Catch & Release

[artcarney_agr]

I have several of the dead tournament bass in my freezer. Rarely do I ever see any go to waste, as most participants will gladly take them home.

Most tournament guys treat bass as their friends, and sometimes shed a tear when one goes belly up.

KDFWR monitors bass tournaments, their catches, and mortality rates - such things are taken into account when establishing yearly creel limits. If things were going badly, you'd see them make some changes.

You have to have fish die and can't expect them to all live...overpopulation is a bad thing, and fish kills keep it in check, whether you like it or not.

[Carter1]

How many of you fish places like Elkhorn Creek where there is a slot limit? Do you keep any bass there or release them all?

[raincheck]

I release all Bass & when i was a tournament director filled out the survey for KDFWR but don't remember it asking how many dead.Most directors don't fill them out.I started this thread too get feed back on this.CPR is here too stay.I will be talking about for yrs just like a good fish story.As for showing off your catch there is nothing like a life size picture to show off or a good replica of it.(looks better that a real mount)

[Carter1]

The slot limit is on Elkhorn for a reason. Fish and Wildlife want us to keep the smaller bass. If any doubt this you can ask someone in fisheries. If CPR is your thing that's great. Nothing wrong with that. When I run a tournament, and I have put on a few, I post it on KDFWR website and fill out the post-tournament form with all the requested information including any dead fish. Fishing is fun and it should be. As long as we all abide by the regulations and ethics we can pursue it to our heart's delight in any form we choose.
Raincheck, when it comes to a mount I'm with you on that. A photo is much cheaper too.

[IronWorker]

What if someone broke the state record for LARGEMOUTH and then announced that he wanted to have it mounted?

I wonder what kind of a reaction that would bring forth?