Quote Originally Posted by Sore thumb View Post
I have been fishing for a long time with various buddies. Over the years I have tried to stay open minded about the various techniques of catching fish. Initially I threw out artificial lures and was having decent success. I then went with this guy who didn't own very many lures. You see, his mission was to "catch fish" as opposed to wearing his arm out. He would bring a bucket of night crawlers with him as well as the usual stuff. While I beat the water to death and would catch the occassional bass, he would bring fish in left and right, allbeit they may be crappie, bass, or blue gill. He used a night crawler on a smaller hook and would rig it Texas style. No sinker, and no bobber. When his line would twitch or move he simply set the hook.
Now, to my situation. While I love being on the lake, I also love "catching" fish. I have incorporated this technique into my fishing and I have much more success in bring home the bacon (so to speak). I am not a tourny fisherman and don't pretend to be. But I do catch a lot of fish which is the mission at hand.
My buddy (Shawn) thinks that I am cheating. When we go fishing together he claims I'm not fishing but rather cheating. He tells me I might as well throw some dynamite in the water. We have had disagreements about it in the past. I'm thinking, if you go Deer hunting, you mask your smell, wear camo, and do whatever you have to in order to get that trophy. But it's cheating when it comes to fishing? By the way, I have caught a number of trophy bass, one of which was a 9 lb beauty two years ago is a pond in Charlestown, In. from a jon boat. I caught it while fishing for crappie using minnows. Was that cheating? Should I not have taken a picture of it before I put it back? Gimme your thoughts.
If you had been fishing a tourney, then yes, it would have been cheating, since live bait is against the rules, at least in any tournament I've heard of. If you're just out for a relaxing afternoon on the water, having fun, and trying to fill a cooler with some crappie, and not concerned about the "sportingness" of it, then no, it's not. The only problem there might be a conservation issue, IMHO, and I commend you for releasing the bass you unintentionally caught. As far as taking the picture, well, that depends. If you handled the fish in the process, you probably caused it to lose some of its protective slime coating, which would decrease its chances of survival. This is why a lot of catch-and-release fishermen use lippers and pliers, so you don't have to touch the fish with your hands.