Catch And Release: An American Thing?

[K_Mac]

Well, I'll keep C&Ring and only keeping the occasional one for dinner and suffer the odd looks from people wondering why I would spend ungodly amounts of money to catch fish and them let them go :-)

That is a motto I can live with. Well said!

[SirSnookalot]

i agree with you K_Mac

[mikey5string]

IMO the catching is the ultimate reward in sport fishing, not a couple fillets.

[mikey5string]

...I have no problem with people keeping legal fish. Over population leads to stunted fish. It is important to harvest.

I might be a little annoyed when I see a stringer of 3 or 4lb bass. Cant you keep the smaller ones?

[Fishing Rhino]

I have a standard answer for folks who ask me why I don't keep any to eat.

You can only eat them once. They can be caught many times.

That being said, I have no problem if someone wants to eat what they catch, provided they are legal size and not over the limit.

[Raul]

It must be an "american" thing, I live in the american continent and I release most of the fish I catch, been doing it for more than 3 decades, doesn´t mean I have never kept a fish, I´ve done it, cleaned n´fried, done the proper introductions: " Mr/mrs bass, meet Mr frying pan" and enjoyed eating them. One of the reasons I prefer fishing over hunting is that you can catch it, admire it and then let it go to catch it again, hopefully bigger next time, can´t do that if you kill it.

[The Brim Reaper]

I have a standard answer for folks who ask me why I don't keep any to eat.

You can only eat them once. They can be caught many times.

That being said, I have no problem if someone wants to eat what they catch, provided they are legal size and not over the limit.

I hear that. I don't fish because I'm hungry. I have a blast just catching them.

[Jake P]

I think you might have hit it here. I had a feeling there might have been a cultural difference but the notion of bass tournaments didn't immediately leap to mind (though I wonder how much the average American angler really knows about the tournament culture).

Well, I'll keep C&Ring and only keeping the occasional one for dinner and suffer the odd looks from people wondering why I would spend ungodly amounts of money to catch fish and them let them go :-)

Keeping Bass never even crossed my mind when I started fishing, and still hasnt to this day. Releasing my catch has always been like breathing, you just do it. Its funny hearing it from the opposite perspective.

[bkohlman]

I release everything unless I am crappie fishing.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

My oppinions on catch and release have changed a bit since I first started fishing a few months ago. At first I was keeping every legal sized fish. Lately Ive just been getting a quick picture and putting the fish back. This is probably partially due to the knowledge and fishing wisdom Ive gained from this site and also from starting to consistently catch more fish everytime I go out. When I started, I didn't catch much so I think I felt like if I didn't catch/keep a fish, it seemed like it was all for nothing. I do enjoy bass though so every now and then Ill keep a couple but Im releasing far more then I keep now.

[SirSnookalot]

For the record I catch and release for the most part, not debating harvest, trophy fishing or any other reason people may have for releasing or keeping fish.

The OP "Catch and Release: an American thing?" The opinions on BR are from bass fisherman, but not all Americans fish exclusively for bass and not all Americans participate in an online forum, that said I don't think the full American fishing picture is displayed. Just looking at it from the sportsman point of view and not the people that are in need of fish to feed their families, so many people do keep their fish. You would be hard pressed to see avid saltwater sportsman not take home a snook, redfish, wahoo, snappers, kingfish and the list goes on and on, I've yet to be on a boat that has no ice chest aboard. Living in a coastal area this is what I'm exposed to.

Do I see people, in my opinion, abuse the privledge even though they are in their legal right, sure do and those people don't get the time of day from me.

[Bluebasser86]

My reason for releasing them is simple, I don't like the taste of freshwater fish. Saltwater fish is a whole different story. If bass tasted good to me I would probably keep a few small ones on occasion. We have several lakes packed full of small fish but not many big fish because nobody keeps any of them so they don't have enough room or food to grow. Then some of our lakes if it gets caught its going home regardless of species or size or limits.

[Shewillbemine]

There are far more fish species that taste way better than LMB in my opinion. So unless I'm camping and just want the novelty of cooking over an open flame, C&R for me.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

For me personally:

I release everything I catch in freshwater. Just never developed a taste for it. I'll eat the occasional trout, but that's about it. I do eat farm raised Tilapia regularly though.

Saltwater on the other hand, if I'm going out fishing, I expect to bring back legal sized fish that day. I never have, or will keep short fish, or go over my limit though. There are days though where I'll just go out for sport fishing. You'll never hear me say I'm keeping a marlin for dinner.

[PABASS]

Personally I don't like to eat Bass and would never eat a bass under normal circumstances, as I see it there are much tastier fish out there an eating an apex predator is never a good thing. I cant say what it is about Bass as a species, a bond maybe, it does bother me for whatever reason when I see people taking Bass to consume them.

[Knightiac]

I release everything. Never once thought about keeping them.

[bowhunter63]

I throw back every bass i catch,But i keep crappies and bluegill for dinner.No better fish to fry imo.

[Bassn Blvd]

I have ZERO problem eating bass or any edible fish, which most are edible. The reason I don't eat Bass anymore is because there are MANY better tasing fish (saltwater species) that I have access to. If I'm taking the time to clean and stink the kitchen up, then I'm eating something tastier than Bass.

I've been craving some fried fish lately. I think I'm going to have a fish fry where Speck and Sandperch will be the main course. Perhaps I'll throw a Snook or two into the mix.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

I have ZERO problem eating bass or any edible fish, which most are edible. The reason I don't eat Bass anymore is because there are MANY better tasing fish (saltwater species) that I have access to. If I'm taking the time to clean and stink the kitchen up, then I'm eating something tastier than Bass.

I've been craving some fried fish lately. I think I'm going to have a fish fry where Speck and Sandperch will be the main course. Perhaps I'll throw a Snook or two into the mix.

Yellowtail you bum! Short of grouper, there isn't anything swimming that's better fried up. I swear, I've got to teach you everything....

[bass1980]

Correction, Large Mouth Bass catch and release, an American thing. Living up north, just about everyone that fishes for Walleyes has kept one and I'm sure if they caught their limit in eater size they would.

There's two sides to this debate and people have their own reasons but that doesn't mean the other side is wrong. Aside from the people that loads up illegally, or loads up the freezer (which counts against your limit so illegal as well) I don't have issue with people keeping and eating fish. The C&R guys make it seems like people that keeps fish are dying in hunger and need food. It's something about hunting for the meat and enjoying the fruits of your labor. Although I don't like the taste of LMB, some people do. Also if we want to be politically correct, hooking a fish in the mouth, holding it by it's lip in an awkward position for a photo, is nothing humane and does hurt the fish. I think if the species is in trouble the laws needs to limit the size and amount even lower.

[HookSetDon]

This might be due to a small sample size but I've noticed that the concept of catch and release seems to be more popular in the U.S. than Canada (even to the point that I read an American article last year lamenting that every one caught fish and no one ate them) -- and I'm not sure why.

It's inarguable that the average bass caught in the U.S. is larger than Canadian bass because of your longer growing season, at least in the southern U.S. That means you catch more eating fish -- yet you throw them back. When I tell people up here that I catch and release they look at me like I'm an idiot. Why catch fish if you aren't going to keep them?

Any how, am I a victim of reading too many articles written by American catch and releasers who aren't representative of the wider American fishing population, or do I know too many Canadians who don't fish and don't know why you'd throw a fish back?

Being a fellow Canadian I get the same response, bass fishing hasnt been the sport nor does it have the following it does in the USA.

[Basswhippa]

I have not had a bass to eat in years. They are a sunfish. Sunfish are very good. I throw over 99% right back in. I will say this, if you are throwing back 14" bass in small ponds, you might want to rethink it. I've had two fish kills on ponds and wish I had thinned the heard of small bass. They take up oxygen and during stressfull water conditions, those 10 one pounders might cost you one 10 lbers by breathing all the oxygen. If you don't selectively havest, mother nature will run her own course and havest what she wants.

[scaleface]

I fillet bass. A lot of the lakes in Missouri have a slot limit and the Conservation Department begs anglers to harvest fish under the limit. I am happy to oblige.

Last nights meal was fried in a cast iron pan . The fillets dipped in egg and some Andys Red. Baked beans , cole slaw and corn bread accompanied the meal. There was no fish leftover.

[WDinarte]

I will say that on my are ( at least ) I don't know the rest of guys and I will keep my opinion to myself... some of the waters, most rivers and some part of the bay ( for salt water ) they are on somo type of polution, and you will see some " Fish Consumption Advisories " but I love to eat fish, but if I'm not sure and safe I would eat.

One of this days I will put one of my catchs on the table for a great dinner.

At the end I will say that on this days is " all polution " and I know that, we are NOT 100% safe anyway.

[Ratherbfishing]

Several years ago, I was ice fishing. I witnessed a game warden actually issue fines to several other guys for keeping bluegill that were too small. BLUEGILL mind you! Not even bass! Have you ever heard such a thing? One of the reasons I let my fish go is because I don't have to keep track of whatever size or possession limits the state, county, or particular park might have in place. Plus I'm lazy and I don't like to spend the evening cleaning fish.