What Ever Happened To The Length Limit Change On Spots In Beaver?

[Chief Grey Bear]

You had me at "delicious"....

So the larger ones are not as good flavor wise?

Personally I don't think the bigger fish of any species is as good as the smaller legal fish. With the exception of crappie and walleye.

[Stump bumper]

I think the main reason for taking out spots is to let the large mouth reproduce without mixing with a spot half breed. So eat all those little spots you care to clean.

[Old plug]

I can eat a lot. Of them with mitch's potato recipt. Last bunch I used vinegar and salt potato chips I add some. Paprica also.

[Bass Ivy]

I know some guys that will eat all them little spots they catch.

[bfishn]

Personally I don't think the bigger fish of any species is as good as the smaller legal fish. With the exception of crappie and walleye.

...and flatheads.

[jeb]

Table Rock is Different than Beaver it has alot better forage base. Grand Lake Does too. They have bigger river and creek tributaries. I think that helps them to have more forage. They are also not infested with white bass like Beaver is. Although over the last several years I dont think the whites are nearly as thick as they used to be. We used to could go out and catch over a 100 quiet often. I havent seen it like that in awhile. We used to find whites easy now you got to look harder than we did 15 years ago. This is what Ive noticed.

Table Rock also is not infested with Stripers like Beaver is.

But I think Beaver has good forage, too. I see huge schools of shad all the time on the depth finder on Beaver.

Whatever, it is what it is. I just think it's the wrong thing to do. I've caught a lot of high quality spots on Beaver this year. I'm guessing those will be a thing of the past with every worm dragger on the lake keeping every bass they catch. And you know a lot/most of them are going to keep the LM's below 12" now too.

[Stump bumper]

Jeb I see your point in theory, but in reality I have two problems. One is that I have had my livewells checked on Table Rock several times and never on Beaver not even when fishing a tournament and never by law enforcement on Beaver. So 1st if people want to take home hundreds of small or large bass of Beaver there has never been anyone around to stop them IMO. 2nd point is most people go to the lake to play, get high and very few people have a work ethic to gather food and do the work of cleaning and cooking fresh fish. I have seen people from other countries that do move here and will make use of any fish they catch but I would have to say I have seen more bald eagles on the lake then people who want to eat fish and the eagles fished 3 or 5 times a day compared to the people who fish 3 or 5 time a month.

In short it is my belief that Americans are too lazy to get out and hurt any population of fish with a pole and frying pan and with the amount of time and effort spent on enforcing fish and game laws around here changing laws really makes no difference except who gets a check in a tournament because those are the only people on the lake I have seen that read the laws.

I saw a young boy netting up stunned bass right after a tournament weigh in at Beaver and his Mom helped him load them in the car and that kid took 50 bass home that day right in PC with two Rangers watching and laughing about it, so I am of the opinion that anyone who wants to eat 8in spotted bass has been doing so for years and the change in the law was a waste of time and paper, just like most laws when there is no enforcement.

How many times have you seen people cull fish in PC during a tournament and throw out dead ones because they had too many fish in their livewell? I have seen that every weekend and lots of nice legal fish floating around for the rest of the weekend. IMO killing 5-6 lb breeding stock for a check is hurting the lake much more then eating 6-8 in non breeding fish.

I can't tell how many small fish I have killed on Beaver due to deep hooks and if I can give those to someone who will make use of them now, it might make me feel better, but I am lazy and will probably continue to throw them back.

[1969Larson]

I guess I don't understand the debate... it is an easily renewable resource. If you want more, buy 'em and put 'em in the lake. If you don't want to pay for new ones then throw them back and let them reproduce.

[Old plug]

It happens but I rarely deep hook a bass and do a awful lot of fishing with 12 inch plastic worms. I f you deep hooking so many your slow on the hook set.

[jeb]

Jeb I see your point in theory, but in reality I have two problems. One is that I have had my livewells checked on Table Rock several times and never on Beaver not even when fishing a tournament and never by law enforcement on Beaver. So 1st if people want to take home hundreds of small or large bass of Beaver there has never been anyone around to stop them IMO. 2nd point is most people go to the lake to play, get high and very few people have a work ethic to gather food and do the work of cleaning and cooking fresh fish. I have seen people from other countries that do move here and will make use of any fish they catch but I would have to say I have seen more bald eagles on the lake then people who want to eat fish and the eagles fished 3 or 5 times a day compared to the people who fish 3 or 5 time a month.

In short it is my belief that Americans are too lazy to get out and hurt any population of fish with a pole and frying pan and with the amount of time and effort spent on enforcing fish and game laws around here changing laws really makes no difference except who gets a check in a tournament because those are the only people on the lake I have seen that read the laws.

I saw a young boy netting up stunned bass right after a tournament weigh in at Beaver and his Mom helped him load them in the car and that kid took 50 bass home that day right in PC with two Rangers watching and laughing about it, so I am of the opinion that anyone who wants to eat 8in spotted bass has been doing so for years and the change in the law was a waste of time and paper, just like most laws when there is no enforcement.

How many times have you seen people cull fish in PC during a tournament and throw out dead ones because they had too many fish in their livewell? I have seen that every weekend and lots of nice legal fish floating around for the rest of the weekend. IMO killing 5-6 lb breeding stock for a check is hurting the lake much more then eating 6-8 in non breeding fish.

I can't tell how many small fish I have killed on Beaver due to deep hooks and if I can give those to someone who will make use of them now, it might make me feel better, but I am lazy and will probably continue to throw them back.

Your argument seems to be that folks are going to break the law anyway. I'm sure that's true of some. But I believe most people that go fishing to keep fish know the laws. Even if they choose to break them, they at least know them. Just the threat of being checked and caught keeps most folks in line, IMO. But that does really seem to be the point here, or at least not my point. They have changed the law. I just think it was a bad decision. I'm not all worked up about it or anything, and I hope they're right about it growing more quality LM fishing in Beaver. I'm very skeptical about it though.

I do agree with you on tournament fishing during the spawn. I think that's wrong too. It's one thing to catch them and let them go in the same spot. But dragging them miles down lake and stressing them out can't be good for the fishery.