ilovefooffur Posted July 18, 2009 Posted July 18, 2009 Even though I catch and release, I have no problem w/ people keeping a couple for the dinner table.
tnbassfisher Posted July 18, 2009 Posted July 18, 2009 I feel the exact same as the poster above. I have kept fish and ate them, but that is quite rare. It's just too much of a hassle for me to clean them and cook them and such. Plus, I just fish for the sport.
Super User Big Bait Fishing Posted July 19, 2009 Super User Posted July 19, 2009 i have never eaten a bass (fresh water) before and never will , if i want to eat a bass , i'll go to the store and buy some white sea bass. 110 % catch and release ..............
tutle Posted July 19, 2009 Posted July 19, 2009 The highland lakes I fish most often have some largemouth, more smallmouth, and lots of spots. Managers encourage keeping spots for the table. I release all largemouth and smallmouth I catch and keep spots within the regulations. I fish for sport ,not just for meat or money or glory. Any fish that I release is treated as gently as possible and quickly put back where he was caught I will not put them in a livewell to keep for bragging purposes and then throw them out at the ramp.
DINK WHISPERER Posted July 19, 2009 Posted July 19, 2009 i have never eaten a bass (fresh water) before and never will , if i want to eat a bass , i'll go to the store and buy some white sea bass. 110 % catch and release .............. THANK YOU....................................................
tnhiker44 Posted July 19, 2009 Posted July 19, 2009 AS FOR PEOPLE NOT SPORTING A FISHING LICENSE & CLEARLY DONT HAVE ONE (THAY SHOULD BE VISIBLE ABOVE YOUR WAIST LINE) CALL FISH & GAME, THESE PEOPLE HAVE NO RIGHT TO RUIN THE THINGS THAT WE PAY FOR. Am I understanding the highlighted line above... do you have to wear your fishing license like a badge in California? If so, well... I think that is wacky. Might as well make you wear a shirt with your license number printed on it like a prisoner number.... In my part of the country they let you carry your license where you keep your drivers license and credit cards... a pretty safe place for most of us. I guess the fish and game folks in these parts have a little faith that we are legal. If the badge display is correct I think that is a little over the top. Is your hunting license(s) hunter safety orange and the size of a legal pad??
warwickforlife Posted July 19, 2009 Posted July 19, 2009 Perhaps he was not a wealthy man, and he was feeding his family? Here in MD, if they're 12'' long you can keep them. That's his business. If it was 5 or 6 lbs', it was his right to keep it. Don't get upset...it does'nt affect anyone but you.
Super User J Francho Posted July 19, 2009 Super User Posted July 19, 2009 We can always spot the PA snaggers in winter on our trout streams...they fish with a flyrod loaded with mono and a gumball sized split shot about 12' above the hook. The last giveaway is the license pinned to their hat, LOL.
Desultory Posted July 28, 2009 Posted July 28, 2009 Am I understanding the highlighted line above... do you have to wear your fishing license like a badge in California? If so, well... I think that is wacky. Might as well make you wear a shirt with your license number printed on it like a prisoner number.... In my part of the country they let you carry your license where you keep your drivers license and credit cards... a pretty safe place for most of us. I guess the fish and game folks in these parts have a little faith that we are legal. If the badge display is correct I think that is a little over the top. Is your hunting license(s) hunter safety orange and the size of a legal pad?? Yeah, we have to wear our licenses so that they're visible. I wear mine on a lanyard around my neck in a water-proof resealable pouch. Feels a little goofy alright, but it was either that or pin it to myself or my hat and that feels even more kindergarten. :-?
Super User Muddy Posted July 28, 2009 Super User Posted July 28, 2009 THIS THE THREAD THAT WILL NOT DIE Reminds of the scence where Pacino is screaming I KEEP TRYING TO GET OUT AND THEY KEEP PULLING ME BACK
Super User Bassin_Fin@tic Posted July 28, 2009 Super User Posted July 28, 2009 Perhaps he was not a wealthy man, and he was feeding his family? Here in MD, if they're 12'' long you can keep them. That's his business. If it was 5 or 6 lbs', it was his right to keep it. Don't get upset...it does'nt affect anyone but you.[/quote] Your seriously misinformed sir : Someone kill this thread plz.
Bob C Posted July 28, 2009 Posted July 28, 2009 Are any of the die hard release guys concerned with the stress they put on the fish by hooking especially when it goes down deep, or when they try to pull their head off when draging them through the weeds? Isn't that like shooting a deer, then pulling out the bullet and letting them go? I enjoy fishing and I usually take a couple home for dinner. Most are released. The bigger the fish, the bigger the pan. 8-)
Super User Bassin_Fin@tic Posted July 28, 2009 Super User Posted July 28, 2009 But don't you ever wonder why you caught that big fish to begin with? Was it your amazing skill or lots of luck? I think it goes deeper than that and it's because people like me are letting them go to grow and make babies. So one day when your are sitting in your boat with your thumb up your- and wondering why you can't catch anything big you'll maybe realize that it is better to have it pulling your line than sitting in your king size frying pan.
ptomacbass Posted July 29, 2009 Posted July 29, 2009 Haven't you guys ever thought about this? Couldn't the 1 pounder you caught be the next world record some day? Or end up being your first double digit bass some day? I release all fish I catch, except for Northern Snakehead, because the law states that I have to keep them.
Super User Muddy Posted July 29, 2009 Super User Posted July 29, 2009 I do not fish for records. I pay for my license and obey all the fish and game laws. None of this is anyone's business but my own, Didn't Billie Holiday say that first? 8-)
DINK WHISPERER Posted July 29, 2009 Posted July 29, 2009 But don't you ever wonder why you caught that big fish to begin with? Was it your amazing skill or lots of luck? I think it goes deeper than that and it's because people like me are letting them go to grow and make babies. So one day when your are sitting in your boat with your thumb up your- and wondering why you can't catch anything big you'll maybe realize that it is better to have it pulling your line than sitting in your king size frying pan. Well said Fin@tic!!!!!!!!!!
Kenny418 Posted July 29, 2009 Posted July 29, 2009 I personally practice catch and release, but I have experienced what happens when everything is released. I have a lake that I fish that is completely overun with stunted bass. No one was allowed to keep anything for along time. Now I can go catch 100 1lb. bass in a single outing.For the last year I have been taking 1lb. bass out. I have taken out 893 so far. The bite has not been phased at all. You either catch a 1lb bass or you catch a 4-9lb. bass. Nothing in the 2-3lb. exsist.
tyrius. Posted July 29, 2009 Posted July 29, 2009 Haven't you guys ever thought about this? Couldn't the 1 pounder you caught be the next world record some day? Or end up being your first double digit bass some day? I release all fish I catch, except for Northern Snakehead, because the law states that I have to keep them. The more 1lb bass that are in that water the more competition the fish in the year class have and therefore they will have less forage and not grow as big. If you want the fish to grow to their maximum size then the competition needs to be minimized so that the remaining bass can reach their maximum size.
Desultory Posted July 29, 2009 Posted July 29, 2009 First, let me say I feel really bad that my first post happened to resurrect this issue. Guess I'm not really helping let it die by posting again... Anyway, I had written this big long post with a bunch of (probably) stupid questions about the belief systems at play here but decided against it. Instead, I thought I'd relate a little story that sort of puts it in perspective for me anyway. Doubt it will do any good but it's a viewpoint and that's what the Intertubes are for! So when I first started looking into bass fishing again, about two weeks ago, I found a blog of a bass fisherman up near San Francisco. In one of his posts he recounts his personal best bass, a 14-15lber. He took it in for official weight and pictures and then released it. Turns out 2 other people ended up catching that same bass over the course of a few months. The last guy that caught it though took it and had a trophy made out of it. I grew up fishing as partial sustenance for our family, mostly catfish, crappy, bluegill, trout. Never bass, mostly because I didn't know how to catch them. To me, what that last guy did was terrible. Not only did he remove the "trophy" from the lake so no one else could enjoy it but he didn't even eat it. I realize that seems a bit silly but to me hanging a dead fish on your wall pales in comparison to feeding your family, regardless of need. Anyway, to sum up, at first I was thinking to myself, "What a dick". But you know what, there really is no difference between him and me. There's no way I would have kept a 15lb fish to eat but the fact is that I would have had every right to. It's within the limits for legal fish. If I expect people to respect my right to keep a couple of 12-15" bass for dinner then I have to respect their right to keep a 25lber for a wall hanging. In a similar vein, even though I think being adamant about 100% catch and release is a bit silly given the facts regarding selective harvesting, I have to respect every angler's right to do that as well as long as it's legal. So basically I guess I'm saying, can't we all just get a long? We all love to fish and whether or not we decide to release everything or keep a couple for dinner we still love this sport. A modicum of respect for one another goes a long way towards making a better world...not just on the water either. Ick...that was sappy. Anyway, sorry again. Don't hate me. I'm new. 8-)
Super User Bassin_Fin@tic Posted July 29, 2009 Super User Posted July 29, 2009 This is a real black and white issue and I appoligize for being an azz as well. I truly don't have that big of a problem with people that keep fish. I just wish some people were more educated on what kind of fish they are taking out and also be able to take into consideration the type of water body they are taking it from. I agree.It is every liscense holders right to do what they please with there catch within the legal limits but the whole point of my other posts is this:What if we all kept everything we catch? What if every angler had no qualms about taking a 6-10 lb fish out? The population has dramatically grown,so has the sport and the overall number of anglers.The number of places to fish and the catchable bass in them however does not increase.
Super User Muddy Posted July 29, 2009 Super User Posted July 29, 2009 The estimation in PA is 85% of bass angles catch and release. What if the sky was falling? We went from keeping everything, to keeping nothing. There has to be a sensible point in the middle somewhere. I would bet that most recreational fisherman do not even know how to clean fish. I have to point out, I do not care about others who fish for trophies and the companies that serve them. I do care about following my game laws and i have to also say I have only killed a couple of fish in the last dozen years, both went to folks who were fishing for the table, I have had friends ( including my every day partner) in the boat who frequently take fish home to it. I support them, and they also obey the laws. It is my passion and my past time, I do not appreciate others trying to determine how I should spend that time.I fish for me, not ayone else, and I do it LEGALLY!
Super User Fishing Rhino Posted July 29, 2009 Super User Posted July 29, 2009 How did fish manage to survive all the years before they had man to manage their populations. Man can only overfish. He cannot "underfish". I fish within the law. If you do as well, I have no problem with you. You're not a bad guy for taking them, nor am I a bad guy for putting them back.
Super User Muddy Posted July 29, 2009 Super User Posted July 29, 2009 How did fish manage to survive all the years before they had man to manage their populations. Man can only overfish. He cannot "underfish". I fish within the law. If you do as well, I have no problem with you. You're not a bad guy for taking them, nor am I a bad guy for putting them back. Thanks Tom, well said! However; Man can under fish, especially in man made impoundments, where the fish are no longer stocked and self sustaining.You can cause an overpopulation of very small and sickly fish if the quotas the 'managers' have set for harvest are not met. This is a different situation from the ocean.The oceans and the natural lakes and rivers have evolved , over eons to where they are. Most of the reservoirs talked about here ; are man made and less than 100 years old, big difference in management needs.
gordonusnret Posted July 29, 2009 Posted July 29, 2009 Don't worry or feel sorry about asking a question,this paticular one,just happens to have a lot of pros and cons.It was a good question.In my case ,I dont keep a lot of fish.I follow catch and realease,only because its my choice.I do once in a while go fishing for a good dinner,perch,crappie,walleye,only because,I dont like the flavor of fresh water bass or trout,Now salt water fish,well that is a different story. There are a couple of places that I fish that have very large bass in them,they are smaller ponds in which the owner wants the fish to be released,in these I use barbless hooks. Trophy trout I also catch and release,I have several trophys on my wall,and these are recreations,and the fish was released.That is my choice.
Super User Fishing Rhino Posted July 29, 2009 Super User Posted July 29, 2009 How did fish manage to survive all the years before they had man to manage their populations. Man can only overfish. He cannot "underfish". I fish within the law. If you do as well, I have no problem with you. You're not a bad guy for taking them, nor am I a bad guy for putting them back. Thanks Tom, well said! However; Man can under fish, especially in man made impoundments, where the fish are no longer stocked and self sustaining.You can cause an overpopulation of very small and sickly fish if the quotas the 'managers' have set for harvest are not met. This is a different situation from the ocean.The oceans and the natural lakes and rivers have evolved , over eons to where they are. Most of the reservoirs talked about here ; are man made and less than 100 years old, big difference in management needs. You are correct. I should have included natural bodies of water as a caveat. Whether impoundments or man made reservoirs, man has already "meddled" with the balance of nature, and needs to make "adjustments" to compensate for his actions.
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