Bank1128 Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 So i was fishing one of my usual ponds when a guy across from me caught a beautiful bass, my guess around 5 or 6 lbs... he looked around to see if i was watching then sneakily took off with the bass in hand... I've only been fishing a few years now and that would've been by far my best fish, but now I'll never get a chance at it... I know there are laws regarding catch and release, and judging by the size of the fish it was probably legal for him to keep it, but its just frustrating to me, a relatively new fisherman, to know that I won't ever be able to catch that beautiful fish and that it had to die... It made me wonder what people do with bass like that when they keep them? I know you don't need the actual bass to make a replica, only pictures, so other than that all I can guess is to eat it?... but never really heard of bass as great food...
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 There are several good ways to cook bass and they taste great. If that man had a licence and it was of legal size, it is his right to do so, and only his business.
DINK WHISPERER Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 Although it MAY be his "legal" right to keep the fish, it doesn't make it right to people who love the sport! I personally spend thousands each year pursuing the LMB and constantly striving to improve my PB. And when i see some jack*** keeping a fish of that size it tickss me off too! I don't know what the slot limits are in you area but a 5-6lb fish here usually does not fall into the size that you can keep!
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 No one loves this sport as much as my fishing partner and I. He regularly keeps fish for his table, I do not. We spend over a 100 days chasing LMB and SMB, although this year illness has curtailed this a bit. People who keep legal fish are far from Jack *****. I do not keep any fish, and if I did, I would be in my right. I fish legally for my enjoyment not yours, I do respect all game laws, and that is all I owe my fellow sportsmen. We have a fishery in North East PA, that is suffering now, because they can not convince people to take bass out, and that is the result of over zealous catch and release. Many years ago when this awareness started I understood this, now some bodies of water are suffering because of it But to call a guy fishing legally a jackass for doing what his licence entitles him to do is going a bit far PS My grand total of kept fish in the last 12 years has been 3, all gut hooked and eaten
tyrius. Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 Most areas don't have slot limits. If the state's DNR doesn't prohibit it then getting mad about it only affects you and your day. You can bet the other guy doesn't give a crap about how you feel about it. As far as you spending thousands of dollars that is completely irrelevant. You can pursue bass for much less and still be happy. So I'm with muddy on this one. I don't personally keep fish but that has everything to do with being too lazy to clean them.
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 Most areas don't have slot limits. If the state's DNR doesn't prohibit it then getting mad about it only affects you and your day. You can bet the other guy doesn't give a crap about how you feel about it. As far as you spending thousands of dollars that is completely irrelevant. You can pursue bass for much less and still be happy. So I'm with muddy on this one. I don't personally keep fish but that has everything to do with being too lazy to clean them. I am in the LAZY CLUB with you TY ;D
Jake. Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 I understand how you feel. To me, a bass's sport fishing value far outweighs its nutritional value, but not everyone feels that way.
DINK WHISPERER Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 The guy may or may not have even had a license(no one knows). So to say he is in his legal right is going a bit far! As far as slot limits go, that is why i said the ones HERE! And the amount of $ i spend each year on the sport is my choice! Just in fuel for the boat and truck alone is a huge amount! I never said YOU had to spend that much! If you don't than that is your choice.
vatech Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 I think catch and release is great to help fight against over fishing but personally I'm not opposed at all if someone wants to keep a fish. My grandfather who taught me to fish pretty much never releases his fish back. My uncle keeps many of his fish to feed to his children which I'd rather have him do than release it for another fisherman's sport. I picked up fishing more seriously this summer and have released everything so far but plan to catch a few bass and eat them this summer to see if I like the taste and can come up with some good recipes.
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 The guy may or may not have even had a license(no one knows). So to say he is in his legal right is going a bit far! As far as slot limits go, that is why i said the ones HERE! And the amount of $ i spend each year on the sport is my choice! Just in fuel for the boat and truck alone is a huge amount! I never said YOU had to spend that much! If you don't than that is your choice. What I said was, I buy a licence for me to enjoy the sport the way I see fit, the only thing I owe to other's is to obey the laws, that come with that license. What you spend is your business not mine, I do not have any opinion on that, nor did i express one. Going a bit far is calling a fella a jackass , who may have been fishing legally, in this country one is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Do you think everyone who keeps a fish, does not have a licence to do so?
DINK WHISPERER Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 Do you think everyone who does has one? I know MANY don't but that is not my point it is yours! I am apposed to keeping a BIG fish whether you have a license or not! That is my believe/opinion and nothing will change it. Just like yours is yours and you have a right to it as well!
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 Good for you! I am leaving this alone, it is getting to messy. The next time I keep a legal fish, with my license properly displayed I don't care what you or anyone else thinks Have A good evening
D4u2s0t Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 No one loves this sport as much as my fishing partner and I. He regularly keeps fish for his table, I do not. We spend over a 100 days chasing LMB and SMB, although this year illness has curtailed this a bit. People who keep legal fish are far from Jack *****. I do not keep any fish, and if I did, I would be in my right. I fish legally for my enjoyment not yours, I do respect all game laws, and that is all I owe my fellow sportsmen. We have a fishery in North East PA, that is suffering now, because they can not convince people to take bass out, and that is the result of over zealous catch and release. Many years ago when this awareness started I understood this, now some bodies of water are suffering because of it But to call a guy fishing legally a jackass for doing what his licence entitles him to do is going a bit far PS My grand total of kept fish in the last 12 years has been 3, all gut hooked and eaten I agree totally. While I would never consider taking home a bass from the lake, it doesn't mean I would look down upon someone who does. Last year in Canada I kept near every walleye I caught, and cooked it over the fire. I love eating fish. Just don't have much desire to eat bass. If I pulled a decent sized walleye from my lake (they stock it, someone recently pulled out a 13+ pounder and put it back) I would most likely keep it. Anything else goes back in the drink asap.
BassResource.com Administrator Glenn Posted July 8, 2009 BassResource.com Administrator Posted July 8, 2009 Ease up gentlemen. Most anglers carry fishing licenses. If you know people who fish without a license, then you should report them. Plain and simple. As for keeping fish, not a big deal nor harm to the fishery, so long as it's done within legal limits. Seriously - too much releasing and not enough keeping is detrimental to most fisheries. So don't let it ruin your day if somebody keeps one every now and then. Whether or not you keep or release a fish is entirely up to you. No worries.
tyrius. Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 If you don't than that is your choice. just like it is am anglers choice whether or not to keep legal fish
Super User fishfordollars Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 Let me get this straight. You got mad because someone caught a fish larger than any you ever caught. then he left with it. Grow up! C & R can be just as detrimental as keeping fish.
LCpointerKILLA Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 It's all about the selective harvest. And, where I used to live, I wish people would keep the 1-1.75 pounders because they are dominating the fishery.
SammyLee Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 The lake manager at my nieghborhood lake gives me heck all the time because I don't keep and eat em. They want us to remove as many of the smaller ones as we can to allow the others to grow bigger on the limited forage fish. It's a hassle for me as I am mostly float fishing. I have put a fish basket on a rope and have a few meals in the freezer but I have caught over 20 in one morning. I just can't bring myself to just kill them and drop them back into the water. I'll just take the guff I get from the manager. That being said, I hate to see a big beautiful fish die but that's just the way it goes sometimes.
Bank1128 Posted July 8, 2009 Author Posted July 8, 2009 wow, sorry didnt mean to start such an argument... and i didnt know it could be beneficial to keep some fish or that people eat bass, so it makes much more sense now.. like i said im a new fisherman so im constantly learning things... and yeah it was basically jealousy on my part to let it bother me...
jimmieO Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 Absolutely agree. One of our lakes is totally loaded with 12 inchers. You can literally catch them all day long. From a "sportfishing" mentality, a lot of these need to be kept to help the larger population. I don't enjoy seeing people keep big fish, but I don't have the right to get sideways about it if he does it legally. Maybe he needs to feed his family....there are 2 sides to every story.
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 wow, sorry didnt mean to start such an argument... and i didnt know it could be beneficial to keep some fish or that people eat bass, so it makes much more sense now.. like i said im a new fisherman so im constantly learning things... and yeah it was basically jealousy on my part to let it bother me... Hey, you can not learn without asking questions. This is a highly charged issue here and other bass forums. On one you can't even mention anything but C and R, or you can be bounced. No harm and no foul on your part 8-)
Eddie Munster Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 I support catch and release but also realize it can be taken too far. You have to thin the herd or the whole herd suffers. If someone fishes legally, I don't have a problem with them keeping fish. If they're keeping the big ones to eat I kind of frown because I've heard the big ones don't taste that good anyway. About 3 weeks ago I confronted 3 guys fishing illegally in my subdivision lake (which is C & R 99.9% with you allowing to keep ONE trophy bass a year). I knew they snuck in from an adjoining subdivision and they were keeping everything they caught. I held my tongue until one reeled in a 5 lber. I told them they need to put that one back and long story short, I threaten to call the 'po-po' as they were trespassing AND poaching. They left with the fish and haven't been back. I don't keep ANYTHING out of being too lazy to clean them AND the lakes/ponds I fish out of have septic 'leech' fields that drain into them.
vatech Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 Is there a general concensus/feeling about keeping a trophy bass for taxidermy? I think it's something I would really like having but I guess a good alternative is to take pictures and have a replica made?
D4u2s0t Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 Is there a general concensus/feeling about keeping a trophy bass for taxidermy? I think it's something I would really like having but I guess a good alternative is to take pictures and have a replica made? majority of the people would probably have a replica done.
gar-tracker Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 Ease up gentlemen. Most anglers carry fishing licenses. If you know people who fish without a license, then you should report them. Plain and simple. As for keeping fish, not a big deal nor harm to the fishery, so long as it's done within legal limits. Seriously - too much releasing and not enough keeping is detrimental to most fisheries. So don't let it ruin your day if somebody keeps one every now and then. Whether or not you keep or release a fish is entirely up to you. No worries. Perfectly put, and you saved me a lot of typing Glenn. Everyone has the right to keep an occasional bass for the table, I do it on very rare occasions, and I believe in the above, to much release slows down the breeding process due to over crowding. I think most lakes have a nice balance of meat fisherman and catch and release, especially bass, I know a 100 bass fisherman in Florida, about 10 keep fish on rare occasions and none do on a regular basis. So pass the hot sauce please.
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