Legal to give fish away?

[smashdn]

One more thought. I think it is important to be a good sportsman and consider my actions and implications from said actions when fishing and hunting. I don't take more than my family and I can eat. Also, I feel it would be unsportsmanlike to even consider culling a fish that has been on a stringer - any fish. Our lakes and rivers are not infinite providers of fish. There are regulations for a reason. I want to enjoy it the rest of my life and would like my daughters to be able to do the same.

I go fishing with the intent of catching enough fish to clean and eat or clean and freeze. Unfortunately, I only catch 2 crappie, so not enough to really amount to much. Both are still very much alive in the livewell or on the stringer.

Not kosher to put them back?

[crappiepappy]

I go fishing with the intent of catching enough fish to clean and eat or clean and freeze. Unfortunately, I only catch 2 crappie, so not enough to really amount to much. Both are still very much alive in the livewell or on the stringer.

Not kosher to put them back?

To my way of thinking, it's just as "kosher" to put those keepers back as it is to release any non-keepers you catch ... as long as they're in good health. I've done it plenty of times, when I don't catch enough to bother cleaning. But, if they're dead or distressed ... they go home to the fillet knife !!

Can't say much about the use of a "stringer", though, since I haven't used one in forever .... BUT, I NEVER hooked a fish on a stringer by putting the hook through the gills !! I always hooked them through the bottom lip membrane.