Catch and Release

[tyrius.]

I don't get why people even eat bass. Eat catfish or bluegill or crappie or perch or another "food" fish. But why eat bass? I have always understood that they are not the best tasting fish.

Bass taste just fine.  As a kid we'd go bluegill fishing to keep fish to eat and if we caught a bass we kept it and ate it too.

Sounds to me like you don't know what you're talking about.  If you've never eaten one then how can you know that they are not the best tasting fish?

[tyrius.]

Just wondering, If you had a choice of fishing a lake with selective harvest/watching stringers of bass being taken out, or A Lake where all the bass were Caught and Released, Which would you choose?

Probably the former as the bass would likely be bigger/healthier.  This is assuming that it is actually selective harvest that is occurring.

I like bass fishing, but it doesn't bother me to see people keep them.  These fish aren't gods, they're just fish.

[Red Bear]

I don't get why people even eat bass. Eat catfish or bluegill or crappie or perch or another "food" fish. But why eat bass? I have always understood that they are not the best tasting fish.

you could say a lot of fish are not the best tasting fish, it really all boils down to personal preference. i dont eat fish at all anymore(i used to, even bass) but i dont mind others keeping any fish of any sort as long as its within the law. just because its your(and many many others) beloved sports fish doesnt mean others are doing wrong by keeping bass to eat. to me it sounds like youve never even tried bass to know how it tastes

[BadBassWV]

This is the response email that I received from WV DNR.

Thank you for sharing your concern regarding bass fishing at Kee Lake.  I appreciate your concern regarding potential over-harvest of largemouth bass in the lake.   Over the last several years, our biologists have conducted largemouth bass tagging studies on lakes throughout the state including southern West Virginia.  These studies revealed that reported harvest occurred at relatively low levels and did not adversely impact the bass fishery.  Electrofishing studies on lakes also show that our small impoundments, such as Kee, provide some of the best bass fishing in the state, often outperforming larger reservoirs in terms of relative size of bass caught.  We also must consider potential outcomes of no harvest regualtions if protected fish populations become too high and do not have adequate forage fish to eat.  Relative size may decrease over time and the desired outcome of larger fish is not realized. Some harvest may be benficial in managing for larger fish. If the anglers you referred to in your email are taking over the legal limit, please report them to DNR Law Enforcement officers.  You can report a violation at any time by calling 911 and they will contact our officers for your county.

Thanks to all that responded on this forum, I'm glad to no that they are actually doing studies on the smaller lakes that I fish. After reading some of the response from long time posters and fishermen, I can see yours and there reasoning. I except that, and again thanks for all the response.

[K_Mac]

BBWV asking good questions is a great way of learning.  Everyone of us has learned a thing or two from hanging out on this forum. Welcome aboard. 8-)