Would you take a 11 pounder for the wall??

[Duayne]

While I do agree that genetics can play a small roll in things, I really wonder to what degree? I certainly agree that bad genetics can factor in, like it does with humans. Humans that reproduce early or late in life tend to pass on more bad things than someone in their prime. I really don't know what age that kicks in with bass. But, in my opinion, a 11 pound bass in a lake full of two pound bass probably isn't much more genetically gifted than the two pound bass. It probably grew at the same rate as the rest of the females, but tended to have different habits than typical bass and simply made it through more years. Maybe it was strictly a night feeder or only fed in deep deep water or got lucky a time or two. I do not think that those sort of traits are going to be passed on to their young.
I am not saying that genetics can't play some part in better bass. I'm saying that it isn't going to be enough to make up eight pounds. The absolute best way to get a lot of large bass is environment related. Warmer climate with longer grow seasons and larger, higher protein diet (like trout).

[smljaw]

I have a 9# from St Johns River, FL on my wall. Caught her post spawn when I was 18 yrs old. I have a lot of good pictures of that fish, too. I look back and wish I had just let her go.

I've let 1 over 10# and 2 over 11# go (never did have repicas made). A quality picture and a memory is all I need.

[twise7]

I'm not smart enough to chime in on the "science" of fish, but I know that artcarney knows his stuff, so I agree with his facts. I'm not a bass eater but I respect the rights of others and trust that the fish and wildlife folks keep a close eye on things to make sure there's a delicate balance of quality vs. quantity.

My dad caught a 10.7 in FL last month and let it go after lots of pictures. I am curious about the survival rate of fish that are released after long periods of time out of the water. I realize that they swim off and "seem" to be ok...but how do you know for sure? I'm torn 50/50 of this one. Part of me would put it on the wall, and the other part of me would take lots of pictures and hope it survives to be caught by someone else.

[smashdn]

Can you put them on the wall after it is has been filleted?

The green basses get strong tasting when they are up above 8 or so but the brown bass we catch from the clear rocky lakes are still pretty mild tasting up above 8. Makes for about 4 lbs of fillets that way.