For What Reason Do You Not Release

[fisheater]

I rarely keep a fish at all, but I find it funny how much discussion this always brings up.

Wouldn't it be ironic if all of the crappie and bluegill anglers released their catch, but ate bass most of the time LOL!

Classic!

[jamesdenson]

This thread reminds me of an Ellen Degeneres quote:

“I ask people why they have deer heads on their walls. They always say because it's such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother is attractive, but I have photographs of her.”

Funny quote. My self-esteem or self-worth is not tied to displaying for others how great a fisherman I am. I am a great fisherman because I practice conservation and want to share with others the fun of catching a big fish.

you might be a redneck if you find your mother attractive.

[lil skeeter]

No man is an island and the reality is that our actions affect others.

as long as what i do is legal, its really not affecting anyone in a negative way, unless maybe they were fishing behind me and now they cant eat or weigh that fish in because its now swimming in my livewell. no matter what anyone does to pacify a group of people, there will always be another group whining about why its being done this way. it never stops, someone is always complaining because its not what they do. thats why i say do what you do (legally) and i'll do what i do also legally.

[HURRICANEBOB]

Caught a real nasty Muskie once. Tough time getting him to the boat and handling him in the boat. The fish got his licks in. I kept him hoping the doctor could retrieve my finger and sow it back on.

[RICHYD4U]

i wish people would do what they do and not complain because someone doesnt see things the way they do. i enjoy coming home with fish to clean whether its bass, crappie, or bluegill. i also enjoy coming home without a mess of bass to clean because i released them that day. how do some of you know that big bass taste like !@#$, if you werent willing one time to give them a try? would you still throw them back if you thought they tasted just as good as smaller ones? not trying to be a smart#$%, just asking.

In my case, I have a father-in-law who keeps everything he catches. I've tried to educate him regarding the issue, but he's an old dog (no new tricks). He once caught this nice 7lb largemouth, of course, it landed on the frying pan (not the wall). He insisted that I give it a taste, and yes, it tasted terrible! Now, I have tasted some good fish....crappie, eyes, striper....but an old, big bass is on the bottom of the list. IMO

I release everything, merly due to the fact that I am not much of a fish eater. I prefer steak! But I will partake of a fish once in a while, and when I do, I want it to be good.

Fish on!

-Rich

[smljaw]

I'm with Rich... 1) Buy a replica if you really feel the need to display a bass on you wall. A good digital camera does the trick as well. Frame an 8X10 photo and display for all your buddies and family members to see. 2) Bass don't taste good.

Keep a few to eat from time to time. That's fine. Just put the big females back. This will enhance our resources for years to come. And something else! Anyone mounting a 5 or 6 pound LM out of Cedar Creek, or any other lake, should be ashamed of themselves. What a joke! If you fall in this boat you either don't fish much or you lucked into catching it.

This topic heats me up so I'm going to stop now.

[lil skeeter]

I'm with Rich... 1) Buy a replica if you really feel the need to display a bass on you wall. A good digital camera does the trick as well. Frame an 8X10 photo and display for all your buddies and family members to see. 2) Bass don't taste good.

Keep a few to eat from time to time. That's fine. Just put the big females back. This will enhance our resources for years to come. And something else! Anyone mounting a 5 or 6 pound LM out of Cedar Creek, or any other lake, should be ashamed of themselves. What a joke! If you fall in this boat you either don't fish much or you lucked into catching it.

This topic heats me up so I'm going to stop now.

and i thought my wife was the only one i needed permission from to get a fish mounted.

[Hlleonard]

and i thought my wife was the only one i needed permission from to get a fish mounted.

LOL...... I think this subject will be debated for ever......and there will still be bass to catch ...and eat if you so desire...I remember when there wasn't many deer for the hunters and they never started turning them loose.

[troutcrazy]

'Cause my wife won't clean 'em. Even though I specifically made "For richer or poorer. In sickness and health and I will clean his fish too" part of our wedding vows!

[Embrey]

well mine wont cook them...

[Rudypoo4444]

I'm with Rich... 1) Buy a replica if you really feel the need to display a bass on you wall. A good digital camera does the trick as well. Frame an 8X10 photo and display for all your buddies and family members to see. 2) Bass don't taste good.

Keep a few to eat from time to time. That's fine. Just put the big females back. This will enhance our resources for years to come. And something else! Anyone mounting a 5 or 6 pound LM out of Cedar Creek, or any other lake, should be ashamed of themselves. What a joke! If you fall in this boat you either don't fish much or you lucked into catching it.

This topic heats me up so I'm going to stop now.

WHOOO BOY! Where to start? I have a nice 6lb largemouth hanging on my wall, I must be a JOKE of a fisherman. I am ashamed.....ashamed that I released the one I caught two casts later that was bigger than the first one. But the first one had already gone in the freezer.

I don't really want to offend you, but there is really no way around it. This is a pathetic post putting other fishermen down that don't see things your way. I'm sorry buddy, but you are DEAD wrong on this subject.

If a guy wants to eat a 6lb largemouth, he is a big boy and he can do what he wants with that fish as long as he is obeying size/creel limits. He is no less of a fisherman than you, and shouldn't be thought of that way. The last time I checked KDFWR is doing a fine job of keeping our resource in check. I never run out of bass to catch at any of the lakes I fish.

What about the guy keeping a limit of crappie every time he goes out? Is eating the big 2-3 lb slabs depleting the resource? You don't see anybody hollering about that and those big slab crappie are trophys to some people.

[CoonCreek]

For the record: Our club keeps all bass that do not safely swim away after each tournament and has a fish fry at the end of the season (no matter what, sometimes a few tournament fish die). I don't see anybody culling those fish - even the bigger ones. Just like anything else that you get in the wilds of Kentucky, it really depends on how good of a cook you are if you want something to taste right.