TommyBass Posted July 8, 2009 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. C and R is not detrimental... it is indifferent. Over stocking can be detrimental and I believe is done way too much with bass in some fisheries. As far as keeping some, yes go ahead and keep some, it will be fine. Bass are no different from any other fish, you can keep them reasonably and have striving populations. Look at the walleye poplulation up north. Many walleye anglers keep their fish and their lakes grow many gigantic walleye. Now personally... I think eating a 6lb bass is gross. They are usually mushier and less appetizing then the 1-3 lb range. But hey, more power to you- I also don't like brussel sprouts.
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 Hey Tommy: The fishery that is suffering has not been stocked since the late 70's. Bass reproduce well enough on their own. The Fish Commission is trying to get a better harvest from fisherman and at a public meeting had good stats that selective harvest is key to this lakes good health.
tyrius. Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 C and R is not detrimental... it is indifferent. Over stocking can be detrimental and I believe is done way too much with bass in some fisheries. Actual fisheries managers and scientists will disagree with you. 100% catch and release can be detrimental. Selective harvesting rarely is. Bass are prodigous reproducers and can become extremely overpopulated on their own. Now personally... I think eating a 6lb bass is gross. They are usually mushier and less appetizing then the 1-3 lb range. But hey, more power to you- I also don't like brussel sprouts. A lot of people say this, but is it actually true? Have you actually eaten a 6lber? I've never actually eaten a big bass (larger than a couple of pounds) but the bass that I have eaten have all tasted the same.
done Posted July 8, 2009 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... LOL. Yeah C&R is a hot topic here that a lot of guys are passionate about. To me fishing is a lot like hunting. Selective harvest is a good thing. Now if everyone kept every fish every time they went out, they would deplete the fishery quickly. That being said, when I go out, I will frequently keep 1 of the Bass, almost all catfish, a lot of panfish, etc. Bass are absolutely delicious. I went to the private pond where my mother lives and at their request me and my bud kept about 2 dozen 4-6 lbers. Their pond is literally infested with them. Had a great cookout. When I get a huge one, I will almost always let it go. That is my thing though. My PB, which I caught this year, I did not let him go. I gut hooked him so I brought him back and gave him to my bud. The cove I caught him in was the same one his wife was baptized in when she was a kid. The two of them enjoyed that meal. Don't ever be sorry for asking man. It is good to and if you can spur a healthy debate and pull in a lot of opinions, it is always a win win.
hjerk24 Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 Bass are good eating, but I don't keep any any more since I have been a more educated fisherman. If you want to keep a fish for eating, that's your right...end of story. Guys here need to chill, and act like gentlemen. If you can't debate without getting all puffed up, then in my opinion, stay out of the conversation. CHILL OUT! This is supposed to be a forum to share ideas, and come together, not rip each other down. That's my 2 cents. Good Fishing...
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 Discourse and arguments are part of life, Passionate back and forth does not mean people hate or dislike each other. There is no harm intended here , a lot of passion about an inflammatory subject, If Dink need something or some info and I had it, he would get it. He is as passionate about his viewpoint as I am of mine, which I find refreshing and truthful. If I wanted nice all the time I would put on the LIFETIME CHANNEL ;D
hjerk24 Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 If I wanted bickering and arguing all the time, I'd watch Jon and Kate Plus 8. (pretty clever response if I do say so...) Debate AWAY!
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 If I wanted bickering and arguing all the time, I'd watch Jon and Kate Plus 8. (pretty clever response if I do say so...) Debate AWAY! YThanks I needed a morning laugh, great response
BassDeaton01 Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 I dont think it is bad at all for fisheries if there are bass kept. I personally am a C&R guy but if I saw someone pull a 6 pounder out and keep it...that wouldn't make me mad. Heck it would make me happy because atleast i would know the body of water I'm fishing does produce some nice bass...lol. If every fish were released then there would be problems with overpopulation across the board.
Super User flechero Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 A lot of people say this, but is it actually true? Have you actually eaten a 6lber? I've never actually eaten a big bass (larger than a couple of pounds) but the bass that I have eaten have all tasted the same. I have. Although I only keep bass that die on me (rare) I had a 7 that was hooked badly and didn't make it. I eat a fish if I 'kill' it. I couldn't say it tasted any different from a 14" bass, at least I couldn't tell a difference. We all feel better when we see a big bass released, and almost all of us would let a bigger fish go... but when a fish is taken that is within the legal limits for harvest, your only real complaint is with your state's DNR, so call or write away.
Busy Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 I keep fish depending on what the lake has shown me. If I regularly catch keeper bass on a lake then I'll start to keep about half of them. If the bass population seems weak or small then I'll throw them all back. If you follow the regulations that have been set for each lake, you shouldn't have to worry much about harming the sport. Don't worry too much about catching that bass. Some 3.5 lber will fill out to 5 lbs to take the place of the fish that was kept. It's natures way.
Super User WRB 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... You asked a perfectly good question related to the pond you fish and a big bass being kept. Ponds are very different than larger bodies of water, they are subject to over harvesting and under harvesting depending on the number of bass verses the amount of prey available to keep them healthy. Your pond produced one big bass that you know of, my bet is there are more, keep trying to catch them. C & R wasn't always practiced, it's new to some areas in the country. When I was younger and practiced C & R before it was common, other fishermen would get up set to see me release a big bass. I was performing revival on a big bass, swishing water through it's gills and a few bystanders were watching. I released the bass one guy booted me off the end of the dock as I was bent over. That got my attention and was angry, the guy was gone by the time i got back onto the dock. So C & R can be good or bad, depending on how your look at it. WRB
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 C and R, was really started by Scott and BASS. when all those early pics of Mann,Dance and Linder were coming out with huge stringers of dead bass. Then the tournaments were definitely depleting the lakes they were fished on, it was good ecology and good business for the pros to go this route Then we have the big bass guys, who are all about CandR , to the point if any of us other fisherman talk about keeping one, they go on like I sold my kid to an alien spaceship. I have eaten fillets off an 8 lb bass, tasted no different then the smaller ones. Killing an occasional fish, even in a pond is no big deal, and may just help that body of water out in the long run
done Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 Discourse and arguments are part of life, Passionate back and forth does not mean people hate or dislike each other. There is no harm intended here , a lot of passion about an inflammatory subject, If Dink need something or some info and I had it, he would get it. He is as passionate about his viewpoint as I am of mine, which I find refreshing and truthful. If I wanted nice all the time I would put on the LIFETIME CHANNEL ;D LOL, LIFETIME Channel nice!? It seems every one of those shows I have ever seen on playing on there or any of the ads is someone being raped, beaten, divorced, etc. Do they actually play happy shows on that channel?
Daniel My Brother Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 When I was a kid it drove me crazy to see Roland Martin release those big bass on TV. What was he thinking?! Sure I fished for fun, but I also wanted to bring a meal home. Now I seldom keep anything. I preach selective harvest with bass, but I don't practice it like I should.
3H Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 I always just C&R the fish I keep, I figure someone else can have the enjoyment of catching the fish or eating him. But for me the chase and catch was good enough! Back in the water they go.
Super User WRB Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 Big bass are extremely difficult to keep captive and alive long enough to validate the weight and take decent pictures. My general rule is; don't keep the bass out of water any longer than you are comfortable holding your breath, any longer and the bass starts to over stress. About 10% of bass caught and put into live wells, then released at the end of the day do not survive. If a bass is bleeding or can't swim upright, it's in very poor shape. Better to take it home for a meal then to feed it to birds, turtles or whatever finds it. In-Fishermen had it right with their selective harvest ethic, then today's C& R every bass caught. Ray Scott was perfectly happy donating the 15 bass limits in the old days to church charities. Ray claims he introduced C & R to reduce bass mortality, he was forced into it due to the bad PR. Ray's original stand was sport fishing couldn't harm a bass fishery. I was hard over on C & R back then and had written Ray a few letters regarding the damage tournaments were having to bass populations. Today I'm less an advocate of C & R, unless the bass are being release in a healthy condition. WRB
Super User bilgerat Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 Another dilema some of us face is that while we would love to keep some of our catch to eat, there are health concerns. You guys out in the rural areas might be ok, but a lot of my local waters are questionable. Would you eat a Jersey fish ? (can't wait to see Muddy's reply to this )
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 Another dilema some of us face is that while we would love to keep some of our catch to eat, there are health concerns. You guys out in the rural areas might be ok, but a lot of my local waters are questionable. Would you eat a Jersey fish ? (can't wait to see Muddy's reply to this ) I really want to answer this: but Glenn would ban me for life
D4u2s0t Posted July 8, 2009 Posted July 8, 2009 Another dilema some of us face is that while we would love to keep some of our catch to eat, there are health concerns. You guys out in the rural areas might be ok, but a lot of my local waters are questionable. Would you eat a Jersey fish ? (can't wait to see Muddy's reply to this ) speak for your own areas of jersey. My lake is on top of a mountain, can drink right out of the lake. Would I eat a fish near jersey city, newark, paterson, passaic, trenton, etc? Hellllllll no lol. But once you get away from the big cities jersey is actually very clean.
Super User Muddy Posted July 8, 2009 Super User Posted July 8, 2009 Yea, they should rename it THE PRISTINE STATE
G.Lee Posted July 9, 2009 Posted July 9, 2009 I'm a C&R man myself but in the past (10 yrs ago) I had taken home a couple that were for the table. As long as they are legal and are for a 'meal', I think its cool to take a few home every now and then. Just me.
daviscw Posted July 9, 2009 Posted July 9, 2009 Why is this any different than shooting a 10 point buck? If its legal, there's nothing anybody can to but disagree. (Coming from a person that has never kept a freshwater fish.)
D4u2s0t Posted July 9, 2009 Posted July 9, 2009 Yea, they should rename it THE PRISTINE STATE lol. my lake is the backup resevoir, and is tested monthly. extremely clean. I live in a private community, my neck of the woods is not like east jersey. Once you get out west a little bit it's a lot different. I feel the same way about many parts of jersey though. that's one of the reasons we bought a house where we did.
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