Breaking The Law

[bclift65706]

If someone wants to eat trophey bass out of the rivers be my guest it dont bother me as long as it is leagel I carry a regulation book in my tackel box. It is just my prefrence not to. most of the guys I fish with take some home and eat them we always go to the river the closest saturday to may 26 and catch fish I eat crappie and catfish and always catch a walleye or 2 and 1 year 4 bigones where we fish. I try to talk them in to turning back the big bass sometimes they do sometimes they dont it is their leagel right and I dont hold it aginst them if they dont.

[Trav]

It isnt my rope Crappie

I dont fish on weekends.

[whetstone]

Trout fishermen feel that way about trout, walleye guys feel that way about walleyes, guys get blasted for keeping legal stripers, catfish, etc. Every species of fish has someone who puts their fish above all else. The regs are in place for a reason, and those who abide by them deserve to be respected. Blast away at the guy for breaking the law, but to equate a bass with a bald eagle? Seriously?

That big fish that you said you thought was a hybrid sounded like it was probably a Kentucky (Spotted Bass). However, I have never fished there... I don't know if they swim there or not. And they don't often get near as big as you stated in most cases (except for at TR and alot of the big lakes around the country). Also, legal or not, I don't think people should be keeping bass to eat. I don't care if it is their legal right or not, it just aint right to me. If you want to eat fish, eat trout (right on Trav) or crappie, walleye, catfish, or perch/bluegill. These species are way more plentiful in most cases and better eating anyway. Also, if there were an overabundance of bass (like deer, turkeys, etc.) it would make sense that some need to be harvested... but I challenge you to find a body of water where people complain that there are just too many bass. To me the bass is like the Eagle of the lake/stream and should be preserved way more so than any of these other fish. I equate it to hunting Eagles as opposed to turkey, dove, pheasant, quail, geese, etc. Not that anyone does that (...or do they??? I bet you'd be surprised). It just doesn't make any sense to me. Ignorant morons like that guy (who I assume didn't even know what kind of fish they were, knowing how these kind of people are...) need to have some sense knocked into them for killing those great and majestic type of fish (especially illegally like that). Of course, you could probably try to knock sense into them all day every day and never get into their thick skulls. I'll never back down an inch over this issue.

[vonreed]

Trout fishermen feel that way about trout, walleye guys feel that way about walleyes, guys get blasted for keeping legal stripers, catfish, etc. Every species of fish has someone who puts their fish above all else. The regs are in place for a reason, and those who abide by them deserve to be respected. Blast away at the guy for breaking the law, but to equate a bass with a bald eagle? Seriously?

[/quote

This guy might have been breaking the law like you guys say, but geez all these radical catch/release people need to realize that they're just fish. If they're not endangered or being overharvested give a guy a break. If a person has a liscense to fish they have a right to enjoy a meal. I wouldn't doubt that some day some of you are gonna propose a law to call a veternarian if a fish is hooked poorly.

[Al Agnew]

About the apparent hybrid bass...largemouths and smallmouths do not hybridize in the wild, although hybrids have been produced in captive, laboratory situations. Smallmouths DO hybridize extensively in some waters with spotted bass. Any hybrid you see in the wild will be smallmouthXspotted bass. Since spotted bass are common in the lower reaches of the James, it's probable that it was a smallmouthXspotted hybrid.

[Trav]

Eagles and Bass dont even compare. Most of an eagles diet is dead before they even eat it. And half of that is stolen from other animals/birds of prey. To me they are just an over glorified vulture.

[loo10]

Your opinions are yours.

I catch-n-release alot.....

but I also enjoy a good fish fry.

That said, I do not keep smallmouth.

I consider 3 fish untouchables....

smallmouth bass, brown trout, & muskies.

All Alpha predators in their respective waters.

[Trav]

I think the same way about hunters. BUT then I remember the deer eating all my plants, the squirrels chewing up lawn furniture, the coons and possums digging in my trash, the otters ripping the foam out from under my dock and the rabbits digging in my garden.

Cant say as I had any problems with turkey, pheasant, or quail, but they sure do taste good! Although them Fox are too pretty to shoot and give my dog one heck of a run, she isnt smart/fast enough to get one anyway so no harm.

I feel that all fish should be allowed when harvesting. I do believe that slot limits should be set. Maybe one big one per day over a certain limit, maybe a tag system so that only so many a year get taken,(might be a bummer for those tourney guys) and 4 under another limit per day. Keeps the brood stock populations healthy. Of course each species will have a different slot margin. I also feel there should be a season for keeping fish. To protect Spawns and migrations. And population checks should be made to determine if any body of water needs to have its harvest season shut down for a few years to allow the populations reestablish. This all should apply to every species.

But even if they did inact all that, It wouldnt effect me any for I dont harvest. Well, I take that back. I DO LOVE THOSE FARM FRESH FISH TANK TROUT! MMMMMMMM

[bclift65706]

I think the same way about hunters. BUT then I remember the deer eating all my plants, the squirrels chewing up lawn furniture, the coons and possums digging in my trash, the otters ripping the foam out from under my dock and the rabbits digging in my garden.

Cant say as I had any problems with turkey, pheasant, or quail, but they sure do taste good! Although them Fox are too pretty to shoot and give my dog one heck of a run, she isnt smart/fast enough to get one anyway so no harm.

I feel that all fish should be allowed when harvesting. I do believe that slot limits should be set. Maybe one big one per day over a certain limit, maybe a tag system so that only so many a year get taken,(might be a bummer for those tourney guys) and 4 under another limit per day. Keeps the brood stock populations healthy. Of course each species will have a different slot margin. I also feel there should be a season for keeping fish. To protect Spawns and migrations. And population checks should be made to determine if any body of water needs to have its harvest season shut down for a few years to allow the populations reestablish. This all should apply to every species.

But even if they did inact all that, It wouldnt effect me any for I dont harvest. Well, I take that back. I DO LOVE THOSE FARM FRESH FISH TANK TROUT! MMMMMMMM

slot limits are a good thing in my owne personal opion as for the deer I like the 4point restriction one one side in north Mo.here in webster county the last few years we have an October urban hunt regular season and a December hunt with unlimited antlerless tags for $7 each and I can still drive around and see upto 20 30 40 deer in fields I killed 2 with my rifel and 6 with my boe last year and dident even put a dent in the population when I first started hunting you had to draw for antlerless and luckey to get it and you were doing good if you seen 8 deer in the season.

[Trav]

wow! 8 deer in one season. You must have venison everyday!