Under what conditions would you KEEP a bass?

[t bend tex]

I generally keep all from the legal min (14" in Texas) up to about 18"- all that is within the legal creel limit.   My family and friends enjoy eating fish and I am happy to supply when I can.

As far as taste is concerned, I recently served a mix of bass, crappie, and walleye- and no one could tell me what fish he was eating- if those species are prepared and cooked the same, they are all good eatin'.

99% of those over 18" go back in the lake-  if I caught a "record", she would not go on the wall, but be given to the sharelunker program in Texas.

Larry G

[HesterIsGod]

I only kept bass 2 times last year and they were because

1.A small private pond I fish had way too many small fish and all the fish were skinny and long, and the owner knew I was decent at bass fishing and asked me to remove some smaller 1/2 to 2 pounders.

2. I hooked a bass deep down in the throat and a little in the gills and there was no way of him surviving so I kept him and a few bluegill for dinner.

[.dsaavedra.]

i'd keep a bass if i was hungry for bass.

i'd keep a bass if i gut hooked it and tried to release it but it wasnt swimming away.

i'd keep a bass if it beat world record and get it mounted. state record, i'd just get a replica.

[Bassackward]

Catt....you are absolutely correct!! I dont know about everyone else, but I get really excited when I catch a "larger than average" bass.  If nobody kept any bass, this would never happen!! I hate eating fish...have hated it sense birth, but you have to look at the big picture.  If fish are overpopulating a body of water, they will soon start to fight for resources...therefore, the average size of the fish will greatly decrease within a few years.  I think that selective harvesting is correct.........when done properly!!

[Catt]

I think that selective harvesting is correct.........when done properly!!

That my friend is the key, each body of water is different, and the selective harvesting should be done under a biologist supervision.

[Fish Chris]

And on a side note, speaking only for our waters here in Nor Cal, we actually have a LOT more lakes with too many smaller fish, and very few big ones, than we do lakes which have low populations of bass overall, but good numbers of big ones. Of course being a trophy angler, the latter are the lakes I prefer  ;-)

Just too many guys here in Nor Cal releasing too many smaller fish. I'm guilty too though. Of course I'm not targeting smaller fish.... But even so, I do accidentally stick a few. I just don't even like the taste of bass, and just don't have the time to deal with them.

Keeping smaller fish would just be a pain in the bass, but releasing the big ones is always an easy thing for me.

Peace,

Fish

[paul.]

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)

any trip that I get a "teener" is still a great trip

chris, buddy, you've got no idea how much i'd love to posess the skills to have this kind of perspective on bass fishin'.  any trip i get a teener results in no sleep for 3 days and euphoric state of such proportions it borders on a full-blown manic episode, putting me at serious risk of psychiatric hospitalization.      very fortunately for my poor family, this phenomenon of unprecedented luck has only occured to me twice. ;D  any YEAR i get a "teener" is a great YEAR.   just havin' some fun with ya.  i've said it before, you're the man buddy!

anyway, the question was "what conditions would i keep a bass under"?

the answer?  i would keep a small bass "under" about 5 inches of hot cooking oil with a nice coating of cornmeal.   ;D.  

but i do release all the biggun's i'm blessed enough to get.

 

[Fish Chris]

I'm flattered....

But like I always say; Take anybody on this forum (or on the lake) let them fish as much as I do, in the places I do, {then assuming the same amounts of persistence, patience, and passion}....... and Bam ! > All kinds of giant fish.

Peace,

Fish

[luger306]

I always fish the slot if they have one if not I go by the law I never take more than we can eat so they don't go to waste we love fish and if I catch a big one it goes to the breading program in Louisiana

[32251]

My brother lives on a nice healthy 50 acre lake.  The neighbor association sends around a report on the lake that comes from the company that oversees the lake with fertilizer and other good stuff they put in the lake along with doing the test to see how the fish population is doing.  They give reccomendations on which fish to keep and what size in order to maintain good ratios.  Some fish of certain sizes they tell you keep or even just throw away to keep from ruining the lake.  C@R is great...until it ruins your fishing spot.

[Guest muddy]

If I was standing on the corner on Flatbush Ave,, some guy comes out of the shawdows and says  "psssttt!  hold these Bass for me" and never comes back for it

[oxbowbass]

I release them all, simply because I don't care to clean and cook fish.  LMB in particular do not appeal to me.

Fortunately my main lake is quite healthy.  I suspect the pike are taking their share of the smaller bass and keeping the population balanced.

[ba7ss3in]

I stopped keeping bass about 5 years ago. If I want some fish to eat  I will catch crappie, brim, or catfish. I have given bass to others on the lake if I thought that it was not going to survive.

[fooman]

100 % CPR

Had a 8.5 I released and had a replica made..I think the replicas look alot better..

A couple years ago the sportsmans club I belong to needed to thin out the smaller bass so I took 3 home to eat and thought they tasted like crap(nothing like crappie) so after that ,the bass I kept were transfered to a new pond

[Popeye]

Only if I intended to eat it. However, since there are better tasting fish for the table, i.e. crappie, perch, walleye, catfish, I'd fish for those to eat. I pretty much C&R all the bass I have caught.

[Tokyo Tony]

I only keep the big ugly ones (5 lbs+).  The little ones are too cute so I let them go because they have their future ahead!

Lol, just kidding - I would only keep one if it were a state/world record.  That's it.

[fishizzle]

never..pictures last longer

[Daniel My Brother]

I only keep the ones that look delicious.

[Terry_]

I keep a couple under 2 pounds probably three times a year for the table. I have mounted 2 and I don't think I will mount another, but you never know. Other than that, everything goes back in the water.

[RWHusker.]

Im sitting here at my desk looking at a picture of a almost 7lber I kept 12 years ago as a proud rookie bass fisherman.  I don't feel the pride seeing it on my porch as I do of the many I have released since.  I release everything of size and have had no reason to keep any smaller ones recently.  I have a couple of lakes that encourage selective harvesting and I would have no problem doing so if we were going to have a fry.

GO BIG RED

[Fish Chris]

Ya' gotta' be careful mounting a bass..... You don't want to get scales on your #@$% :-)

Seriously though, skin mounts are a dying art form. Many of the best fish art masters, won't even mess with a dead fish carcass anymore. Too much work, and they most often don't come out as nice as the best replicas anyway..... Not to mention, they won't last as long, before they start to turn yellow, scales lift, skin deteriorates, etc.

Fiberglass takes paint much better than skin, and will pretty much last more than a lifetime.

Plus, you can have a nice 8 x 10 of the actual fish below, and have the additional bragging point of, "And I released her too"..... Not to mention, > The chance of sticking her again, when she has grown to be even bigger !

Can't wait for the replica of my 8.5 lb Smallie :-)

....and my 20+ lb Largemouth ! ..... Oh wait a minute, I haven't caught that one yet ;-)

Peace,

Fish

[Fish Chris]

That was a GREAT answer ! :-) Don't you just hate it when that happens ? :-) LOL

Peace,

Fish

[Fish Man]

i know that in general a skin mount will deteriorate but we have a rockfish my grandfather caught in the 80's and is still going strong......are we jsut lucky or do better mounts last longer??

[Fish Chris]

I'd say that one skin mount might vary from the next, because of how well it was cured in the first place, as well as how it was treated in the years theirafter. No temperature extremes, low humidity, etc.

Either way, given all the same conditions, fiberglass is guaranteed to last much longer.

Peace,

Fish

[maxke01]

At this stage of fishing i would only keep something 5lb + for mounting aside from that im 100% C&R