# Sheep Head / Freshwater Drum



## bigdogbull (Apr 19, 2012)

was out perching this weekend and caught a few Sheep Head in the mix and I threw them back. I noticed other fisherman in the "Pack" that were killing the Sheep Head they caught and threw them back into the lake dead. What is protocol in this regard....??? should I release them alive or dead ???


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## chevyjay (Oct 6, 2012)

that was what was done pre zebra mussels. now most fishermen throw them back alive because they eat the zebra mussels.(or so they say)


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## oarfish (May 12, 2004)

I thought it was illegal to kill them.


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## Rod Hawg (Jan 13, 2011)

I throw em back but don't kill em. They're a native fish I believe. I have tried eating them however and must say. They are probably the nastiest fish I've ever tasted. No need at all to keep them when we got delicious perch/walleye in our backyard.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

We throw em back. The culling days were back in the 80's. I do know of a few people who use them as a stock for soup, but they say you can't freeze it...

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## Neo (Jun 29, 2013)

I had some smoked ages ago that was pretty good but don't have any idea how he prepared it.


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## chevyjay (Oct 6, 2012)

not illegal. i believe the only fish that is illegal to kill is the lake sturgeon.


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## OSUdaddy (Oct 18, 2010)

My wife and I kill the smaller ones and feed them to the gulls. They love them and it is fun to see them fight over the fish.


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## Erieangler51 (Sep 24, 2012)

I'm going to start keeping some. Not for me but for dog food. My mom makes homemade dog food out of ground beef and sometimes fish. She buys a dry mix of vegetables and berries and adds the meat to it. Might as well try it with sheepshead if they like it ill keep doing it. 


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## OSUdaddy (Oct 18, 2010)

What is more fun is killing the smaller white bass and seeing the gulls gulp them down head first. Circle of life.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

OSUdaddy said:


> What is more fun is killing the smaller white bass and seeing the gulls gulp them down head first. Circle of life.


and then then gulls poop them out and the fish feed on it...the circle of life continues...

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## ErieRider (Mar 23, 2010)

Over on the hull truth there is a discussion about this. Guy said he spoke to a person in the know who felt that we take more walleye and perch and pretty much no white bass w. perch or sheepshead.
BC of this essentially there is an over harvest where the "junk" over populates and overtakes the waters.
So we are thinning the good fish and letting the bad fish take over. This was the words of the poster there, not mine. Sounds like there is some logic in it to me. 
So should we be controlling the junk population better??? How?? That's what is up for discussion

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## OSUdaddy (Oct 18, 2010)

Unless it is an OGF Super Army combined effort then those of us recreational fishers killing the crap before throwing them back in will have no impact. We do it for the amusement purpose while we wait for the next crap catch.

What do the commercial perch netters do with their crap fish catch?

Where is the State (collecting our fishing license fees) on this problem?


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## steelies'n'eyes (Jul 12, 2012)

I'd join that army... >


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## My Demeyes (Aug 2, 2010)

I've heard stories of the ODNR giving tickets for feeding sea gulls


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## boss302 (Jun 24, 2005)

Google commercial fisheries baseline economic assessment. 

Report shows that about 55% of lake Erie commercial harvest is made up of white bass, white perch, yellow perch, and walleye. The remainder includes suckers, shad, whitefish, minnows/carp, catfish, and drum. No doubt that y perch and eyes are the most valuable portion of the harvest, but the rest have a place.

No doubt the recreational harvest isn't nearly as balanced....maybe if we could sell our by catch we'd harvest more of the "trash" fish that have some commercial value. 

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## extagerus (May 12, 2013)

(Don't take this the wrong way)
Let them go alive. They are native to Lake Erie. Too many people have been brainwashed into thinking that they're a garbage fish for totally bogus reasons like thinking that "you can't eat them", or "they're bottom feeders", or "they get sores", or "they're everywhere". Well guess what? You can eat them, but even if you couldn't, there are plenty of other gamefish that you can't or generally don't eat (tarpon, amberjack, jack crevalle, bonefish, etc.). Drum do not only feed on the bottom and lot's of other gamefish feed on or near the bottom (catfish, steelhead, perch, flounder, etc.). Drum do not always have sores. I've caught more that don't. Other fish can get sores also. Also lot's of other gamefish are "everywhere" or were at one time (Bass, walleye, catfish, bluefish, tuna, etc.). Just because some people got the wrong idea in their heads doesn't mean everyone else should be a brainless idiot and do them same thing when they don't have a clue. Drum are fun to catch, which is the reason for fishing, they can be caught with a variety of methods, and they grow bigger on average then a lot of other gamefish around here. The only "garbage fish" are parasitic ones like the lamprey. Drum are a good gamefish. Anyone who kills them should be thoroughly ashamed of themself.


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## tehsavage (Aug 16, 2013)

100% agree with extagerus. Yes the drum population needs to be checked to keep them from over taking BUT

-They're fun to catch
-One day, in a survival situation, sheephead might be the tastiest thing ever when there is no other food around and you can't go to mcdonalds.. and guess what?! they're all over the lake and easy to catch!

If you've never heard of the monkey with the banana on a ladder psychology experiment check it out: 
http://i.snag.gy/kdu77.jpg
interesting look at learned behaviors that extagerus was talking about.


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## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

My father in law kills them i dont get it really. What does this accomplish? You think offing a few will make them stop biting? 

If I were to kill anything it'd be whitebass/ white perch. I hate those damn things. But still, I don't. Unless the seagulls get them


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## Mac (Jul 26, 2006)

Years ago I went out on a head boat out of Port Clinton. The captain asked us to put the sheephead we caught in his cooler. We asked why. He said he was going to pickle them and if we were going to be up there the next weekend to stop by and taste them. Well I happened to be there. They tasted like a mild dill pickle. I suppose the pickling killed their taste but I did have seconds.


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## chevyjay (Oct 6, 2012)

i too often throw them to the seagulls if they are around, for amusement of trying to hit as well as giving them something to eat. it is quite amusing watching them dodge a 3lb. sheephead.


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## mlayers (Aug 22, 2011)

There is time when I don'ta have much fish in the freezer I will keep a few of the smaller ones. If they are under 14" I have kept them fillet them cut out the red meat cut the rest up into smaller pieces and deep fry along with gills and cats and no one know the different.


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## mikeat (Dec 24, 2008)

OSUdaddy said:


> What do you do when you catch your perch or walleye and eat them. What kind of "f"ing idiots are you ?
> 
> Trash fish are trash fish. Seagulls need food also and they enjoy the trash.
> 
> Cool your jets Mike.


I think the sea gulls can fend for them self they don't need idiots like you throwing your so called trash fish at them for your enjoyment!!your disgrace to the fishing community


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## cheezman (Jul 4, 2011)

Drum recipe: Keep the larger ones, as there isn't much meat on them anyway.
And you only use the "loins" in this recipe any how.

1. Fillet off the backstraps
2. Cut them into 1" chunks
3. Bring 4 cups of 7up to a boil, add fish, boil for 5 min.
4. Serve with melted butter.

The texture is very close to lobster and so is the taste !!!!

Really guys, try it, we did and they are delicious !!!!

We now call drum.....LAKE ERIE LOBSTER !!!!!


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## Slab assassin 55 (Jan 27, 2013)

Sounds like a good recipe to try!


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## OSUdaddy (Oct 18, 2010)

But you just did.

You recently stated (after call me and other effing idiots):

-----------------------------
"I think the sea gulls can fend for them self they don't need idiots like you throwing your so called trash fish at them for your enjoyment!!your disgrace to the fishing community."
-------------------------

How did it feel eating that dead meat someone else killed for you when you can fend for yourself?

Look in the mirror Mike before you start throwing out the insults.........and......CHILL OUT......then learn how to spell.


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## boss302 (Jun 24, 2005)

OSUdaddy, something wrong with being an environmentalist and/or with respect for life and wise use of our resources? This Mike guy is rude but your insult to him was no better 

I hope everyone on here is an environmentalist in some respect...I am. Hell, its my profession. I help clean up land and water that has been impacted by industry, work to redevelop this land, work with industry to help them comply with regulations and best practices so they don't leave the mess they once did, and work with industry trying to make a balanced use of resources 

Without environmentalists we'd be fishing for tumor ridden fish in pea soup green water with oil scum on top..

We don't live in a black and white world life in the middle of the ideological and political extremes and respectfull moderated use of our resources is the best we can do.

Oh, and i don't have a soap box. I feed my share of fish to the gulls...plenty of undersized deep water perch feed the flocks this time of year. It bothers me, and I try not to fish deep if there is another decent bite and will also reduce my personal minimum size a little.

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## seahawk (Aug 1, 2008)

boss302 said:


> I hope everyone on here in an environmentalist...I am.


I try to be an environmentalist too and I voted for the president and couldn't stand the last one. I know drugs in every other country in the world cost 1/5 what they do here and I think health care is as good in Canada as it is here. I own a gun, but I don't hunt. I like to fish tho and eat what I kill. I have been called a socialist at least twice on this forum and would love to be banned, but haven't figured out the magic words yet. So OSU Daddy, I too think you are an idiot for killing living things for sadistic pleasure under the guise of reduce the trash fish population. I know that you don't care what I think, so that'll be the end of it I guess.


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## First One's Out (Jun 30, 2013)

OSUdaddy - I got news for you: catching a fish and then feeding it to sea gulls just for the sick thrill of watching birds fight is NOT the "circle of life." Its asinine, ignorant, and juvenile. The sheephead belong to the circle of life, just like any other native species. YOU, on the other hand, are tampering with the circle of life. That makes you a JACKASS.


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## Dagojoe (Jul 16, 2013)

Although I hate catching the sheephead my grandkids get so excited when they catch them. If nothing else they are fun to catch.....


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## gw2kpro (Jul 5, 2012)

Whether you consider yourself an "environmentalist" or not, behavior like killing otherwise healthy fish and feeding them to seagulls leads to things like increased laws, surveillance, and enforcement.

It only takes a few "offended" people to lodge a complaint. 

Complaints lead to some kind of increased follow up surveillance. 

Enough "bad" behavior noticed during surveillance and someone recommends a new law.

Trust me. I moved here from Maine. Every time someone passes gas in the woods someone else becomes offended and the state legislature writes new laws everyone has to comply with. 

If, like many, you believe that things are becoming "overregulated", consider the ramifications of your actions prior to taking them.


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## thecritter (Jul 11, 2012)

Save the drum for people in cleveland they will eat anything. 

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## OSUdaddy (Oct 18, 2010)

boss302 said:


> OSUdaddy, something wrong with being an environmentalist and/or with respect for life and wise use of our resources? This Mike guy is rude but your insult to him was no better


He not only insulted me but others in this thread..........he deserved the punch back.

Now carry on about how bad it is to kill fish and what bad people we are for doing so and feeding the gulls.

gw....is it a crime to kill what I consider trash fish and throw them in for the gulls to eat?


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## gw2kpro (Jul 5, 2012)

Nope. Not a crime. Not yet.

There are all kinds of things in all walks of life that "aren't a crime" that aren't a good idea and that end up affecting everyone.

Several states I have lived in have things like wanton waste laws, which are yet another thing that's "open to interpretation" by a game warden.

I wonder how and why those came about.


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## OSUdaddy (Oct 18, 2010)

This thread is becoming freekin hilarious. 

Somebody....please pass me some popcorn.


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## Rod Hawg (Jan 13, 2011)

OSUdaddy said:


> This thread is becoming freekin hilarious.
> 
> Somebody....please pass me some popcorn.


I just cooked up a batch. Lol


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## jiggerjohn (Sep 25, 2007)

Had a wonderful recent couple of trips to Vermilion with my son & grandson, where we concentrated on jigging near shore structures for drum. The terrific battles on 4# test and light spinning gear, plus the ever willingness to take home tied jigs qualifies them as PREMIER Lake Erie fish. We had really nice smallies in this mix, the only difference in fights being the occaisional (thrilling) leap of the smallies! We'd never consider purposefully wasting either species(tho at times have taken both for great meals), nor would we trash what I consider lesser quality fighters like walleyes or perch.


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## fisher6476 (Apr 17, 2004)

I guess I just don't understand killing for the sake of killing. And I am no genius, but as for a few sport fisherman thinking they can control the "trash fish" by killing the tiny percentage they catch, well, that would be like peeing in the ocean trying to raise the water level.

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## spectrum (Feb 12, 2013)

Cheezman has it right, I tried some for the heck of it couple of weeks ago. The back meat is what I used, cause the rest of the fish doesn't really have much else on it. Fried it up on butter with some seasoning salt, pepper, and garlic powder. It was pretty good. Also when I was trolling for eye's I caught some fat white bass and cooked them up the same way. The family actually thought they were better then the walleye. Just gotta make sure you get that red meat out of the lateral line. I actually have bags in the freezer now that are fish medleys. Everything is just a matter of opinion, and how good of a cook you are. Like my Dad told me, 60 years ago people were giving perch and walleye to there dogs and they only kept the blue pike.


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## spectrum (Feb 12, 2013)

Next thing to try is some gobies. See the thing with me is I always keep a open mind, I never just take someone else's opinon and write things off. I'll only write it off after I try it. Give'em a shot and then if you don't like 'em throw them back. By killing them your not going to acomplish anything, your just pissing into the wind.


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## "chillin" (Apr 20, 2012)

Just out of curiosity,if you cant shoot the sheephead with a bow why would it be legal to kill them and throw them back? Even when you shoot carp you still have to remove them from the body of water where they were taken. Its illegal to throw them in the water after you kill them. I see rotten drum floating around everytime i go to lake erie so the gulls must not like them that much. 

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## goolies (Jun 28, 2007)

fisher6476 said:


> I guess I just don't understand killing for the sake of killing. And I am no genius, but as for a few sport fisherman thinking they can control the "trash fish" by killing the tiny percentage they catch, well, that would be like peeing in the ocean trying to raise the water level.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


+1. I don't understand killing fish for amusement or abusing fish because you think they are a trash fish. It serves no meaningful purpose. It's not tolerated on my boat and it never will be.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

seahawk said:


> I try to be an environmentalist too and I voted for the president and couldn't stand the last one. I know drugs in every other country in the world cost 1/5 what they do here and I think health care is as good in Canada as it is here. I own a gun, but I don't hunt. I like to fish tho and eat what I kill. I have been called a socialist at least twice on this forum and would love to be banned, but haven't figured out the magic words yet. So OSU Daddy, I too think you are an idiot for killing living things for sadistic pleasure under the guise of reduce the trash fish population. I know that you don't care what I think, so that'll be the end of it I guess.



I'm about in the same boat as you although I've hunted and fished my whole life. Spent my summers as a kid on a farm bailing hay, tending to a garden, taking care of animals, fishing a well stocked farm pond and having the time of my life. Own guns etc and I've been called worse! 

I really hate the term "trash fish".

Killing something just to kill it shouldn't be acceptable. They think they are making a difference(like the carp guys) and they are not. They are adding unnecessary bioload to the water if you ask me. There are enough(too much, anyone for an algae bloom??) nutrients already.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

OSUdaddy said:


> He not only insulted me but others in this thread..........he deserved the punch back.
> 
> Now carry on about how bad it is to kill fish and what bad people we are for doing so and feeding the gulls.
> 
> gw....is it a crime to kill what I consider trash fish and throw them in for the gulls to eat?





gw2kpro said:


> Nope. Not a crime. Not yet.
> 
> There are all kinds of things in all walks of life that "aren't a crime" that aren't a good idea and that end up affecting everyone.
> 
> ...





OSUdaddy said:


> My wife and I kill the smaller ones and feed them to the gulls. They love them and it is fun to see them fight over the fish.



Ahem.



> *LIVE RELEASE OF FISH- Any fish not of legal size or not legally caught must be released immediately. Handle it carefully with a wet hand or a wet towel so it can be freed unharmed. If the fish is hooked deeply and the hook can't easily be removed, cut the line to release the fish. Tearing a hook out can harm a fish so badly that it may not live. *


Taken from:
http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/dow/regulations/fishing_general.aspx


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Wow, I'm actually surprised at the amount of "sportsman" on here who are for the pointless killing of sheephead(or any other native species for that matter). If you aren't going to put the fish to good use(ex. for food) don't kill it!! "Feeding the birds/amusement" isn't a good enough excuse.

Yesterday I caught a walleye while fishing for bass. Should I have killed the 'eye and thrown it out for the birds? Same concept. I unintentionally caught a catfish too, maybe I should have banked it as well, would have been fun to see all the birds eat it. 

IMO, there's no such thing as "trash fish", well except for maybe carp and gobies, but it's not like they're going any time soon.


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## OSUdaddy (Oct 18, 2010)

Sorry folks but I will continue to feed the small white bass to the gulls.

Nick, a walleye is definitely not a trash fish. 

To the others......I will gladly save all the white bass I catch if you come to my dock to claim them. I am sure you find them tasty.

Continue to pile on.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

fishinnick said:


> Wow, I'm actually surprised at the amount of "sportsman" on here who are for the pointless killing of sheephead(or any other native species for that matter). If you aren't going to put the fish to good use(ex. for food) don't kill it!! "Feeding the birds/amusement" isn't a good enough excuse.
> 
> Yesterday I caught a walleye while fishing for bass. Should I have killed the 'eye and thrown it out for the birds? Same concept. I unintentionally caught a catfish too, maybe I should have banked it as well, would have been fun to see all the birds eat it.
> 
> IMO, there's no such thing as "trash fish", well except for maybe carp and gobies, but it's not like they're going any time soon.


Well wouldn't that all be considered littering anyhow? A big no-no in the state of Ohio.

· Littering & illegal dumping
-
Ohio Revised Code 3767.32
Leaving any trash or discarded items on any public or private land or waterway is a third degree misdemeanor in Ohio, good for a fine up to $500 and 60 days in jail. The law also prohibits putting trash
in someone elses trash receptacle without permission from the
owner or a civil authority, unless the receptacle is intended for public use or the trash was generated on the property where the receptacle is
located.

· Polluting state lands or waters
-
Ohio Revised Code 1531.29
The penalty for littering can be more
severe when litter ends up on state land, or in any ditch, stream,
river, lake, pond, or other watercourse, which is part of a larger surface or groundwater system. Pollution violations are third degree misdemeanors on the first offense, but subsequent offenses within a year are first
degree misdemeanors with fines up to $1,000 and as much as six months jail time. The penalties apply if the litter is close enough to a body of water to be pulled in during flooding.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

OSUdaddy said:


> Nick, a walleye is definitely not a trash fish.


And drum(and white bass) aren't either. To each their own I guess...

On the other hand kill all the white perch, gobies, and sea lampreys you want. Whenever I'm on Erie I always throw back the white bass, but usually always keep(to eat, not to kill for amusement) the invasive white perch.


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## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

fisher6476 said:


> *I guess I just don't understand killing for the sake of killing.* And I am no genius, but as for a few sport fisherman thinking they can control the "trash fish" by killing the tiny percentage they catch, well, that would be like peeing in the ocean trying to raise the water level.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


Best post yet. Agree wholeheartedly. 

As far as the earlier "circle of life" comment goes... Really?! I'll leave that one alone. Some people amaze me!

But the analogy fishinnick gave with the walleye is a valid one. He was fishing for bass, and caught a walleye. To him, in that situation, the walleye *was* a "trash fish." Just as much as your white bass is "trash" when fishing for 'eyes! It's apparent that fact doesn't make much sense, to you, when the tables are turned, eh?


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## FishNerd (Apr 22, 2013)

I too hate the term trash fish. I don't normally say anything to others fishing around me, but I did say something to the guys a month ago that left a gar to die on the banks at the river because it was a "trash fish" and somehow deserved to die. Why? They're just as much a part of the fragile ecosystem of our great river (and lakes) as any other fish. The only fish I would consider killing "for the sake of killing" would be invasive species like silver carp. Personally, I enjoy any fish I catch, whether it's one of those small white bass, or a gar, or drum, or maybe even one of the species I want to catch like striper or sauger. 
The problem with the "killing for conservation" defense is that every body of water is different. There is a lot of misinformation and assumptions about how best to care for our water resources, and one method may work in one place but not another. An individual can manage their own private pond to the best of their abilities - that's up to them. But as we've seen since we first started actively managing wildlife resources, opinions are always changing as to what is "best" for the environment and the creatures that live there. Even in our own state we see the people who manage our wild resources for a living make mistakes that have lasting repercussions. And just because something is legal (for now), doesn't make it right.
I could go on but I think others have also made the point. It's up to each person to decide what is right for them but that doesn't make it right for everyone else. The way I look at it, if I'm spending an evening trying to put hooks through the face of every fish I can, I should probably make the effort to return as many of them as I can relatively unharmed. But that's just me.


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## bigdogbull (Apr 19, 2012)

* Wow !!!! Did I open a big can of worms here !!!!*


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## fishngolf (Jul 18, 2009)

When the great lakes are nothing but asian carp....we wont have to worry which ones to eat.


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## eyegrabber (Mar 9, 2010)

I'm a retired teacher, Several years ago I was talking to some of my students about sheep-head. During the conversation one of the students said he worked at a commercial fishing company during the summer and McDonald's bought all their sheep-head. I tried one after hearing that but only once, It had a leathery texture and I didn't like it ( mickey dees must have some good chemicals). I used to throw back all the White Perch I caught untill I caught a couple larger White perch while Walleye fishing and decided to keep them and see what they tasted like. I no longer throw back the White Perch, and have made believers of some of my fishing buddies.


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## gw2kpro (Jul 5, 2012)

I moved here from Maine a couple of years ago.

In Maine, there is no bigger "trash fish" than a yellow perch. I was very surprised -- everywhere else I had lived, yellow perch were considered a pretty good fish. Not up there. Folks up there would sooner catch nothing at all than catch a yellow perch. 

I fished with a lot of different guys and if they'd catch them ice fishing, for example, 1) whoever caught the fish would receive a fair amount of mocking and 2) the fish was left up on the ice for the eagles.

A white perch, on the other hand, was THE #1 prized fillet bar none and most guys I fished with would target them in the summer to fill their freezer. While fishing for white perch, if yellow perch were caught, they were typically "dsiposed of".

I made a lot of friends with white perch fillets, gave several bags to my neighbors and they were still talking about my "generosity" a year later.

However, they absolutely don't believe you if you tell them that yellow perch are quite desirable to catch most everywhere else.


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## tehsavage (Aug 16, 2013)

Mind = blown 


Next your going to tell me in Wisconsin they have a dedicated following behind the sheephead fishery.


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## turkeymikey (Jul 3, 2008)

I read all the posts and didn't see where anyone talked about picking through Perch. If your in deeper water they don't or most of the time they die. Whats the difference in culling the junk fish or throwing back smaller perch. Seems like there is a double standard here!


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

Sheephead and White Perch are both delicious. You just have to know how to handle them after you catch them.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

turkeymikey said:


> If your in deeper water they don't or most of the time they die. Whats the difference in culling the junk fish or throwing back smaller perch. Seems like there is a double standard here!


Not sure I understand what the question is, but are you saying what's the difference between killing the "junk" fish and throwing back the already dead(because of catching it in deep water) small perch? If so, then I personally think that's wrong also(though not as wrong as killing "trash" fish for amusement). The fish is dead anyways so put it to good use instead of just tossing it overboard. After all the small dead perch still counts towards your limit whetherr you keep it or not.


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## PapawSmith (Feb 13, 2007)

seahawk said:


> I try to be an environmentalist too and I voted for the president and couldn't stand the last one. I know drugs in every other country in the world cost 1/5 what they do here and I think health care is as good in Canada as it is here. I own a gun, but I don't hunt. I like to fish tho and eat what I kill. I have been called a socialist at least twice on this forum and would love to be banned, but haven't figured out the magic words yet. So OSU Daddy, I too think you are an idiot for killing living things for sadistic pleasure under the guise of reduce the trash fish population. I know that you don't care what I think, so that'll be the end of it I guess.


Kudos to you for having the pebbles to skip to the front of this public forum and proudly proclaim your social and political ignorance for all to see. I'll tell you a little about me; I find most environmentalists to be narrow minded, unrealistic, liberal hypocrites; I think our current president is an embarrassment to our nation and I loved our last one; I believe Canada's healthcare is a dangerous disaster and drugs primarily cost more here because we spend billions in R&D and other countries spend nothing and just copy our findings; No one would ever call me anything even similar to 'communist' even as a joke; I own guns and do hunt several species of animals but, just like you, I believe only an idiot would kill anything at all for "sadistic pleasure". (Not sure OSU Daddy kills for "pleasure")
That makes me and you just the same, I guess.


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## boss302 (Jun 24, 2005)

fishinnick said:


> After all the small dead perch still counts towards your limit whetherr you keep it or not.


Say what? That's like saying that a springtime lake erie bass fisherman is guilty of poaching if a bass he released dies. 

The released deep water perch have a chance at survival just like any other fish released quickly after being caught. More than likely the would survive if the opportunistic gulls weren't waiting for an easy meal. People don't usually pull dead perch from a cooler and dump them. 

Catch and keep vs catch & release with high mortality is a different ethical discussion that's been beat up on here before. 

PapawSmith, I think you are misusing the term Environmentalist to represent an extreme political and idealistic viewpoint and are using it in a one-size-fits-all manner that is simply incorrect. It simply means a person who advocates for the protection of the environment from pollution or destruction....in short, someone who respects the natural world. Sure there are wacko environmentalists just as their are wacko gun rights freaks or religious extremists....but those are not accurate portrails of the main stream gun advocate or religious person. I suggest that you, I, and 98% of the people who visit this forum are environmentalists.

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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

boss302 said:


> Say what? That's like saying that a springtime lake erie bass fisherman is guilty of poaching if a bass he released dies.


You do have a point there. From what I've been told(by DNR people) if a fish you caught dies because it is deep hooked, handled badly, etc. it counts towards your daily limit, but then if you caught a fish out of season and it dies then is that poaching? Definitely a grey area in the regs, and I guess it depends which officer you talk to. And obviously there's things you can't control. 

Yeah I guess they do have a slight chance of surviving, but as you said it's pretty hard if there's a bunch of gulls around waiting for a meal. I'd personally keep those fish, but that's just my opinion. 

Now back on topic, you can't really control it if those small perch from deep water die, but you CAN control the shallower water(and non-inflated bladder deep water) "junk" fish from dying. So to sum up my(and other sportsmen who actually care about the sport and the fish) opinions on the topic, if you aren't going to eat the so called "trash" fish, release them. Ok I'm done, carry on...


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## pikekilla (Aug 28, 2012)

Catch them and send them to Pittsburgh.. Those hillbillies eat garbage for a living..


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## oarfish (May 12, 2004)

The smart gardener will exercise his God given wisdom to choose between the desirable and undesirable plants in his garden. He wont let the weeds choke out the good, under his watchful eyes.


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## extagerus (May 12, 2013)

oarfish said:


> The smart gardener will exercise his God given wisdom to choose between the desirable and undesirable plants in his garden. He wont let the weeds choke out the good, under his watchful eyes.


No offense but if you're comparing drum to weeds and saying they are choking out the fish most people prefer, there's a problem with that analogy. First, Lake Erie isn't someone's personal pond to control, and it WAS a balanced ecosystem until a bunch of selfish idiots ruined it. For "desirable" vs "undesirable" fish, see my last post but, again, that's only what a lot people think after being brainwashed into the idea. Also, AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, the drum didn't choke out the walleye and perch. The reason drum are up in numbers and walleye and perch are down is because the walleye and perch have been overfished for a long time and the drum haven't. All the sick selfish idiots who think they have to keep everything they catch and "fill their freezer" overfished the walleye and perch and that left room for the drum to increase in numbers. Those guys who keep everything they catch have no foresight and can't understand the damage they do, just because each trip didn't have immediate consequences. Then, since they can't understand or admit that they're at fault, they choose to blame something else (the drum) for something that's their own fault. 

That's one of the biggest problems in the world is people who can't see beyond their own small mind and all they know is they "want this and want it now" and can't understand or care how and what else it effects. In other words they have the same mental attitude as babies.


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## seahawk (Aug 1, 2008)

It'd have to be a very small deep hooked perch for me to feed a gull. They can always gorge themselves on the 10 inchers dumped dead from the gill nets by the commercial guys.


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## mercuryjoe (Mar 25, 2013)

Obviously extagerus is one of those "the earth in balance" wack jobs. Let me give you an education about something....the earth is an earth of extremes...nothing is ever in balance....prey are scarce and predators almost non existent...prey explode because there are no predators and then the predators explode in population till they decimate the prey to almost non existent levels...till the predators die off etc....We live in a world of extremes NOT balance...I killed a sheep head today cause the hook was buried too deep. It made it easier to extract the hook without injury to myself. I fed the sheep head to the gulls...the circle of life. I am more important than the sheep head period!


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## extagerus (May 12, 2013)

mercuryjoe said:


> Obviously extagerus is one of those "the earth in balance" wack jobs. Let me give you an education about something....the earth is an earth of extremes...nothing is ever in balance....prey are scarce and predators almost non existent...prey explode because there are no predators and then the predators explode in population till they decimate the prey to almost non existent levels...till the predators die off etc....We live in a world of extremes NOT balance...I killed a sheep head today cause the hook was buried too deep. It made it easier to extract the hook without injury to myself. I fed the sheep head to the gulls...the circle of life. I am more important than the sheep head period!


Like I said, too many people are brainwashed and can't understand or admit when something is their fault, they would rather come up with excuses to blame something else. Saying that nothing is ever in balance is ridiculous. It doesn't mean completely static with no change but there's a huge difference between back and forth shifts in populations versus removing or almost removing a spieces or introducing a new species that ruins an ecosystem. Examples: Silver carp, White Perch, Pacu, Didymo. A person feeding a drum to the seagulls is NOT the circle of life, that's just your bullcrap excuse. If a fish is hooked to deep, you cut the line and let it go, and the hook will rust away. You may think you are more important than the "sheep head" but the hook is NOT more important than a fish. If you don't even understand that, then you don't deserve a license to fish.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

extagerus said:


> Like I said, too many people are brainwashed and can't understand or admit when something is their fault, they would rather come up with excuses to blame something else. Saying that nothing is ever in balance is ridiculous.


Yep. They keep all the walleye and perch, and release everything else. I wonder why "everything else" has a greater population than the 'eyes and perch? Keeping(to eat) the "other fish" could help this problem, or maybe even limiting your harvest of 'eyes and yellow perch. 

With that said, I'm pleased with my catches on Erie. Catch and keep(as well as release) a few 'eyes and perch to eat, and have fun catching and releasing(as well as keeping a few, esp. white perch) what you guys call "junk" fish. 



> A person feeding a drum to the seagulls is NOT the circle of life, that's just your bullcrap excuse. If a fish is hooked to deep, you cut the line and let it go, and the hook will rust away. You may think you are more important than the "sheep head" but the hook is NOT more important than a fish. If you don't even understand that, then you don't deserve a license to fish.


+1




> Did you purposely kill any shiners or crawlers today?


Maybe......but they were put to good use and I just didn't toss them to die for amusement or to fertilize the grass(you know, the circle of life)


I guess we can all agree to disagree. You guys can get upset when you catch "trash fish" and I can be happy and enjoy the sport of fishing. After all, the whole reason I go fishing is to have fun catching fish, and if the only fish biting are drum, white bass, white perch, etc. then I'm perfectly fine with that. Bringing some fish home to eat is a bonus, but it's not the main reason I fish. Catching fish is better than not catching fish, regardless of the species. Plus, "trash fish" usually fight a lot harder than the boring 'eyes and perch

(and FYI, even though it may sound like it, I'm not saying drum are my favorite fish compared to walleye and perch, I'm just saying I don't consider them trash/junk like most of the other "fishermen" on here)



fishinnick said:


> Ok I'm done, carry on...


Ok, NOW I'm done!


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## tehsavage (Aug 16, 2013)

fishinnick said:


> back on topic, you can't really control it if those small perch from deep water die, but you CAN control the shallower water(and non-inflated bladder deep water) "junk" fish from dying. So to sum up my(and other sportsmen who actually care about the sport and the fish) opinions on the topic, if you aren't going to eat the so called "trash" fish, release them. Ok I'm done, carry on...



When I went fishing in the ocean off of Florida all the red snapper we caught the charter captain used a small pen sized blade to puncture their swim bladder so they can return down. They said they heal quick with small incisions. Im assuming that applies for anything caught deep in erie too.


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## wileycat43 (Jun 18, 2012)

Origanlly Critter says "Save the drum for people in cleveland they will eat anything". 

People in Cleveland? What does that mean? Sounds like an ignorant comment.


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## FishNerd (Apr 22, 2013)

I'm in a fishing dry spell and I'd love to hook a 15lb drum down at the river tonight...


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## jsh62 (Oct 5, 2011)

wileycat43 said:


> Origanlly Critter says "Save the drum for people in cleveland they will eat anything".
> 
> People in Cleveland? What does that mean? Sounds like an ignorant comment.


im sure it was a joke he is probably from Cincinnati, chill out


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## Harbor Hunter (Aug 19, 2007)

As with most heavily debated topics on this site,to me it boils down to one simple solution-to each his own.Personally I absolutely detest sheepshead.I hate catching them,I hate looking at them,I hate their fight,I hate touching them,I don't even like their smell.Do I intentionally kill,or maim them? No,I don't,I don't like to see their ugly bodies floating around the lake,regardless if there's starving seagulls around or not.Do I look at someone with disdain that does send them to their maker,no again,that's their choice and it is not illegal to kill them,and I seriously doubt if the litter police are going to arrest anybody anytime soon for offing such a piece of garbage.If you like catching sheepshead then releasing them,fine.If you enjoy eating them that's cool too,it's your personal choice,same as the people who don't like them and send them off floating.I respect both choices.As someone else already stated,if you tree-huggers don't like intentionally killing fish(other than to eat them),next time you're out perch jerking,use worms for bait instead of shiners,although you'll probably piss off some other wacko on here for killing worms!


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

But the killer is a walleye can spit the hook at the boat, same with a steel head, but for as long as I have been fishing the big pond, I can NEVER remember a sheep head spitting the hook at the boat! They just seem determined to spin the line on their way in and come aboard and see what's going on!!!

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## tehsavage (Aug 16, 2013)

I swear that sheephead never fight on board either. They know the drill. The stiller they are the quicker they get back in the water!! 


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## triton175 (Feb 21, 2006)

eyegrabber said:


> I'm a retired teacher, Several years ago I was talking to some of my students about sheep-head. During the conversation one of the students said he worked at a commercial fishing company during the summer and McDonald's bought all their sheep-head. I tried one after hearing that but only once, It had a leathery texture and I didn't like it ( mickey dees must have some good chemicals). I used to throw back all the White Perch I caught untill I caught a couple larger White perch while Walleye fishing and decided to keep them and see what they tasted like. I no longer throw back the White Perch, and have made believers of some of my fishing buddies.


McDonalds uses pollock caught in the Bering Sea. It is processed and then distributed nationally. They do not buy fish, including sheephead , locally. I'm glad too because I like their fish sandwich, I'm sure I wouldn't if they contained sheephead.
I don't understand the killing of fish for "fun" either.


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## oarfish (May 12, 2004)

Catching a sheephead is like finding out that your blind date is extremely ugly.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

My 2 cents worth is simple -

*If I am not eating it, I won't kill it.*

I believe it is disrespectful to any animal to kill it and let it go to waste.


(except gobies, it's the law)


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

oarfish said:


> Catching a sheephead is like finding out that your blind date is extremely ugly.


Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

If anything is to be learned from this thread, which is just a rehash of hundreds of other conversations from the past, is "one mans junk is another mans treasure".


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