Catch and Release

[gil1]

We haven't had a good screaming match in a while. You can't really discuss abortion or God or Ford vs. Chevy or broadheads vs. mechanicals on this forum, so I figured catch and release would do.

Instead of dissing the other side for what they believe, I'd love to hear specific reasons for your mentality on the subject. I don't give a crap what you think about your neighbor's methodologies. What makes you tick and why?

Maybe I'll chime in later with more of my personal thoughts, but there's a huge gray area for me. I eat plenty of fish I catch and throw back many more. It depends on the species and its habitat. For instance, I throw all smallies back but eat some largemouth if a pond needs the management. I eat one trout per year (on an annual camping trip) and throw hundreds per year back, so there's no clear line.

As I've said many times here before, I usually value a fish more for the pleasure I receive catching it than eating it. But I still kill crappie, bluegill, sea trout, etc. because I believe the resource can withstand the harvest.

I write about my personal C&R in fly fishing articles and magazines all the time, but I can't write about my beliefs in a hook and bullet magazine for fear of losing the job. I'd like to be able to present an unbiased commentary representing both sides of the coin.

I'd love to hear some points of view on the contoversial subject.

 

[stik]

legal crappies rarely get thrown back and i'll keep a mess of trout a couple of times a year. those are the only ones i eat so everything else gets released.

 

[Kirk]

I have only kept one fish in freshwater in the whole time I have been fishing. It was a 6.11 Largemouth I kept and had mounted.
All the rest have been released. I don't like fish so it is easy for me to throw them back.

Deep Sea I have kept several and gave them away to friends and neighbors. It's sort of hard to release one that has been gaffed by a deck hand. I tell them to throw them back but they never do unless they over the limit. I guess they sell what the charter customers don't take home.

 

[Kimberman]

It depends on where I am fishing. I personally won't eat fish out of certain lakes in East Tennessee.(Loudon, Melton Hill,and Watts Bar come to mind) I will only eat legal sized crappie, big bluegill, or walleye out of lakes like the upper end of Tellico, Dale Hollow, or Norris. Now if I go crappie fishing or trout fising with someone who wants to keep fish, I am more than happy help out with a limit, unless its bass. I have been fishing for over 20 years and have never kept a bass, and I could never bring myself to eat a smallmouth unless I had to feed my starving family. The only time I will keep trout is if I am camping at Citico ot Tellico river, and they get eaten on the trip. I only have 1 fish mounted, and its a 42 lb Barracuda that I caught on my honeymoon that the guide gaffed to get in the boat, so I figured what the heck, catch and release is out the window. I have pics of a 6lb smallmouth that I released, and that works just as well as a mount in my mind, plus I released a fish with some good genes so maybe one day I can catch its kids!

 

[keith35611]

If I wanna eat them I keep them.If not i throw them back.That goes for any species.Sometimes I just am not in the mood to clean fish,but love to go,just to get out.

 

[bigluresonly]

If i catch a legal fish and plan to eat it fresh that night or the next day i will keep it and do just that. Other than that I release them to be caught again. I might eat more of them if I was'nt just plain ole to lazy to clean them.

 

[4onaside]

I still catch a bunch of fish, but I rarely keep or clean any, although I have done so a million times in my life, just too lazy in recent times. Besides, if I want fish to eat,I go to Capt D's or any restaurant that sells Belzoni catfish. Like I said, lazy. However, if you're inviting me over, don't particularly like trout, but any of the sunfish are very good, Largemouths, crappies,bluegills, etc.

 

[B.D.]

Gil, I don't mind keeping some fish to eat now and then, but if I catch you bowfishing where I fly fish for carp, you will get a beating.

bd

 

[gil1]

Gil, I don't mind keeping some fish to eat now and then, but if I catch you bowfishing where I fly fish for carp, you will get a beating.

bd

I may end up beating my own butt for that transgression! I'm still not good with it unless I can find someone to use or eat them. I may hunt your carp honeyholes but would never bloody the water in my carp spots!

Speaking of, I'm getting hitched and honeymooning (bonefishing) in July. I may only get one carp outing in during the big fly carpin' tournament, so you better step up to the plate and have a good showing this year. Some folks will be gunning for you, and Ive got no pressure to even be competitive this year.

 

[RUGER]

I throw them back because I hate to clean fish.

 

[bowriter]

I am very much in favor of catch or release. But only if the regulations make sense. I eat fish. I like to eat fish. I care nothing about eating trout so use whatever regs you want on them are fine with me.

But I eat bass. Make me throw back a 14.5 inch bass and I will keep an 18' bass to eat. I am going to eat bass. I am going to eat fish.

Certainly, the catching is the thrill. But I eat fish. I am a two-legged Comorant when it comes to fish. The currant length limits make me throw back fish I should eat and eat fish I should throw back. I don't want to eat a four pound smallmouth.

But sautede in white wine they are delicious.

The creel limit is plenty sufficient to protect the various species. When will TN fish managers realize WE EAT FISH DOWN HERE! Let me keep five 13" fish and those 56 packages in my freezer would be from TN, not AL.

Oh man. I feel so much better. I'm going to go start the deep fryer and change my shorts, now.

 

[4onaside]

Gil even though you published a disclaimer up front, I can't imagine that some of our elitist brethern have not jumped in with a sermon about how those folks who keep them shouldn't. The forum has its share of holier than thou guys. I can't believe that they haven't risen to the fly. Must be the presentation!

 

[rsimms]

These days I rarely keep fish (for myself), except crappie. But only because I'm too lazy to cleam them.

As for my "beliefs," I see a limb and I'm going to walk right out on it.

I believe that if it is legal and you want to eat it... eat it! ... no matter the species or conditions.

With the exception of "put & take trout" it is called a "renewable resource." Biologists set creel limits at the levels they believe necessary to sustain that renewable resource based on the habitat.

Therefore I am of the opinion that every legal fish that is caught, could be kept and our fisheries would be absolutely fine and dandy.

It's like a massive aquarium... You might be able to cram 100 guppies in your 10-gallon aquarium, but 85 of them are going to die no matter how well you feed them.

Same is true on our reservoirs. They'll only support XX pounds of fish and anything you cram in there (or release) is likely to die of natural mortality. The carrying capacity of our reservoirs does vary depending upon natural vegetation, water flow, etc. But it is the existing environmental factors that dictate how many fish there are... not how many mere fishermen release.

I do not fault anyone who wants to release fish, even applaud them.

I only ask that those folks do not think less of those who don't.

 

[Football Hunter]

I think its weird to keep a bass,JMO,seems like to much fun to catch em,but crappie and cats,I love em

 

[B.D.]

Speaking of, I'm getting hitched and honeymooning (bonefishing) in July. I may only get one carp outing in during the big fly carpin' tournament, so you better step up to the plate and have a good showing this year.

You may have missed that I dislocated my right shoulder in a whitewater accident a week ago. I won't know for another week whether I'm going to have to have surgery. I'm hoping I'll be back in one piece by July, but if I can't cast, I'm going to have a hard time entering.

bd

 

[shopson]

When sauger/walleye are biting I put fish in the freezer. When crappie are biting, I put fish in the freezer. When bass are biting, I put fish in the freezer, except the 12 fillets I cleaned Wednesday. Me, the wife and son ate 5 and a half of the six largemouths I cleaned. All were 15' or larger but nothing over 3 lbs. MMM good.

 

[gil1]

I The currant length limits make me throw back fish I should eat and eat fish I should throw back.

Although I hate to admit it, I agree. I don't understand the backwards nature of our largemouth regs.

IThe creel limit is plenty sufficient to protect the various species. When will TN fish managers realize WE EAT FISH DOWN HERE! Let me keep five 13" fish and those 56 packages in my freezer would be from TN, not AL.

Eat all the bluegill, crappie, cats you want and whatever you catch in AL, but don't go messin' with my smallies in TN. This is a different subject, but I really think river smallies should be C&R. I've seen overharvest wear some fine streams to nothing. It just takes so dern long for a smallie (especially in smaller streams and in some E TN streams) to mature and even reproduce.

 

[gil1]

Gil even though you published a disclaimer up front, I can't imagine that some of our elitist brethern have not jumped in with a sermon about how those folks who keep them shouldn't. The forum has its share of holier than thou guys. I can't believe that they haven't risen to the fly. Must be the presentation!

I was thinkin' the same thing. I wanted that Bob dude to come on and tell everyone they suck for eating fish. I was really hoping Tubbs would join in with a couple of pages about some musky fishery and then tell me I'm too stupid to catch fish anyway. You're right - I delicately lobbed the bait in there when I should have smashed it down into an explosion.

How's this?

"Those of you who kill fish, especially big ones, are not true sportsmen. Matter of fact, y'all cast like girls." Wait here's my favorite - you hear this one a lot in hunting, too -"Outdoorsmen go through stages. Those that don't let them go just haven't matured as outdoorsmen. Once they learn how to fish and hunt (like me), they will let the little bucks walk and the big feeshies swim."

That ought to get this sucker rolling!

 

[4onaside]

Now you're cookin'!

 

[gil1]

It's like a massive aquarium... You might be able to cram 100 guppies in your 10-gallon aquarium, but 85 of them are going to die no matter how well you feed them.

Same is true on our reservoirs. They'll only support XX pounds of fish and anything you cram in there (or release) is likely to die of natural mortality. The carrying capacity of our reservoirs does vary depending upon natural vegetation, water flow, etc. But it is the existing environmental factors that dictate how many fish there are... not how many mere fishermen release.

I agree except...
Although a fishery can hold only a certain amount of fish, the catch and release person, just like the mature buck hunter, wants more of the older age classes to survive. We (or I should say "I") want the "quality experience" that we hear about.

The reason most private ponds ask you to toss the big fish back and eat all the little ones is so the little ones won't take up too much of that total percentage. They'll eat some of the forage momma needs to become a bruiser. Leave momma alone for us to catch over and over again, and eat all the little'uns. Let momma eat some of those little'uns too, and she'll end up being a real trophy.

Although I'm not dissing anyone for taking their share, I have no idea why someone would eat a 5 pound bass and throw the little ones back. Why some eat a 20-inch trout only to toss the 12-inchers back is equally baffling. I'd eat a 20-incher about as quick as I would eat my dog. Yes, I'm exaggerating, but the point is that the trophies are too valuable as sportsfish to eat when they can be caught over and over again.