Would you eat a pot bellied female bass full of eggs in the spring? 2025
Jig Man reply :
If not, then please explain sight fishing for the males guarding the eggs and fry in the nest.
etommy28 reply :
cause catching the males is not a death sentence >
Tin reply :
I believe in Darwinism....
And why sight fish for the male, the female is usually close by......
cart7t reply :
Only if the eggs were green and with a side of ham, Sam I am. 
rfunfarm reply :
Fried or grilled???? 8-)
Bassin_Fin@tic reply :
Explanation of why do it or how to do it :
Jake. reply :
Sure, I'll put her in the bucket next to all of the other fish I caught with a casting net. :
fourbizz reply :
Would you laugh at self important idiots with delusions of wit?
Yes.
Fishing Rhino reply :
QuoteIf not, then please explain sight fishing for the males guarding the eggs and fry in the nest.
As a former commercial lobsterman, no I would not.
I catch and release all fish. The only fish I would keep would be a fish that would not be likely to live if released. Hasn't happened yet.
Egg bearing lobsters, known as eggers, by law cannot be harvested.
I oppose taking egg-laden bass for the same reason. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've experienced that it's easier to catch egg-laden bass during the pre-spawn bedding season. Rather than being dispersed as they are throughout the year, in the spring, they are found in areas suitable to prepare for spawning.
A number of fishermen, targeting these pre-spawn, egg-laden, bass can do serious damage to a year class, for the reason stated above.
edit: No, I would not take the males either for the same reason. It occurs to me, that if the female happens to be full of eggs, they have not spawned.
If they have paired up, and prepared the bed, will another male arrive to replace the "taken" male? I may be wrong, but it seems to me that the entire spawning process from pairing off to preparing the bed, spawning, and then the male playing the role of protective daddy, the entire process is a ritual imprinted in the bass by nature.
If the female goes hunting for a substitute, then it may not be disastrous. But, if she doesn't, it wouldn't matter which one you took. There would be no spawn, and no young.
Sam reply :
No.
With thousands of nests and millions of fry there is no harm to the reproductive cycle if you remove some males from the nests.
Studies have shown that removing a male from a nest will not have a negative impact on the bass population.
I release all fish when I catch them or at the ramps after a tournament weigh-in.
I would think the vast majority of us bass fishermen do the same.
Muddy reply :
Yep, Microwave her, the eggs taste like cracker jax when done right
bassmaster3000 reply :
This post makes me mad... NO WAY! That is just WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> > :'(
roadwarrior reply :
Has nothing to do with the bass. I would release it unless
the fish were mortality wounded.
8-)
mattm reply :
I would release the fish, but we are all kiddng ourselves if we don't think catch and realease can't be overdone. Someone electing to keep the fish would not be the end of the world. If everyone let everything they caught our fisheries would be in bad shape. In fact in the southern states we should prbably keep anything under 3 lbs.
Eddie Munster reply :
QuoteYep, Microwave her, the eggs taste like cracker jax when done right
;D
That or wrap the fish in foil and Jiffy Pop em.
Mattlures reply :
What is the difference? well it depends on whot you are trying to achive. If you want a lake full of small fish so you can go there and catch a lot then release them all. If you want a lake that has less fish but produces monsters then keep the males and let the fry get eaten. The fat female is already the results you are trying to achive so you don remove that one. There will always be fry that reach adulthood. In an older healthy lake a good sucesful spawn can be a negative thing. Too many small bass eating up the prey can make the lake becoem unbalanced. The predators will overpopulate and become stunted.
All of this depends on what part of the country you are from and the exact lake. Each lake is different. If a lake has a small population of healthy bass then you should release most if not all the bass. If the lake has a too many smaller bass and the bigger fish are a little thinner then they should be then the best fish you could remove is the bedding male.
Hammer 4 reply :
I don't eat bass. CPR always..
IdahoLunkerHunter reply :
QuoteI don't eat bass. CPR always..
X2
thetr20one reply :
QuoteWould you laugh at self important idiots with delusions of wit?Yes.
LOL. I am not sure who is more funny BIZZLE.
Gatorbassman reply :
QuoteWhat is the difference? well it depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you want a lake full of small fish so you can go there and catch a lot then release them all. If you want a lake that has less fish but produces monsters then keep the males and let the fry get eaten. The fat female is already the results you are trying to achieve so you don remove that one. There will always be fry that reach adulthood. In an older healthy lake a good successful spawn can be a negative thing. Too many small bass eating up the prey can make the lake becoem unbalanced. The predators will overpopulate and become stunted.All of this depends on what part of the country you are from and the exact lake. Each lake is different. If a lake has a small population of healthy bass then you should release most if not all the bass. If the lake has a too many smaller bass and the bigger fish are a little thinner then they should be then the best fish you could remove is the bedding male.
This is exactly right.
This debate happens every year and it all boils down to this. The top warm water biologists in the country will tell you that if you are fishing in a large body of water then practicing C&R is just fine, but if you are managing a smaller body of water and you want big fish then you need to keep and eat a lot of smaller fish. If you don't then it will be detrimental to your fishery.
DawsonH reply :
No probably not.
Now having said that, if you keep that fish at any time of year, be it prespawn, postspawn, summer, fall winter, whatever, it is going to remove all potenial future offspring. Its going to have the same effect regardless of when you remove it, only difference is that when the fish is full of eggs it has more of a psychological and emotional effect on some people than other times of the year. Until the eggs inside that fish actually hatch and become fry they are all the same, POTENTIAL offspring. It has the same POTENTIAL effect regardless of when you keep it.
Thats just how I look at it. I agree with the others that are saying all catch and release isn't always the best thing. Besides the fact that smaller fish will overpopulate a fishery if not removed the fish can also learn. Studies show that some fish will hit artificial baits over and over, some only once, and some never at all. The more trained fish you have the harder the fishing even thought the numbers are the same.
retiredbosn reply :
It wasn't that long ago that the egg laden females were prized in this area for the roe. Fishermen would take the roe and fry them for breakfast along side the fillets from the female. Made a decent breakfast, the old timers loved it, I never ate it and now that I know better they are released along with everything else. BTW most biologist agree that catching and releasing the bass off of a bed does no harm to the fishery.
starbuck reply :
i dont eat bass ...
but ....
there is a reason the state wildlife and fisheries set limits and slots ...
becuase .... drum roll
those limits do not hurt that fishery with those limits on them ...
but i throw all bass back its my personal choice but i do not begrudge anyone for catching and eating their fish ... most credible studies have shown the limits and slot system works fine
starbuck reply :
QuoteBTW most biologist agree that catching and releasing the bass off of a bed does no harm to the fishery.
nor does keeping them within slot and limits set by state biologists according ... no harm to overall fishery
RobbyZ5001 reply :
QuoteBTW most biologist agree that catching and releasing the bass off of a bed does no harm to the fishery.
Really? I would like to see the backing for this comment. Any fisheries biologists on here? Paul Roberts and insight?
fourbizz reply :
UrbanRedneck is a biologist, and a dang good bass fisherman. He sight fishes too.
Catt reply :
Let me take it one step farther; if you put a filet knife to a big female in the summer, you are just as guilty of removing a spawner from the population as you would be in the spring.
burleytog reply :
What kind of ingredients do I have at my disposal? Salt, pepper, panko, peanut oil?
ROCbass reply :
I've always wanted to try caviar, this is the only way I could afford it ;D
RobbyZ5001 reply :
QuoteUrbanRedneck is a biologist, and a dang good bass fisherman. He sight fishes too.
As I know some will, but I can't picture the majority of them agreeing with it. I think it depends a lot of region as well. I don't think there are too many studies done on angler effect on spawning fish either. If anyone knows of any articles I have access to over 100 databases. I was looking last night for quite awhile.
Bassnajr reply :
If my family needed food...yes
Other than that...no!!!!!
ajr
Gatorbassman reply :
QuoteQuoteUrbanRedneck is a biologist, and a dang good bass fisherman. He sight fishes too.As I know some will, but I can't picture the majority of them agreeing with it. I think it depends a lot of region as well. I don't think there are too many studies done on angler effect on spawning fish either. If anyone knows of any articles I have access to over 100 databases. I was looking last night for quite awhile.
Another thing to consider is how many biologist specialize in warm or cold water fisheries. There are a lot of cold water biologists who think they are warm water specialists just because they learned about it in school but haven't practiced it in real life. There are a lot who think that how they learned to do it in school is the only way it can be done. There are some who think that the LMB is a predatory fish that needs to be eradicated to save the trout and salmon. I work with Bob Lusk on one of the most heavily managed bass lakes in the country. To many he is considered the top warm water fisheries biologists in the country. One thing that I've learned is that every body of water is different and if you ask 10 biologists to give you their opinion you will get 10 very different opinions. So you can't say that it's wrong or it's right. You must consider the ecosystem of that particular body of water before you come to a conclusion of weather it's detrimental or not.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
Robbie, echoing what Fluke said...
You should hear Bob Lusk speak about what he does. It is a very informative and entertaining session. The guy flat-out knows how to grow fish to their potential.
He builds a pretty dam good lake too. LOL
He is a member here, PM him. He has answered questions for me in the past and each one turned out to be spot-on.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
QuoteUrbanRedneck is a biologist, and a dang good bass fisherman. He sight fishes too.
I didnt know he was a biologist. No wonder he is a stick.
RobbyZ5001 reply :
That is some interesting insight fluke. I see what your saying and I agree with some of it. I stated that I think that it varies with regions. I am sure warm and cold water have different effects on spawning fish. I couldn't tell you which does what or how, but overall I don't think catching and release spawning fish is beneficial. I am not saying it has a large impact, but I think it does have an impact.
Fish have a large fecundancy (sp.?). Say there are 15,000 eggs and only 3000 eggs produce fry. The 3000 fry which is a fragile state need to survive and continue to decrease until they reach a certain size.
Some ways that catching and releasing bass could have a negative effect on the spawn
-Stress on female resulting in less eggs
-Removing males from the bed
-Males losing energy resulting in having a hard time defending the bed.
These are just a few I thought of. If there are a large amount of anglers catching and releasing the bass, and it does have an effect then even a small amount of egg loss can have a large effect. Suppose that by catching and releasing spawning fish it loses 50 eggs. In 3 fish caught and released you would lose 1 fingerling. Say it takes 150 eggs to get 1 fish to the fingerling state.
This is all said with no research done, but just how I think of it. I voiced how I felt now you can all rip me apart. The numbers are made up for the most part, but I believe 15,000 is high end to the amount of eggs. I would be interested in some of the biologists views.
fishfordollars reply :
The 2-3 lbs up always go back any time of year.
If I had to eat bass(And I don't), it would be all those popcorn spots that are infesting our lakes. They are worse than rabbits and are out of control in this area.
Please, all you s.e. boys, I'm not refering to those beautiful Alabama spotted bass that grow up and down the Coosa chain. They are a different species and I would love to be back there catching a few.
RobbyZ5001 reply :
QuoteRobbie, echoing what Fluke said...You should hear Bob Lusk speak about what he does. It is a very informative and entertaining session. The guy flat-out knows how to grow fish to their potential.
He builds a pretty dam good lake too. LOL
He is a member here, PM him. He has answered questions for me in the past and each one turned out to be spot-on.
Yea, I have contacted him before about job information. I am going to PM him about this, because it has been in my mind for awhile there needs to be some light shed on it for me. My prof's are some of the best fisheries biologists in the nation as well. They don't do work with bass though. The one works with Africa Cichlids, and the other primarily works with the Lake Trout fishery.
tyrius. reply :
I wouldn't keep one mainly because I'm too lazy to clean them and my wife doesn't like fish.
One must study their home water and try and determine how many fish are being kept. In order for the fish in the lake to reach their maximum size some fish from each year class MUST be harvested or killed.
As Mattlures said you can have a ton of small fish or a few huge fish, but you won't have both.
J Francho reply :
I think the point the OP is trying to make is that bed fishing equates to eating them, despite practicing C&R. I don't agree, but on smaller waters, I avoid bed fishing. This is a VERY personal issue, and I wouldn't even bother to try to convince one side to change their minds, let alone cast any judgment about that person's opinions. I don't think any results, either anecdotal or published research can possibly apply to every body of water, everywhere.
Bottom line, it is an ethics question, and for me the answer is fluid. As far as the fish I have caught off beds (BTW, I suck at this when targeting them, LOL), I have no guilt or remorse.
Tin reply :
I bet everyone who is against bed fishing on here has made a blind cast and caught a fish off of a bed multiple times and they never even knew it.... :
Btech reply :
Agreed Tin - Im just out there to catch fish ... thats it...
R@ngerman195vs reply :
My personal choice is Catch and Release. I don't fault those who keep an occasional fish or two. My jaw only tightens when I see folks who are just out on a meat hunt. Anyone who fishes from my boat better be prepared to release every fish they catch, unless one is mortally wounded.
brophog reply :
QuoteIf my family needed food...yesOther than that...no!!!!!
ajr
There are a lot easier fish to catch for food than a fat bass.
Better tasting fish, too. 
AverageJoeBass reply :
My family and friends always C&R. Unless the fish is of course mortally wounded. IMO, a properly cooked bass is a tasty treat.
fishinfiend reply :
QuoteIts going to have the same effect regardless of when you remove it, only difference is that when the fish is full of eggs it has more of a psychological and emotional effect on some people than other times of the year.
That is an excellent point. I think bass taste delicious, but I only eat them a few times a year because it is a pain in the butt to clean them and break out the fryer.
J Francho reply :
Why are we discussing C&R? The question isn't whether you C&R or not, its if you C&R, why do you bed fish? I think many are missing the analogy.
The answer to the rhetorical question posed in the thread title should be, "No." What we're answering is the question, "Does removing a male guarding a nest equate to harvesting bass."
I already answered that question above.
Tin reply :
So....
If you sight fish for guarding males you should not practice catch and release with other fish because you're putting fish back into the water that will eat fry that are unguarded because you caught the males guarding them....
;D
J Francho reply :
Or you could judt go fishing, LOL. Tin, you know as well as I do that to limit our shortened fishing season any more would basically leave us all of 5 weekends a year to fish. Not going to happen. ;D
ROCbass reply :
QuoteThe answer to the rhetorical question posed in the thread title should be, "No."
Why? As long as its a legal fish I see nothing wrong with keeping and eating it if thats what the person chooses to do
J Francho reply :
QuoteQuoteThe answer to the rhetorical question posed in the thread title should be, "No."
Why? As long as its a legal fish I see nothing wrong with keeping and eating it if thats what the person chooses to do
If you answered, "Yes, " then the second half of the question doesn't apply to you, and there is no need to answer the thread. Read th initial post again, and you'll see what the OP is getting at. I never said anything about whether it was right or wrong for you to keep and eat bass, as you said, its legal.
Legal issues and moral issues are two different things. The assumption is, that if your answer to the title is, "Yes, " then there is no need to explain bed fishing, since you'll keep and eat those as well. As its legal. The OP is referring to a bigger moral question, and possibly trolling in the meantime.
Tin reply :
QuoteQuoteThe answer to the rhetorical question posed in the thread title should be, "No."
Why? As long as its a legal fish I see nothing wrong with keeping and eating it if thats what the person chooses to do
Me either, if your pregnant wife is craving bass and pestering you to catch one for her, or if the economy has left you homeless and starving. I see no problem with catching and eating a fish in one of the spawn phases...
Low_Budget_Hooker reply :
QuoteQuoteThe answer to the rhetorical question posed in the thread title should be, "No."
Why? As long as its a legal fish I see nothing wrong with keeping and eating it if thats what the person chooses to do
I'd rather educate him, or buy him a big mac in trade for the fish
ROCbass reply :
QuoteQuoteQuoteThe answer to the rhetorical question posed in the thread title should be, "No."
Why? As long as its a legal fish I see nothing wrong with keeping and eating it if thats what the person chooses to do
If you answered, "Yes, " then the second half of the question doesn't apply to you, and there is no need to answer the thread. Read th initial post again, and you'll see what the OP is getting at. I never said anything about whether it was right or wrong for you to keep and eat bass, as you said, its legal.
Legal issues and moral issues are two different things. The assumption is, that if your answer to the title is, "Yes, " then there is no need to explain bed fishing, since you'll keep and eat those as well. As its legal. The OP is referring to a bigger moral question, and possibly trolling in the meantime.
Gotcha. I understood the point you were trying to make, but this particular part of your post that I was questioning seemed as though you were making a moral judgment and stating it as a universal truth the first time I read it.
J Francho reply :
Its all in the context (or out of, LOL).
No problem shaner, if you read higher up, I made my point earlier: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1236212631/38#38.
Grey Wolf reply :
You sure like to stir the pot. (Jigman)
Eddie Munster reply :
I spoke with the management company that runs our HOA after they ran the last survey of our subdivision lake and they said harvest away on the small to medium size ones. In fact, after I told him that I wouldn't eat fish out of the lake that may have people's septic fields draining into it, he said 'then just dispose of them.'
So for my lake, it's more advantageous if the fry gets eaten a little more.
retiredbosn reply :
In order to effectivenly answer the question if bed fishing is additive to the mortality rate of the bass, you would need a long term study on similar fisheries, a control group where no fishing was allowed and then compare the results. The same thing that is done when hunting is considered, many places close the late season saying that it may be additive to the mortality rate of the specie, however at the conclusion of a 7 year study the late season had no additive affect on recruitment of young birds or overall population. I live in a state that has no fishing seasons, a fishing season on a fish is a foreign concept to me.
That said how could taking a guarded male off of a bed create an additive effect on the population of the fish population. The same bass that guards the eggs eats the fry, speaking of bass which is what this discussion is about. If you want to help the bass population curb the bluegill population, then if you do that you remove a necessary food from the chain that the bass later depend on. The reasoning that catching a or several bass during the spawn will have a negative impact on the fishery is short sighted and doesn't take into account of the mortality rate of the fishery to begin with. Example: grouse, rabbits and many prey animals suffer a 70% mortaliiy rate annually hunted or not. What is the base line for bass, how many eggs actually hatch, of those that hatch how many survive more than 6 months, a year, 2 years etc. Here is an article examining these questions, basically when the hatch was good bass fry represented 68% of adult and juvenille bass diet (cannibalism). The number of adult males may result in more eggs being hatched but will also result in more fry being eaten. This part of the life cycle is still being researched and the opinions vary, however at the present time from what I can gather it seems that catching a bass of a bed and releasing it doesn't hurt the fishery, neither will not catching a fish of the bed. It isn't the number of eggs that hatch that produces an increase in population of bass rather the successful recruitment of the fry once they hatch.
Forgot to put the link in for the article http://www.yale.edu/post_lab/pdfs/post%20et%20al%201998%20(CJFAS).pdf
Redhed reply :
i dont make a habit out of doing it. esp is its a really nice size girl ill let her go. however on occasion i do keep one and i fry the eggs up.. its good stuff.
rickster reply :
If the female is still on the nest, they are weak from not eating so I will give em a break and fish for something else until they move off the nest
UrbanRedneck reply :
I wouldnt kill a big fish but I have not problem taking a 2-3 pound female full of eggs and eating her. I like to take the egg sacks out carefully so you dont tear the skein, then just drop them in hot oil. Try it you might like it.
Gatorbassman reply :
QuoteI wouldnt kill a big fish but I have not problem taking a 2-3 pound female full of eggs and eating her. I like to take the egg sacks out carefully so you dont tear the skein, then just drop them in hot oil. Try it you might like it.
I prefer mine poached.
Triton21 reply :
I prefer mine poached.
zaraspook_dylan2 reply :
QuoteThis post makes me mad... NO WAY! That is just WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>
i agree its just WRONG
tyrius. reply :
QuoteI like to take the egg sacks out carefully so you dont tear the skein, then just drop them in hot oil. Try it you might like it.
You cook them in a deep fryer? Is that the only way to cook them?
I've never even heard of eating the eggs. The idea intrigues me a bit though as I like to try new foods.
502largemouth reply :
I think if I am not mistaken, that here in Ky last year, the water was waaaaaaaaaaaay up at the begining of the spawn and sometime during the spawn went back down.
To me that would mean exposing some of the nests and ruining a good portion of the hatch.
Im no marine biologist but that makes sense to me.
But in answer to the question posed, no I would not and I do not think that removing a male always negatively affects the guarding of the fry.
Just last year at a small pond, we saw a large group of fry and my buddy Jude ran his spinner bait right into the heart of them and got bit by a decent sized male that was guarding them.
He threw it back in and we watched it swim right back over to where the fry were, which tells me they are fully capable of going back and guarding the fry after being caught.
I am sure that every situation isnt going to be like that one but, what if........
And I do not eat bass unless its a striper. If I wanna fish for something to eat I am gonna nail me some crappie. mmmmm
I wont mess with carp or cats....yuck, the dumpsters of the lake IMO.
To each his own tho.
Cyas,
D
UrbanRedneck reply :
QuoteQuoteI like to take the egg sacks out carefully so you dont tear the skein, then just drop them in hot oil. Try it you might like it.You cook them in a deep fryer? Is that the only way to cook them?
I've never even heard of eating the eggs. The idea intrigues me a bit though as I like to try new foods.
Yeah, just drop them in a deep fryer. Only takes like a minute and you really dont want to do this with a bass over 3 pounds. Crappie and bluegill eggs are even better. Years ago a roomate showed me how to do it and at first I was like "no way am I eating those eggs, that gross". But he convinced me to do it and I really like it.
bigmountaineer reply :
Only she was injured during the retrieval and it was gonna die either way. I catch and release all.
Fish Chris reply :
Ehhh....
So many people are always so much more concerned about a "trophy sized" bass > full of eggs < than they are, about a trophy sized bass, after the spawn.
But IMPO, that trophy sized bass herself, is SOOO much more valuable than all the ggs in her belly combined. Sure, their is a 'chance' that 1 egg out of all of those thousands 'might' get to be a big as her someday..... but then 1 of those eggs might never produce a bass that big too.
The only "for sure thing" you will ever have, is the one trophy sized bass that > has already beat incredible odds to get to be as big as she has.
Anyway, anytime you kill a big bass, it's always "before the spawn". The only question is, whether it's 1 month before the spawn or 11 months..... or 23.... or 35......
Oh.... but would I eat a pot bellied sow ?
Sure if;
1) I was really hungry,
2) I liked the taste of bass.
I just enjoy catrching them more..... and a Carl's Jr. fish sandwich will always suffice ;-)
Peace,
Fish
fourbizz reply :
About time you resurfaced!
Been busy with the truck eh? ;D
Fish Chris reply :
Yea'.... all sucked into the truck thing...
Good to be back though :-)
Hey, just one thing I wanted to add to this thread though;
If a guy want's to hurt his own fishing for trophy sized fish, while I help to keep mine good, be my guest. Seems kind of odd to me, but hey, their are guys who hang themselves from fish hooks, and lay on beds of nails. Who am I to stop them ?
The bottom line is, it would be exceedingly rare for somebody here to hurt "my trophy bass fishing", as the vast majority of the anglers here are all fishing different waters anyway.
Don't release a big bass for me..... Do it for yourself. Or not. Probably won't have a direct effect on me either way.
Peace,
Fish
J Francho reply :
QuoteQuoteI like to take the egg sacks out carefully so you dont tear the skein, then just drop them in hot oil. Try it you might like it.You cook them in a deep fryer? Is that the only way to cook them?
I've never even heard of eating the eggs. The idea intrigues me a bit though as I like to try new foods.
Skein from yellow perch is very good. Just cut it cross ways into little disks, roll them in egg then flour and pan fry in a little vegetable oil. Make a sour cream and chive dipping sauce. This was a great treat when I was younger.
J Francho reply :
This is SOOOOO true. That fish is here and now, and will only get bigger.QuoteBut IMPO, that trophy sized bass herself, is SOOO much more valuable than all the ggs in her belly combined.
Fish Chris reply :
Hey J F, my Mother is from the deep South, and so of course she would fry (along with the rest of the fish) the egg sacs of Bluegills. I ate them a few times.... but to the best of my memory they were..... uhhh.... fishy ;-) LOL
I'll stick to Carl's Jr fish sandwiches :-)
But then again, fresh fried fish eggs would HAVE to be better than those fish they bury in the ground for 3 or 4 months until they get good and rip ! Yikes ! You ever see that on the Discovery channel ? They say its real good.... unless you do it wrong.... then their is a good chance you will get sick and die......
.....then the old Eskimo guy says he doesn't like to get close to his wife for several days after she's been eating the stuff ;D ;D
Uhhhh... Pass.
Peace,
Fish
Bob Lusk reply :
I was asked to chime in on this topic, so here goes.
Strictly answering the question....I think about several things, in this order.
Morally...if that bass were larger than 2 1/2 pounds, I wouldn't eat it. I would release it. Large fish have large ways and carry the genes of large fish. They are a proven commodity and deserve to live longer.
Ethically...sight fishing is sometimes the only way some people stand a chance to catch big fish predictably.
Biologically...you can eat every bass you catch off a nest and it won't make a difference about reproduction. Remember this, each pair of fish is just trying to replace themselves when they spawn. It's a physical improbability to catch every bass off every nest in any given body of water. If one pair of bass successfully reproduces, there's enough young of the year to replenish an entire system. Keep in mind that most public lakes carry as little as 25 pounds of bass per acre and some carry as much as 60, maybe 70 pounds of bass per acre. That's not many fish. One spawn from an 8 pound female could statistically yield 30,000 baby bass, enough to restock 600 acres of water from scratch.
Here's my bottom line about this question. Biologically, the answer is it makes no difference about reproduction. The biggest biological difference is the time, effort and food chain a big fish needed to grow to larger sizes.
The answer, in my book, is ethical and moral, rather than biological. That makes the answers controversial and lends to such a fun thread as this.
My answer is simple. If that fish were smaller than 2.5 pounds, I would be pleased to eat it.
Spanky SC reply :
As my Dad said, if your lucky enough to afford to fish for fun and not food, let em go for others to enjoy catching and if need be, eat with their family.
I am blessed enough that I can let them go and purchase fish for dinner if need be . I can understand if it means food on the table for some and this is becoming more common. We all pay for a license, it's up to you what you keep and how you fish as long as it is legal.
Dock Master reply :
HECK NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bass taste nasty. If we are talking about eating bass I call them the BIG NASTY. >
Catching them though is a different story.
bilgerat reply :
Only as a side dish of a meal that included clubbed baby seal and grilled bald eagle. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm
WRB reply :
I wasn't going to reply to this trick question and that is what it is.
The value of big bass should be obvious to nearly everyone who bass fishes. The goal for most fishermen from the first time out is to catch a big bass. A limit of bass is important to a tournament fishermen, but a big bass is important to all bass fishermen, it;s what we fish for.
Kill a big female during the spawn or any other time and you remove a rare fish for ever being caught again or growing even larger.
Big bass are the most valuable asset to bass fishing, they fuel the sport.
WRB
DINK WHISPERER reply :
NEVER....................EVER!!!!!!!! >
mrlitetackle reply :
NO!!!
but i would catch them both....
then release them both...
just cause i caught them, doesn't mean their gonna die!!
SoFlaBassAddict reply :
Catch and release all day. I really don't intentionally fish on nests anyway. If I happen to catch one sitting on a nest, well thats a different story. Eggs or not, pitch em back in.
Dalton Tam reply :
First off BASS ARE DELICIOUS! Fried or grilled! All you YANKEE birdwatching floobies are rediculous with some of your ways of thinking. I would not keep the fish on tournament day and would not keep the fish if she was 3 pounds or over because the bigger fish have more eggs and therefore cause for more hatchlings in reproduction. But if she was less than THREE poinds she's goin in the grease!!! ;D
FishingPirate reply :
Dude get on my level! Thats what I was raised on 8-)
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