I have a small problem with......

[Fish Chris]

The article on the home page here, "Are we overdoing Catch and Release" by Debra Dean.

I mean, yes, I agree with most of this article, and I tell people all the time that it can be helpful to "selectively harvest a few small to medium sized fish". Heck, I sure would...... If I liked the taste of bass. I prefer Halibut, and Salmon myself.

But anyway, my problem with this article, is that it is human nature, for people to read something like this, and "to take away 'only the parts' that will help themselves". So now they are thinking, "Yea'.... this person is a proffessional fisheries biologist, and she says it's a good thing to take a few fish...... So, it won't hurt anything if I kill this one giant Largemouth.... or this "lake record smallie".......

Thank God that young guy, Ryan L. did not read, or at least follow the advice of this article, or else I wouldn't have caught the fish of a lifetime ! And lucky for the next guy who catches that giant Smallie, that I didn't follow the advice of that article either.

So anyway, IMPO, "selective harvest" can be a great thing ! But their is NEVER a good reason to kill a giant, of ANY species of sportfish.

If only Mrs. Dean would stress this one important aspect, it would otherwise be a great article.

Fish

[Fishin Phil]

I agree and would add that as bass get bigger they don't taste the same. I would say 3 or 4 pounds is the biggest I would eat.

[Guest avid]

I was glad to see the article.

Not because I agree or disagree with any portion of it.

It's just that some things become "etched in stone" and nobody ever questions it.

This is dangerous, so just the fact that the question is being asked and looked into is good news for us and the bassies.

[.ghoti.]

Selective harvest can be an excellent management tool, if only people would do it. Catch and release has become an ingrained process, to the point that many anglers will not keep a bass under any circumstances. There are many fisheries that could benefit from selective harvest, but not all. The local regulations, with length limits, slot limits and harvest limits, are designed to manage the fishery. If we release all fish, we are, in some cases doing more harm than good.

Selective harvest means keeping a few small fish for the table, and releasing all the big fish. Perhaps the author assumed we all knew that. I agree with Chris, maybe it should have been emphasized.

There is no reason to kill a trophy sized fish. Not one. If you have to hang one on the wall, get a replica made.

Cheers,

GK

[Lightninrod]

Chris:  "True Dat!"

At the small ponds I fish in, I kill the dinks as the owner has asked me to do that but never a 3 lb+ Bass.  If a man needs to feed his family, then fine, keep some Bass but just not the bigger ones.

Dan

[CJ]

When I think "selective harvest",I'm thinkin' crappy!

[FishTank]

I think selective harvesting is good management tool when done in moderation.  A have a few select honey holes that are filled with small fish and I caught a few large ones that have appeared distented and sick.  They have big eyes and small stomachs.  For these fish, there needs to be a larger supply of food and growing room.

[Catt]

Selective harvesting can be a good thing or a bad thing depending solely on the body of water.  

[rboat]

selective harvest may help in some cases, but I believe nature takes care of it better than we do. Around here we have an abundance of natural predators that control bass populations with precision. If you want to eat fish go for pan fish they are more abundant, taste better, easier to catch, and also eat bass eggs and fry. I also agree with replica mounts. They are awesome, last forever, look great and let that trophy live to reproduce and let others have a shot at catching a big bass.

[Siebert Outdoors]

Chris: "True Dat!"

At the small ponds I fish in, I kill the dinks as the owner has asked me to do that but never a 3 lb+ Bass. If a man needs to feed his family, then fine, keep some Bass but just not the bigger ones.

Dan

same here.  Pull out the little ones.

[Wayne P.]

One of the lakes in Va. had a bass slot limit for years and it was eliminated this year. The reason was the practice of catch and release was working too well and having a slot limit for fishery management was no longer an effective tool. The stocking of fish is for recreational harvest and not the exclusive purpose of tournament fishing.

[roadwarrior]

It's all about how we define "selective harvest." I am in TOTAL agreement with Fish Chris. Selective harvest is not for big fish. Keeping smaller bass is generally positive for most waters. Keeping big fish, especcially bass, is NEVER in anyone's best interest.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Can someone direct me to any literature regarding criteria for selective harvest?

[roadwarrior]

Take a look at these sites: http://www.infisherman.com/PondLinks/index.html                                                                  

Iowa is a good example and has fairly staight foreward suggestions, but some of the othe DNR sites will (obiously) be state specific. Baically, fish removal is a function of the carrying capacity of a given body of water. Some lakes and ponds can handle greater density than others.

[senile1]

Fish Chris stated:

But anyway, my problem with this article, is that it is human nature, for people to read something like this, and "to take away 'only the parts' that will help themselves".

Fish Chris, you are right but the way I see it, leaving the big fish and only selectively harvesting smaller ones is helping myself and anyone else who wants to fish for a hawg in the future.  Save the Hawgs!!!

[clipper]

I go deep sea fishing once a year and bring home fish to eat.  They are so much better than black bass!  I also catch stocked trout and crappie for food.  Besides, I hate to clean fish and you can't give them away unless they are cleaned, washed, and frozen.

[Cephkiller]

Selective harvest only works if the agency controlling the water sets the limits correctly.  I live in an area with hundreds of sub 100 acre bodies of water under state DNR control.  All the lakes have a 14" limit and only a handful are worth fishing.  As soon as a fish reaches 14" the local rednecks kill it and eat it.  I have seen some good lakes ruined in just 1-3 years because of overfishing and yet the DNR maintains the status quo.  There are lakes around here where one can catch dozens of bass every day and 75% of them will be 13 3/4 " the rest will be smaller.  It's ridiculous and more than a little frustrating.  I have all this water around me and accessible, but I only fish probably fewer than ten regularly.

[aggiebassin]

"selective harvest" is how we manage all of our small bodies of water around.....or at least me anyway.  i have some friends that keep and eat 3 lbers regularly, and keep anything over that.  it makes me so mad!!! i can't stand it.  i grew up eating bass.  we catch and eat a bunch of 10"-13" bass.  but anything over 2# is thrown back into the water....unless they are gill hooked or somthing else that i think hurts it's chances of survival.

people have to realize that if you want to catch 8-10#ers that taking out some of the fish will reduce competition for food which will in turn increase the size of the fish.  and a 3-4#er is alot closer to 8# than a 1# and will get there faster

[Guest the_muddy_man]

heres my.02 I pay my licience every year, I fish leagally and have only killed 2 fish in 9 years b/c they were gut hooked. The first 10 bass i ever catch(if ever) is going on my wall and it really aint nioine of anybody elses business. I dont throw em back so someone else can get a record and if I fish for 30 years and only catch and kill one ten pounder I aint loosin any sleep over it.

 

[Yakfish]

heres my.02 I pay my licience every year, I fish leagally and have only killed 2 fish in 9 years b/c they were gut hooked. The first 10 bass i ever catch(if ever) is going on my wall and it really aint nioine of anybody elses business. I dont throw em back so someone else can get a record and if I fish for 30 years and only catch and kill one ten pounder I aint loosin any sleep over it.

I agree with and practice catch and release but it's hard to argue with muddy man's logic. If I ever catch a potential record or even just a real pig (yeah, I sometimes daydream  ) whether or not to throw her back wouldn't be an easy decision.