Under what conditions would you KEEP a bass?

[FivePoundBluegill]

Just wondering how it is for you guys...

For me I am a 100% catch and release guy. However there is a situation where I would keep a bass. That situation is if I catch a state record bass or better. That is the only time I would EVER keep any bass for a wall mount or anything else....

How is it with you guys? I know some of you guys like to keep smaller bass from overpopulated lakes for the table because it helps increase the size of the average bass in those lakes. Others like to release 90% of their catches but keep a fish for a wall mount if its a trophy. Just wondering how this works with most of you guys?

Again for me I am a 100% catch and release fisherman...unless of course i get a state or world record fish...

[Cory20]

If it's big enough to eat and not going to make it.

If I'm hungry and the fish is big enough to eat but not a big fish for the lake.

I would release any record fish, after taking a picture, weight and measurements.

[Fish Man]

for me it would be a state record or at least 7.5 pounds.....but to tell you the truth i could keep a bass of any size and i probobly wouldnt give it a second thought or lose and sleep over it as long as i or somone else eats it, i C&R but im not a fanatic and i dont plac e abass as being any beter than any other fish

[Guest avid]

I haven't kept a bass in many years.  That's not to say I won't.  I could decide to keep a chunky 2-3 lber for dinner.

About the only time I would ABSOLUTLELY keep a bass is if I caught one that I thought was a state or world record.  I don't think much about it cause the likelyhood is slim to none, but in florida.....who know's?

I might even kill it immediately to prevent it from regurgitating those few ounces that could mean the difference between the record and a close but no cigar bass.

Like I said, I don't fret about it much, if it happens I'll figure out then.

[alger319]

the only way i'd keep one is if it's 10+.  though i do fish a semi-private lake that i have property on and sometimes keep some fish to eat (but never any over 2 lbs. ) if im consistantly catching small ones.. i try my best to keep my little private lake in check but realize it really doesnt even make a dent.

[tfisherman]

We sometimes eat smaller bass (2lbs) but not as much as we use to, now it's probably crappie for the table instead.

At this stage in my life a Lg mouth 10+ and a sm mouth 6+ would go on my wall anything else released ASAP!

I hope I'm not offending anybody by saying this but it kills me to see people keeping 4+lb bass for eating  > I was talking to a guy from out of state years ago at the dock and he told me he had the weekend of his life 4lb'r after 4lb'r and a couple over 6lbs. At first I was like yeah right until he started pulling them out of the live well. I shook his hand but was still confused until he said he was putting them in the cooler and taking back to his home state to cook them up!!

I thought what a waste and a terrible loss for the population of bass that spring. I don't know if he caught them legally but he could have won a ton of money fishing a tourney that weekend. I can't believe a man that pays that much for a bass boat can still see a 4+lb bass as food let alone a whole cooler full??

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

We sometimes eat smaller bass (2lbs) but not as much as we use to, now it's probably crappie for the table instead.

At this stage in my life a Lg mouth 10+ and a sm mouth 6+ would go on my wall anything else released ASAP!

I hope I'm not offending anybody by saying this but it kills me to see people keeping 4+lb bass for eating > I was talking to a guy from out of state years ago at the dock and he told me he had the weekend of his life 4lb'r after 4lb'r and a couple over 6lbs. At first I was like yeah right until he started pulling them out of the live well. I shook his hand but was still confused until he said he was putting them in the cooler and taking back to his home state to cook them up!!

I thought what a waste and a terrible loss for the population of bass that spring. I don't know if he caught them legally but he could have won a ton of money fishing a tourney that weekend. I can't believe a man that pays that much for a bass boat can still see a 4+lb bass as food let alone a whole cooler full??

what a shame!

I wont keep any at all,I cant stand to clean them nor do I think bass are the greatest to eat.Would rather eat crappie.Even If I get a bleeder I try to return it to the water asap.I know that most of the time the fish wont make it but...if it does then great.

 If I caught a 15+ I would have to consider mounting it.I got a few over ten and one around 13,never thought twice about keeping it.I actually loved watching them swim away.

[Gatorbassman]

I keep bass if they don't make it. I keep four or five every time I am teaching survival skills to Boy Scouts. Other than that I don't keep them. Even if they are records.

[TI_Bassin]

The only time for me is if its not going to survive.

[burleytog]

[Pond Hopper]

I fish alot of small farm ponds and I keep some of the little guys just to aid in the selective harvest as very few people fish the ponds and hardly no one keeps bass.  The result of not doing this is a pond full of 8-10 inch bass.

[Oscar O.]

The only time i would keep a bass, unlike my father, would be if there is no chance of survival and/or it is a state/world record. By the time a fish hits world record size it would be pretty close to the end for it. Unless it was spring time because i would like to be able to know that there is a line of big genes coming from that fish!  

[Catt]

Y'all got this catch & release thing backwards; the state or world record bass are the ones you want to release. Y'all need to do some serious research on Selective Harvesting; releasing 100% of your bass can be worst than keeping them. I would suggest y'all do some reading over at Texas Parks & Wildlife and try to understand why this state is producing such numbers of double digit bass from such a large variety of lakes. With programs like the Share-A-Lunker program and others TP&W has convinced angles to keep smaller bass while giving the 10+ bass to them for breeding in captivity insuring the gene pool.

Yea on occasion I'll keep a limit of small bass and anyone saying it's a shame clearly doesn't not understand Selective Harvesting and are doing more harm than I am.

[ww2farmer]

I keep a limit or two of 12" fish a year from public water,. Out of my ponds I usually "dispose" of  quite few 10" fish every year to keep them from over populating.

[ABC123]

Y'all got this catch & release thing backwards; the state or world record bass are the ones you want to release. Y'all need to do some serious research on Selective Harvesting; releasing 100% of your bass can be worst than keeping them. I would suggest y'all do some reading over at Texas Parks & Wildlife and try to understand why this state is producing such numbers of double digit bass from such a large variety of lakes. With programs like the Share-A-Lunker program and others TP&W has convinced angles to keep smaller bass while giving the 10+ bass to them for breeding in captivity insuring the gene pool.

Yea on occasion I'll keep a limit of small bass and anyone saying it's a shame clearly doesn't not understand Selective Harvesting and are doing more harm than I am.

We have a lake up here that is catch and release only. The fishing is great, but.....people have been compaining that there is something wrong with the lake becouse all the fish are long, but have poor girths. Um, gee, I wonder why. There isn't enough food to feed all the fish. Unlike people, a fat fish is a healthy fish.

If the bite is hot, I'll keep a couple to make a meal, but generally, I go for Crappies and 'Eye's for food.

[Other.]

The only circumstances I would keep a fish is if the fish I caught has a terrible disease or the bass will not make it after release due to me. However that has never happen to me with a bass only saltwater fish. I am hopping I will never have to kill any bass though.

[fishfordollars]

I fish a lot of lakes with a 14-21 in slot. Will keep five under the slot every trip to try to keep the smaller ones thinned out. most of my friends do the same. It works, three weeks ago one of my friends fished this lake(Lake Nacogdoches) and had 4 over seven pounds in the first half hour. Caught a 7 and an 8 on one cast on a crankbait. I have the email with pictures but do not know how to load it. If anyone cares to see the fish and the article I will send it to them and they can put it up if they like.

[Crestliner2008]

I'm a diehard CPR fisherman; will only keep one badly injured, but we probably should keep more in the 2# range to keep the population more on the large size. That being said, now we're getting more input from state DNR's NOT to eat the fish, due to contaminants. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[Jake.]

If I were deserted on an island in the middle of nowhere with no food. With Crappie it's a different story though.  

[Fish Chris]

Catt is "kind of right" {a World record bass is the exception. First off, it needs to be scrutinized from "the inside out", and secondly, what would one gain by releasing it ? A WR is a WR is a WR ! I don't care if its 22.8, or 50 dang lbs}...... Their are certainly some people here who have the whole C/R thing backwards. It's okay to keep a few smaller ones, here or there (Selective Harvest can be a great thing) but to release every bass for years and years, then one day an angler finally gets that 10 plus Largemouth, or 6 plus Smallie..... and kills it ? Huh ? I call this "reverse selective harvest". This would be the single, most important fish to release. Besides, doesn't the angler want to be able to show off his catch ? Show em' a beautiful replica, and watch them drool...... OR, show them a skin mount, and watch their stomachs turn. It's just not logical.

Besides, why would a guy want to hurt his own chances of catching an even bigger bass in the future ? I've C/R'd, then re-C/R'd many big bass to over 13 lbs in the past (some of those in HUGE impoundments). Why couldn't you ?

Peace,

Fish

PS, Heaven forbid I should ever kill (from deep hooking) a big bass (even if it were only like say a 10 to 14 lb'er..... In other words, not one that I'd need a replica for) I'd probably still donate it to a place who makes replica molds, as that fish might make a really nice mold, for replicas, for a bunch of C/R guys in the future.

[mattm]

(even if it were only like say a 10 to 14 lb'er..... In other words, not one that I'd need a replica for)

Must be nice to be able to say that.

[Fish Chris]

any trip that I get a "teener" is still a great trip :-)

Peace,

Fish

[dumb_dog11]

dude, you should really release the trophy bass. All you have to do is measure weight length and girth and take some pics and ppl can make mounts from that. put ur trophy bass back and try to catch it again the next day.

DON'T KEEP TROPHY FISH

[Cajun1977]

i would keep a state record fish, if a fish dies due to me i would give it away cause im not really a fish eater, but these are the 2 scenarios where i would keep a bass

[sal669]

I make sure I keep some bass just above the legal limit every year , on every lake I regularly fish. I decide how many depending on the feel I get while fishing. If I catch a lot of "pounders" and hardly any bigger than 3-4 lpb, I'll start "thinning" them.

Even though we preffer walleye , perch or crappie, all fish gets eaten.

Young fish tastes better than old ones !! Everything over 2lb goes back to make babies, even if I'm not sure it'll survive.