Aunts Creek 6/24

[Codywskeeter1521]

I do not eat fish, period. Released a crappie that was well over 16" last year, and scores of goggleye every year, along with hand size gills and the odd catfish. Fish taste like fish.

This idea about licenses, etc...Just because it is legal does not mean it is a good idea. Like driving 70 on the freeway when it is snowing. Legal, yet destructive. Dangerous part is that folks get influenced by what they see, and could pick up the behavior. Especially young folks, people new to the sport, folks who started with no one to mentor them on stewardship.

Well said. ^^^

Also goes to champ.

[DADAKOTA]

Not condoning the whole "poking the bear" thing. No need for that. I too am C&R but don't belittle those who like a fish taco. MDC does a great job of monitoring the fish populations and setting the appropriate bag limits. How many of the C&R have mounted fish on the wall. I have none, and would have a replica made if I finally caught one worthy of the wall like a 7 pound smallie. Why is dtrs5kprs a more competent authority on the health of the fish population at TR than the MDC? He states, "Dangerous part is that folks get influenced by what they see, and could pick up the behavior. Especially young folks, people new to the sport, folks who started with no one to mentor them on stewardship." I was taught to fish by my father. When he grew up in Wisconsin, fishing put food on the table. Bass were a trash fish that you threw back or gave away. When I learned to fish, we caught fish for the table, but we were taught to only take what you needed for a meal (within the daily limit). I don't need to fish to eat, but I sure enjoy eating freshly caught crappie. I am C&R on bass by my choice, but I don't knock someone who takes fish for their table. Guess I didn't pick up my Dad's behavior. Keeping some spots for dinner is not a gateway for everyone to keep every fish they catch and decimate the population.

[jtram]

The initial post was a blatant TROLL. It worked.

[dtrs5kprs]

Not condoning the whole "poking the bear" thing. No need for that. I too am C&R but don't belittle those who like a fish taco. MDC does a great job of monitoring the fish populations and setting the appropriate bag limits. How many of the C&R have mounted fish on the wall. I have none, and would have a replica made if I finally caught one worthy of the wall like a 7 pound smallie. Why is dtrs5kprs a more competent authority on the health of the fish population at TR than the MDC? He states, "Dangerous part is that folks get influenced by what they see, and could pick up the behavior. Especially young folks, people new to the sport, folks who started with no one to mentor them on stewardship." I was taught to fish by my father. When he grew up in Wisconsin, fishing put food on the table. Bass were a trash fish that you threw back or gave away. When I learned to fish, we caught fish for the table, but we were taught to only take what you needed for a meal (within the daily limit). I don't need to fish to eat, but I sure enjoy eating freshly caught crappie. I am C&R on bass by my choice, but I don't knock someone who takes fish for their table. Guess I didn't pick up my Dad's behavior. Keeping some spots for dinner is not a gateway for everyone to keep every fish they catch and decimate the population.

Several of the C&R bass guys have supported selective harvest, myself included.

We are dealing with folks who want to kill every legal fish they catch, to heck with moderation. Hard to explain how that benefits the fishery.

[Champ188]

Disagreeing with someone's beliefs/actions does not equate to belittling them. We have acknowledged time and again that anyone is perfectly entitled to keep a legal limit of fish. It just happens to be OUR belief that the widespread practice of doing so will cause irreparable harm to the fishery, and we are just as entitled to hold and state that belief as the catch-and-kill folks are to, well, kill their catch.

[gitnby]

Been fishing this lake since I was 3 years old; that was 58 years ago!

I remember in the late 70's, it was standard practice for guides to fillet several of the keeper bass for their clients.

Even guys like Bill Beck, who is a big C & R guy these days.

B.A.S.S. and other organizations burst onto the scene and changed the landscape for bass fishing.

Tournaments popped up everywhere, and the backlash from pictures like this was what caused concern:

Bill Dance

Guys like Ray Scott and others were smart enough to see that to perpetuate this tournament industry, he needed to make sure that there were enough big bass to support it.

So, BASS became a big contributor, financially and otherwise, to C&R programs. Length and slot limits became law and the various conservation groups and agencies came up with studies that showed that C & R worked!

I am not a tournament fisherman! Tried it, didn't like it!

Loved the comaraderie, hated the competition.

Fishing is my relaxation, and my competition is internal, and the reward is an intangible.

I have had enough competition in my life.

Played college football, run a small business, and have watched and cheered for my Sons as they played sports in High School and College.

I don't have a problem with guys that fish tourneys! Most are decent people. (except Tommy Biffle, who is an A-hole!)

C & R, it seems, has been a success?

So, what about the guy who wants to eat a few fish?

I personally have never eaten a bass that tasted that good! Much rather eat tuna, grouper, mahi-mahi or swordfish.

Not too many of those in Table Rock?

Guys like Rickf are certainly within their rights to keep legal fish and eat them.

Guys like Champ188 and others are certainly within their rights to have a differring opinion.

If it was up to me, I would say we should all practice C & R. But, if you've ever been around a weigh-in site the next day and seen the floaters, you would know that it isn't a perfect science.

If it was up to me, I would ban day-time tournaments from June 1 thru Labor Day.

The 2 biggest complaints I hear from visitors:

-tournament fishermen cut them off or almost run them over while they are out for a leisurely day of boating/fishing.

-fishing boats getting swamped by the wake boats, and "cruise ships" we see on the lake these days

To Rickf- love to hear that you're catching some nice fish. But, the 'in yo face' attitude is ridiculous!

To Champ188-you remain one of my favorite contributors on this site. Don't let this guy get to you!

[abkeenan]

Wow. Nothing worse than fishermen turning on each other. So let me get this straight. The C&R guys can't stand the knifers eating bass. C&R is the only way to go to protect the resource. So the C&R team doesn't eat fish? If they do would they not be hypocrites? Do the C&R folks release all the crappie, walleye, bluegill, and catfish they catch? Or is it only the almighty bass? Before you get your panties in a wad, I am a tournament fisherman and practice C&R on 99% of the bass I catch. I think crappie, walleye, and gills eat better so those are the species I catch for the pan. With that said, I do not have a problem with someone catching Kentuckies to be released in grease. They pay the same fees, sales taxes, etc. that I do and as long as they are legally harvesting their fish within the limits established by MDC that is their choice. There are probably more released fish that die every year on Table Rock and feed no one than this fella catches and eats. We all enjoy fishing no need for a brawl.

I think most of us agree with this. The thing that I don't agree with is saying anyone that eats fish is a hypocrite. Fish that I eat are farm raised with intention of consumption and not a recreational fish. That or they are harvested in the ocean by commercial fisherman who have licenses to do so and are heavily regulated by government officials with a firm knowledge of the resource and it's viability. A guy and his buddies in a john boat most likely aren't going to go 6 miles offshore and clean out a school of red snapper or yellow fin tuna. Taking a few bass here and there is perfectly acceptable. But doing it with regularity could hurt the fish population and like others said that fish will never tug on a kids line again that's for sure.

Also, this thread wouldn't have gone south as fast as it did had Rick not had a "in your face" tone to the C&R crowd in his original post and then subsequent "Kentucky Taco" reply.

[Bird Watcher]

Table Rock Bass Fishiing.......

[Champ188]

Been fishing this lake since I was 3 years old; that was 58 years ago!

I remember in the late 70's, it was standard practice for guides to fillet several of the keeper bass for their clients.

Even guys like Bill Beck, who is a big C & R guy these days.

B.A.S.S. and other organizations burst onto the scene and changed the landscape for bass fishing.

Tournaments popped up everywhere, and the backlash from pictures like this was what caused concern:

Bill Dance

Guys like Ray Scott and others were smart enough to see that to perpetuate this tournament industry, he needed to make sure that there were enough big bass to support it.

So, BASS became a big contributor, financially and otherwise, to C&R programs. Length and slot limits became law and the various conservation groups and agencies came up with studies that showed that C & R worked!

I am not a tournament fisherman! Tried it, didn't like it!

Loved the comaraderie, hated the competition.

Fishing is my relaxation, and my competition is internal, and the reward is an intangible.

I have had enough competition in my life.

Played college football, run a small business, and have watched and cheered for my Sons as they played sports in High School and College.

I don't have a problem with guys that fish tourneys! Most are decent people. (except Tommy Biffle, who is an A-hole!)

C & R, it seems, has been a success?

So, what about the guy who wants to eat a few fish?

I personally have never eaten a bass that tasted that good! Much rather eat tuna, grouper, mahi-mahi or swordfish.

Not too many of those in Table Rock?

Guys like Rickf are certainly within their rights to keep legal fish and eat them.

Guys like Champ188 and others are certainly within their rights to have a differring opinion.

If it was up to me, I would say we should all practice C & R. But, if you've ever been around a weigh-in site the next day and seen the floaters, you would know that it isn't a perfect science.

If it was up to me, I would ban day-time tournaments from June 1 thru Labor Day.

The 2 biggest complaints I hear from visitors:

-tournament fishermen cut them off or almost run them over while they are out for a leisurely day of boating/fishing.

-fishing boats getting swamped by the wake boats, and "cruise ships" we see on the lake these days

To Rickf- love to hear that you're catching some nice fish. But, the 'in yo face' attitude is ridiculous!

To Champ188-you remain one of my favorite contributors on this site. Don't let this guy get to you!

This is one of the most reasonable, level-headed posts I've seen on this topic in the past few weeks. And it has nothing to do with the last line.

Well said, gitnby. And I couldn't agree more on tournaments being disallowed certain times of the year. I'd especially like to see them suspended during spawning time.

Thanks for your insight and objectivity.

[mjk86]

I think most of us agree with this. The thing that I don't agree with is saying anyone that eats fish is a hypocrite. Fish that I eat are farm raised with intention of consumption and not a recreational fish. That or they are harvested in the ocean by commercial fisherman who have licenses to do so and are heavily regulated by government officials with a firm knowledge of the resource and it's viability. A guy and his buddies in a john boat most likely aren't going to go 6 miles offshore and clean out a school of red snapper or yellow fin tuna. Taking a few bass here and there is perfectly acceptable. But doing it with regularity could hurt the fish population and like others said that fish will never tug on a kids line again that's for sure.

Also, this thread wouldn't have gone south as fast as it did had Rick not had a "in your face" tone to the C&R crowd in his original post and then subsequent "Kentucky Taco" reply.

Idk that i can agree with "heavily regulated by government officials with a firm knowledge of the resource and its viability". We are depleting the oceans biodiversity at a much faster rate than the bass fisherman are depleting the bass fishing at table rock. That cant be questioned. I think its much much better and more sustainable to eat locally caught wild, prolific, and abundant fish, than it is to eat incredibly over exploited, highly toxic, and depleted ocean fisheries. Not to mention that the oceans are much more critical to people/life on earth than the lake. It is irresponsible to eat ocean fish, as they do not replenish themselves as fast as humans are taking them out. Look at tuna populations...or any other ocean fish, they are doing much worse off than table rock spots. Farm raised fish get a big fat giant thumbs up from me. That is a great way to feed large numbers of people.