Catch & release or keep?

[Fendercaster]

I've been bass fishing since the mid '70's. I joined B.A.S.S. back then and for the last 30 years, catch and release all bass has been pounded into my head. Until the 1st of this year, I lived in Maryland and threw ALL bass back. Since I've moved to Georgia, I've hooked up (no pun intended) with a fishing buddy who keeps a good number of the bass he catches. I've really got mixed feelings about this. I know he eats them and doesn't waste the fish, but do any of y'all also keep bass to eat? I know bass are more plentiful down here and grow larger than in Maryland, but is catch and release still the general rule? If I want to catch fish to eat, I'll go catfishing, I personally prefer to release bass.

Thanks for your responses.

[tallydude]

I never keep bass. There are too many fish out there that taste better. Besides, how could I kill something that gives me that much fun?

[Bassin69]

I always release...

:'( don't have the heart to kill a bass

[Cajun1977]

i also fish with some who keep bass...but only when we are in their boat, in my boat the rules are simple no keeping fish

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I have a hard time keeping respect for those that keep bass unless it is out of necessity.  I know it's harsh but it's how I feel.

BTW- Rainbow trout, farm raised, $3.59/lb and actually tastes good too.

[Raul]

C&R is a not a rule, C&R is a choice.

I don 't keep bass for the table but I have no problem nor mixed feelings if someone fishing with me decides to keep the bass he caught as long as he keeps a limit. If I want to eat fish I just go and purchase hatchery raised fish.

[mattm]

I know i'm new in here, and this is kind of a sticky subject but is it a big deal if some people are keeping fish.  I always catch and release everything(have never kept a one).  However we all agree that some bass need to be taken.  If we all fished liked most of us do wouldn't everything become over populated.  I also understand that if he's keeping anything larger than say 3.5 thats probably not good, and unacceptable in my book.  To me if people want to go and keep the small ones they catch that is good.  Mainly b/c I have no interest in taking them home and cleaning them.  So basically the guy that keeps all his small ones is doing several peoples part of selected harvest.  Also I believe that Georgia Fish and Game would step in and set limits if there was a problem.

[David P]

Every time people that aren't bass fishers find out I release all my fish, they think I'm crazy and ask why.

I don't see why it's such a big shock...

There's 100 other types of fish that are easier to catch, cheaper to catch (in many cases), and taste better.

I fish for sport, I love the enjoyment of catching a big bass and having that crazy fight and anticipation upon seeing it surface.

I then thank the fish by releasing the fish , and maybe i'll catch'm again but 10lbs bigger!

Only time I'd ever keep a bass is if I rip a gill, or the fish is for sure going to die. Thank god this has never happened to me, and fingers crossed, it never will.

[alhuff]

I don't keep bass but my dad does when we go fishing together, he keeps them to eat.

It really only bugs me when people keep the large bass, smaller ones need to be thined out, but only a few, not everyone you catch.  

My dad always taught us that if you are not going to eat what you kill then don't kill it, as long as then person keeping the fish is going to eat it then thats ok.

My 2cents,

Alfred

[Guest avid]

I wouldn't let my budies desire to keep and eat bass get between us.

If he's keeping shorts, or exceeding the limit, then it's a different story, but the guy is eating them.

Obviously he thinks they taste........well, good enough to eat  8-)

Without being preachy, I would take some opportunities to try and educate him to the value of C&R.  Especially when it comes to big bass.

[moloch16]

In general I don't like killing animals, and I especially don't like cleaning animals to eat  However keeping some bass is not a big deal.  Bass reproduce readily enough.  In fact taking some of the smaller ones is a good idea in most waters.  Killing a lunker just doesn't make sense though, for obvious reasons.

[David P]

The thing that really gets to me, is when I'm fishing at a dock with another person or even a few other people, and I'm the only one catching bass, they always see me release them, and ask if they can have the next one..

 It puts me in an awkward position, I always say no, but I'm a nice guy and dont' want people to think i'm an a-hole..

To me, if I was going to keep fish, it takes away the fun if you dont' catch it yourself..

Does this happen to you guys when fishing around others?

[Sam]

The only time I have heard that you should remove the fish from the water is when the lake or pond is overrun with small bass and there is not enough food for the rest of the population.

Otherwise, ALL freshwater fish are thrown back.

I only eat saltwater fish.  

Leading the list is redfish, then speckled trout, bluefish, gaftop catfish and salmon.

If you want to catch them again, you just got to throw them back.

[Cigarlover 1]

I fish for Bass for the sport of it. I release any Bass I catch. If I'm hungry I'll fish for Crappie.   Like Avid said maybe try to educate him a little on what it can do to the place you fish if a lot of people are keeping fish like him. Especially if your fishing a small pond or something.

[nra4life]

i dont keep bass very often either.  If i want to eat something, ill take a half hour and fish for crappies and bluegills

[Catt]

It's all depends on the body of water selective harvesting is necessary on certain bodies of water other wise you are doing more harm than good. On my home lake of Toledo Bend you could not do any damage to the bass population by keeping a legal limit of 8 bass over 14. Even during peak fishing times like pre-spawn, Memorial Day, Labor Day, & the week of the 4th of July there is not enough pressure to harm this lake.  

[jdw174]

I agree with most of you.  I'd feel like a cannibal eating a bass.  Just the way it is.  If I want to eat fish there isn't an eatery around this neck of the woods that doesn't serve up a dandy southern-fried catfish dinner  Or I could just go and fish for shellcrackers/bluegill/crappie.  If you want to see something that brings tears to your eyes you should hit some of the resorts around here in the spring and see what goes on the table in the fish cleaning shacks.  If it's legal it gets killed.  I've seen far too many 5+ LM go under the fillet knife :-[   Once I saw a couple of old-timers come in as I was launching.  They wanted to show me their fish.  They had two limits of 4lb smallies they were gonna eat.   :-/  Darn near put me in tears......

[jomatty]

i fully understand what you guys are saying about c&r and personally practice it 100% of the time (actually that is not true i have kept one bass in the last 3 years when my son and i struck out crappie fishing and he had been promised a fish fry on a camping trip), but i think sometimes people do not draw the line between keeping and eating a 14 inch fish and a large bass.  very few healthy fisheries do not have and abundance of smaller fish, and if someone wants to eat some then i think that is fine.  it bothers me much more when folks kill a big one for any reason, be it to eat or for a skin mount.  i know some folks seem to think that c&r is the rule except for that once in a lifetime monster, and i think that is a lot worse than routinely keeping a limit of smaller fish.  if it is legal than i wouldnt say anything but thats how i feel anyways.

tbh i think i could do a service to a number of places i fish by keeping bass but i just dont do it, mainly because i dont want to deal with it.  call me a wimp but it is a pain to clean fish and take em home to eat.  if im camping and go crappie fishing it is a different story but i just dont have the time and energy to deal with a bunch of fish cleaning and whatnot.

matt

[Garnet]

C&R has went to far. Theres several generation that believe anything but catch and release is bad.

On most lakes bass would not be the specie I chosse to catch and consume but I have and will continue on certain lakes.

Nobody should feel bad about selective harvest.

Garnet

[telecaster]

I allways release bass,not that I have a problem with keeping them to eat,I just dont care for it as food.I'll keep catfish and trout,other fish for table fare.

[snapperd1]

I have no problem with either point of view.  I release most bass I catch, but have no problem with someone that wants to keep a legally caught fish.  Now tuna fish watch out I will keep any legal ones I can.  I however have a problem with all the people that keep the 5+ bass to have them weight in the throw the fish in the dumpster.  Kill to get a citation is crazy in my book.  Killing to get a wall mount is crazy, when most taxidermists can do a fiberglass replica with some good pictures and measurements.

TD

[-badhabit-]

The only fish that are allowed to be kept anywhere around me are ones that may have swallowed the hook and are bleeding. It does happen once in a while I don't eat any type of fish or seafood myself anyway.....(beef & pork only for me...... no yardbird either).

When I was a guide in the 80's I had to allow the customers to keep one fish if they desired by my employers rules and sometimes it broke my heart because of my love for the sport. Big fish spawn big fish. I have only had two fish mounted and that was over 20 yrs ago (11 3/4 & 12 1/2).

I do hope that if someone does keep fish that they choose to keep only fish 1 lb - 3 lb so that the larger fish will multiply for their children's children to enjoy just as they have. Now that bass fishing has become "cool" and the sport has grown so rapidly it has had a negative effect on the bass population in the more high pressured lakes/rivers. As someone who has fished only for bass for close to three decades I have noticed the decline in the bass population first hand here in FL.

A picture with a nice frame is much cheaper than a mounted fish and gets a lot more respect from me.

"A picture can be worth thousands of baby bass in the future!"

just my .02

[grimlin]

The thing that really gets to me, is when I'm fishing at a dock with another person or even a few other people, and I'm the only one catching bass, they always see me release them, and ask if they can have the next one..

 It puts me in an awkward position, I always say no, but I'm a nice guy and dont' want people to think i'm an a-hole..

To me, if I was going to keep fish, it takes away the fun if you dont' catch it yourself..

Does this happen to you guys when fishing around others?

yeah i got the same problem...you know what i usally do? Leave.....sadly enough.I'll go to another fishing spot away from everybody.This is why i like fishing alone.The lake i fish everybody seems to keep everything they catch and i can't figure out why.

[Guest avid]

The thing that really gets to me, is when I'm fishing at a dock with another person or even a few other people, and I'm the only one catching bass, they always see me release them, and ask if they can have the next one..

 It puts me in an awkward position, I always say no, but I'm a nice guy and dont' want people to think i'm an a-hole..

To me, if I was going to keep fish, it takes away the fun if you dont' catch it yourself..

Does this happen to you guys when fishing around others?

Absolutely.

It has happened to me on a number of occasions over the years and yes it is very awkward.

I have a few places where I fish alongside of poor folk.  I'm talking cane poles and straw hats.  I will always share a few eatin' size fish with them.

Other than that, like you I just say "nah, I'm just here to keep in shape for a big tournament that's coming up.  It's bad luck if I keep any fish"  Then I just start yammerin away about all my superstitions.   They sorta look at me funny as they slowly take backwards steps.  

Works like a charm  

[Fish Chris]

Catch and Release is generally a good thing. Problem is, in many cases, people have just taken it too far, releasing small fish back into places that already have "too many small fish" and not enough food and space.

Selective Harvest takes it to the next level, although this requires much more thought, and knowledge of each particular body of water in question, as every fishery is different. Just to simply things a bit; If you go to a lake and always catch lots of small fish, but rarely catch (or hear of any) big ones, this lake would likely be a good candidate for Selective Harvest. On the other hand, if you know of a lake where numbers of smaller fish are tough to catch, but every now and again, it kicks out a hawg, it's probably best to C/R from this place {and to send me a PM with directions, and spots ;-)}

BTW, I believe that C/R and / or Selective Harvest, are a good thing (which I practice) for ALL sportfish, not just bass.

Peace,

Fish