C&R gone too far?

[Queue]

This podcast/video is a must listen/watch for anglers. Listen to the evidence and decide for yourself.

[blackcloud9]

Basically says optimal harvest varies by water, but generally there's nothing wrong with keeping 12 to 14 inch bass within the limits, especially if they seem underfed / malnourished. Go easy on those guys putting a few of those average bass on their stringers because they're probably helping the resource overall.

[otaymichael]

Basically says optimal harvest varies by water, but generally there's nothing wrong with keeping 12 to 14 inch bass within the limits, especially if they seem underfed / malnourished. Go easy on those guys putting a few of those average bass on their stringers because they're probably helping the resource overall.

this ^^^

I try to find folks that will eat them. Many, like me and the wifey, don't like the taste. Folks we give them to say the same after eating them once or twice. Most of us find them 'musty'. Like catfish that are not farm raised. Now trout or crappie, that's a different story.

[StinkyPinky23]

Bass taste like dirt

[bendopolo 44+]

Back East we keep a limit of Bass and break out the BBQ and cook them for lunch then go out in the afternoon and catch Dinner. Best fish ever. The secret is to throw them on ice. Their delicate meat needs to be treated correctly. Leaving them in a Livewell all day ruins the meat. Catch and release is important in small ponds but in larger lakes it is practically your duty to thin the herd. You are giving the rest of the Bass more to eat. Then they get bigger. Then we are happier. Be Happy eat some Bass.

[Rippinlips]

I'll take a few home now and then for fish tacos or pan fried with some Alfredo noodles. With any meat its how you prepare it

[jjbasser]

Old debate. I personally love bass fillets when cooked right. However, I am lazy about cleaning them and disposing of the guts etc. and One too many times with eggs. And I have a rule, no bass over 3lbs leaves the water, their home! I'm pretty sure most bass over 3lbs has been caught before. Be happy some C&R all the time.

[StinkyPinky23]

Sounds like the folks that argue that “earth”, I mean mushrooms, taste good if they’re “cooked right”

[bendopolo 44+]

Mushrooms are good, especially the blue ones. I just can’t ever remember why.

[Moose]

I guess I’m lucky in that I don’t eat fish. Go figure! I’ve been fishing since I was 4yrs old, so 53yrs. I have tried fish every way possible and the only way I can eat it is in a fish taco, or deep fried, which kind of defeats the purpose of eating fish. I actually wish I did like fish but I cannot eat it. I feel guilty as hell if I kill a fish because I know I’m not going to eat it. I usually find someone to give it away to but it still hurts me to kill a fish because I know I’m not going to eat it.

That being said I have no issue with anyone keeping their legal limit of ANY fish species, even bass. If they are caught legally, good for them. I have seen WAY TOO MANY TIMES, people getting crapped upon because they kept a few bass to eat. That’s part of the reason bass fishermen get a bad rap. As a full fledged bass fisherman I will say that there are some of us who feel like it is their responsibility to police other fishermen. I have seen it happen at Santee Lakes, I’ve seen it happen at El Cap, I’ve seen it happen at San V. Guys at the ramp that feel like if someone should, God forbid, keep a couple of bass to eat. They berate them, and talk down to them because they were brazen enough to keep a few bass to eat.

It’s a bit over the line if you ask me, and I realize no one did. Just my .02

[camobass]

They are good for the garden too

[VinnyBass]

They are good for the garden too

That is funny that you bring that up because it is so true. When I was younger, every once in a while I used to bring a few bass home to my father. Some may have been gut-hooked with a worm hook for example, but nevertheless he would clean them and prepare them to be cooked. The head, tail, fins and guts would end up in the garden. Back then trout were in the mix also since we always brought them home to eat, so there was plenty of leftover parts.
We had a lemon, orange, apricot, tangerine, pomegranate trees, tomatoes, etc. He would bury leftover parts of the fish and would always tell me how great a fertilizer they were. I always remember him telling me that you have to
bury them deep or cats will dig them up...ha ha. Thanks Camobass.....you brought back some fun memories.

[jjbasser]

Wrong Red Rider! Put it in the garden and next morning the yard was totally dug up by a skunk! What a mess!

[Mcfish]

Sounds like the folks that argue that “earth”, I mean mushrooms, taste good if they’re “cooked right”

Bacon stuffed shrooms cooked in garlic butter......

[Mcfish]

Is the City lakes real problem C+R, or a combination of things? Who is managing the fish populations? If we convince people to take more bass home, what happens when the Water Authority drops levels during the spawn and wipes out a couple generations of bass? I remember a time when El Cap had slot limits and it seemed like that increased the size of the bass, until it was stopped. It's obvious San V has changed the last few years, less shad, more silversides, and smaller limits! There was a time when 4lb-6lb fish were common place, now a 4lber takes big fish in a tournament! I guess my real question is will more catch and keep fix our lakes, or our there multiple problems..that no one is addressing, probably because of the City declining to spend any money on the lakes? I think Sutherland and Murray are examples of something else going on besides too much C+R, the 5lb-6lb bass are now few and far between! Both of these lakes have had drastic water level changes for their size in the last couple years...and their shad populations seem to be fine! I'm not sure what the answer is..I blame FFS..just kidding Vinny!

[StinkyPinky23]

Sounds like the folks that argue that “earth”, I mean mushrooms, taste good if they’re “cooked right”

Bacon stuffed shrooms cooked in garlic butter......

Sounds like they’d taste like bacon and garlic butter!!

[Carpkiller]

"Who is managing the fish populations?"
Bass are cockroaches, they never need stocking. The only managing needed is the harvest of a lot of fish if a water tank levels remain constant for a few years in a row.

"if we convince people to take more bass home, what happens when the Water Authority drops levels during the spawn and wipes out a couple generations of bass?"
Straw man argument. Dropping the water level only impacts one generation (unless it's a scorched-earth Loveland-style vandalism of resources).

Bass taste like...fish. I have eaten largemouth bass out of some sketchy water...(like the lower 40 miles of the San Diego River) and it was just fine. And with no size limits in the waters where I usually fish, I could take home some bass every weekend, except my valet hates lugging a cooler around.

Patriotic Americans have been eating bass for hundreds of years. Disagree? Take it up with the man in black.

[Gotfish?]

In Britain, carp fishing is usually catch and release. From https://carpfisher.co.uk/carp-fishing-l ... %20strains. : "However, it is essential to be aware of the various legislation and regulations in place to protect the environment and ensure sustainable fishing practices."

I assume bass would be considered an invasive species there and it would be required to keep them.

In Japan, most waters require bass to be kept including Lake Biwa where the world's biggest largemouth bass was caught.
https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/ ... ing/156907

[Carpkiller]

"The Japanese government considers black bass a nuisance species. On Lake Biwa, which could be called Japan's Lake Champlain (165,000 acres, max depth 340 feet), anglers aren't permitted to release largemouth bass. All must be kept and killed. And authorities began an extirpation and hazing program in known spawning areas last spring. Some guides, pros, and manufacturers have permission to catch and release bass on Biwa, however. And most fish caught by bass fans receive a boatside release."

That's from the Infisherman editorial link.

And Mcfish:
"I think Sutherland and Murray are examples of something else going on besides too much C+R, the 5lb-6lb bass are now few and far between!"

I would posit that C & R may have more of an impact when it's not done right, hence the catch-and-keep waiver for certain fishers at Lake Biwa. Bass are sturdy fish, but there's only so much jaw piercing and being hoisted out of the water and waved around for photos that can happen before either the fish smarten up, or maybe it impacts their health. The "something else going on" might also include poachers taking a lot of fish, regardless of size.

[The_Outdoor_Chase]

I have no idea if C &R works but after listening to the Joe Rogan and Robert Kennedy Jr podcast im convinced that all of our fish in our local lakes have too much Mercury and heavy metals etc to eat often. I have had bass before and i think they are delicious but there is a serious concern as to the pollution that is in our waters and what effect it has on us.


Also disclaimer, im no tree hugger but i do believe in good practice to avoid polluting our beloved lands