Chuck7

I agree,
You caught it...if you catch it legally you decide what to do with it. in 1983 our family was poor..We thanked God for alot of bass meals..I was in college and making 5.00 an hour. We ate alot of fish..



I also caught alot of tilapia with my cast net..Here is a picture that a newspaper took of me and Andrew.Andrew is now an MP in the military..

indianahunter83

The thing is a 10lb bass wouldn't taste near as good as a mess of smaller bass and by taking that 10lber out you are hurting your fishery. If you want to ruin the places you fish then continue to keep big fish but if you want to have that fishery continue to excel for other generations then it is your responsibility to do the right thing.

Phil from Maine

Up here a 10 pounder would be a monster so I would most likely keep it and get it mounted..

PKnTX

Filet that hog, slice into fingers, soak in milk, batter,
fry and WA-LA, delicious fresh fish.

"Ruining a fishery" by keeping enough legal fish for
a meal is RIDICULOUS. My responsibility is to follow
the fish and game laws established by biologist, not
the whims of trophy hunters/fishers.

Thanks anyways,
PK

indianahunter83

Bo you ruin a fishery by keeping the larger fish. That is why many species of fish are now under slot limits. In the end it is purely the fisherman's call but around where I live you can tell a huge difference between the overfished/over-harvested lakes versus the ones that are strict catch and release only. Your responsibility is towards the coming generations of anglers so that they too had the opportunities to catch and release a monster fish. You want food? Keep a bunch of small fish. (Side note the world record bass caught in Georgia was eaten but that was in much different times) Seeing as how I have never kept a bass for food I have always heard they have a lot of small bones and don't taste near as good as crappie/bluegill/catfish/walleye/trout/etc... so why even keep them anyways if you are just going to eat it?

Chuck7

Filet that hog, slice into fingers, soak in milk, batter,
fry and WA-LA, delicious fresh fish.
PKnTX

Hey , Ifix my crappie like that.I use buttermilk and soak overnight..It firms those fillets right up and the taste is very good.

PKnTX

You have been sadly misled. A blk bass fillets out just like
any other sunfish (which is what it really is, not a true bass).

Min and Max length regulations and Max stringer limits
ESTABLISHED BY BIOLOGISTS do a fine job of keeping
our fisheries healthy. I agree with and obey them.

PK

indianahunter83

Those same biologists also push for catch and release.

PKnTX

In TX we have MANY lakes that are under very specific and differing
limitations. In ANY (other than strictly catch and release only) of these
lakes the 10 lb'er in the question would typically be LEGAL to keep for
whatever reason the fisherman wanted. Other than FL and CA there is
no competition to TXfor big bass fishing. People keep them ALL THE TIME
with no ruination of the fishery.

What I see as a much bigger issueis the number of folks that want
to put further restrictions on fishing for the sake of their own desire
tocatch "the biggest yet". This is, IMO, many times over more selfish
and considering the message it sends to kids, more likely to ruin what
should be a pleasant past time with fringe benefits of providing healthy
food for the familytable.
Again, just my opinion.

PK

indianahunter83

You left out Mexico. Its a product of the location/strain of bass. I know for a fact I have no chance of breaking the world or even state record largemouth bass here in Indiana however I release every large fish I catch. Why? Not so I can catch them when they are 1-2lbs bigger... so that somebody I bring with me that might be fishing for the first time has a chance at a bass of a lifetime. That is what I feel fishing is all about. If you feel that its no big deal to catch and eat large bass then it doesn't bother me 1 bit because thankfully you don't fish in my lakes But I for one will always push for catch and release because god forbid I ever have children I want them to have the same great experiences that I had.