Harvesting Bass

[Fried Lemons]

There has been much discussion as of late about the benefits of harvesting and problems caused by pervasive catch and release mentality. I’m curious if any of you guys have started or are thinking about starting to harvest bass. 

[TnRiver46]

Starting? Been doing it for 30 yrs 

[roadwarrior]

I "harvest" all spots of legal length. I can always find someone to take them.

Over the years I have had the opportunity to fish numerous private ponds many

of which need to be thinned. Most of these stunted fish wind up on the beach as

coyote food.

[WRB]

For decades I promoted C & R for big bass during the spawn cycle prior to Ray Scott accepting C & R for his B.A.S.S. sanctioned tournaments in 1973. What the pro’s do local clubs follow and C & R became mainstream.
About the same time In-Fisherman was promoting Selective Harvest in lieu releasing every bass caught, they were right!

C & R became a cult with tournament bass anglers, keeping injured fish for food is akin to killing your best friend.

Fortunately fishery management relies on the general fishing public to sustain fish populations with size and number of fish including bass to be harvested. Not all bass anglers are C & R and keep what they legally catch.

Tom

[dodgeguy]

i keep some every year. generally under 5. all between 13 to 18 inches.

[gim]

I generally don't keep bass (or many fish in general) but in many instances, keeping smaller ones (roughly 12 inches in length here) can be beneficial.  Every ecosystem has a carrying capacity and if you have a large population of smaller bass, you can only grow so many bigger ones based on resources available.  So in this case, keeping a few on the small side helps.

 

Going out with the intent as a meat hunter to fill your live well or stringer with fish each time is unsustainable.  If the majority of anglers did that, the resource would be thinned quickly.  Especially here in the north, where it takes bass much longer to grow than it does down south.  Selective harvest and resource management is important.  And I think the majority of bass anglers are pretty good about this.  The strong C & R ethic is what has made bass fisheries what they are today.

 

Additionally, larger fish have more contaminants built up in their bodies so consuming smaller ones is healthier.  Its a term called bioaccumulation.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Big Bass Dreams has an amazing video on this subject on their YT channel.  

 

[Pat Brown]

It's really really good for most fisheries to keep: competitive species (varies from lake to lake but speaks for itself), unhealthy specimens, bass that have reached their genetic potential and are not ideal specimens (a fully grown / older NC bass that's a skinny 4 lbs), bass that are in that middle size range - not tiny babies (the future) not the healthy giants (breeding stock), but the abundant competitive feeding mouths that make up the lions share of most food pyramids on most lakes.  These bass are the ones making the ceiling lower for the trophy class fish AND making it difficult for more middle weight fish to make the jump to trophy status (that have the genetic potential).

 

All of this is bettered by healthy selective harvest practices.

 

Japan's world record bass was produced by a government-funded effort to eradicate Japan of bass, which actually in turn yielded giant world record class bass because of essentially harvesting out the weaker and smaller fish and not really doing much to the population overall.

[casts_by_fly]

There are enough non C&R fishermen around here that keep every fish they catch regardless of size and species that I'm not worried about harming population dynamics when I don't harvest.  At the same time, I have no qualms if I want to keep some here or there.  

[Tennessee Boy]

I release almost every bass I catch.  I'll admit I sometime feel guilty for doing so.  I occasionally keep a spotted bass. 

[MediumMouthBass]

I absolutely hate the taste of freshwater fish (except for Salmon/steelhead and catfish, i can sometimes eat panfish but barely). however my parents love eating fish, ill go out to the creek or lake several times a year and bring them back as many trout or panfish that the state allows.

Any time i gut hook a bass that cant be saved thats good enough size ill bring that back for them as well, they and others ive spoke to say largemouth and smallmouth bass both taste good.

I dont get it, the smell of it almost makes me throw up just being in the same room.

 

I dont have an issue with people that keep every fish they catch, nor do i with the people that release everything they catch. The people i have issues with are the ones on either side that will try forcing their opinions on everyone else. Ive met quite a few odd people that if you tell them you took home a stocked trout they look at you like you are possessed and cause a big scene, and others that do the same when you throw fish back.

 

Ive also witnessed several times that over population of any species of fish can completely destroy a body of water. The local lakes and ponds have alot of fishing pressure and are really small in acres.

Lots of people take home bass they catch around here, and the bass fishing is still really good most of the year (except for the spring) and theres also alot of giant bass too. If people werent taking home a bass every now and then my PB large and smallmouth's would probably be only a 1/3 of what they are. The more small bass=the more competition.

 

And we have to remember, fish have been a part of the human diet since well as long as weve been around for, for us they are a sport/hobby, for the rest of mankind they are food.

[OkobojiEagle]

If I'm going to harvest for my family's table, it will be walleye or large perch.  I feel sorry for those left to dine on muddy tasting bass.

 

oe

[gim]

9 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

I absolutely hate the taste of freshwater fish

 

I wouldn't say I hate it, but I find it to be very bland.  That's why people have to resort to lathering it up in batter or breading and then dip it in tartar sauce lol

 

I find saltwater fish to have much more flavor and I rarely get the chance to eat it.

[Skunkmaster-k]

I ate a 9# largemouth last year. The small ones are better, but she was still delicious. 

[Team9nine]

Haven’t kept a bass in longer than I can remember. Fortunately, there’s more than enough tournaments on lakes these days that kill enough bass to more than make up for anything I would ever keep if I did 😉

[scaleface]

I fish lakes with slot limits, The conservation dept encourages anglers to keep bass under the slot. I keep a limit every trip. As far as taste, I guess Missouri bass tase better than other states. Everybody who has tried them rave about how good they are. I fry them dipped in egg and Andys red. 

[TnRiver46]

I’ve eaten some big healthy ones, not just smalls. The only reason people don’t want you keeping big ones (in a majority of case studies, there are exceptions) is because they really like them and don’t want them dead. No biology or science behind it. They’ve already passed on their genes many times. That’s why a majority of lakes have a length minimum for keeping fish, not a length maximum. The small fish are the future, not the big ones. There are exceptions but not a ton of them. Departments of natural resources can be swayed by public opinions of fishermen as they are the customers and DNR likes to keep customers happy 

1 minute ago, scaleface said:

I fish lakes with slot limits, The conservation dept encourages anglers to keep bass under the slot. I keep a limit every trip. As far as taste, I guess Missouri bass tase better than other states. Everybody who has tried them rave about how good they are. I fry them dipped in egg and Andys red. 

People are always blown away with how good black bass taste. They’ve been told for years about how nasty they taste by tournament anglers 

[flatcreek]

I’m frying bass I caught yesterday at Sinclair for supper tonight. So there’s that.

[gim]

8 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

That’s why a majority of lakes have a length minimum for keeping fish, not a length maximum. The small fish are the future, not the big ones.

 

That may be the case there, but its the complete opposite here.  Regulations here are in place here to protect large fish, not small ones.  Bigger fish are females and they are the fish that spawn, keeping the population going.

 

Keep in mind that most regs here are in place to protect the sacred walleye though.  Most people don't give a hoot about keeping bass here.

[MN Fisher]

I do selective harvest of all species that I target - sunnies, crappie, walleye, bass - all (1/2 of the bass) in a certain range go into my freezer.

 

I grew up in 'Al & Ron' country - and they've preached selective harvest since before I first met Al back in the late 70s (he, Gary Roach and Babe Winkleman put on a 1 day seminar, then a one day all species mini-tourney followed by a fish-fry back in....gods was that '77 or '78?...on the lake I lived across the street from)

[gim]

Just now, MN Fisher said:

sunnies, crappie, walleye, bass

 

No pike?  Those are the ones that really need to be harvested more!

[MN Fisher]

Just now, gimruis said:

 

No pike?  Those are the ones that really need to be harvested more!

I hate pike - they'd end up in the compost heap, not my freezer.

[gim]

7 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I hate pike - they'd end up in the compost heap, not my freezer.

 

Not a big fan myself but if you know how to clean them properly out of colder water, they aren't bad.  At least put the bigger ones back and toss the 20 inch snot rockets in the compost heap.  🤣

[Swamp Girl]

I want to keep some, I truly do, because I know it's good for the ponds and bogs. I just don't enjoy eating bass. Maybe I'll give bass another try this year. I might enjoy a Maine bass coming from clear water more than an Ohio farm pond bass. 

[Bankbeater]

It depends on where I am fishing and the limit allowed.  I don't keep anything from local waters, but if we go on a trip, then I may keep a few.