Makes me sick.

[preach4bass]

A couple of weeks ago a buddy of mine went to Guntersville with a group of over 20 guys from KY to go bass fishing.  They are strictly catch and release at their home lakes, but at Guntersville they keep everything they catch.  Thankfully, the weather messed them up and they didn't catch as many as they could have!  Still, every year they go and fish for several days and bring hundreds of bass out of the lake (because they're not hurting THEIR home waters).

There's only one word to describe that: SELFISH

[biteme]

Are you guys kidding me with this, maybe he needs the food stuff! Does anyone know what it cost's to go fishing these days? Here on the West coat we're up to 3.30 a gallon for gas. Almost every place that has fish like that will cost ya about 15.00 to fish. Now lets add the tackle to catch  hawgs like those. Odds are he's throwing some swimbaits that cost a pretty penny. It would be cheaper to run to the store and buy a nice Tbone!

The more of this stuff I see and meet guys like this they seem to have the show off complex. They're looking to impress the guy next door. Fourbizzle, I would love to take this guy fishing. Just to ask him why! Then go over why its a good idea to release fish like those. If you can make it happen hit me up. AKA fishonandon

[Glenn]

Ok guys, the same things are getting repeated over and over here.  So let's move on.

fyi - there's a ton of articles on this site in the "about bass" section regarding limits, selective harvest, keeping bass vs. release, etc. etc.  Great insight on how it all works together to make a very healthy fishery.

Thanks!

Glenn

[jomatty]

i almost hate to mention this because it is so obvious and no thinking person would be confused but...

bringing up american indians or george perry...nothing could be more irrelevant.  comparing the landscape and population of then and now is ridiculous.  even talking about someone from the 70s or 80s would be irrelevant because they were just not as well educated as we are today and didnt know the consequences of their actions.  comparing a relatively miniscule amount of native americans fishing strictly for substinence in areas that are so much less inhabited and "wilder" then anything we see these days could not be more irrelevant.  personally if is saw a wooly mammoth walking down the road i wouldnt hunt it but i dont begrudge those who hunted them when they were around for doing so.  thats about how relevant american indians and george perry is.

the whole food fishing argument is ridiculous.  if this guy needed to supplement his food source then he certainly wouldnt be targeting big bass.  not only that but judging by truck and such he is doing fine.  if i ever needed to track down a meal i dont think i would go throw a hudd all day and try to catch a 15 id get some plastic worms and know im gonna catch enough for a couple meals.

edit:

sorry i didnt see glenns closing of this thread when i posted and didnt mean to keep beating on this dead horse but just got a kick out of the american indian analogy

[justfishin]

Usually I am very conservative in my post in here but, this time I am going primal. Let me apologize first hand to Glenn and all of the mods and anyone else this offends but, let me make one thing clear on bringing home and killing these big fish for bragging rights. First to the guy whom did this, you are a not a sportsman by any definition of the word. Secondly to BaitMS, shut up stupid. :-?

[Glenn]

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[NCSenko]

Now let me preface what I'm about to say with that I am an almost exclusive catch-n-release fisherman.  I have kept one fish my entire life and that was, at the time, my largest bass ever and there were no such things as replica mounts, only skin mounts.

I much as I would like to see those beautiful fish released back to be caught again this guy has his rights.  Now I'm not a hunter, nor am I against hunting, but I'm sure many of you are hunters.  If you think of this in those terms then how can you disagree with him.  For those of you that hunt think about all the arguements you use to justify what you do to those people in society that look down upon you for hunting animals.  Most if not all those arguements apply here.  

[fourbizz]

I have hunted all my life. Hunting is not without ethical management either. Obviously releasing the animal is not a possibility, but selective harvest is not only possible, it is VERY important! I have yet to kill a trophy Elk, but I would only get a bull tag every few years, as opposed to the people that just go out and bang away at 6 points every year.

There are hunting zones that are much much better than some others. Why is this? Of course habitat, human population densities, predator concentration, available food, and other things come into play. But most often, these zones are managed in a way that greatly reduces the overall number of animals killed and to an even greater extent, limits the amount of trophy class animals that are harvested.

You may not be able to release the animals you kill, but you are most certainly capable of DECIDING which animals to take.

When it comes down to it, that is the nature of this whole issue. Decisions.  Often, the best decision, is an educated one.

[bassassinator]

Yeah, I get pretty torqed over this too. I have people tell me about the big ones they caught over the weekend and when I ask "what did ya do with it", the response is usually "I fried it"! We dont have many lakes with an abundance of big fish here is NW MO so my deal is to leave the big ones always! If ya want to eat some, great, but kill the smaller fish and leave the biger ones for the sport.

Here is a fish story....a true one, I threw a spinner into a log on a flat in Smithville last year.....a hawg hit that sucker like a ton of bricks...it was by far the largest bass I have ever hooked into....as it came to the top I really got excited. It could have swallowed a soft ball with that mouth! Really! No kiddin!

Anyway as I was getting the net I was thinking as soon as I get it into the livewell, I will call the wife to bring the camera, take several pics from all angles, I would get all the proper measurements and let it go. They make real nice replicas now days and I would have the pictures to back up my claimes. Well........she took a run, wrapped her self around a trot line (abandoned and untagged) and flipped free before I could get to her. (I will cut every abandoned trot line I see from now on)

The moral of the story is that we can leave even the big ones for next time.

[Guest avid]

comparing the ethics of hunting with the ethics of fishing is the classic "apples and oranges" scenario.

One has nothing to do with other.

[Ky_Lake_Dude]

It is so sickening.

                          When I catch my first bass over 8lbs I'm taking length and girth an gettin a fiberglass replica.

[Cephkiller]

I can't believe this discussion has gone on this long. What this guy is doing has nothing to do with selective harvest. That is a straw man argument. Selective harvest is removing smaller fish to allow the large fish to get bigger. Killing these hogs to allow other fish the chance to grow large - that is ridiculous. What he is doing may be legal, but it is certainly unethical. Condoning his behavior by saying it is legal will not work. I can think of countless examples of legal behavior that I condemn and I'm sure most of you can as well.

I think the emotional responses have clouded the issue here. I know I am certainly tempted to pounce on this lowlife chastise this individual myself, but if we all stop attacking and defending this man maybe we can reach a consensus. Can we at least agree that what this person is doing is harmful to the fisheries he frequents in however small a way? Can we agree that he and others who enjoy catching these large bass would be better off if he changes his ways?

[Guest avid]

I know I am certainly tempted to pounce on this lowlife

cool, can I watch?  

[Troutfisher]

I'll bring the popcorn and drinks.  BTW I'll be in the back room selling the bets.  I'm in for Cephkiller.  

[kodiak]

I am an avid quail hunter.   Any quail hunter who is a sportsman will never knock down the covey lower than 5 birds.  I consider this the same as selected harvest for bass.

[New Bass Man]

Lots of good points.  I believe the thing to remember is that everybody who fishes are not necessarily  sportsmen.  Most of us on this board bass fish as a sport.  Of course, we have a certain point of view about releasing big hawgs so others can catch em and have the fun we did.  But we are in the club so to speak.  We know the rules--written and unwritten.    

There is another camp of people who pleasure fish to keep the fish they catch.   They stock their freezers for the winter.  Nothing wrong with that.  These people buy fishing licenses just like we do and I don't recall my license restricting how big of fish I can keep.  Where is it written so ordinary fisherman know they shouldn't keep big bass?  People keep big catfish and nothing is ever said.  Big muskie--nothing.   Big croppie.  People keep big fish all the time.  

So I have a question for the sportmen.  Should we impose our code of conduct on pleasure fishmen or those who have no problems keeping a fish or two?  And let me say, I have no idea what that gentleman is doing with those fish.  

Nobody will ever win this debate because there is no absolute right answers.  It all comes down to what you believe.  And what you believe depends on what camp you belong.  The best we can expect from this discussion is a better understanding of the opposing point of view.  Iron sharpens Iron, right?  Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

I hope we can learn to accept other view points that may differ from our own.    Something I learned from Colin Powell.  Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position fails, your ego goes with it.  He also said, you can't make someone else's choices.  You shouldn't let someone else make yours.

[Cephkiller]

Big muskie--nothing.

You obviously haven't spent time around the same muskie fisherman I have.  They make the vitriole expressed here about bass look like child's play.

[Replica.]

Big muskie--nothing.

You obviously haven't spent time around the same muskie fisherman I have. They make the vitriole expressed here about bass look like child's play.

In Wisconsin and Minnesota if a big muskie stays in the boat, you go in the water. Catch and release of big muskie (of legal size) is an unwritten law.

[cart7t]

I hear ya dude.

Remember though, there is a line you do not want to cross. Voicing your opinion to the person (which I do, sometimes with tact, sometimes without) is a good thing. But if you cross the line and try and physically do something about it, I don't think thats right. They ARE within their rights to keep fish and we are within ours to object.

Why don't you fish with this guy and try and modify his behavior towards keeping these big bass?

Even if he's float tubing, the fact someone else is along to be able to take a photo of the thing while you're still on the water certainly couldn't hurt.

BTW, those meat shows do nothing to me. I'd be embarrassed to post shots like that on any bass fishing forum.

[Red]

Big muskie--nothing.

You obviously haven't spent time around the same muskie fisherman I have. They make the vitriole expressed here about bass look like child's play.

In Wisconsin and Minnesota if a big muskie stays in the boat, you go in the water. Catch and release of big muskie is an unwritten law.

i think they are making the minumum length limit for muskies in MN go up from 40 to 48"  i know the biggest fish i ever caught wasnt even a keeper!! 36 1/2 inches

[FisshhBill]

Before I will fish with someone I don't know, I'll ask 1 question: "If you catch a 5 lb Plus bass, would you have a problem letting it go"? I the answer is yes, then "You Ain't fishin' with me"! >

[Lucky Craft Man]

Big muskie--nothing.

I do a fair share of muskie fishing and know several guys who muskie fish exclusively and keeping a big muskie is unheard of.  These fish are almost worshipped and to kill one is about as bad as any crime you could commit.

The good news about that guy eating all those fish is with how water quality is going, he may develope a build up of mercury and his fishing days maybe cut short...

[edbassmaster]

so,.....what's his email? I'LL fish with him, no problem. Doesn't mean he'll be making it home that night,...but sure,...I'll go pop his float tube in 30 ft of water fishin' with this guy.

Sickening. :-/ >

LMAO!! Me Too. I caught a 2 lb bass at the local rez and some terd wanted it. I threw it right in the water in front of him and said " Sorry dude, I throw em back " If I ever catch a DD, I will get pics, kiss her and toss her. Id rather see her swim away than dead on my wall.

[Glenn]

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