Catch And Release Fishing

[Guest kevinkirk]

I am all about catching fish, not keeping them. This comes from age and having caught ENOUGH in my lifetime, I guess. We are seeing the numbers of some species going downhill year by year and it sounds like its the same down there in Missouri. I am interested how many ppl would be willing to forego keeping bass in order to make a tremendous fishery? Some species like the rainbows and crappie, bluegill, white bass, striped bass etc., are plentiful and could be kept and eaten.

Anyone want to comment. I have ate my share of bass but not the best table fare. I prefer walleye or crappie myself if I eat them. Plus fried food not good for you and thats the only way I like fish.

Comments.

[Dumb to fishing]

Personally i have not kept a single fish all year. But with that being said, It is my right to keep fish if i want too. If everyone does not want us to keep fish then lobby to get the darn law changed. But as long as the law is what it is then everyone should just keep their opinion to themselves. I do agree with what your saying don't get me wrong but it seems like on here that if your not doing it the way certain people want you to do it you are wrong and not a real fisherman. Look at what Bull Shoals is going thru with there deer population, nobody was aloud to kill deer and everyone feed them and now they have a archery season with unlimited bag limit. The same people that feed them now complain that they are eating there gardens! Whats wrong with that picture. I am all for having more fish, but we are all humans and have a right to do what we want within the law. Persuading people to see things the same way we do is not the answer. Sorry but in the last few days so many people have been talking about this 25lb fish i had to vent!

[Guest kevinkirk]

I think the big trout would have prob died anyway from the stress of being caught. And I dont care what ppl keep within the law. I am just seeing such a decline in quantity and quality of fish. You guys down there have to feel the pressure from all the tourists? From the blogs, I see ppl saying the whites are just not in bull shoals like they used to be.

I have kept THOUSANDS of fish. Just my age I think. However, when I see ppl keeping stringer after stringer of fish, then complain that the fishing is just not like it used to be, I have to VENT> hah.

No kidding? Really? Is there a reason? Fishing is about catching and catching is about eating. The funniest thing about eastern kansas is you are advised NOT to eat more than 3 OUNCES of fish from most of the waters there due to pollution. Changes your palate and taste buds for sure. hah. Funny but sad. Heavy metals and pollution is everywhere and the bigger the fish, the more concentrated the metals. Sad deal isnt it?

So dont be mad at me, I am just suggesting maybe we need to think about the future of our sport. They opened up the deerhunting here and some of the ppl around me shot as many as 45 deer with family permits etc. Now they are complaining there are NO DEER. No dung sherlock. Good grief. I had over 50 in my section alone and now there might be 6. And the trophies are not there either. I bowhunt and its harder and harder to find a shooter each year.

[Dumb to fishing]

I am not mad at all. Plus i completely understand and agree with you to a certain extent. Maybe the answer is to install more catch and release areas? People are going to do what they want to do no matter what they want. More people practice the catch and release method now more than they ever have so maybe it will get better.

[bigredbirdfan]

Does this topic need to be rehashed?

Trav: Get out the pictures again

[bclift65706]

I eat fish all the time love them. I dont eat bass dont really like them I eat crappie goggleeye walleye whitebass catfish suckers . I believe in leingh limits and hardley ever keep a fish that just meets the minimum leingth if someone wants to eat a bass eat it if you want to releas it release it I do. I do a little bass fishing not alot but slot limits are a great thing I think anyway. every person has his/her owne degre of sportsmanship eatem/release them neither is wrong as long as it is done leagle and that does mean 2 limits in possesion of fish cought in state waters no sence in keeping 400 fish in your frezer for 2 years and throw them away save enought to have a fish fry or two and when you get low replinish your inventory.

[drew03cmc]

After the other thread, this does not need to be brought up. There are people on this forum, who follow the TU mantra, to conserve and protect America's coldwater fisheries,(regardless of cost, or if the fishery is completely stocked fish, with no spawning.) That means releasing every fish you catch because that one fish cannot be replaced by the stocking truck next week. I am for C&R on wild streams, on small streams, on any water where you think you are the only person fishing it and want to keep it that way. However, the law is the law, if you do not like someone keeping a 25# fish, tough, that is the law. Would someone have the same heart attack if someone kept a 100# blue catfish from the Missouri River? Nope, even though that fish is older, they would not feel the same way because it was an old fish. That brown was old, and would not have survived release. He did a good job.

[Greg]

I just flat out don't understand why some people got so upset on that other thread? No one really said anything offensive. So a few catch and release proponents wished he would have tried to release that big brown. So what? No one was knocking the man personally or saying it wasn't his right to keep it. Almost every single person congratulated him.

I'm catch and release too. But I have never put someone else down for keeping legal fish. I kept a lot of fish when I was younger. But I just get more enjoyment now out of putting them back. And it just feels right to me.

And bigredbirdfan you're right this probably doesn't NEED to be rehashed. And here I am contributing to the "rehashing".

Greg

[jdmidwest]

I eat fish and its healthy. I never keep bass out of streams, never keep a goggle eye, and only keep trout in put and take areas. I keep bass in areas with slot limits, it keeps the area healthy. I keep panfish like blue gills and crappie. I fish for walleye and sauger and keep a limit every now and them. I release most catfish, too much trouble to clean.

Trout are good smoked on the grill or cooked on the grill and healthy for you too. I buy salmon and cook them too. I eat fish!

I would like to find a way to catch and release Ducks, I have not developed a taste for them. But, I have friends that like them so I make them happy.

I guess I missed the other thread, will have to go back and read.

Keep what you eat, don't waste them. Don't take anything illegal. Don't keep a big fish for a mount, take a pic and measurements. Most good taxidermists will do a replica.

[Trav]

Dakota tribal wisdom says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However, Here at OAF we often try other strategies with dead horses, including the following:

1. Buying a stronger whip.

2. Changing riders.

3. Say things like, "This is the way we have always ridden this horse."

4. Appointing a committee to study the horse.

5. Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.

6. Increasing the standards to ride dead horses.

7. Appointing a tiger team to revive the dead horse.

8. Creating a training session to increase our riding ability.

9. Comparing the state of dead horses in todays environment.

10. Change the requirements declaring that "This horse is not dead."

11. Hire contractors to ride the dead horse.

12. Harnessing several dead horses together for increased speed.

13. Declaring that "No horse is too dead to beat."

14. Providing additional funding to increase the horse's performance.

15. Do a Cost Analysis study to see if contractors can ride it cheaper.

16. Purchase a product to make dead horses run faster.

17. Declare the horse is "better, faster and cheaper" dead.

18. Form a quality circle to find uses for dead horses.

19. Revisit the performance requirements for horses.

20. Say this horse was procured with cost as an independent variable.

21. Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.

22. Make horse flavored powerbait.