Catch and Release?

[Greg]

Tightline - if you are meaning how do you make paragraphs in an individual post then all you have to do is hit enter a couple of times. It does break up a long post and make it easier to read.

Greg

[Tightline]

Yes sir I do know 3 that post on here personally and they just have a fit if someone even talks about keeping bass,and I KNOW a couple more just by pictures I have seen of them and have fished right beside them at Beaver Creek and once at Silver creek and I never seen 1 fish turned back.

I did say I know SOME that do that, not all,my best fishing buddy is one of the biggest ducks in the puddle,he will not throw back a white bass or crappie till he has a limit but he had a fit when I wanted to keep a couple of the bigger trout we caught at Roaring River last time we were there. Cant and wont mention names but yes I do know it for a fact.

Thank you Greg for the help. TL

[Phil Lilley]

Good enough. Just didn't want a war of words started on a general statement. Thanks for clarifying.

[MoCarp]

When I was younger I kept almost all of the fish I caught. As I've gotten older I think I've come to realize that our rivers and lakes are precious. And also come to a knowledge level of what it took for that bow, brown, bass (or whatever) to get to 20". Personally I just can't imagine keeping a big trout or bass. I have no negative feelings at all about someone keeping the smaller fish. But when I see a big fish caught I can't help but be sad that no one else will enjoy that particular fish. It doesn't mean I would resort to calling that person names or confronting him or her. It's just a feeling and an opinion.

Wow where to begin, I feel the same way now-----since I was old enough to remember I have been an avid angler I am 46 years old now, and my attitudes about fishing has matured

I grew up in Mobile Alabama practically on the dog river that flows into Mobile Bay I caught just about everything that swims

in that bay some huge fish as well largemouth bass, redfish, sheepshead, speckled & white trout, mullet, croaker, black drum, flounder.

My family camped on weekends so we spent many a trip into lakes in south east Mississippi for bull bream aka Bluegills, and white perch aka crappie--trips to the panhandle of Florida for giant shell crackers "read ears" and huge Florida bass that would make any guide on tablerock swallow his chew.

when I was 16 we moved to Joplin Missouri because of my fathers job, and in looking for a house he new our families love of fishing and we got a house right on one of the biggest riffles on shoal creek--I was exited because I was going to fish for fish unavailable to me in the deep south rock bass, smallmouth bass, Spotted Kentucky bass --even walleyes and trout! where with in driving distance

I learned new ways to fish and waded/floated untold miles of rivers--as a young man trips to canada rounded out my fishing experances--and now I am into the Euro.

I have learned this in all my years of fishing--big fish of any kind are special. and even a vast seemingly endless fishery can be fished out of existence.

The lowly croaker from 1-6 pounds was a common catch in the gulf when I was young, boney, most folks opted to keep other fish, when the folks discoved a way to flake the meat off the bones and make a delious crab cake like meal.. the fish where doomed--fishing for them has never been the same since--if that can happen in a body of water with billions of surface acres--makes you think

[strangercreek]

Folks are probably already aware of this, but for those who are conflicted about it (including myself), you can have replicas made from photographs (in specific details to the actual fish). There are several of them but one is

http://americanfishtaxidermy.com/.

Personally I have not landed that trophy yet (trout anyway), but that is an entirely different issue

[Danoinark]

I have no problem with someone wanting to keep fish even though I can't remember the last time I kept one to take home and eat. It was probably a bluegill when I was still living at home simply because my dad thought a gill dinner was as good as any steak. Another reason is that I just don't like messing with them. The gutting, the scaling, all that is associated and outside of catfish I really don't care to eat em. Just my preferance. So I am C and R by laziness and pallet. But at the same time I see both sides of this issue. To me its more an ethical matter than anything. Some want to preserve what is in the stream for everyone to enjoy. Others want to take for food or pride to hang on the wall. Nobody is wrong as far as I see. I commend those that release the big fish back. And as long as the game laws allow the taking of fish its going to be this way, thus the debate will continue...Dano

[Murdoc]

Now that this can of worms is open. I want to thank Phil for giving everyone the right and freedom to post their oppinon on this great web site. The respect that everyone shows is remarkable!

My father told me that eveyone has a oppinon and whether you agree with it or not you have to have respect for them. That's what is becoming a growing problem with our country these days,very little respect for your fellow man. I'm thankful that the people that post on this web site are honest and good folks. And it does my heart good to read it!! Thanks again Phil!!!

P.S. If the big one isn't going to make it never waste it.

[Greg]

Dano

I had to laugh when I read your post on this. Because in thinking about it - I have to admit that part of the reason I don't ever keep fish anymore is precisely what you said. I don't like to mess with them either. And just like you I simply don't care that much for fish as table fare.

I also have to admit that a couple of winters ago when I caught my personal best trout (26" bow that was not just long but incredibly fat) I was sorely tempted to take it home. But I didn't. I revived her and sent her on her way.

Greg

[RiverRunner]

It is important to remember that more people are fishing our waters now than ever before, thus C&R is necessary to the continued health of our fisheries. Over here in NE Arkansas, I have seen some of the best largemouth & Kentucky bass fishing almost decimated by meat fishing. At one time, it was common to easily catch 10-20 3 lbs Kentuckies a day out of the St. Francis River, but the angling public has discovered these waters and now it seems that all you can catch are a few 10" - 11" bass. Having been around the bass tournament scene some, C&R has always seemed like 2nd nature to me. I like to keep a few bass to eat every now and then, but that's all. Most fisherman around here keep every bass they catch, regardless of size. I can't tell you how many people I have made mad by throwing fish back in front of them. I can name at least 10 fisheries over here that have been ruined by meat fishing. I never keep trout any more, but I do have one nice brown that I caught years ago on my wall. And I can probably say that will be the only one. I just don't care anything about killing a trout anymore, besides, I don't think that they are fit to eat.

There are very few things that I enjoy more than a meal of fried sauger or catfish, but it really breaks my heart to see our fisheries over here going downhill because of meat fishing. If you need the fish to eat, then I can accept & understand that. But if you have to buy an extra deep freeze to hold all of the fish that you are keeping, then you are not depending on those fish for you or your families survival I would assume. Bill Dance once said that "if you are fishing so that you can have a big stringer to show off, you need to think about why you are fishing in the first place"

And one last opinion on my rant. I think that the AGFC does an admirable job when it comes to promoting C&R on trout and smallmouth streams. But they do almost nothing to protect some of our bass fisheries. I get the feeling that Missouri does a better job promoting warm water C&R than AR does. I would be curious to hear a more informed opinion on this.

[griffin]

I don't keep big fish because they don't taste good....BUT....I've got an extra deep freeze FILLED with fillets that we will eat at duck camp this year. There is sauger, bass, white bass, bluegill, trout, catfish and crappie in my freezer....and we'll eat every last one of them.

THEN......I'll take every duck I can get my hands on and have it made into sausage sticks that we eat when we are fishing.

Fish die so we can eat while we hunt....ducks die so we can eat while we fish.....I like it that way....and I'll be at it until I can't walk anymore.

BTW - my 8 year old son has a 4.5 smallie and a 7.8 largemouth on his wall, and a 9 lb. Northern at the taxidermist. One day....right out of Taneycomo, he'll catch a 5lb. plus trout...either Brown or Rainbow....and when he does it'll go on his wall too. He likes them there....it reminds him of good times with his dad and how much fishing is better then 1000 other things he could be doing...so I like them there too.

And if he catches a big fish and turns to me and says, "dad, can we eat him"...I say...."SURE!!!" He gets extra enjoyment out of eating a fish he caught....and I'm not about to tell him which ones are OK with some folks if he does....he caught it, he can eat it. I guess one day he'll be happy to let a few go himself....but he'll get there like the rest of us...because he earned it, not because someone thought they knew better.

By the way.....I don't hunt just to watch the sunrise either....I found out a few years ago that it rises even if I stay in bed.....too bad ducks don't die and pile up in my freezer even if I'm asleep.

griffin