Conservation

[Bonefish]

I am guilty as a lot of other fishermen in the fact in years past I have been greedy when it came to overfishing my ability to eat all that I catch. From year to year how many fish do we throw away from the freezer that have been in the ice too long. I find myself cleaning a mess of fresh fish ever so often because fresh fish taste better from the cleaning table to the frying pan and forgetting I have fish in the freezer. As I have gotten older, one begins to evaluate things a little better, and somehow, we become little more sensitive to the right way of doing things. If you look at Dale Hollow and the slot for smallmouth, it is designed to support the spawning colonies from year to year. Not all lakes have such controls and unfortunately the fish populations suffer.

I feel we should support the spawning colonies and release the bigger fish we enjoy catching no matter what species they may be. Even though I am a bass fisherman for the most part, I hate to see the large catfish not being released because it takes so long for them to reach trophy size. All I am trying to say is we should eat the smaller fish which taste better anyway and release the large spawning and trophy fish to support the fishery. Overharvesting decreases quanity and quality. I think we should release all spawning females during peek spawn and the bigger males as well and keep only what we truly will eat.

[RoadToad]

I agree wholeheartedly. I lost power for 6 days from the storm, and ended up throwing away about 30 trout from the freezer, and felt terrible about it. Yes, they came from a "put-take" stocking in local ponds, but still I killed them, and ended up throwing them away. I still feel kinda guilty. even though the power outage was obviously not my fault. But ever since I started crabbing as a kid, I have always thrown back egg-laden females of any species, be they crabs, fish, whatever. It's just the right thing to do.

[MsgMills]

I stopped stocking my freezer with fish for this same exact reason...Now I only catch a mess when I want to eat some...Nothing like a fresh mess of gills or crappie, but walleye are just unbeatable for sure.....

[DWH]

very well said bonefish. i completely agree. i dont know why fish and wildlife doesnt follow dale hollows lead and put more slot limits in place. in places like cumberland and laurel for example. they have a slot at elkhorn creek but i'm not sure how successful it has been. others on here may be able to answer better than me.

[Carpe Diem]

Bonefish, I have to agree 100%. Eat the smaller fish that taste better, and let the big ones make more babies. It just makes sense, probably why it's so hard to convince some folks.

[18'stratos]

I keep very few fish. But the ones I do keep are bluegill or crappie. Pan Fish, they call them that for a reason. I am a bassaholic for fun and tournaments. The fish that I do keep are cleaned then frozen in a ziploc bag full of water so there is no air in the bag. the meat is surrounded by Ice and no way for it to get freezer burned. I have eaten the fish 1-1/2 years after storing it in the freezer and its still good. Hope this tip helps.

[olducker]

I keep very few fish. But the ones I do keep are bluegill or crappie. Pan Fish, they call them that for a reason. I am a bassaholic for fun and tournaments. The fish that I do keep are cleaned then frozen in a ziploc bag full of water so there is no air in the bag. the meat is surrounded by Ice and no way for it to get freezer burned. I have eaten the fish 1-1/2 years after storing it in the freezer and its still good. Hope this tip helps.

All I keep are bluegill ,,crappie and CATFISH
Yes your right in ice I have eaten fish 2 years after storing it in our freezer ,,oh the freezer needs to be a chest type not frost free eH

[kygorski]

This year to date have kept 27 panfish, have eaten14, and plan on eating the rest this month. Have caught a lot of trout, put all back, some bass returned,a few cats returned. My freezer stocking days are over. besides I really dont care to clean a mess of fish anymore.

[gocards40]

Bluegill, Crappie, Catfish for me also. But in the last few years it's not uncommon for me to turn the whole basket of bluegill loose before I pull the boat out and I never keep females when catching nesting bluegill. I don't know if it matters as much with them but I just won't. The thing that got me i think had nothing to do with convservation but the fact that I have gotten lazy and I fish way too much to keep anything with two eyes. Most of my fishing trips are short and sweet and I have something to do when I get back to the house so cleaning the fish meant time I lost on the water catching them. Not only that my wife can't cook and I had to do it all anyway...LOL! I still like to keep some fish in the freezer though but I usually get enough bluegill to hold me over for the following year. As far as the bigger fish go and I don't understand why anyone would want to eat them. Just like anything wild the less time it has spent in the elements the better the meat will taste. In my opinion anyway.

[smuckey41]

i realy dont know how to clean fish real good so any fish i eat are the ones that someone else will clean. we will catch crappie, bluegill,or catfish around the houseboat most are cought by the kids then we have a big fish fry for everybody on or row but like most people have said keep the smaller limit size big cats dont taste that good unless you get the dark meat out so keep the smaller ones. (so i dont have that gulty filling as bad because some one else is doing the killing and cleaning) "BUTT I SURE WILL DO THE EATING" lol

[wishniwasfishn]

I havent keep any kind of fish in probaly 10 years, just dont like killing, or cleaning like I use to, but I agree 100% on letting the big ones go to make more biguns, and eat the small ones.

[Cobra190]

I make up my mind before I go on whether I want to keep any fish or not. If I want fish I target some crappie or gills, and even then I too have become lazy and often release the catch before I get back to the ramp. I am the only one at my house that likes fresh fish, so often enough, 2 or 3 small ones is all I need, and have become real partial to having them with a side order of steak and fries.