over $1000 per pound to eat. I figure that's about what each pound of bass I eat cost me.

cart7t reply :

I have no problem with people keeping some fish to eat. I only wish Bass tasted as good as crappie.

Madhouse27 reply :

Hey I'm all for the family getting together and sharing in a big fish fry. Traditions like that are not only important but they're fun as well. I think there are some other species out there that get the job done better than bass, but what the heck, eat what you like. That said, I must admit that when I see pictures of someone's latest bass massacre I do tend to cringe a little bit. I can't help it. I shouldn't have to apologize for those feelings nor should the guy have to apologize to anyone for keeping them. We're all different. I think on here it's important to concentrate on what unites us....not what divides us. Eat em up!

Rattlinrogue reply :

I'm catch and release now,but for many years I fried 'em up and ate 'em.I've no problem with anyone eating their legal catch.As a matter of fact fisheries biologists say to keep the smaller bass,that it's healthy for the fishery.The reason I throw 'em back is they have evolved from food to an adversary and friend that I love and respect too much to kill.That may sound a little strange,but bassin' is nothing but sport for me.You catch and eat your catch and don't feel like you're doing something wrong because you're not.

RoLo reply :

Quote
I must admit that when I see pictures of someone's latest bass massacre I do tend to cringe a little bit. I can't help it. I shouldn't have to apologize for those feelings nor should the guy have to apologize to anyone for keeping them. We're all different. I think on here it's important to concentrate on what unites us....not what divides us.

Nicely put

mwhitworth25 reply :

yea the taste of bass dont appeal to me, but i think its still okay to keep it you want to. we may once in a while keep one, but rarely.

paparock reply :

If they are legal then it's up to you. I mostly catch and release but for each of us it is a personal choice. I grew up back when there were some really big stringers of fish taken before catch and release was even a concept talked about around where I fished. Enjoy your fish be it for the fight or the fillet.

pcorajr reply :

I Catch and Release around here because the fish are not good to eat, and that is a shame because i have caugth some nice panfish and have seen bass also that would make a nice meal. But the River here in PA is so full of polution is not worth it. I dont like when people get bent over shape about keeping a fish that is withing the legal size.

C&R is a good practice, but to achive balance sometimes we need to keep fish, I dont agree in keeping a fish for no reason. Either Eat it, mount it, as long as you make use of it.

guest reply :

I think we have gotten off the track here. I don't know many anglers who think it is wrong to keep some fish that you catch. And those who may not like it realize that if the law says it's ok, then it's ok.

But killing 11 bass in one trip?

In Texas the limit is 5 bass. Anything over that is a violation. I don't care if it's private land or not. The landowner and his guests have to abide by the law. Those of you who say it's not a problem are supporting violating game laws.

I know it sounds like I'm on my high horse, which is soooooooooo not me, but I gotta tell ya, in my book killing 11 bass in one outing is nothing to brag about.

PS. I eat fish all the time (mostly tuna and salmon) but yes, I kill and eat some of my catch every year. Not bass, but only because they taste lousy compared to snook, tilapia, mahi mahi (dolphin) and grouper.

To me it's all about respect. For the law, and for the bass.

Bigtex, you seem like a decent guy, but you asked a straight question, so I gave you a straight answer.

Hope thats ok by you.

avid.

guest reply :

On any managed fishery, if C&R isn't part of the lake plan, it doesn't improve bass populations. Outside of being a prescribed management tool where needed, C&R is more of an ethical and emotional issue. If slot and size limits leave room for harvesting large females, then the managers are not worried about damaging future generations of bass by their removal. In most fisheries there is little doubt hundreds or thousands of excess fry per acre are possible each year, potentially destroying the forage base. Fortunately nature sees to their removal as food for bass and other fish, as well as natural mortality. Whether 1 million big females produce full beds of hatching fry or just 2-3 beds are successful, if environmental conditions permit, the bass population is continued regardless of what anglers do. Enough survive unless something very significant happens, like a sudden water temperature drop killing fry, or the lake level drops 5 feet leaving fry with no hiding places. If that gets out of balance the managers change the harvest rules. We have plenty of total bass here, but low the high water ruined two spawning classes, so we have a minimum 13" size limit. Taking a 25" bass isn't going to be a threat to anyone.

Consider that over the whole year around 80% of largemouths inhabit deep water and remain out of reach of most anglers not adept at deep structure fishing. We mostly target the 20% that make up the shallow water population. For a day a year a large deep water female might come up shallow to spawn, giving you a very brief window to catch her. It's highly unlikely that even just 1% of those deep dwelling females are cacheable. When one is removed shallow, a hundred more line up to take her place. Those are mostly never caught, just growing larger, dying large.

I harvest 6 bass a trip (limit), throwing back all over 4# for two reasons. Larger bass don't taste as good as smaller, and older bass accumulate more toxins. We don't have a problem with toxins here, but it's a good principle to go by. I don't spend money mounting bass, but did it for years until a fire burned an office building behind my house holding them, including game animal mounts, photos, high school trophies, mineral collection, arrowheads, lapidary machine with tons of agate and other semi precious gemstone material, books, collector baits, and other prized collections.

As for taste, our clear water bass are as tasty as crappie, hardly anyone able to tell the difference except by size of fillet.

Jim

j-bass reply :

You're right, Bigtex. It doesnt seem right for someone to chastize you about keeping some bass when they turn around and post a pic of a pile of dead panfish (or carp, or whatever). It is all a matter of where you are fishing. If you fish a small, isolated body of water, well then you wouldn't want to keep everything you caught, because sooner or later the fishing is really going to start to suck. If it is a larger body, especially one that is fed by other bodies, then you might not have to worry about it so much. The best thing for people to do is be concientious and observant of what they are doing and how it will affect future fshing there (i.e. I have no problem loading an icechest full of snapper because, there is no way I'm going to deplete the population, but at my local watering hole, I will only keep once every couple of months because there are only so many fish in there). If you are using your best judgement, then don't worry about what other people are saying, because you know what you are doing.

Daniel My Brother reply :

I'm a believer in slot limits. Those 14-18 inch fish reproduce faster than the Osmonds....And I certainly don't care to eat big bass - besides, why would you want to take Shaq out of the gene pool?

That just leaves the little tasty ones. Bring on the corn meal!

guest reply :

Quote
I think we have gotten off the track here. I don't know many anglers who think it is wrong to keep some fish that you catch. And those who may not like it realize that if the law says it's ok, then it's ok.
But killing 11 bass in one trip?

In Texas the limit is 5 bass. Anything over that is a violation. I don't care if it's private land or not. The landowner and his guests have to abide by the law. Those of you who say it's not a problem are supporting violating game laws.

I know it sounds like I'm on my high horse, which is soooooooooo not me, but I gotta tell ya, in my book killing 11 bass in one outing is nothing to brag about.

PS. I eat fish all the time (mostly tuna and salmon) but yes, I kill and eat some of my catch every year. Not bass, but only because they taste lousy compared to snook, tilapia, mahi mahi (dolphin) and grouper.

To me it's all about respect. For the law, and for the bass.

Bigtex, you seem like a decent guy, but you asked a straight question, so I gave you a straight answer.

Hope thats ok by you.

avid.

Avid, I'm not going to try to start an argument but you might want to check the laws again regarding privately owned ponds. As long as you pay your taxes and pay to have those fish put into your pond then there is NOT a limit on what you can catch. Those words came from a Game Wardens mouth. I asked him about it yesterday. His name is Dan Hill and he mainly works the Cass County area.

I have posted before and I believe that some might have read past it so I will say it again, I do not keep bass from public lakes.

Now, as for the "killing of 11 bass in one day" goes, keep in mind that those will last me a while. Whats the difference in keeping 2 bass every other trip or so. It will all add up to the same amount at the end of the year.

I do respect your view points Avid but those are your views. You have your opinions and I have mine. I will not change my ways and I don't expect for you to change yours.

I also want to point out that I do respect the law. Just because I keep bass doesn't mean I have no respect for the law. I am within the law.

guest reply :

Quote
I know it sounds like I'm on my high horse, which is soooooooooo not me, but I gotta tell ya, in my book killing 11 bass in one outing is nothing to brag about.
avid.

I wasn't braging about the bass. I was telling the members how well I did on the chatterbait.

guest reply :

Well, if that's the law in Texas then so be it.

I stand corrected.

avid

Matt Fly reply :

In Tx, as long as you are legal, I don't care what you keep, its your right.

The biologists keep watchfull eyes on harvesting, like the Amistad piece on all the bass being cleaned by families during the Elite event and Mexico allowing gill netting on their side. I am sure if they thought the lake couldn't handle that much harvesting, they would implement restrictions.

As a weekend warrior that likes the local tourney trail, I always practice catch and release with bass. If I want a mess of fish, I can catch whites, stripers, crappie, or a good mess of cats anytime.

Hookem

Matt

Muddpuppy reply :

BigTex As far as ponds go they're your fish. As for, lakes I wouldn't set out to keep fish caught on "all" lakes around here for one reason or anouther, but we do have at least 5 state hatcheries across the state on top of the private ones so you keeping a few along off of some of them shouldn't upset the balance. The numbers they produce and release annually are staggering and the management is closely watched. A few years ago there was growing conceearn that people weren't keeping enough fish from some of the lakes in this area and the effects it might have in the future. Not everywhere is like that though, and the laws and views differ in each area. I spent alot of my time growing up in the mid west and I remember when they didn't really even have any lakes much less bass of any numbers in that region. And just because somebody releases all the ones they catch does't mean that they all will live anyway. I would much rather see somebody catch a few fish and use them for food then as turtle fodder, like I've seen many times following some C&R Tournements around here. Your always going to get some oppossition anytime you fish or hunt whether it's catch and keep or catch and release.

KYbass1276 reply :

I don't mind if someone keeps the the legal amount and size of the fish they catch. It's the occasional morons you run across here and there that keep any size and as many as they can catch that irritates me.

guest reply :

Quote
In Tx, as long as you are legal, I don't care what you keep, its your right.
The biologists keep watchfull eyes on harvesting, like the Amistad piece on all the bass being cleaned by families during the Elite event and Mexico allowing gill netting on their side. I am sure if they thought the lake couldn't handle that much harvesting, they would implement restrictions.

As a weekend warrior that likes the local tourney trail, I always practice catch and release with bass. If I want a mess of fish, I can catch whites, stripers, crappie, or a good mess of cats anytime.

Hookem

Matt

Yall must be misunderstanding me. I DO NOT KEEP BASS OUT OF PUBLIC LAKES. I only keep the ones that come out of my personal ponds or a friends pond with his permission.

I am glad that there is a bag limit on public lakes. You have more people fishing in public waters which need to be watch closely. Without limits on the amount of fish coming out there is no telling what would become of that lake.

KYbass1276 reply :

[quote

Yall must be misunderstanding me. I DO NOT KEEP BASS OUT OF PUBLIC LAKES. I only keep the ones that come out of my personal ponds or a friends pond with his permission.

I have posted before and I believe that some might have read past it so I will say it again, I do not keep bass from public lakes.

Matt Fly reply :

Quote
I have a tendency to ruffle feathers all the time on the C&R debates.
1'st if it's my pond, unless someone else wants to pay my taxes, fertilizer bills and other expenses involved, they ain't got one dang word to about what I keep or throw back.

2'nd if the DNR fisheries ask people to please keep all small bass, and not release them I don't. I probably catch and keep a couple of hunder 12" - 13" bass a year from Clarks Hill.

Now, where I do have a problem is keeping a big bass just to take it home and show it off or hang it on a wall when they already have several on the wall, many even the same size.

I feel a true sport fisherman should know his waters. Know what the recommendations are for catch and release and follow them. If the bass population is limited and they ask you to release them or only keep a few to eat, then do just that. If they ask you not to release small fish, then don't, you are only hurting the lake because you have a mindset that all bass should be released.

There is no bigger advocate of catch and release than me. I've ticked a lot of people off fishing with me when I refused to let them put a big bass in my live well and told them they would either release it or hope it's big enough to tow them back the the boat ramp because they wasn't getting back in my boat with that fish. However, I still keep and eat a whole bunch of small bass, when the population supports that.

After all, what other kind of meat are going to be able to eat the probably cost you well over $1000 per pound to eat. I figure that's about what each pound of bass I eat cost me.

Contradictory- kept 200 hundred bass a year. Yet "biggest advocate of C&R.

As long as your friends are legal, why should you keep your bass and they can't keep theirs.

And that makes you the biggest supporter of catch and release. 200 bass a year and I don't care where they came from.

What that makes you is a dictator. Do what I say, and not what I do!!!

I have no problems with anyone keeping a legal creel, even 5-10lbers. The state fishing biologists, the ones with the degree keeps an eye on our public waters, and they know more than most of us pleasure/tourney fishermen.

I don't want a 10 lber eaten, but I have no right to verbally attack anyone on doing so.

guest reply :

Quote
[quote
Yall must be misunderstanding me. I DO NOT KEEP BASS OUT OF PUBLIC LAKES. I only keep the ones that come out of my personal ponds or a friends pond with his permission.

I have posted before and I believe that some might have read past it so I will say it again, I do not keep bass from public lakes.

You stated it twice very boldly I think people know that, there just stateing there opinions. You started the topic so you should be open to what people have to say

guest reply :

I went fishing this morning and did fair. I caught 8 bass and 2 crappie. They were all caught on a baby brush hog, junebug color.

I didn't even keep one fish. LOL I managed to take one picture before the batteries in my camera went dead. Here is a hint to all members----check the batteries before leaving the house. LOL

Captain Cali reply :

25.1 happened because of C&R.

fishingrulz reply :

sorry dude! i didn't mean to come off that way. i should have taken into consideration that in texas bass fishing is A LOT bigger than in new york. see here in ny i try to let people know the desperate need for Cn'R. reason being is that over the years the bass population has declined badly, so much so that the bass season doesn't even start until the first Sat in June(2 days ago) to protect bedding fish. in texas the bass population is simply better. you have to understand that taking 11 bass of that size in texas probably wouldn't hurt the overall population at all but here that is a lot of nice fish! a 2 pounder here is probably caught a lot more times in its life than one there because of the size of the lakes. the biggest lake on long island is 249 acres. also there are a lot less fisheries all together so each one is pressured that much more.

none of that really matters it was my fault for realizing the differences between here and there. my mistake and sorry!

-hydrillagorilla- reply :

I think the key ingrediant is private lake.

We cull our private lakes constently. This year alone I have either moved or knifed over 200 Bass that were 14" or less (and that is just me) out of a buddies new pond to make room for us to start bringing over the bigger fish from his other ponds (4lbs or better).

It is the public lakes that make me look twice, especially when they are low Bass population lakes to begin with. But if you keep fish and it's within the guidelines of the lake then have at it!

fishingrulz reply :

nice bass in the pic too

NBR reply :

Although I keep a very few bass to eat I do think that with the explosion in bass competions the resource could become stressed. I don't believe anyone has a grasp of delayed mortality from catch and release let alone tounaments. There is no scientific data in this but it seems to me that the average size of bass has gone down on lakes that are heavily tournament fished.

There is some scientific data that shows bass confined in live wells during hot weather have a higher mortality rate than in cool weather.

I keep very few bass during the course of a season and none from lakes that with heavy tournament pressure.

Fish Chris reply :

for you guys to consider.

Do you like to catch big fish ??? Okay... forget about everyone else, just for a moment. Allow yourself to think selfishly for just a minute. It's okay :-)

I know a lot of guys have a hard time believing it's hardly possible, let alone likely, that they might C/R a fish, then someday down the road, catch that very same fish again !

I know my trophy bass buddies and I used to think this was just an incredible, amazing, bombastic thing ! ....... but as time has passed, and we continue to re-catch (and positively identify) fish which we have C/R'd before, we have come to see how we are single handedly, and directly inproving our own fishing !

Here's one I caught last year, then again, about 3 weeks ago:

Here's a whole article on the subject of C/R's, and re-catches and releases:

(make sure to scroll down, for several more examples)

http://www.trophybassonly.com/id50.htm

Anyway, regardless of what the next guy does (because whatever he does, that is his personal right) I release the big ones, because I like to catch big(ger) ones. For me to do anything else would be counter-productive, and simply illogical.

Peace,

Fish

guest reply :

Quote
none of that really matters it was my fault for realizing the differences between here and there. my mistake and sorry!

I do the same thing. I don't realize when posting that there are big differences in the states that we live in. I think a whole lot of people do this as well. I'm blessed to live in a state that has a high population of bass.

guest reply :

Fish Chris---- I'm for C&R myself. I never said that I wasn't. I just like to keep a few as well. I don't keep everything that I catch. If I was to come up on a monster like that one in your picture I would release her back into the water. I have never kept one in the double digits........wait a minute.....I have never caught one in the double digits. LOL

Great job Fish Chris.

DR_Bass reply :

Fish Chris, me and one of my fishing buds seem to always catch fish that already have holes in their mouths, especially when we fish our regular holes. ;D

basser89 reply :

Hey bigtex,

I caught what you said in your other post and that's why I posted what I did there.

"I fish a farm pond from time to time that has some really big bass! Some are close to double digits, which is good for MD. However, there are a lot of smaller bass in this same pond and the owner thinks its over populated. So they asked my fishing partner and I to remove some of the smaller bass (well after the spawn) to help fatten up the bigger ones". Not an exact quote, but that was the jist of it.

I grew up eating bass because that's how I was raised. So I can understand keeping some from a small private pond. Its been years since I've kept any bass (just started fishing this private pond last year so my partner and I haven't started harvesting any bass there yet). I am another that won't keep any bass from public waters.

As others have said, as long as you are keeping any fish within your state's laws. By all means, keep some if you like!

Whopper-Stopper reply :

I just can't bring myself to cut into a bass. But who's to say a guy can't keep a stringer full of fish?

Though only time I do keep them is when I hook one in the gills and have done all that I could do to revive him.

Glenn reply :

Great points by everyone. Here's some additional food for thought: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/catch_and_release_bass.html

Daniel My Brother reply :

Glenn,

GREAT article! It really opened my eyes, and makes a lot of sense.

Thank You!

Ben reply :

Matt-Fly, Yep I'm a very stong advocate of catch and release, "when I'm doing the right thing for the lake". On the lake I fish, if I caught 400, 12" - 13" a year, and was not over the total creal limit allowed in the freezer I would keep 400 a year, and if I thought we could eat that darn many. There have been many times my dad and I have cleaned 20 bass from one trip because the lake has a 10 bass per person limit. There is a hellava difference between keeping over populated 12" - 13" bass and keeping the few big bass in a lake.

Don't shout foul because "you" think all bass have to be released. I'm probably helping the lake I fish by keeping as many of those little pesky suckers the law will allow than you are with your high and mighty everything should be released attitude.

We have gone many times and caught as many as 100 bass in one day, and not more than a 1/2 dozen be over 14". Years back, we used to constanlty get into schools of bass where we could catch "and" release 30 - 50 bass in just a couple of hours, and none of them would be under two pounds. Now your lucky to catch that many 2+ pounders in 10 trips.

So grow up, learn what's right for your waters and pratice what's recommended for those. Don't critize someone else's practices when you don't know the lake they are fishing. I will say, I don't know of many lakes that can consistanly support all the big bass being pulled out just to hang on a wall or dragged around town just to show of to your buddies what you caught. Any big bass picture you see me take will always have the boat and the lake in it, because the picture was taken when the fish came out of the water and the fish went right back in the water. Not hauled around in some livewell and all up and down the boat ramp, just to have it so stressed if it did get released, it probably died.

Like I said in my first post, I have a tendency to ruffle feathers when it comes to catch and release because too many don't really know the true concept behind it. You have to know "your" lakes and what's best for "them".

paparock reply :

Glenn, I had been reading some on this recently and think it would be worth a larger discussion both for my as well others educations. What do others think?

Hightekrednek reply :

Here in Washington they have a slot limit with a no-no zone from 11"-17" you can keep 5 altogether and only one out of those can be over 17. In the 3 years since this has been implimented the states fisheries quality have greatly increased. After seeing the results I don't think twice about keeping 3 or 4 small ones for dinner, and on a very rare occasion, a nice 18 incher. I won't keep anything though, until I know that the lake has a good population of smaller bass and can take it.

Jerkbate reply :

Bigtex, I'm with you. Keep as many as you like as long as you are within the legal limit. I don't care if your fishing public or private waters. It's been said before, but I'll say it again the biologist set the specific lake limits for a reason. Keeping fish within those limits will improve the fishery. I think the C&R has gone overboard. Some of the smaller lakes in my area used to produce a good many double digit fish. Now I'm lucky to catch one double digit a year. The reason, people refuse to keep fish that are within the limits set by the mdwfp, and you end up with overpopulation. The older fish are caught or die off naturally. Then your left with a lake full of smaller fish because competition for food is so severe. Don't get me wrong, I have released every double digit fish I have ever caught, and don't remember ever keeping one over 5 lbs. But the smaller ones that are within legal limit better beware. You never know when I'll take a notion to fry up a good mess or have some family or friends wanting some fish. Also, I've eaten crappie, cats, bream, and bass. Crappie is the best, but bass fillets are pretty good too. It's all in how it's prepared.

guest reply :

Quote
Great points by everyone. Here's some additional food for thought: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/catch_and_release_bass.html

Thank you Glenn for that link.

J@k3 01s3n reply :

I don't usually complain at all. I figure my strict catch and release just helps balance out another guys catch and keep attitude. I think that for fisheries to survive, it is ideal to have a good mix of people like that. The only time I really get p'ed off is when I see fish all over the bank because some dummy kept them in a bucket in 90 degree weather and they died before he was done fishing. >

Poor Richard reply :

Hey Jake, the bluegills are bedding all over SW Michigan. (I'm from Kalamazoo, yes!) Got half a dozen kickin' largemouth yesterday eve in "our lake" in Berrien County. Nephew also had a bass get out of hand and stick a hook in his thigh. Good thing we fish with the barbs pressed down.

Fish can rot while still live on the stringer. Encourage everyone to use a cooler, throw those 'gills (or badly bleeding bass) right on the ice. Makes them easier to clean, too: they'll be firm--and deceased, which is nice, since you don't have to chase them around the kitchen. I can't imagine crappies after they've been on a stringer. And ours are fine fish, right Jake?

Catch and Release for bass in our area improves the fishng considerably. Our lakes are fished hard, and this has helped a lot. However, we still need a SLOT LIMIT, SLOT LIMIT, - SLOT! - LIMIT!

-----------------------------------

"Fish don't bite as good as they used to, and they never did." - R.B. :

guest reply :

Quote
I don't usually complain at all. I figure my strict catch and release just helps balance out another guys catch and keep attitude.
The only time I really get p'ed off is when I see fish all over the bank because some dummy kept them in a bucket in 90 degree weather and they died before he was done fishing. >

Jakeolsen2219---I really like your first comment.

I also agree with your last statement. I can't stand that either. If you catch a mess of fish and then decide not to keep them and it is too late to put them back, then give them to someone that wants them. I have several people in my town that can't get out of the house anymore so I will clean up a mess for them, cook 'em up, and have lunch or dinner with them. We will swap fishing stories and I will often discuss with them what is going on in bassresource.com.

guest reply :

So some of you fish a lake where C&R isn't part of the fisheries plan, thinking release assures another angler will enjoy catching a bass? How many times will every caught bass continue to be catchable? Is the lake so weakly populated the catchable bass must be recycled? If so bassing on that lake ought to be prohibited. Take the extreme of C&R, in tournament fishing, with 500 bass weighed in then released. How would you know you have not caught one carrying LMBV, that one fish infecting the other 4? Your livewell multiplied by just a few dozen others with one infected bass might have just assured no future angler will catch a nice bass for the next 10 years. Maybe there is no disease to spread, but your water temperature got one degree too hot. Hours later after weigh-in the bass are released, swimming away, seemingly OK. How do you know those bass didn't die from delayed mortality factors a week later? There's plenty of evidence both those scenarios occur very often, especially in hot water in summer. Instead of accomplishing your goal of assuring future catches, the opposite can happen. The guy harvesting what he catches is doing far better toward the fishery in those instances. The tournament angler doesn't return the next day to check on the welfare of his released bass. He assumes he did the right thing. OK, so lets get away from the tournament angler thing. You haul a bass up and its swollen air bladder has disfigured the body. You attempt a decompression needle fix. You realize that bass is in deep ka-ka, but put it back into the lake, not knowing how much it was weakened and further susceptible to disease and parasites. Three hundred other guys fishing weekly and releasing all they catch don't realize they are perplexing managers who know those 301 anglers are collectively forcing an increase in creel limits or a slot limit to protect an age class directly threatened by an overpoulated age class. How much good did you do all year? You might have had a negative impact on the fishery where harvest of at least one age class is vital for health of the fishery. Maybe your philosophy results in such a decrease in forage all age classes begin to be stunted, but you are convinced you are building a trophy lake.

Jim

J@k3 01s3n reply :

Quote
Hey Jake, the bluegills are bedding all over SW Michigan.

My Favorite time of the year!

Thanks for your comments BigTex

Matt Fly reply :

Jim,

good points, but in Tx, our TP&W department will tell you when and where to keep all bass. Certain time of the year, crappie on deep lakes in the winter will die from the sudden pressure changes when brought up. Thus no length restrictions, and all crappie caught must be retained.

In short, we let the TP&W run the show, and they do tell us when to keep everything and no release. Its not a guessing game of how they want the lake maintained, they let us know. If you haven't seen Tx slots and creel limits in the yearly regs book, you should, its very detailed and long.

It pays to have the free book in the boat or tackle bag just in case of creel limits, slots or C&R only.

As for catchable bass, if any one is familar with lake Fayetteville in tx. 2400 acre power plant lake. Its not uncommon to catch 30+ bass over 4 pounds every trip out, and see 4-5 hook marks in the mouth. Been that way since the early 90's and still is.

I have heard that Fla. bass are more wary after being caught.

BassMaster_1 reply :

Quote
I think catch and release is a mindset that says "I respect this noble creature as a challenging sporting competitor" rather than as a potential meal.

Well said! Now there is nothing wrong with keeping, im strictly catch and release. I dont have the energy to clean a fish, I would much rather go get one already cleaned at the store. I once read that to keep a healthy population you need to remove 20bass/acre. Keep your fish, but do it smart... Stay within your local limits, please eat what you catch, and release those big healthy spawners! Its a tough situation because you dont know how honest that person is, thats why you probably some people get ticked off. They think here i am C&R and this guy is pulling everything out. Its just a tough thing to regulate and monitor. Its a topic that will forever spark conflict...

guest reply :

While not doubting that report of re-caught bass, when I first began taking part in fish sampling, the biologists assumed we were seeing signs of many hookings. But later there on the Arkansas River and in other studies those "obvious" injuries are often not from hooks at all, but damages from parasites, fungal, viral and bacterial infections, and accidental injuries. Many things can cause holes to appear in a bass mouth, including sharp spines from a sloppy bite on a prey fish.

Jim

guest reply :

Quote
Many things can cause holes to appear in a bass mouth, including sharp spines from a sloppy bite on a prey fish.
Jim

Good point Jim. I would never have thought of that. That makes a lot of sense.

guest reply :

I believe in order to maintain a healthy population of bass you will have to thin some of them out. It is not healthy for the fish to be in a overpopulated pond or lake.

mudcatwilly reply :

I don't see anything wrong with keeping a few bass once in awhile. Most states limit the catch to 5 per day witha length of 15 inches or so. My policy is to throw back all bass under 4 pounds and over 5 pounds. The only time I would keep a bass over 5 pounds would be if it was a trophy, say 15 pounds or larger. Even still, I would try to keep that fish alive, weigh it, photo, and release. If I happened to catch a state record, I would probably have to keep it because by the time I got it to an official scale to weigh it, it would probably die. I prefer to release the fish in most cases so they can get bigger. In my home lake, there is a self sustaining population, so keeping a fish every now and then to eat is not going to impact the fishery. I think a lot of the pressure to catch and release comes from the fishing shows on TV, including the tournments. If I catch 20 fish in a day, I would probably keep one.

Rattlinrogue reply :

No complaints here! I catch and release because I choose to , and I don't pass judgements on those who keep some.I used to back when it was a sport and a way of getting a fine fried fish dinner.For me,it's all sport now.To any other bassman, what you do is up to you.

Fish Chris reply :

Everyone has heard about Catch and Release for many years. In fact, it has become almost a knee-jerk reaction for many anglers, to the point where it has actually caused problems with overpopulations of smaller fish, and the loss of quality, in some fisheries. No doubt about it, C/ R is the 1a class. Selective harvest on the other hand, while it requires a bit more thought, is the advanced course, and can provide increased benefits for most fisheries.

So what's the problem ?

Many people practice a reversed type of selective harvest. That is, they will release every fish that they catch for years and years. Then one day, when they finally catch the fish of a life time, they decide to keep this one and hang it on the wall. The fact of the matter is, it would have been much less detrimental to the fishery had they kept a few smaller fish every now and then, and then released the giant !

Often you will hear the argument about a huge fish having already contributed its trophy genes to the pool, and that it is now past it's spawning prime.

Well first of all, it has been proven that most bass will continue to spawn throughout there entire life, and while they will produce fewer offspring towards the end of there life span, fewer is much better than none at all. Also, a fish which has already proven to have the right genes to get huge, is the exact fish that should be allowed to produce every last baby possible !

Secondly, if a huge fish is released, there is a strong chance that that fish will be caught again, and of course there is also a strong chance that that fish will become some other lucky anglers best catch of a lifetime ! Of course, you yourself, might just be the lucky angler who re-catches that fish when it is even bigger. This is not near as uncommon as people tend to think. I have personally caught, released, and then re-caught several fish from 7 lbs to 13.5 lbs. There is no doubt in my mind that as I continue to release my trophy catches, the odds continue to increase, that I will eventually re-catch a fish which, in the time since it's first release, has grown to be HUGE !

Thirdly, you will often hear people say about a huge fish: Well, it's a really old fish and it's probably at the end of it's life span anyway...... Hmmm.... maybe, or maybe not. Obviously an 18 lb bass had to be 15 lbs at one point. A 20 lb'er had to be 18 lbs, and a World record will have to 20 lbs, first. It would be easy to say that this 15, 18, or 20 lb fish was already at the end of its life span, but there is never a way to be sure of that. The plain and simple fact is, a huge fish which is released will have some chance, no matter how slim, of becoming even bigger..... maybe even a world record ! While a huge fish which has been hung above the fireplace will have absolutely no chance !

The bottom line is this: We should always think twice about eliminating the chance for a fellow angler to catch that fish of a lifetime, or even for ourselves, the second time around !

Education is the key

Many years ago I kept a sub-ten bass and had it mounted. Later I regretted that decision, and really wished I would have had a replica made. But live and learn. Why do I mention this here ? I believe this is a great way to put myself on the same level as many anglers who have not been there..... yet. The approach of slamming another angler with, I won't do that, and you shouldn't either never works, and quite simply drives a wedge between yourself and the anglers you are trying to educate. If they have killed a fish in the past, so be it. You cant change that. But through tactful communication, you might possibly prevent this angler from killing more giants in the future.

I truly believe that the vast majority of the anglers who might otherwise keep a huge fish for the wall, would in fact release that fish, if they only knew the importance of that fish to the fishery. Also of course, if they knew how nice the modern replicas were, and how easy it was to have one made.

As for those few anglers who will just never understand, we should always remember this: As an American, and possessing a state fishing license, it is every anglers RIGHT to catch and keep any fish that he wants to, within the regulations set forth by our Fish and Game agencies. We certainly don't want anyone interfering with our rights, therefore we certainly should not interfere with anyone else's.

Again, the best we can do is to educate anglers with all of the facts, and hope that they will make the right decision. Most will.

Taking care of your trophy catch

A strong consideration for anyone who intends to release a huge fish should they catch it, is how to take care of it between the time of the actual catch, photos, weighing, and release. I'm quite sure that many trophy catches, despite the anglers best intentions of releasing the fish alive, will in fact perish, simply because the angler was not prepared to handle the situation.

For starters, no fish should be kept out of the water for any more than a couple minutes at a time...... even less in warm weather.

ALWAYS carry a decent camera. Its also nice to have a disposable 35mm camera stored away in your tackle bag too, just for cheap insurance. ALWAYS carry a reliable scale. There are a ton of reasonably priced models on the market to choose from. I use a Berkeley 50 lb digital. You should also carry a decent spring scale as well, just in case your digital should happen to malfunction.

AFTER you catch that fish of a lifetime is NOT the time to run around looking for a camera or a scale. Quite simply, you need to be prepared at all times.

If you happen to be in a boat with a circulated livewell, this will be fine until you can get your camera and scale ready. If you fish from a small boat like I do, a large icebox which is partially filled with lake water, will suffice as a temporary live well. If you are fishing from the shore, the fish can be placed on a stringer, with a rope or clip put through the lip (not the gills) of the fish, while preparations are made for photos and weighing. Finally, if this is a really big fish (a lake record, a contest winner, etc) and needs to be weighed on a certified scale, then a large, partially filled ice box, or tournament weigh bag should be used to transport the fish to and from the certified scale.

Please allow me to reiterate that a fish should never be out of the water for more than two minutes, or even less in warmer weather.

Please note

A giant Largemouth bass of 10, 13, 17 lbs, or even more, is quite literally a one in millions fish. This fish has beaten absolutely incredible odds to attain this size.

For your own chances of re-catching a huge fish when she has grown to be even bigger, as well as that same chance for your fellow anglers, please release all of the giants.

Catch and Release a Trophy Bass !

Fish Chris

George Welcome reply :

This whole subject is really quite simple. If your fish and game allows you to keep fish then it's your right to do so.

What I or anyone else does has nothing to do with your rights when it is you making the decision.

When people fish from my boat it's understood up front that it is catch and release, but I would never tell or suggest what you should do on your own boat, assuming it is your right to keep or throw back the fish.

ScroGG ToGG reply :

Hunters can esp. be weary to complain about keeping a couple bass. ive yet to see a catch and release deer hunt!

Fish Chris reply :

Actually, its funny you should say this. As a matter of fact, there was a thread about a year ago, on another forum titled, "Shoot and Release". Now as funny as this may sound, there are actually a few places offering big game hunts in Africa, in which the animals are shot with tranquilizer darts. Then the paying customers walk up and hold the animals heads up for photos. Then they back off, and wait for the animal to get up and walk away.... like the "release" I guess, then the hunt is complete !

Just think, if you were a guide, and you had an idiot client..... maybe you could "purposely slip up" and only use half the tranquilizer needed...... "Sure buddy.... that Lion is flat knocked out".... You go pick his head up, and I'll take your picture :-) LOL

Peace,

Fish

guest reply :

When I lived in Louisiana I got an education about people who hunted and fished for the table. I grew up in Brooklyn and because my father owned the neighborhood butcher shop,we got to dress deer for the few hunters in our neighborhood. While a lot of city people looked at them as BAMBI SLAYERS I saw them as the same food those nitwits were buying from my dad,just a different mammal. I have never hunted, but now that my surgeries are done I hope in the next two seasons to get my first deer and eat an honest meal! What has this to do with this thread?

Well down in Louisiana when I went to my first thanksgiving meal I was amazed at how all the Bass,Crappie,catfish and shrimp had been caught by the people who were eating them Both Turkeys one fried and one baked were shot by our host as well as some venison THOSE PEOPLE KNEW HOW TO EAt Everything at that table was caught or shot by the people eating that feast some of the veggies were also grown by them All the game and fish were caught in season,observing limits WHAT IS WRONG WHAT THAT

I C&R mostly b/c I hate cleaning fish and I fish a very pressured lake But those fish arent in that water to produce lunkers and tourny winners They are for the enjoyment of anyone who has a license and observes the limits and laws of our fish commission Why is it anyones business (especially mine) what they do in the limits of the laws THEY WORK AND PAY FOR THEIR LICENSE JUST LIKE I DO

Ive killed 2 fish in 9 seasons b/c the were badly hooke both fish went to folks who were fishin for the table WHY IS IT OF ANY CONCVERN WHAT THEY LEAGALLY DO WITH FISH? HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN SOMEONE TRIES TO TAKE YOUR HUNTING RIGHTS AWAY? ITS THE SAME THING!!!!!!

A little live and let live will go a long way here fellas

guest reply :

I thought this thread was dead and buried a month ago?

why beat a dead horse?

guest reply :

Hey sorry Avid I didnt pay attention to it first time round I guess. The kids are home outta my work place for next few weeks and I have a lot of free time to be online Just puttin my.02 in buddy

fish-fighting-illini reply :

I was never a big fish eater but have learned to appreciate it in the last few years. That being said I just flat out love to catch bass big or small. Same with Crappie, Walleye etc. I belong to a small private lake that is mainly catfish. You are allowed 4 per week and some people just live for it. How many fish can these people really eat? Crappie limit is 25 per fisherman per day at a nearby lake. Same thing how many fish can they possibly eat? They are legal and it is their right but the mentality of more more more bothers me. Personaly until they post a sign saying "please keep the fish" I am throwing them back except for once or twice a year.

Just my 2 cents

Matt

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

Quote
This whole subject is really quite simple. If your fish and game allows you to keep fish then it's your right to do so.
What I or anyone else does has nothing to do with your rights when it is you making the decision.

When people fish from my boat it's understood up front that it is catch and release, but I would never tell or suggest what you should do on your own boat, assuming it is your right to keep or throw back the fish.

As much as the thought of a filet knife cutting through a bass absolutely makes me wanna puke,...This is America so I'll have to puke and get over it. Rights are rights and they need to be respected.

Bassassasin12 reply :

This sure is one popular post I almost feel obligated to take a look at it. Everyone has their own opinion and I have never been one to disagree with a logical opinion, and all of ours are very logical. There are many ways to look at catch and release and keeping the occasional fish, but in the end it just comes down to the person fishing, and what they choose to do. As long as they follow the laws it is fine with me.

Keithscatch reply :

Quote
Everyone has heard about Catch and Release for many years. In fact, it has become almost a knee-jerk reaction for many anglers, to the point where it has actually caused problems with overpopulations of smaller fish, and the loss of quality, in some fisheries. No doubt about it, C/ R is the 1a class. Selective harvest on the other hand, while it requires a bit more thought, is the advanced course, and can provide increased benefits for most fisheries.
So what's the problem ?

Many people practice a reversed type of selective harvest. That is, they will release every fish that they catch for years and years. Then one day, when they finally catch the fish of a life time, they decide to keep this one and hang it on the wall. The fact of the matter is, it would have been much less detrimental to the fishery had they kept a few smaller fish every now and then, and then released the giant !

Often you will hear the argument about a huge fish having already contributed its trophy genes to the pool, and that it is now past it's spawning prime.

Well first of all, it has been proven that most bass will continue to spawn throughout there entire life, and while they will produce fewer offspring towards the end of there life span, fewer is much better than none at all. Also, a fish which has already proven to have the right genes to get huge, is the exact fish that should be allowed to produce every last baby possible !

Secondly, if a huge fish is released, there is a strong chance that that fish will be caught again, and of course there is also a strong chance that that fish will become some other lucky anglers best catch of a lifetime ! Of course, you yourself, might just be the lucky angler who re-catches that fish when it is even bigger. This is not near as uncommon as people tend to think. I have personally caught, released, and then re-caught several fish from 7 lbs to 13.5 lbs. There is no doubt in my mind that as I continue to release my trophy catches, the odds continue to increase, that I will eventually re-catch a fish which, in the time since it's first release, has grown to be HUGE !

Thirdly, you will often hear people say about a huge fish: Well, it's a really old fish and it's probably at the end of it's life span anyway...... Hmmm.... maybe, or maybe not. Obviously an 18 lb bass had to be 15 lbs at one point. A 20 lb'er had to be 18 lbs, and a World record will have to 20 lbs, first. It would be easy to say that this 15, 18, or 20 lb fish was already at the end of its life span, but there is never a way to be sure of that. The plain and simple fact is, a huge fish which is released will have some chance, no matter how slim, of becoming even bigger..... maybe even a world record ! While a huge fish which has been hung above the fireplace will have absolutely no chance !

The bottom line is this: We should always think twice about eliminating the chance for a fellow angler to catch that fish of a lifetime, or even for ourselves, the second time around !

Education is the key

Many years ago I kept a sub-ten bass and had it mounted. Later I regretted that decision, and really wished I would have had a replica made. But live and learn. Why do I mention this here ? I believe this is a great way to put myself on the same level as many anglers who have not been there..... yet. The approach of slamming another angler with, I won't do that, and you shouldn't either never works, and quite simply drives a wedge between yourself and the anglers you are trying to educate. If they have killed a fish in the past, so be it. You cant change that. But through tactful communication, you might possibly prevent this angler from killing more giants in the future.

I truly believe that the vast majority of the anglers who might otherwise keep a huge fish for the wall, would in fact release that fish, if they only knew the importance of that fish to the fishery. Also of course, if they knew how nice the modern replicas were, and how easy it was to have one made.

As for those few anglers who will just never understand, we should always remember this: As an American, and possessing a state fishing license, it is every anglers RIGHT to catch and keep any fish that he wants to, within the regulations set forth by our Fish and Game agencies. We certainly don't want anyone interfering with our rights, therefore we certainly should not interfere with anyone else's.

Again, the best we can do is to educate anglers with all of the facts, and hope that they will make the right decision. Most will.

Taking care of your trophy catch

A strong consideration for anyone who intends to release a huge fish should they catch it, is how to take care of it between the time of the actual catch, photos, weighing, and release. I'm quite sure that many trophy catches, despite the anglers best intentions of releasing the fish alive, will in fact perish, simply because the angler was not prepared to handle the situation.

For starters, no fish should be kept out of the water for any more than a couple minutes at a time...... even less in warm weather.

ALWAYS carry a decent camera. Its also nice to have a disposable 35mm camera stored away in your tackle bag too, just for cheap insurance. ALWAYS carry a reliable scale. There are a ton of reasonably priced models on the market to choose from. I use a Berkeley 50 lb digital. You should also carry a decent spring scale as well, just in case your digital should happen to malfunction.

AFTER you catch that fish of a lifetime is NOT the time to run around looking for a camera or a scale. Quite simply, you need to be prepared at all times.

If you happen to be in a boat with a circulated livewell, this will be fine until you can get your camera and scale ready. If you fish from a small boat like I do, a large icebox which is partially filled with lake water, will suffice as a temporary live well. If you are fishing from the shore, the fish can be placed on a stringer, with a rope or clip put through the lip (not the gills) of the fish, while preparations are made for photos and weighing. Finally, if this is a really big fish (a lake record, a contest winner, etc) and needs to be weighed on a certified scale, then a large, partially filled ice box, or tournament weigh bag should be used to transport the fish to and from the certified scale.

Please allow me to reiterate that a fish should never be out of the water for more than two minutes, or even less in warmer weather.

Please note

A giant Largemouth bass of 10, 13, 17 lbs, or even more, is quite literally a one in millions fish. This fish has beaten absolutely incredible odds to attain this size.

For your own chances of re-catching a huge fish when she has grown to be even bigger, as well as that same chance for your fellow anglers, please release all of the giants.

Catch and Release a Trophy Bass !

Fish Chris

Nicely said Chris. I agree 100%. Keep some of the small ones if you simply have to keep any or want to. Bass really are not that great eating either. Anyway, please do not keep the big ones. I guess I get botherd when I see pictures of people holding big bass inside of their house or garage.

guest reply :

Hey Fellas this bass dont taste good is getting a little old and untrue

Take about 1 1/2 lbs. bass filet

2 eggs,1/2cupmilk and 4 or 5 drops of Tobasco Sauce and mix em together Soak the bass fielets in that mixutre foe about 15 mins

Get a pack of Zatarans Seasoned Fish Fry and drag the filets through it one by one until they are completly covered

Get a hot black frying pan melt 1/2 lb of butter and fry those filets. I learned this when I lived in New Orleans Now tellcsomeone bass dont taste good Thats like tellin a guy whos goin after the same girl SHE CANT KISS GOOD ;D

CP Bass reply :

I'm big on CPR for all fish.

-especially bass-

But, at least a couple times a year I gut hook a bass. Could be due to fishing in the wind and not being able to sense a subtle bite, could be that the fish pounded and inhaled it or it could simply be my fault. If a bass it bleeding heavily it goes in the live well. If it stops bleeding it gets released. If it floats it gets eaten....... no matter what the size.

I hate CPR preachers that toss a badly bleeding bass back right away. You may feel good about the release but it probably died anyway and now you've wasted it completely.

This is simply my opinion on what I feel makes sense. Not a perfect system, but I sleep at night, and have a couple good meals per year.

Keithscatch reply :

Good points.

I can say however that I have caught Bass with fishing line coming out of their mouths which means they have a hook firmly planted in their guts. I also caught a fish once that the line was coming out of it's back end. So I removed it and turned the little guy lose. Perhaps he had a hook that dissolved in it's stomach and the line was just passing through his system?

George Welcome reply :

Muddy:

Anything would taste good in that recipe!

10070

To keep or throw back.....why the complaints?? 2024

related General Bass Fishing Forum topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic