catch and release...

[jewie27]

i've been fishing for years; almost every type of fish.  Why are people so strict with catching and release Bass, but not other species?  What's the difference if you keep a Bass or a Trout?  Isn't it all the same thing as long as you follow the laws?

[JD-FL]

There is nothing wrong in keeping bass, as long as the state or lake regulations are followed.  However I can think of other fish that are better to eat than a bass.  Most sunfish species are better eating and much more prolific than bass.  In lakes where overpopulation is a problem, keeping fish will help.  Catch and release became popular ni the early 70's.  When B.A.S.S. first started, they kept all the bass that were caught in tournaments.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey here in PA all they stock are those little farm grown trout. Theroy bein that the Bass population breed and sustain themselves So we help em out by throwin back. Which is fine for me cause I has

te to clean fish. But nothings wrong with fishin for the fryin pan

[Will]

I would guess its because of the number of bass anglers and tournaments. If everyone kept there bass like early tournaments did the population would rapidly die off.

[sinker48]

Bass are from the sun fish species.

                                      Good  Luck !

                                                 Sinker 48  

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I think Will hit it on the head there.  I am pretty sure that the Bass is the most popular sport fish in the country.  If all of us were fishing for for keeps, the bass populaton would quickly go down to almost nothing.

[Rebbasser]

I catch and release for one simple reason:  I like catching them a whole lot more than eating them ;D

[Chris]

I catch and release so that I give a bass an opportunity to grow big and so that you me and other people have a chance to catch a trophy.

[phisher_d]

I don't keep bass because I dont think they taste very good.  Fun to fish for though

I'd much rather be eatin a Pike, Walleye, or a perch

I fish up north where there isn't much pressure so people keeping fish for the pan isn't a problem

[Guest avid]

Catching fish is a sport.  Keeping fish for meals is eating.  I can buy a can of tuna or flounder fillet and get a better tasting fish than a bass.  That being said I like to keep and cook a few of the bass I catch each year.  There is this "hunter/provider" instinct that I have to satisfy every now and then.  I don't comdemn anyone for keeping fish legally, but I wonder if it is really necessary.  I can't tell you how may fish I have seen come home on stringers so the fisherman could show off, and the fish end up in the garbage.  The only absolutely necessary reason to keep a fish and kill it is if you think that you have a record of some significance.  Other than that, I think we really have to be careful that this resource can be overharvested just like any other.

[Rattlinrogue]

There's nothing wrong with keeping some to eat.I did for years.I'm totally catch and release for the last 5 years because,for me,it's a sport and not an eating proposition.Whatever floats your boat!

[Raul]

Bass is not so great as table fare, bluegills ( much more profilic too ), tilapia ( more prolific than bluegills ), catfish are much better tasting. Normally I don 't fish for trout but trout here are hatchery raised fish intended for human consumption, you can have them two ways: purchase them at a grocery store or at a restaurant ( no fun in that ) or have fun catching and paying for them, anyway they end up in the pan and better than bass.

[Yankee_Bassman]

I catch and release for several reasons: it helps sustain the population in the lake I fish, I hate to clean fish almost as much as I hate to eat it, and if I had to rely on eating the fish I caught to stay alive, I'd have starved to death 25 years ago......

By the way, there are plenty of folks who fish for other species up my way who practice catch and release also...trout, striped bass, bluefish, shark, to name a few......

[L.D.]

On my charters, we practice selective harvest. If someone wants to eat a few bass, on my boat they can keep the 12" to 14" and I will even clean the fish for them. However a 15" smallie in the river I fish are on average 8 years old and it's a shame to kill and old breeder like that to feed you for 10 minites. So any smallies 15" of bigger go back in the water.

Just on my boat, we boat over 5500 fish a season. Less than 1% get harvested by choice. We could have an impact on the area we fish if we kept all that was legal to keep.

Walleyes I allow them to keep 15" to 22" all others go back.

L.D.

[roadwarrior]

Good for you L.D. That is a plan that keeps everyone happy and and has no detrimental effect on the fishery. There is nothing wrong with keeping fish and in many instances, keeping small bass would be very beneficial.

If you fish the Tennessee River you can keep all the catfish, a legal limit of whitebass, largemouth and Kentucky bass. I would hope you release big largemouth, you'll probably catch plenty of fish. Now, even though it's legal to keep smallmouth, we don't like that unless it weighs 12 lbs!

[Matt Fly]

Catching fish is a sport. Keeping fish for meals is eating. I can buy a can of tuna or flounder fillet and get a better tasting fish than a bass. That being said I like to keep and cook a few of the bass I catch each year. There is this "hunter/provider" instinct that I have to satisfy every now and then. I don't comdemn anyone for keeping fish legally, but I wonder if it is really necessary. I can't tell you how may fish I have seen come home on stringers so the fisherman could show off, and the fish end up in the garbage. The only absolutely necessary reason to keep a fish and kill it is if you think that you have a record of some significance. Other than that, I think we really have to be careful that this resource can be overharvested just like any other.

Avid,

one you say bass don't taste to good, you can eat tuna, then you say you like to keep some to eat.  It s the hunter/provider instinct.   Where do you stand?  a little wishy washy.   To some, fishing isn't a sport, its a way of life.  I know in the late 60/70's my dad coached  football ,he didn't make alot of money, moms didn't work.  Fishing wasn't a sport, it was a need, a need to put food on the table.  When one goes fishing just to get away from the stress, sometimes he could care less about even getting a bite.  Fishing is sport to some, pleasure to some, passion for some.  Just like killing a deer.  Some kill who don't eat the meat.  That is for the kill, I don't call it a "sport".    I am a hunter and fishermen.  I will fish tournaments as a fishermen.

I hunt for food, not the kill,  Since graduating college 3yrs ago, my freezer has been in storage, I continue to pay my lease fees and have not hunted the last 2 seasons.  

Eating is for survival, how a person survives is not sport.  Illegals live on the Rio Grande river on the Tex/Mexican border,  They don't fish for sport, they fish to survive.  

Not every body has "our" tournament mentality.

Some of us older people were taught about the ethics part before we knew that catch and release was a campaign.  

Remember your hunter/provider mentality said keep a few bass to eat,  My mentality would have said, my wallet is empty, I have a fishing license, I think a mess of catfish would help on the grocery bill.

[alhuff]

There HAS to be a certin amount of bass taken out of ANY lake to insure there will be larger bass and not just a large amount of bass.  In taking the bass you keep the lake from being over populated.  This is the same lines you HAVE to follow with bluegil and just about any other fish.  If there are too many of any one fish in a lake/pond then there are no size to the fish.  We MUST to a certin degree keep the population of fish in check to insure we have a larger size of fish.    

Alfred

[Upnorth]

I personally do not keep any bass, just a few salmon and panfish per year.  Just about everytime I'm out on St.Clair I see a charter boat loaded with people, using live bait, catching trophy smallmouth and throwing them in a cooler.  These are large fish with great genes and they are just pounding them, day in and day out.  Keep a few smaller ones you will eat in a reasonable amount of time, and let the big ones breed.  There is no reason to stock pile the freezer with bass filets.

[knkfiend]

is there any way to tell if you should keep a fish out of a lake or not? i fish a small pond loaded with 10-12 inch bass and tons of sunnys and crappies. the bigger bass that are caught are pretty skinny. a 6 lb was pulled out the other day, but otherwise they are on the smaller side. would it be beneficial to not keep but transfer some of these fish to another pond with a much smaller population?

[NBR]

Bass are probably the most pressured of all the fresh water fish. Even with catch and release a few die soon after release and some unknown percentage have a delayed mortality.

While I would rather eat walleyes, perch or crappie I do keep an occasional bass but never over 14" and if the size limit is 14" then I don't keep any bass.

[paparock]

Catch and release to me is about having good fishing for my grandchildren. It does not hurt to keep a few to eat. It is the fishermen you keep all the legal fish they catch just to show off their skill and then end up throwing them in the trash rather than eating them that bother me.

I hunted for most of my life until the body was not able. Many people I knew were frantic if the last days of season were upon them and they had not killed something. To me the hunt was the fun. Killing was when the work started. That is the reason I returned to hunting with a longbow as in my youth. It is great to just be out in nature and enjoy life besides I need to lose weight anyway.  

[justtrying]

Catch and release to me is about having good fishing for my grandchildren. It does not hurt to keep a few to eat. It is the fishermen you keep all the legal fish they catch just to show off their skill and then end up throwing them in the trash rather than eating them that bother me.

myself paparock - i agree w/you 100% on that statement

[texasbass1]

I agree with Rebb, I fish for the challenge of the catch. By releasing the fish they are their for the next trip. I will not begrudge someone who want to catch and keep a legal limit to eat. But if I want fish, I'll catch cats, or stripers.