Old Photo from the big "O" in Fl.

[Ski]

I know this pic is old and a little deceiving because of the men's position, However they are still huge!

[Mike L]

I’m sure they used them as food, but hate seeing that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[ironbjorn]

I want to get so good at bass fishing that I can wear a suit and tie and lay in the dirt to show off my catches.

[Zcoker]

They were big on that with Tarpon back in the day...very big on that! Like high society big almost presidential. Strung them up dead for the ever so popular money shot. Same with sharks, slaughtered most of them and strung them up and then sold them for fertilizer for mere pennies. All perfectly acceptable and all established norms and even expected. Interesting how times change....interesting how behaviors change!

[Dwight Hottle]

1 hour ago, Zcoker said:

They were big on that with Tarpon back in the day...very big on that! Like high society big almost presidential. Strung them up dead for the ever so popular money shot. Same with sharks, slaughtered most of them and strung them up and then sold them for fertilizer for mere pennies. All perfectly acceptable and all established norms and even expected. Interesting how times change....interesting how behaviors change!

 

Your 100% correct. It's only after we see the population dwindling we start to realize conservation is necessary to maintain the fishery. 

[Zcoker]

There's a video out titled 'Silver King: birth of big game fishing'. In it shows much the same thing: strung up fish and how it gave birth to big game fishing. As if all those slaughtered fish somehow justify what we are doing today. Maybe it's the same way with bass fishing, possibly. 

[the reel ess]

2 hours ago, Zcoker said:

They were big on that with Tarpon back in the day...very big on that! Like high society big almost presidential. Strung them up dead for the ever so popular money shot. Same with sharks, slaughtered most of them and strung them up and then sold them for fertilizer for mere pennies. All perfectly acceptable and all established norms and even expected. Interesting how times change....interesting how behaviors change!

My pops was of this generation. Never threw back an eating size bass, crappie, striper or catfish. In his opinion, if you didn't bring it home it didn't happen. But then I've never known real poverty.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

You can't underestimate the effect Ray Scott has had on Bass fishing, and more importantly catch N release after seeing a picture like that.    That picture would never happen in today's world.  

 

My life I've dreamed of fishing the big O with live shiners and catching just one of those fish in the pic.   

 

I can't imagine a 10lb+ Bass tasting any better than a Carp.   Crazy to think at one time people kept almost every Bass they caught.  

5 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

My pops was of this generation. Never threw back an eating size bass, crappie, striper or catfish. In his opinion, if you didn't bring it home it didn't happen. But then I've never known real poverty.

This really was the mindset of every generation before BASS and Ray Scott.

 

Moreover I've heard of stories of people getting mad at anglers back in the day for throwing Bass back....like they were appauled to see someone throw perfectly good food away in the trash.

[the reel ess]

18 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

 

 

Moreover I've heard of stories of people getting mad at anglers back in the day for throwing Bass back....like they were appauled to see someone throw perfectly good food away in the trash.

My dad was that guy. But I'll say we hardly ever caught enough fish to hurt any population. In fact, we helped, if anything, taking smaller bass out.

[Mike L]

15 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

 

Moreover I've heard of stories of people getting mad at anglers back in the day for throwing Bass back....like they were appauled to see someone throw perfectly good food away in the trash.

They absolutely were!

I think it’s safe to say none of use on here have known real hunger the way they did 

“back in the day”

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Zcoker]

Heck, folks get mad or do crazy things today if a fish is tossed back. I was fishing at the end of a jetty one night and tossed back a snook. Dude jumped in after it!!! 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

3 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

Heck, folks get mad or do crazy things today if a fish is tossed back. I was fishing at the end of a jetty one night and tossed back a snook. Dude jumped in after it!!! 

Lmao, yeah saltwater is still catch only on just about everything but Billfish and once you reach your limits

[the reel ess]

7 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

Heck, folks get mad or do crazy things today if a fish is tossed back. I was fishing at the end of a jetty one night and tossed back a snook. Dude jumped in after it!!! 

There are a few guys that used to fish from a jon boat where I fish. I call them the bucket brigade. They've asked me for a 5 lb. bass that they saw me catch before. I just said "Nope" and let it go in front of them. I'm sure they called me names. If you're gonna take 5 pounders out of my watering hole you gotta catch your own.

[WRB]

It may surprise everyone today that bass boats didn’t have a livewell until 1973/1974 with Ranger boats introducing them. 5 years B.A.S.S. had 15 daily bass limits and held fish fries after the events. Stringers were used to hold the days catch, some anglers used built in coolers to transport their catch to the weigh in, most simply put the stringer of bass on the boat floor.

While Ray Scott gets credit for C & R he was forced to do it by members saying it didn’t look good and conservationist back in the day. With C & R the livewells could only hold 10 bass max for 2 anglers so the 5 bass limit became the rule, regardless of state limits regulations.

Lots of old photos like the posted photo, usually with a lodge name included before the 70’s.

Tom

 

[1984isNOW]

Yeah that's a gut wrenching pic. My cousin keeps bass, I mean I get it because we grew up with very little and that's dinner - but he even keeps the ones worth catching - 5.5 pound smallie should be released for some kid to catch one day, just put another trout or white bass on your stringer bro. You wanna cull some little guys and make room for the big fish to get bigger, be my guest, but killing respectable fish - I can't respect that. 

 

@WRBIt almost feels like I'm talking to a legend with how many years I've been reading your posts. Thanks for the history lesson here, lotta respect for you my man.

 

Much love

[Bankbeater]

My dad's family had a couple of pics like that but with catfish.  Back then they would catch fish by any means possible.

[slonezp]

On 9/14/2022 at 7:19 AM, ironbjorn said:

I want to get so good at bass fishing that I can wear a suit and tie and lay in the dirt to show off my catches.

You already are son, you already are...

On 9/14/2022 at 7:30 AM, Zcoker said:

They were big on that with Tarpon back in the day...very big on that! Like high society big almost presidential. Strung them up dead for the ever so popular money shot. Same with sharks, slaughtered most of them and strung them up and then sold them for fertilizer for mere pennies. All perfectly acceptable and all established norms and even expected. Interesting how times change....interesting how behaviors change!

You can thank Johnny Morris for that. 

 

 

[Cbump]

I’ve eaten a 7 pounder that wasn’t going to make It. She tasted delicious. 

[slonezp]

On 9/14/2022 at 10:21 AM, the reel ess said:

My pops was of this generation. Never threw back an eating size bass, crappie, striper or catfish. In his opinion, if you didn't bring it home it didn't happen. But then I've never known real poverty.

You'll find the same with immigrants to the US. Fishing is not a sport, it is for sustenance.  

 

A bass life is no more or less important than a walleye life, than a crappie life, than a salmon life, than a carp life. If the harvesting rules are being adhered to, doesn't matter what anyone thinks. 

[MidwestBassAttack]

Shame to see but I can’t help but notice how close the fish are and how far back the gentlemen are from them to make them appear bigger. I’d say those guys are a good 6-7’ behind the fish.

[DitchPanda]

31 minutes ago, MidwestBassAttack said:

Shame to see but I can’t help but notice how close the fish are and how far back the gentlemen are from them to make them appear bigger. I’d say those guys are a good 6-7’ behind the fish.

Old school outstretched arm Instagram pic

[TnRiver46]

On 9/14/2022 at 8:19 AM, ironbjorn said:

I want to get so good at bass fishing that I can wear a suit and tie and lay in the dirt to show off my catches.

That’s what I was thinking, who lays on the ground in a suit. Then I thought who goes fishing in a suit…….. haha

 

awesome stringer though! 

On 9/17/2022 at 12:19 AM, Cbump said:

I’ve eaten a 7 pounder that wasn’t going to make It. She tasted delicious. 

Yeah, I didn’t really want to admit it but I’ve eaten a 6 lb bass and it was like a grouper, top notch flaky white meat haha. Don’t tell anyone…………..

 

 

oh no I’ve said too much ……..

 

I don’t do that often but sometimes they won’t release. But it’s not because big bass don’t taste good, that’s a myth 

[MAN]

On 9/16/2022 at 11:28 PM, slonezp said:

You'll find the same with immigrants to the US. Fishing is not a sport, it is for sustenance.  

 

 

I can vouche for that.  I live down here in in South East Tx and you guys up north haven't seen anything compared to what we are dealing with down here currently. 

 

-Immigrants are cast netting and keeping everything they can snag. 

-Where have they been castnetting?...just look for the pile of Modelo and Corona bottles. 

 

Conservation is taking a big hit down here right now, and no news media will cover it. 

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Limits, conservation, and protection of natural resources is a cultural deal, most of the world doesn't share our values especially on this subject.      

 

If you talk to any fish cop, this is a really big problem, and most people are petrified to discuss it.