Need to Eat More Bass!!

[creekrock]

I think it's a myth that bass dont taste good,perpetuated by tournement fishermen.

[Hlleonard]

I doubt many people could tell the bass and bluegill apart after they are cooked if the pieces were cut the same size.....I take bluegill and croppie home for myself but do keep 25 or so bass a year for a small fish fry we have and nobody complains about the fish...I use the bass for the fish fry because there is less chance of missing a bone when you fillet them.....don't want to take a chance on a little one getting choked on a fish bone.

[mhall]

Will be abused beyond belief. Thinning of juvenile fish can be a good thing. I've help do this and manage a couple of backyard ponds and had success at this concept. Doing it on a big lake is a recipe for disaster. Why, because of idiots that only here this, ''Man, they say this lake has millions of bass in it and they want us to keep and eat everything we catch''. Yep that's what ALOT of them would here. Hell the Amish alone would try to clean out that given lake.

[RoadToad]

Like the article said, it doesn't apply to every lake. I'm sure there are some where catch and release is still a good thing. I think the main point to remember from the article is that when you see a slot limit in place, that was implemented based on the assumption that fishermen are going to harvest fish, not release everything they catch. So if you're fishing where there's a slot consider keeping at least some of the legal fish you catch. And I would venture to say that this applies to smallies also, not just largemouth.

[Bobby Headrick]

I agree with you Mark, the Amish have already cleaned out the Spillway below barren, they keep everything they catch, I have yet to see one release a fish of any size. I have also seen catch and keep kill a lake. The lake in Monroe co near T ville was once a great trophy lake and was full of good keepers, and yes I keep a few every now and then,. back then. but I me and a friend went there, like we always did every spring, and ran into this other guy fishing, he was using a jig pole, and we asked him if he had any luck, and he he cought a few but last year he said he caught over 80 3 to 4 lbs bass from that lake and he said severl over 2, when asked if he released them he said "hell no" I am a catch and eat man,and I kept them all. That along with others with that same mind frame, really depleted that lake fast as he caught all these before and during the spawn, I do not mind someone taking a few every once in a while to eat, but on some small bodies of water overharvesting can hurt a population really quick. One thing though is that some people who like to eat bass needs to come to tournet weigh ins so any dead fish can be utilized.

[mhall]

AMEN Bobby, a little is alright but some people don't care plain and simple.

[raincheck]

Thats why they set creel and size limits too control fish.With out it the lakes would be full of small fish if any thing.All the big fish would get ate.While running tournaments i would aways take the dead fish so they did get ate.Last season we in ABAdiv33 only had 2dead from 11days of fishing.I hate waste and for that reason won't fish tournaments with a weigh in.Fact is too many fish get wasted from tournaments and should get ate not left floating at the ramp.YMO Directors should eat more fish and those anglers who brings them in should too.

[Luveatnbass]

Will be abused beyond belief. Thinning of juvenile fish can be a good thing. I've help do this and manage a couple of backyard ponds and had success at this concept. Doing it on a big lake is a recipe for disaster. Why, because of idiots that only here this, ''Man, they say this lake has millions of bass in it and they want us to keep and eat everything we catch''. Yep that's what ALOT of them would here. Hell the Amish alone would try to clean out that given lake.

What you speak of is poaching. That deserves its own thread. Different subject all together.

[mhall]

What you speak of is poaching. That deserves its own thread. Different subject all together.

I completely disagree. People hear what they want to hear, you just did it. In other words like Bobby was saying, they hear, ''WOW, there are too many bass in this lake and they want us to keep some.'' What that means to some is keep and eat every bass you catch regardless off size, creel or otherwise, that's why it can be a double edged sword.

That is the point I and some others on this thread were trying to make. In a perfect world where everybody plays by the rules it could be a darn good thing if not it could be a bad thing.

BTW, love your on site handle, kinda fitting I suppose, lol.

[Luveatnbass]

You are right. My assumption was the people you speak of are keeping over the creel limit, which is called poaching. Your assumption was, "What that means to some is keep and eat every bass you catch regardless off size, creel or otherwise, that's why it can be a double edged sword."

Assumptions are valid if backed up by facts. The fact of the article I posted; creel limits are put in place by the Fish & Wildlife with percentages of catch & keep as a factor to produce a healthy fishery.

If you see someone keeping more than their fair share it is up to us to report that individual to keep our fishery healthy.

The Kentucky Fish & Wildlife are doing a great job but it's also up to us to do our job as fisherman. EAT MORE BASS

[mhall]

I'm a catch and release guy and always will be. I'm not sure you aren't a internet troll attempting to make people angry.

[Bobby Headrick]

There are several bass fisherpeople out there that are good enough to clean out a population on a small lake if they catch there limits and keep them everytime they go, you luveatinbass, it is your right to catch and keep your limits but you must also realize that there are others out there too, so if everyone followed your mindset then we would not have to woory about creel limits and such as the fisherys will be depleted, it would not take long. For instance if everyone who fishes tourneys on Barren, kept all caught during a tourney season, then you would see that population decline rapidly, actually if all bass were kept from all tourneys here, the lake would be void of bass in a couple of years. Along with the Amish and people from other countrys that fish our waters and KEEP ALL THEY CATCH,just go to the spillway at Barren, the fishing there has suffered and catch rates are low compared to 10/15 yrs ago. All do to overharvesting. It is resources for all not just a chosen few who DO NOT CARE, and I know a few fishermen like that,and they dont need to eat that many bass in a yr, always remember luvsto eat bass that gluteny is a sin.