Keeping Fish

[Amish Bill]

I wasn't going to do this, but I can't stop myself. The bass guys want catch and release and the Trout guys want catch and release, but from what I've seen a lot of these same guys don't think anything of loading up with crappie, walleye, cats, or any other species as long as it's not there fish of choice.

I was at the hatchery on Taney and had a nice talk with the agent and he told me if I caught a big fish I may as well keep it because it was probably a brooder who's time was short anyway. That being said I wouldn't keep it because the smaller ones are better eating (my opinion) the same with about any other fish.

Now the walleye, trout, and I think maybe the bass are stocked therfore we're not trying to save seed fish. the cats and crappie as far as I know are not so it seems to me the ones to catch and release would be those

I like the blue cats and turn everything over 24" and under 20" loose (my choice). Reason being they grow slow. I have a replica of a 63lb. on my wall and the conservation agent said he was probably about 50 years old. I don't know how long it takes bass to grow, but I bet it's faster than that

Not trying to convert, or slam anyone. Just wonderd about it for a while and decided to type and see what happens.

[Dutch]

I only keep the fish that taste good and I avoid keeping any females during the spawn. For the most part that is crappie and walleye. If bass weren't so smelly like bull frogs, I'd eat some of them also. If it is legal to catch and keep and you are legally licened then you have a right to do so no matter what the norm has become.

BTW: I don't personally know of any bass stocking in public impoundments after the initial time that the lake is opened.

[gotmuddy]

I keep fish as well because I love the taste. I make it a point to not eat native fish though.

[Zack Hoyt]

Good thoughts ABill. On crappie, I have always underestood they reproduce more plentiful than alot of the bass, trout, etc. Hence the regs being the way they are.

[eric1978]

I like the blue cats and turn everything over 24" and under 20" loose (my choice). Reason being they grow slow. I have a replica of a 63lb. on my wall and the conservation agent said he was probably about 50 years old. I don't know how long it takes bass to grow, but I bet it's faster than that

I think you just answered your own question. Check out the growth rates for smallmouth bass. And by the way, they've never been stocked in the rivers...not successfully anyway.

I have no problem with people keeping some trout in a put and take section of river...that's what it's there for. But it's nice to have some Blue Ribbon sections available for people who are more interested in angling than eating. I think the 1 fish > 18" reg is geared more toward keeping a trophy than keeping dinner.

I think some harvest of LM and K bass from reservoirs is okay, but I'm of the opinion that the creel limits are somewhat liberal, given the amount of anglers who fish the impoundments. Luckily, many anglers C&R, otherwise fishing would be much tougher if everyone was keeping a limit every time they went out, even though that would be perfectly "legal."

I don't see anything wrong with advocating C&R of the sportiest species. Some fish are better to eat, some are better to catch. Discrimination isn't always a bad thing. Eat all the crappie and gills and whites you want...they breed like rabbits and there are tons of them, plus they taste better. But how about leaving the hardest fighting fish that are the most fun to catch for the folks who are really only interested in fishing and prefer to eat cows, chickens and pigs most days. I love a fish fry, too, but there ain't no way I'm gonna toss an 18" smallmouth in the fryer just because it's "legal." I'd much rather catch her again when she's bigger, and in the meantime let her make lots of babies with her good genes.

Like some card sharp said, you can shear a sheep many times, but skin it only once.

[oneshot]

I fish for Food if its Legal I cook it no regrets.Even though the Bible says Spoonbill and Catfish are unclean.

oneshot

[Chief Grey Bear]

Add Tuna, Cod, Mackerel, Whiting, Abalone, clams, crabs, lobsters, oysters, scallops, shrimp, Shark, Swordfish, bullfrogs, crawdads and probably some others to that list.

[id10t]

I wasn't going to do this, but I can't stop myself. The bass guys want catch and release and the Trout guys want catch and release, but from what I've seen a lot of these same guys don't think anything of loading up with crappie, walleye, cats, or any other species as long as it's not there fish of choice.

I was at the hatchery on Taney and had a nice talk with the agent and he told me if I caught a big fish I may as well keep it because it was probably a brooder who's time was short anyway. That being said I wouldn't keep it because the smaller ones are better eating (my opinion) the same with about any other fish.

Now the walleye, trout, and I think maybe the bass are stocked therfore we're not trying to save seed fish. the cats and crappie as far as I know are not so it seems to me the ones to catch and release would be those

I like the blue cats and turn everything over 24" and under 20" loose (my choice). Reason being they grow slow. I have a replica of a 63lb. on my wall and the conservation agent said he was probably about 50 years old. I don't know how long it takes bass to grow, but I bet it's faster than that

Not trying to convert, or slam anyone. Just wonderd about it for a while and decided to type and see what happens.

I think it is a personal thing.

I used to keep Smallmouth. I don't anymore because I don't have to have them as a food source. If I had to have them for food it would be different. I fish for the sport of it not the sustenance that it can bring. I have lots of other options for food. Smallmouth on the other hand can be few and far between.

I have a brother in law who keeps his limit. He also eats everything he catches/shoots or traps. He grows his own veggies as well. It is a part of his way of life. I can't take issue with that.

I also have a buddy who keeps everything he catches for one reason only. Bragging. He may eat some of it but for the most part it goes to waste. I don't hunt or fish with him for that reason. Other than that he is a great guy.

My primary fishing is on rivers & streams. Smallmouth in the rivers grow even slower than those in the lakes. The folks at In fisherman showed a study on growth rates between Largemouth and Smallmouth. It takes a smallmouth about 6 years to get to 14in in the rivers and streams we fish. It takes 3 years for Spots/Kentucky & Largemouth to reach the same 14 in. Reservoir growth rates are faster but it is still 2 to 1.

I tend to get a bit uptight when I see the fellas with fishing poles and an Ice chest full of dead fish and another chest full of beer cans at the end of the float. I have nothing against beer on the water mind you so long as it doesn't end in fish dumped next to the beer cans at the take out trash can. If you don't intend on eating them then toss em back. It is that simple for me. But I would say most folks on this site feel that way.

It is a choice for me that I don't impose on others. Now I will be the 1st to step up to the plate and tell folks why I don't take Smallmouth from what I said above. I also ask them to think about the fight with the Smallmouth over the Kentucky of the same size from the same water. It doesn't take long for folks to realize Smallmouth are a special fish for the sportsman.

When we river camp over several days we take noodles and catfish at night or as we get into a long pool. Toss the noodle out of the canoe and pick it up before you hit the next set of riffles. More often than not we have plenty of fish for dinner.

JMHO

Now off to get some nice 9 in Brownies for Dinner. I tried the 13 in variety but they hang over the edge of the plate. 9 X 9 glassware makes great brownies. I prefer mine with walnuts. No Carmel, No pecans, No chocolate swirly stuff. Just plain 9 in brownies with walnuts and 7in glass of milk.

[Al Agnew]

Far too many people catch and release all their fish as more of a knee jerk reaction, rather than doing it for well thought out reasons. They "love" certain species. They want better fishing--without being too thoughtful about what will result in better fishing. Or maybe they just don't like to clean and eat fish--rather get their fish from the frozen food counter.

In my opinion, the truly ethical angler makes a conscious choice based upon the water they are fishing, the species they are catching, the best science--and they take the time and effort to know that science. That is one place where too many anglers just don't know the ins and outs of releasing and keeping fish.

As I've said before, in a perfect world the regulations would be tailored to each waterway and would be "just right" for keeping the fishing for each species in that waterway at optimum. In the real world, that just ain't so. And conditions change, so what is "right" for one year might not be right the next.

There is also the goal that is being sought. Some anglers want lots of fish, some want more big fish--well, actually just about everybody wants more AND bigger fish.

When it comes to the species we fish for in the Ozarks, perhaps the biggest problem we have with a species not reaching its potential because of too much catch and keep fishing is walleye. Probably a greater percentage of walleye fishermen keep everything legal than any other of our larger gamefish, and I truly believe that this mentality is keeping the population of large walleye depressed over much of the Ozarks. And the real shame of this is that of all the game fish in the Ozarks, walleye have the greatest potential to produce truly huge fish, world record class fish. Walleye are not a numerous species anyway. It doesn't take many killed to make a dent in the population. The populations in some lakes are probably okay, but the large rivers that have great potential for growing 20 pound plus walleye, like the Current, lower Black, Eleven Point, and Spring, are probably overharvested.

The other thing, related to the walleye but very true for most of the larger gamefish from bass to catfish, is that the largest specimens are the scarcest and most valuable, yet probably also the most likely to be kept. On species like crappie and white bass, there isn't that much difference between an average fish and a big fish, and they are prolific enough that some are bound to grow a little bigger IF the habitat is right. In the case of bluegill, habitat and plenty of harvest seem to be the major factors ALLOWING them to grow big. And because these species have short life spans, it's often only a matter of one more year of survival that makes for a big specimen for the waters. Bass, on the other hand, are an apex species that can be cropped to where very few get to be really big. They and catfish are slow-growing in natural circumstances, so it takes several more years of survival for them to reach their potential size. All of which makes truly big ones rather rare and valuable.

Personally, I don't think I'll ever keep another walleye, for the reasons I've stated. I've kept plenty in the past, mainly because they are supposed to be such good eating. But truth be known, I like the various sunfish species better. I'll probably keep some eating size catfish now and then, and I'll definitely keep bass under 14 inches from private lakes that I have access to that need more harvest. I won't ever keep a smallmouth from the streams where the spotted bass are non-native and competing with smallies, while I'll keep every spotted bass I legally can from those streams. In streams that have a lot of smallies and healthy watersheds, I will keep a few now and then. I'll keep some bluegill, goggle-eye, crappie, and other sunfish species fairly regularly.

[Mitch f]

My wife is Chinese and they think it's crazy to release anything, that's why there are hardly any natural resources left in China. That's another reason they all want to come here to raise their families and not back home.Their mentality is to kill and eat the goose that lays the golden egg before someone else does. My brother in law told me that there is no way they could even have a self serve soda machine in a McDonalds in China because people would gorge themselves on the free soda and bring the food home.

In a small way that's exactly the mentality we are dealing with here on keeping the fish. It's based on poverty and the depression era mentality. We are only 1 or 2 generations removed from that generation and they were the ones that taught us to fish. I see nothing wrong with keeping fish as long as it's legal, but if you're eating fish out of necessity, then there is a problem. The bottom line is it will take years and years to change the mentality of these fish eaters and convince them to buy from the grocery store.