What do you believe in?

[EricIvins]

There has been a huge catch and release movement in California for LMB for years now. Nobody keeps bass here unless they are a noob and don't know what they are doing.... I actually get pissed when I see someone catch a nice bass and keep it, I know that makes me an a-hole but I can't help myself. Once I actualy took a bass off this asian dudes stringer and let it go, but I saw him snag it on the tail on purpose while the fish was holding up in it bed. I mean who does that?!?! Snags a fish thats protecting it's fry then decides he's going to keep it. Yeah eff that. It may sound smug, but because of that California has taken over the title from Florida as the place to catch monster bass.

I guess you don't understand how population management works? Fish NEED to be taken out of the population, or else you end up with smaller, or average size animals. We used to take at least 1/4 of the known population out of the Ponds I used to manage. Those Ponds are averaging 6lbs or better, with fish in the 10lb class being common place. Common sense people........common sense........

 

[dcorreia]

Hmmm. Taking large bass from ponds and lakes destroys the fishing. See how many spaning female bass you can take from a pond before it gets over take by blue gill. In a well managed pond or lake bass numbers stay in check by other bass. If you are taking 1/4 the population out of a lake then something else is out of wack... Maybe you don't have enough catfish eating eggs or blue gill eating fry.
And yeah there are big bass everywhere but ask any pro or anyone who is serious about bass fishing and they will tell you the next record will be caught in California, not Michigan..... So Cal lakes are producing 20 lb bass every year.

 

[GhostShrimpMan]

Always releasing =]

 

[tommyd]

Catch and Keep, but only an amount you can eat in a reasonable amount of time. I know of people that catch tons of fish that just goes to waste in their freezer.

 

[likestofish]

Hmmm. Taking large bass from ponds and lakes destroys the fishing. See how many spaning female bass you can take from a pond before it gets over take by blue gill. In a well managed pond or lake bass numbers stay in check by other bass. If you are taking 1/4 the population out of a lake then something else is out of wack... Maybe you don't have enough catfish eating eggs or blue gill eating fry.
And yeah there are big bass everywhere but ask any pro or anyone who is serious about bass fishing and they will tell you the next record will be caught in California, not Michigan..... So Cal lakes are producing 20 lb bass every year.

EricIvans knows what he is talking about. Culling fish in the long haul leads to better fishing and better fish size. The main reason cali bass are doing so well is because of the trout being stocked. Because they have a constant food source those lakes can support a larger number of bass than a normal lake.

 

[EricIvins]

Hmmm. Taking large bass from ponds and lakes destroys the fishing. See how many spaning female bass you can take from a pond before it gets over take by blue gill. In a well managed pond or lake bass numbers stay in check by other bass. If you are taking 1/4 the population out of a lake then something else is out of wack... Maybe you don't have enough catfish eating eggs or blue gill eating fry.
And yeah there are big bass everywhere but ask any pro or anyone who is serious about bass fishing and they will tell you the next record will be caught in California, not Michigan..... So Cal lakes are producing 20 lb bass every year.

Nothings out of whack, and Catfish or Bluegill have nothing to do with it........


Simple concept - Lets see if you can follow - Less competition lets big Fish get bigger........Lets smaller Fish get bigger too.......

Don't get me started on California Bass - They're just about hand fed. Besides, Japan already kicked your ass.........Cant argue with that.......

 

[Moontanman]

I release the big ones, if i am going to eat them i keep more moderate sized individuals, catching and keeping the big ones causes the population to get smaller as evolution selects for fish that spawn at smaller and smaller sizes and never grow large.

 

[warmouth]

I'm not a huge angler, and when I do go fishing it's usually because I want to eat what I catch. I release non-target catches, of course. If you're a sport-only angler and you think that makes me a jerk, well, back at you.

One thing to keep in mind is that catch and release does not automatically help fish stocks. In many waters the larger fish species have few major predators other than humans; if none are being taken, you get dense populations of smaller fish that are more vulnerable to disease, as well as shifting dynamics throughout the food web. And of course if too many are being taken that hurts the population too. That's why science-based management of fish stocks is important.

I would be thrilled if everyone who caught a largemouth in California or a peacock bass in Florida or a rainbow trout in Tennessee would keep it. They don't belong there. It's not as though those areas lack native game species. The game agencies' and anglers' love of transplanted sportfishes is very unfortunate.

Amen brother!

 

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

depends

 

[JD7.62]

I release the big ones, if i am going to eat them i keep more moderate sized individuals, catching and keeping the big ones causes the population to get smaller as evolution selects for fish that spawn at smaller and smaller sizes and never grow large.

Do you remember anything from 10th grade biology? lol

Im no biologist but my best friend is a biologist specializing in the management of largemouth bass. Culling medium sized bass in a small lake/pond is key to have a healthy population and bigger bass.

I far as keeping or releasing fish, well now that I fish saltwater only, I keep more then I use to. Any legal redfish, speck, pompano, spadefish, snapper or mackerel is going home with me! When it came to fresh water I would occasionally keep a few small cats, striped bass and hybrids in summer and in the winter I would keep sauger.