Catch-And-Keep Day

[Bill B.]

I wade and fish several northern Ozark streams during the summer, but I never go out on Memorial Day weekend, the first weekend of the catch-and-keep season for bass on Missouri streams. Except for once.

Several years ago, I had to drive to Rolla on the Saturday before Memorial Day. On the way back home, I detoured to one of my favorite wading places on a small river. Usually, there are no cars parked in the high grass by the highway bridge at this primitive access, and I will have the river entirely to myself, as had been true a couple of Saturdays earlier. But on this particular Saturday, things were different. I expected to see a couple of cars. Instead, there must have been a dozen or more.

I walked onto the bridge and looked downstream where a long, rocky pool stretched for a couple hundred yards or so. I could have been looking at Beaver Creek during the white bass run. The east bank was lined with people, groups of people, with lines in the water. I assumed that most if not all were using live bait and were fishing for Dinner Bass.

What percentage of legal fish do you think get yanked out of these small streams every opening weekend? Is there a better way to protect the spawn?

[fishgypsy]

I wade and fish several northern Ozark streams during the summer, but I never go out on Memorial Day weekend, the first weekend of the catch-and-keep season for bass on Missouri streams. Except for once.

Several years ago, I had to drive to Rolla on the Saturday before Memorial Day. On the way back home, I detoured to one of my favorite wading places on a small river. Usually, there are no cars parked in the high grass by the highway bridge at this primitive access, and I will have the river entirely to myself, as had been true a couple of Saturdays earlier. But on this particular Saturday, things were different. I expected to see a couple of cars. Instead, there must have been a dozen or more.

I walked onto the bridge and looked downstream where a long, rocky pool stretched for a couple hundred yards or so. I could have been looking at Beaver Creek during the white bass run. The east bank was lined with people, groups of people, with lines in the water. I assumed that most if not all were using live bait and were fishing for Dinner Bass.

What percentage of legal fish do you think get yanked out of these small streams every opening weekend? Is there a better way to protect the spawn?

That sucks, and I'd be willing to bet a lot of bass, even spawning bass, get killed those first couple of days. As for what could be done, here's my guesses:

1.) Move the opener off Memorial Day weekend. Move it to a weekday, or a weekend where everyone and their mothers aren't off for vacation.

2.) C&R on streams until early summer, say June 15th.

3.) Maximum length limit of 15 inches for smallies. The bigger fish are producing the most eggs and have the most nest success.

[Phil Lilley]

My guess MDC is trying to appease both groups. The opening date is well after most if not all the spawning is over.

[Al Agnew]

True most years, Phil, but not every year. If you have a lot of adverse weather during the mid-April to mid-May peak of spawning, some fish will postpone until as late as early June. I've seen smallies on beds in early June.

But most years, the spawn is pretty well protected. And to be honest, some biologists are of the opinion that the closed season doesn't really do all that much good, nor is it necessary. The opening weekend bass slaughter simply concentrates the harvest that would take place throughout the spring otherwise. And going by what happens on reservoirs, enough bass escape being killed while on beds to insure the success of the spawn even if they are open season. Not sure I agree with that, but it's a valid viewpoint.

However, so much of what MDC does seems to be based as much on tradition as on sound scientific data. The Memorial Day opener is one such thing. There is no scientific basis for opening the season then (and maybe not even for having a closed season in the first place), it's just that's the way it's been done for a long time. Perhaps changing it to the next weekend (first full weekend in June) would make the slaughter a little less intense. But can you imagine how long it would take for the casual, once or twice a year smallie eaters to actually learn that they can't go out on the holiday weekend and catch themselves some bass to eat? But then again, there might not be much scientific basis for changing it, either.

[eric1978]

Is there a better way to protect the spawn?

If we had the Alvin Smallmouth Management System, it wouldn't matter, because most spawning-sized fish would be protected under the Blue, Red or Yellow Ribbon regulations. MDC officials could be relegated to enforcement around the more popular accesses that weekend, just like they focus on deer violations during deer season.

[Chief Grey Bear]

The opening weekend bass slaughter simply concentrates the harvest that would take place throughout the spring otherwise.

Is there any data supporting the "Slaughter" on "Opening Weekend?"

[Gary Lange]

I really can't believe that you are going to get that many meat anglers to head out on Day one looking to stock the Freezer with Bass Fillets. I would imagine most are just wanting to get out and get a chance at catching a trophy or landing one over 20" rather then meat hunting. They would be better off going Crappie Fishing.

[Al Agnew]

Anybody who goes out on the opening weekend will see a lot of people fishing and keeping what they catch. Chief, maybe it's not right to call it a slaughter, but there are definitely a lot of bass killed on opening weekend. However, like I said before, I really don't think that in the whole scheme of things it's all that important. The fishing doesn't seem to decline much, if at all, after opening weekend...still plenty of fish in the rivers to go around, with maybe a few exceptions on small creeks that have public access.

[Wayne SW/MO]

If we had the Alvin Smallmouth Management System, it wouldn't matter, because most spawning-sized fish would be protected under the Blue, Red or Yellow Ribbon regulations. MDC officials could be relegated to enforcement around the more popular accesses that weekend, just like they focus on deer violations during deer season.

Don't bet on it. I think if you spent a lot of time on some streams in the early spring you would realize there is a lot of poaching. The problem is that on many streams the smallies pack up in deep holes and are literally like shooting fish in a barrel in some areas.

[Buzz]

I really can't believe that you are going to get that many meat anglers to head out on Day one looking to stock the Freezer with Bass Fillets. I would imagine most are just wanting to get out and get a chance at catching a trophy or landing one over 20" rather then meat hunting. They would be better off going Crappie Fishing.

I have to believe that most of the time it's because the season ends on the holiday that most feel kicks off the summer. Because of this you will find a lot more people fishing, mom's and dad's taking thier kids to the creek ( if the weather is good ) to catch some perch or whatever. Will they take some smallmouth? Yes, I'm sure some will. I really don't think that these types of semi-annual fisherpeople will put a dent in the fish population though. From what I've observed, most of these people will fish at the accesses that are already overfished and therefore are not any threat to the real quality fish. Most of these people don't even know that there even is a closed season, so it's better than them fishing during the months of April and May when they could possibly do some harm. Besides it's not like the kick-off at the trout parks. At least not in my experience.