KILL YOUR LIMIT (from the Archives) - Ladyfisher - Oct 07, 2013

[NCVirginian]

$10,000.00 won't buy much of a bass boat...

I was thinking the same thing.

I enjoyed reading this article as I have been known to do both. When I was a kid, it was almost strictly to the pan for anything I caught. As I grew up, I began letting more of them go. Now-a-days, where I am, the local regulations, and my mood all dictate what happens to the fish. Most of the time, they go back in the drink.

I have only had one occassion when I was offended by someone keeping a fish and that was a guy who took a size 2 j hook and quite literally, and on purpose, snared a very pregnant large mouth that was no more than two feet from the shore trying to do whatever it is fish do in that situation. The truth of it is that I was more upset that he would even TRY to catch that fish the way he did. Just didn't seem very sporting to me. If he had caught her on a spinner that she devoured, I wouldn't have cared.

Sorry, I'm off my soapbox now.

Hey, if it's legal and you're hungry for fish, keep 'em.

[Uncle Jesse]

[QUOTE=NCVirginian;487355] I have only had one occassion when I was offended by someone keeping a fish and that was a guy who took a size 2 j hook and quite literally, and on purpose, snared a very pregnant large mouth that was no more than two feet from the shore trying to do whatever it is fish do in that situation. The truth of it is that I was more upset that he would even TRY to catch that fish the way he did. Just didn't seem very sporting to me. If he had caught her on a spinner that she devoured, I wouldn't have cared. [QUOTE]

I would have thought that was illegal. I get a copy of the weekly report from DNR here in GA. I have seen where people have been cited for similar behavior. I don't have an issue with taking bream off a bed but would refrain from any other species, unless I had a hungry family I was trying to feed and such tactics were necessary. Truthfully nowadays with the availability and relative low cost of digital cameras I would not keep a trophy bass. I felt guilty about killing the one fish I had mounted 20 years ago.

[NCVirginian]

I would have thought that was illegal. I get a copy of the weekly report from DNR here in GA. I have seen where people have been cited for similar behavior.

You would think that, but unfortunately I wasn't able to find anywhere in the regs that say you can't do that. As long as you're using a pole with a line, it's legal.

[NJTroutbum]

With bass, in most lakes a slot limit of say 2 fish would not negatively impact the fishery in the least. But many folks would balk at it simply because they feel it would cut into their chances of catching a trophy fish. Their reasons are more selfish than anything resembling conservation.

Fresh Bass fillets, pan fried with light flour, salt & pepper, is a fish that you cannot duplicate with anything found in the grocery store mind you.