Catch & Release Vs. Keep and eat

[Bankc]

In Oklahoma, the Department of Wildlife Conservation has been running some surveys in our lakes and in February of this year announced that people aren't keeping enough black bass anymore.  They have virtually no natural predators once they reach about a pound, outside of maybe a few aggressive and large catfish, and they're getting stunted in their growth and hurting their own populations with their numbers.  

 

I won't be keeping them though.  I don't like the taste of bass.  But I'll support those that do.  

 

Every body of water will be different, and if you're concerned about the environment, ask your local regulators what their opinions are on the matter.  In some waters, catch and release is helpful.  On others, it will be harmful.  There's not a one-size-fits-all answer.  So ask the people who study this for a living.  

[Zcoker]

Here in Florida the FWC just passed a law for Headwaters lake in Fellsmere: catch and release only, circle hooks only if using live bait. The general challenge for them during their deliberations was on how to protect trophy bass fisheries in Florida. And excluding catch and keep seemed to be a big part of that. 

[thediscochef]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I wasn't even a member of BR when this thread started!

 

There's nothing wrong with selective harvest of smaller bass out of a system.  Studies have actually proven that removing a few 12 inch bass from time to time is beneficial.  I don't personally keep them because there are better table options here, but then again I am almost exclusively a catch n release kinda guy with every species.  I certainly would not keep a fish of any species while it is spawning either.

 

The problem starts when you start removing larger fish from the system regularly.  Medium to large sized fish are the female spawning biomass.  If you want it to self-reproduce, you should be releasing those fish.  Nothing over about 2 pounds should be kept.  A 3 pounder is too big to keep IMO.  This problem is very evident with our stunted pike population here in Minnesota.  Too many large pike were harvested and now our lakes are primarily composed of aggressive overpopulated small hammer handles.

I've never caught an lmb over 2ish# that looked good to eat

[gunsinger]

The lake I fish says keep anything under 14" but I'm 98% C&R.  The exceptions are if the fish is wounded or someone I know is wanting some to eat.

[volzfan59]

Other than a few saltwater species, I'm not much of a fish eater so I am 100%catch and release. If I gut hook one, which rarely happens, I'll give it to one of my neighbors. I will eat crappie or bluegill on rare occasions, but I can't even remember the last time that happened.

 

All of that said, if someone is legally fishing, take some home if you want.

[CM-fisher]

On 8/14/2008 at 11:00 AM, 32251 said:

I see nothing wrong with keeping a few "eating size" fish. I don't know about taking 50 or 60 crappie or bream at a time. You should just take enough for a good meal.

Try telling this to ice fishermen or walleye guys here in MN. They bring a bunch of buddies with them and keep a full limit every time. Heck, if I want to eat some crappie for dinner I'll catch 3-4 keeper sized fish and leave it at that. Not many people need to keep fish for the freezer, so I think you should keep enough for one meal and if you want more you should go out another time. As for bass, I don't keep them because they are not my favorite fish to eat by far compared to panfish and perch. I like the sport of bass fishing and believe especially in releasing fish to spawn again.

I also just realized that this thread started in 2008. whoops

[gim]

3 minutes ago, MN_Bassin24 said:

Try telling this to ice fishermen or walleye guys here in MN.

Let's not go down that road.  All it does is rile me up.

[thediscochef]

3 minutes ago, MN_Bassin24 said:

I also just realized that this thread started in 2008. whoops

We're all zombieposting, embrace the continuity ?

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, thediscochef said:

I've never caught an lmb over 2ish# that looked good to eat

You eat with your eyes? Hogs aren’t too cute but very delicious 

[gim]

Let's ask @jbsoonerfan fan how that jack rabbit tasted that ran across the pasture.  "There's a meal right there."  LOL

[TnRiver46]

Y’all just keep buying your steroid chickens off 18 wheelers and leave the bass for me 

[thediscochef]

23 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

You eat with your eyes? Hogs aren’t too cute but very delicious

I definitely can't tell what's good eating without looking at it first, so yes, I use my eyes in the process of deciding what I would like to eat. A smaller, cleaner looking LMB looks tastier than a 5# beat up fish. You have a choice between two hogs, one looks old and battered, the other looks young and tender. Which one do you think will eat better? You're out here for me today lmao

[jbsoonerfan]

25 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Let's ask @jbsoonerfan fan how that jack rabbit tasted that ran across the pasture.  "There's a meal right there."  LOL

I would rather die.

[TnRiver46]

6 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

I definitely can't tell what's good eating without looking at it first, so yes, I use my eyes in the process of deciding what I would like to eat. A smaller, cleaner looking LMB looks tastier than a 5# beat up fish. You have a choice between two hogs, one looks old and battered, the other looks young and tender. Which one do you think will eat better? You're out here for me today lmao

Raccoons are way cuter than hogs, I dare you to eat one.
 

In 2020 I caught a 5 lb largemouth in 80 degree water in south Alabama, gut hooked on a stick bait. It was turning upside down and coughing up blood in the livewell. I was driving home they day, chucked the bass meat in a cooler and drove 7 hours. When I arrived home, the wife said I’m hungry and we have nothing thawed. I tried that bass and she said it was the best fish she’s ever had, and she was raised on Lake Erie walleye and perch………. Amazing things can happen when you open your mind and try it 

 

edit: found the pic of that very bass

[thediscochef]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Raccoons are way cuter than hogs, I dare you to eat one.
 

In 2020 I caught a 5 lb largemouth in 80 degree water in south Alabama, gut hooked on a stick bait. It was turning upside down and coughing up blood in the livewell. I was driving home they day, chucked the bass meat in a cooler and drove 7 hours. When I arrived home, the wife said I’m hungry and we have nothing thawed. I tried that bass and she said it was the best fish she’s ever had, raised on Lake Erie walleye and perch………. Amazing things can happen when you open your mind and try it 

I have other options that are just as good and less hassle. And this isn't about what's cute it's about what looks like it'll eat better. You do you.

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, thediscochef said:

I have other options that are just as good and less hassle. And this isn't about what's cute it's about what looks like it'll eat better. You do you.

Bass look like delicious grouper to me, pure white flaky meat 

[NoShoes]

Release in grease…

 

… at least slot size. Big enough to filet but bigger than 2 lbs I try not to keep. 

[12poundbass]

32 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I tried that bass and she said it was the best fish she’s ever had, and she was raised on Lake Erie walleye and perch………

Clearly she’s been in Tennessee far too long! Road trip for walleye! ?

[BrianMDTX]

3 hours ago, MN_Bassin24 said:

I also just realized that this thread started in 2008. whoops

That’s ok. Any bass C&R when this thread started ain’t likely to complain now! 

[PhishLI]

Catch & Release has been the rule in my county forever due to low bass populations per acre. It's just what I'm used to. Let 'em go and let 'em grow has always been my mindset. Perhaps the fact that the populations are low makes them seem more precious than they actually are, possibly, but that fact makes me have reverence for them whether it's deserved or not. Besides that I never order a fish dinner at a restaurant. It's not my thing, so I never catch a bass and think "yummy".

 

A few years ago a buddy through another hobby stopped by who happens to live in upstate NY on a lake. I showed him a pic of a 7 pounder. He said that I must've eaten for a week. I told him that I let it go, and he was truly shocked. He's a casual fisherman, and it turns out he eats whatever he catches. He was excited for me to visit his place to go fishing, but said there's no way we're letting any go, and that he keeps what I catch, especially if it's a big one. I never went.

 

I know @king fisher has to occasionally surrender DDs to the Tilapia fisherman, but my buddy can go scratch. It takes ten years to grow a 5 pounder in our climate. I'm not gonna watch that mook club one on the noggin or listen to it flop around in a bucket, friend or not.

 

I suppose if I visited another state where keeping them was the norm I'd just avert my eyes then go home and cry myself to sleep.?

[gim]

I for one am glad that the majority of bass anglers are primarily catch and release oriented.  I'd hate to see the day we all turned into walleye anglers and measured our success based on how many filets we came home with.

[NoShoes]

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I for one am glad that the majority of bass anglers are primarily catch and release oriented.  I'd hate to see the day we all turned into walleye anglers and measured our success based on how many filets we came home with.

if we ate more 1-2 lb bass, we’d have more 5-6 lbers. 

[TnRiver46]

58 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Clearly she’s been in Tennessee far too long! Road trip for walleye! ?

We’ve got walleye here, just not a ton. I told her I released a keeper once, the look on her face……… I think I slept on the couch that night 

[gim]

1 hour ago, NoShoes said:

if we ate more 1-2 lb bass, we’d have more 5-6 lbers. 

Perhaps.  I'll counter that with "if you eat a 2 pound bass, it won't make it to 5 pounds."

[TnRiver46]

33 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

 

I suppose if I visited another state where keeping them was the norm I'd just avert my eyes then go home and cry myself to sleep.?

Make sure to eat some cage bird before your nap!