River And Stream Bass Anglers: Do You Catch And Release

[msamatt]

Ladies and Gents: If you fish for black bass (largemouth, kentucky (spotted), and smallmouth) bass in our Missouri Ozark streams and rivers please take a minute and take my poll. As president of the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance, which is dedicated to improving the quality of river and stream smallmouth bass fishing in Missouri, I'm really interested in just how many of my fellow anglers practice catch and release when fishing for black bass in our streams and rivers. Thanks in advance for your time.

Respectfully,

Matt Wier

[FishinCricket]

I fish for all of em, but don't keep em..

[jdmidwest]

I generally Catch and Release most stream fish unless it is an area where the Kentuckies are a problem. I will keep bluegills and longears from streams but not goggle eye. I keep a few trout in put and take sections.

[msamatt]

Cadilla and J.D.: Thanks for taking the time to respond to my poll. Like J.D. I specifically keep spots when I'm fishing in an area where they are an invasive species and compete with smallies (i.e. the entire Meramec watershed). I asked the question because the MSA is currently working to get the MDC to do something to improve the quality of smallmouth fishing in Missouri. In a nutshell all of us want to catch more big fish. The MSA isn't anti consumption but it stands to reason that if you knock a 12" smallmouth over the head it isn't going to grow any bigger. With that in mind I decided to take a poll of at least the OAF members in order to determine how many of us practice catch and release when fishing for black bass in our Missouri Ozarks streams and rivers. If you fellas have any interest in joining the MSA and helpin us out with this process I encourage you to check us out: www.missourismallmouthalliance.com

Thanks,

Matt

[Flysmallie]

There are some real problems with the spots. I noticed a lot more of them this year on the lower James (Kerr to Galena). The problem that you have is that in this stretch all bass must be 15" before you can keep them. You don't catch too many spots that are that big. A lot of 12-14" fish. This is one section where I would like to see a 18" or even keep the 15" for smallmouth and put everything else at 12".

But you always will have the problem of the people that take everything they catch no matter what. I saw a man that was ticketed on the James this summer for having short fish. A couple of his fish were even less than 12".

[Fishhand]

There are some real problems with the spots. I noticed a lot more of them this year on the lower James (Kerr to Galena). The problem that you have is that in this stretch all bass must be 15" before you can keep them. You don't catch too many spots that are that big. A lot of 12-14" fish. This is one section where I would like to see a 18" or even keep the 15" for smallmouth and put everything else at 12".

But you always will have the problem of the people that take everything they catch no matter what. I saw a man that was ticketed on the James this summer for having short fish. A couple of his fish were even less than 12".

Friends and I noticed a substantial amount of gravel has washed into the James after the floods of '08....the riffles seemed a little bit longer and the holes a little bit smaller....I'm sure some of it was just gravel shifting around but some of the gravel bars grew substantially... it also appeared long stretches of clean gravel was covering areas that used to feature good smallie habitat...

[msamatt]

Flysmallie and Fishhand:

I may be reading the regs wrong but the special regs section on the James runs from Hooten Town to Hwy 13. On that stretch if you want to keep black bass you can only keep 6 of which only one may be a smallie. If you keep them, then Largemouth and Smallmouth have to be at least 15' long. The reg doesn't say anything about spots so I assume, and you should check with your conservation agent on this one, that the statewide 12" minimum applies. So, before you start whacking those spots, check with your agent.

As far as people keeping whatever they catch I'm afraid some folks are always going to do this. I truly believe most people want to obey the game laws but some folks are just outlaws and never will. One of the real problems with our game laws is, in my opinion, that not only do we not have enough agents but we also have counties in which prosecutors and judges just don't pursue these cases. That's a touch nut to crack and can only be changed at the local level. As far as keeping everything you catch, regs be darn, that's something that can only be changed at the personal level and you can't vote that out.

It's good to hear first hand feedback about how this year's floods have changed the habitat in you home flows. The one and only time I've fished the James the water was high, slightly murky and running fast. Nearly all of the smallies I caught were hanging out in the crevices in the rock bottom of the river. I don't know if that's normal for James River smallies but that was the pattern that weekedn (two years ago). I think overall this years flood was exactly what the doctor ordered for many of our streams and rivers. In all cases it seems to have changed up everything and we have to adjust to the new conditions. Only time is going to tell if all of this shifting of gravel and other detrius is going to have some long term benefit for the smallie populations.

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my poll.

Matt

[Flysmallie]

Here is a link to the James River regulations as written by Phil on Ozark Anglers.

James River Regs

Matt you were right. There is a 15" min on Largemouth & Smallmouth only. Daily limit of 6 with only 1 being a smallmouth.

So I guess I need to eat some small spots.

[Buzz]

I have a question. How do spotted bass become an invasive species? Down here in S.W. MO we have all 3 of the black bass family and I am not sure that there is any kind of problem with spots being in overabundance. Are the spots that I hear about a lot on this forum migrating up into what used to be smallmouth waters or have they been stocked?

I don't keep any bass at all anymore, and haven't for many years, and the last time I ate any spotted bass I was not very happy with the flavor.

I also am very much in favor of a length limit change on all of the Ozark streams and creeks. You just don't catch that many 15" smallmouth anymore.

[msamatt]

Mr. Buzib1:

Maybe Al Agnew, who knows more about this than I, will chime in and correct any mistakes I make but to the best of my knowledge Kentuckys or Spots are native in some watersheds in Southeast MO. To the best of my knowledge most of the spots in the Meramec watershed have spread there during high water periods. Over time changes in our Ozark boarder streams, the Bourbeuse, parts of the Meramec, and their tribs have favored the expansion of the spots. They like more turbid, slower, slack water similar to river largemouth. Decades of drought and habitat degradation have tended to increase these conditions. Spots also reproduce much faster than smallmouth. Since smallies have to compete with spots for diminishing resources I don't have any ethical qualms about harvesting spots when they're in season. I'm pretty sure that spots were stocked in the Osage river watershed and spread into the Gasconade but don't take my word on that.