# Who practices catch and release?



## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

I guess there are many views on preservation. I alway release bass up here, especially the big ones. When I lived in Florida, we'd take panfish and saltwater fish. 

What do you think? What if you caught an old, huge northern smallie? Would you release it, or put it on your wall?


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

It would have to be a state record bass or close....
I'm not much of a fish mounter, always C&R on bass


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## roger23 (Mar 7, 2007)

Me,,, I don't keep any bass,,I do keep yellow perch and a walleye every once in a while


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## sevenx (Apr 21, 2005)

I am c&r, this may turn into a heated debate as it has in the past. So lets hope not. I don't keep anything except panfish. and that is usually for catfish bait. As far as the big fish go. I let em go. Fiberglass mounts are a great alternative or just a picture is good enough for me. Painting are also a cool way to preserve the memory. Take good photos and have them reproduced by a painter or glass mount. Personally I take more pride in seeing someone else catch a monster that I may have released and knowing they got to enjoy the fish as much as I did. This happend to me just last year. I know it was the same fish by the marking and the guy was so excited he caught that fish that is a great feeling. He also released the fish. Sadly some time later a friend called me and told me he saw the fish going out, dead on a stringer. The guy took it to feed his family and it was leagal so I am not going to bash anyone but it is sad to think no one else will have the joy of catching that fish. I just read an article on the C&R practices around the world and view hit every point on the spectrum. In some cases selective harvest is necessary, and in other keeping fish is detrimental to the fishiery. It all comes down to commen sense. Big fish are not a dime a dozen anymore. Legal limits are put in place by the powers that be for a reason. But sometimes best intentions fall flat. One thing to keep in mind when keeping fish like hybrids or saugeye, the fish don't reproduce on there own, so when you take it out it is only replaced my stocking more. THe fee's used to stock fish come out of your license fee. The more fish stocked the more expensive. Ok I am done. one last thing. I practice catch and release becasue I choose to and do not fault anyone for keeping fish within the leagal limits. Just think about it. S


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

I certainly hope it stays civil and does not turn in to a brouhaha.


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## Bassnpro1 (Apr 6, 2004)

I release almost all my bass from public waters. The exceptions would be mountable-size fish, or deep hooked, bleeding fish. I occasionally keep bass from some private waters that need the bass thinned out. YUM


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

I don't keep anything but Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch and once or twice a locally caught saugeye. 

When I was 19 I caught a 7+lb largemouth in MI and put it in the freezer in hopes of getting enough money together and getting her stuffed. 5 years later I threw her away with freezer burn and vowed to never do it again. I've caught a few bass bigger than that since then and instantly released them. Just ask Steve, he's an eye witness. :B


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## metzbgsu (Jun 28, 2008)

If I catch a 7 or 8 lbs smallie this year, it's going to the BPS fishtank in Rossford. The ones they have there are dinks! 

The only fish I can stand the taste of are yellow perch (deep fried with tartar sauce!!). So releasing the bass is rather easy for me.


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## dmgonfishin55 (Jan 8, 2009)

C&R unless they are some tasty slabs!


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## Procraftboats21 (Apr 6, 2004)

lakes with slot limits on largemouth are made for some bass to be kept. even though i practice catch and release 99% of the time i do take a few meals of bass under the slot limit for dinner.


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

I have been a catch & release bass fisherman for most of my life. After releasing many numbers of bass through the years, one gets a particular joy in thinking that his children or their freinds or someone else may have an opportunity to catch the fish.
But what if you do everything you can to insure that others enjoy the same opportunities that you have, and the state/county authorities drain the very lake that produces the biggest and best bass you've ever found in Ohio? 
There was a small watershed/reservoir in Fairfield County that was drained in 2002. The lake was drained. The fish were killed. And that was that. Catch & release so the authorities can kill the fish.
I still release 99% of the fish. But I wonder when my next lake built with my tax dollars will be ruined by the authorities. Let's just use Burr Oak for another example.


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## seapro (Sep 25, 2007)

I know that I would release a whole lot more.............if I could just catch them to begin with!!! 

Always C&R for me but if it is in someones legal right to keep, then so be it.


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## CARP 104 (Apr 19, 2004)

I've never kept a bass in my life and don't plan on doing so either. I don't fish for food, just for fun


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## Bassnpro1 (Apr 6, 2004)

CARP 104 said:


> I've never kept a bass in my life and don't plan on doing so either. I don't fish for food, just for fun


Are you going to have a bass dinner with Casey and I at Falcon?


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## CO_Trout (May 10, 2008)

99% of the fish I catch are released. 
<1% that I have keep, was for food that day. Just 1 was all that I have or would keep for food for that day.


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## jcustunner24 (Aug 20, 2007)

Bassnpro1 said:


> I occasionally keep bass from some private waters that need the bass thinned out. YUM


Same here. Everything public goes back to the water for me. I also agree, though, that if it's legal it's your choice.


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## WINNER (Apr 7, 2004)

C&R for me.

I do keep some bass if I am in the wilderness i.e. Boundary waters, for dinner.

The 20.5"er to the left was released, however 

Winner


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## BassCrazy (Oct 11, 2007)

I had the same experience as Pigsticker, although I was younger and the fish was a couple of pounds smaller. But a 5#er to a 13 year old is ENORMOUS. I froze it for mounting and never did and haven't kept one since. 

I have no problem with people keeping a couple for dinner. As a couple of others have already stated, it is their right. I have to admit to being frustrated when I see a stringer full, though .


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## bobby (Aug 1, 2005)

C&R for bass, personally. Doesn't bother me that people keep them, however. C&R walleye sometimes, as well, but not until I fill the freezer! If I caught a "record" fish, I don't know what I'd do. I would consider keeping for a mount, though.


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## CARP 104 (Apr 19, 2004)

Bassnpro1 said:


> Are you going to have a bass dinner with Casey and I at Falcon?



Nah, I really don't like the taste of fish...I'll just eat something else that night.


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## Bassnpro1 (Apr 6, 2004)

CARP 104 said:


> Nah, I really don't like the taste of fish...I'll just eat something else that night.


I guess we will only keep one that night instead of two. I can't wait for this trip!


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## aRcHi3bUnKeR (Feb 1, 2009)

95% of the time I practice C&R as well. The other 5% of the time I'll keep 1 or 2 for eating. Gotta love the taste of a nice beer battered bass!


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## soua0363 (Jun 10, 2005)

I catch and release about 98.99999% of the time no matter what I catch but I do not have a problem with people taking fish for food IF it was caught legally and meets all requirements. I guess for me, if I want to eat fish it is easier and cheaper for me to run the store. (Too lazy to prep the fishes once I get home after a day of fishing. )If I do keep fish, it is mainly if I hook the fish too deep or if I have a hankering for some fried panfish or crappies. Last year, I kept one fish (bass) the entire year because it was hooked too deep. If it was not for that it would still be swimming.


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## LindyRigger (Apr 13, 2004)

I usually practice my long distance catch and release techniques.
LindyRigger


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## PolymerStew (Feb 17, 2009)

Catch and release. I can't eat fish so there's no sense in my keeping them. If I ever caught a fish big enough that I'd really want it mounted I guess I'd take a bunch of pics and measurements to have a replica made. 

I do from time to time use small gills or perch as catfish bait if I don't have any shad or liver left.


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## aRcHi3bUnKeR (Feb 1, 2009)

LindyRigger said:


> I usually practice my long distance catch and release techniques.
> LindyRigger



LoL Lindy...it does make the decision a lot easier when the bass makes it for you and spits the hook!!!


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

My choice is to C&R on all bass, & any bluegill over 8". The gills I eat are all under 8" & the large average size of gills in the ponds I fish attest to the benefits of releasing the larger ones.

Again, it's a matter of choice. If it's legal to keep, it's an angler's decision to keep or release.
Mike


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## Curly (May 15, 2006)

Me and my buddy are hardcore bassfisherman(small and largemouth). Untill last year i had never tasted one...been bassfishin for 15 years! We practice catch and release 95% of the time on large and smallmouth. White bass.....thats another story. See, we have an asian friend who takes care of his elders...and they dont have a whole lot of money. The reservoirs we fish are freakin full of damn white bass(billions). So, we keep our share of whitebass for him and his family. In the years to come i'm sure there is going to be a lot more people(not us) fishing and keeping everything, the way the economy is going. Just my 2 cents.


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

I can relate. When I was young, my mom and I kept the grunts and red snappers I caught in the Florida intracoastal for food. We were poor, so it helped make ends meet.


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## ChrisCreekWalker (Mar 20, 2009)

Catch and release on bass.


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

I always catch and release everything but perch and crappie and most of the time perch swallow the hook so....they die. I hate seeing stringers of fish!!!! Many ppl spend lots of money on bait and gear just to fight these fish and then hopefully catch them another day. and ppl who need these fish to eat are usually the ones that leave litter everywhere and have no respect for the Outdoors. CATCH AND RELEASE!!!!


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> and ppl who need these fish to eat are usually the ones that leave litter everywhere and have no respect for the Outdoors. CATCH AND RELEASE!!!!


let me get this right....................i like to eat fish i catch,so i leave litter everywhere?and if i don't eat my catch,i don't litter?sounds logical enough to me


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

my intent was not to generalize that everybody that keeps their catch litters and those who release dont i am simply speaking on my observations. HATE STRINGERS OF FISH!!!!!!


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## BigDaddy300 (Nov 1, 2004)

Bet you really hate this pic then And no I do not litter either. I hate litter. In fact we pic up other peoples litter.


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## Procraftboats21 (Apr 6, 2004)

hahaha.. is that a lake trout on there to? canada ?


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## BigDaddy300 (Nov 1, 2004)

No trout. Those are all walleyes from here in Ohio. Just a scan from a not so good pic.


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## reo (May 22, 2004)

I practice C&R immediately (maybe a photo first) on all bass 100% of the time. To me they are so damn fun to catch I cannot kill them.

I do practice catch and harvest on crappie, bluegil and Lake Erie perch and walleye.


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## Curly (May 15, 2006)

Here is something no one has said. Do you realize what would happen if every person that caught a fish threw it back? Do you guys really think the fish would not overpopulate like deer and other wild game would if they are not thinned out? All wild animals need some type of population control, even humans. Like i said in an earlier post i throw back almost everything, but overpopulation due to 100% catch and release is worse than not throwing everthing back!


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

Are You Serious?


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## Mykidsr1 (Mar 19, 2009)

Lake Erie trips I catch and Harvest the Walleyes and Smallies. Only get up their once every other year or so.

If I am looking for fish to Harvest around the house it would be Stocked Trout/Crappie or Gills.

All Bass I catch here are released both Small mouth and Large mouth unless they are going to die anyways.

But I agree that eventually if you did not harvest fish eventually places would become over populated with fish and stunt their growth. I like the fact that certain lakes are providing the one fish over x"s rule to help keep the larger fish population up.

Really it all comes down to the fact that we have a group of fishermen/women that both harvest for food as well as release for others to catch that keeps the waters fishable.

Just my 2 cents though


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## Curly (May 15, 2006)

You have never seen an overpopulated pond with 6,000,000 bluegill and no bass? I have seen plenty of them! A farm pond is a perfect example of "no dont take my fish out"....then 10 years later theres no fish. To many of one species can whipeout another. To little of one species can whipe them out also. It is a balancing act.


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## AJ79 (Mar 12, 2009)

I hope I don't make people mad but if it is a legal size Bass it is going in the fryer. They are so damn good especially with Andy's fish batter. Me and a few buds have big fish frys in the summer so we stock up on a little bit everything in the freezer.


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## aRcHi3bUnKeR (Feb 1, 2009)

theguy said:


> Are You Serious?


He's as serious as any educated angler could be. Are you aware that there are certain species of fish that are stocked specifically to be harvested? The government pays people a LOT of money to manage these types of issues. If they saw a threat to a species I'm sure the limits on sizes/numbers of fish that could legally be harvested would change to counteract the problem. I have no problem with someone who keeps their fish, as long as its within the limits of the law. Besides, throw those filets in a nice beer batter and they're damn tasty!!!


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## angler69 (Sep 26, 2005)

90% of the time on most fish


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## DavidH (Apr 1, 2009)

Unless its a monster, I am a catch and release guy for bass or there is a need to keep them as far as over population goes.

But I do keep panfish.


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

as far as i'm concerned i don't keep any big bass.this isn't down south where they grow to big weights fast.up here it takes them a little longer to get to be monster sized.plus if everyone takes all the big uns out they take out the hawg genetics from that body of water leaving the inferior genetics behind.there is a need however to thin the herd but that's what the littler ones are for.put the hawgs back today and in the future they'll be bigger for the next person to catch.who knows it could be some little kids first big un.


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## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

In my OWN opinion....I think people who keep bass....is absolutley gross.....I just dont know what it is but I dont even want to fish with someone who keeps bass....in my head they arent a harvest fish...i dont know why.....I will always catch and release all my bass unless its a 10lb plus that I'd mount...which there is a big chance I might not even do that...100% catch and release on bass!! But like I said this is my own opinion not trying to start a disagreement!!


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

The last time I kept a bass for table fare, I was probably 9 or 10 years old. I'm now 28. C&R only for bass, as far as I'm concerned.


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## Eugene (Jun 23, 2004)

Bass can overpopulate and stunt too. I see nothing wrong with legal and responsible harvest. This ESPN article is decent food for thought.


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

responsible harvesting is only beneficial if it's just what the name implies.i don't like to see mounts of big bass.i think thats disgusting.


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## senkothrower (Feb 4, 2007)

I'm not passing any judgment on anyone. Everyone has their right to keep what they catch if within the state laws. My personal opinion is to release trophy bass. I was lucky enough(in my opinion) to instill in my boys to release them. Here is the bass my son caught 2yrs ago when he was seven (on you guessed it a senko). Was 5.7lb. He caught a 6.1lb this past Sat(see thread about largest verified bass). He didn't even think twice about wanting to get pics then release it to be caught again. 
This bass is a replica done by Rick's Taxidermy in Columbiana. He does an awesome job. In my opinion it looks better than a skin mount.


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

i like those mounts better than a skin one as well


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## icehuntR (Dec 18, 2005)

I release them. Mostly because I do not like the taste of bass. Freshly caught same day ate is a different matter.On that note it's been 10+ years since I had any. Only in Canada for a fresh fish meal would I eat bass.Between perch , walleye , crappie , pike , & gills I get my fill of fresh fish.


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## LASTCAST (Apr 12, 2009)

I release but they know i will be back looking for another good fight.


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## bassman2 (Jul 14, 2007)

Always catch and release....even the trophy fish ....measure length and girth, take a picture. and have a replica made. let the trophies live on to be caught again. plus replicas look nicer last longer, it's all about the memory at that point.


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## astro96 (Mar 23, 2009)

I do C&R bass 95% of the time. I will keep some Ky. bass 12" to 15" if we are fishing to eat. Most of the time I just enjoy eating the pan fish we catch. Pearch is the best ! I think you should never take more than you are going to eat at that one sitting. Those fish you throw in your freezer could be growing and mutiplying.


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## Fishin Musician (Jan 2, 2007)

CARP 104 said:


> Nah, I really don't like the taste of fish...I'll just eat something else that night.



Try something other then CARP!


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

If you like them, eat them, if not release them !


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

I do believe that if you donate a sizable fish (of any species) to a Bass Pro Shops tank they will give you a free replica mount. So not only will the public enjoy your fish, but you will have your mount.


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