Catch and release

[greentrout]

When on private waters follow what owners tell me I can keep or should keep. No further discussion. State waters do exactly what the regulations dictate. https://www.mdwfp.com/

[FishDewd]

Here's the thing, I prefer to take my fish home and filet them for dinner. Hence, I would have a hard time catching the perfect edible size bass and letting it go unless local laws prohibit that. However, this comes with limitations. I have a pond that's been well kept with catfish and perch for decades now. We don't keep female cats or bluegills over a certain size cause these are breeders and we want them to stay there to continue to spawn. With bass such a concept is easier cause they don't taste as good over a certain size as cats and bluegill do, or so I hear. I'm yet to catch or even see a really nice bass irl. Most of the laws here prohibit keeping one under 14". To me, that's too large for a bass to eat and I wouldn't keep it anyway. But for a catfish... that's pretty much darned perfect!

[Bluebasser86]

One of the biggest problems we have is that the smaller bass are better to eat and much more plentiful, but people aren't allowed to keep those. Only in recent years has the state started to try to change that with a 13-18 inch slot limit on a lot of smaller lakes with high population densities. I wish it was more like a 15-21 inch slot to give people a little more freedom to keep smaller fish, while protecting the larger fish better, but it's a start. I really wish I liked to eat fish, I'd keep a limit of 12 inchers every time I went at a lot of the lakes I fish and it would do them a lot of good. 

[Chance_Taker4]

A local campground I grew up on has two ponds that held 3-4lbers (big for ponds in Ohio). about 5 years ago they added C&R rules to the ponds. Now when I go out there I only catch 1lbers if I'm lucky. I talked to the owners last year and they said it was because every year they had a company come in to stock bluegill and shad but they wanted to cut costs and not stock them yearly so they decided to no allow fish to be kept. I don't fully understand their thought process but whatever helps them turn the biggest profit.

 

 

My personal view is I don't like the taste of bass so I don't keep them. My wife likes bluegill so I will bring some home. But when it comes to Walleye, Perch, Trout or Crappie, I take everyone I catch within limits.

[scaleface]

I'll add this . If everybody kept their catch    that would be detrimental to the fishery . Being most people practice catch and release then the relatively few bass that are being kept is not hurting a bit . I release all bass over four lbs unless they are bleeders . 

 

A couple years back , at a small lake , the Missouri Conservation dept   implemented  a 12 fish , no length limit ,  to thin out the population. I took full advantage of that . They must have got the population where they wanted because its now back to the slot limit . 

[slonezp]

There are far worse things that can decimate a fishery then a fish fry.

[Gundog]

Catch and keep can actually benefit a fishery. I've suggested to political appointees on the PA fish & boat commission that to help solve the overpopulation of perch in local lakes they allow and promote catch and keep tournaments for perch. Maybe even offer small prizes like donated tackle or clothing. Instead they have extended the time period for keeping lakes water levels lowered in the winter. By not allowing the lakes to fill in early spring they figure the weeds that support populations of perch will not grow as abundant and the perch won't multiply as much. Problem is neither do the bass and pickerel that feed on perch. And with lower populations of fish, there are less people fishing. Vicious cycle. 

[Blacktail 8541]

I usually release all bass I catch. But when I decide on having a dinner or two I will keep bass in the 15 or 16 in range and up to about 3 lbs. When I fish for crappie I will keep most of my limits. They taste great.

[Raul]

20 hours ago, scaleface said:

Bass dont live forever .

 I  harvest several limits a year . I  prefer 12 inch bass but they are protected   so I am forced to keep  15 inchers or 11 inchers . A limit of 11 inchers wont feed the three of us , so....

 

That’s a nice stringer you got there.

[NHBull]

This year, I will be keeping fish that may not have a good chance for survival.  We have a few shelters that are more than happy  to serve up some Bass.  Wished I would have considered it sooner

[J.Vincent]

proper education and respect for the earth and our natural resources....is paramount 

[burrows]

I don’t keep during the spawn and I only keep fish from what I consider to be clean water like a river or big lake I don’t eat fish from ponds anymore.

[WRB]

The Linders started "Selective Harvest" as a moto for In Fishermen decades ago and makes more sense then Catch & Release started by B.A.S.S. as their organization grew nationally in the early 79's.

Ray Scott likes to claim the idea, I remember a very different Ray Scott when I was trying to get them to release tournament caught bass in the late 60's early years.

Scott told me it was impossible for recreational fishing to harm largemouth bass populations and promoting charity fish fry was his goal back then.

Scott may have been right regarding the large reserviors in the south, but public perception was agianst what they were seeing.

Today the C & R has become almost a cult following beyond any reason, kill a bass and you are labeled a villain. I remember releasing bass and being called a idiot back in the 60's.

C & R is a good practice for the majority of the time and for any organized bass tournament. Selective Harvest makes more sense for a sustainable and renewable bass population for recreational anglers.

Tom

[Chowderhead]

20 hours ago, LonnieP said:

I can’t stand the taste of bass but I have no problem with other people eating what they catch.

Love to fish but cannot stand eating fish -- just not my thing. No judgement on those that do.

[MN Fisher]

One reason I cheer the fact that my wife doesn't like fish either...more for me.

[scaleface]

3 hours ago, Raul said:

That’s a nice stringer you got there.

.97     wally world , 8 foot nylon .

[burrows]

Nothing beats a good stringer of crappie.

[MN Fisher]

26 minutes ago, Burros said:

Nothing beats a good stringer of crappie.

Unless it's a creel full of Brook Trout

 

(runs and hides)

(yes, I do go out Trout fishing now and then)

[soflabasser]

3 hours ago, Burros said:

Nothing beats a good stringer of crappie.

Hogfish, mahi mahi, tripletail, cobia, and most saltwater fish taste much better than any freshwater fish and that includes crappie.

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Unless it's a creel full of Brook Trout

I hope they taste better than rainbows. IMO, trout make good cut bait, but are not fit for human consumption. Catfish treat them like they're candy though. Of course, all we have are stockers, so maybe natural fish taste better, but I'd think farm raised fish would be better? 

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I hope they taste better than rainbows. IMO, trout make good cut bait, but are not fit for human consumption. Catfish treat them like they're candy though. Of course, all we have are stockers, so maybe natural fish taste better, but I'd think farm raised fish would be better? 

I don't know about the 'cut-bait' - in MN it's illegal to use any game-fish as bait...and they consider sunnies, crappie and perch to be 'game-fish' here.

 

I'm not much a fan of Rainbows for eating either. Brookies have, as a chef would put it, a much more delicate flavor...definitely worth a try, though wild-caught, not farmed.

[Bluebasser86]

4 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I don't know about the 'cut-bait' - in MN it's illegal to use any game-fish as bait...and they consider sunnies, crappie and perch to be 'game-fish' here.

 

I'm not much a fan of Rainbows for eating either. Brookies have, as a chef would put it, a much more delicate flavor...definitely worth a try, though wild-caught, not farmed.

Anything is fair game as bait in KS, even bass, as long as they're keeper sized and you count them towards your daily bag limit. Lots of flathead guys use bass for bait here. 

[NYWayfarer]

18 hours ago, WRB said:

 I remember releasing bass and being called a idiot back in the 60's.

 

70’s as well. I have had many conversations about fish I have caught that ended with “You didn’t keep them?” Followed by all bewildered look.

 

My answer was I don’t eat the ones I catch because I get the fish I am going to eat from where God intended me to get them...the supermarket.

[slonezp]

9 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Anything is fair game as bait in KS, even bass, as long as they're keeper sized and you count them towards your daily bag limit. Lots of flathead guys use bass for bait here. 

In IL and WI the (gamefish) bait MUST be caught on the same body of water it is being used on. It is illegal to transport fish from one body of water to another. That includes minnows. One the minnow bucket has been dipped in a lake, the minnows cannot be used elsewhere.  

[MichaelCopeland]

I love the taste of bass. However I mostly catch and release. I do keep a limit of 1lb to maybe 3lbs tops. I believe those sizes are tastier. I do believe that anything over those weights should be released to help preserve the population, plus the taste isn't near as good in my opinion. At times I hear people talk about catching 8lb+ bass and keeping them for eating. When that happens I'll let them know that they just consumed a possible record size bass and that they could've one day caught that one again when it has reached that size. I'm going fishing here in a couple hours and I'm planning on catching my new PB. Even if I don't, I'm confident I'll catch a few and when I do, I'll be releasing them because it's tough to walk the banks with 3 rods, a tackle bag and an icechest. May have to invest in a dolly one day so I can harvest when I want to.