In my opinion, I would keep the biggest but only to a certain point…Throw in a couple smaller ones. This way you will even out what your taking…
IMO the mid to small fish taste better. Keep a few of them. Put ALL he big uns’ back and most of the small ones. Carry a digt camera if’n you want a “brag”. Keep only enough out of each trip for one meal for you and your “others”. After all, frozen fish are available from Wally World anytime. And if’n you are out of fresh fish…welllllll, you just hava to go fishing again!! 
Above is my opinion and your milage may, or may not. vary.
donald
tite lines
This is a good point to consider and I believe that each body of water has its own requirements.
But indeed, throwing back all the “big boys” will ensure that their gene pool persists. Keeping and eating the dinks and mediums will cull the population and can be a better management tool.
Best idea is to contact local Fish & Game and find out what policies they’d like to see adhered to for best management (may not be 100% what the law requires)
Not only does throwing the big ones back help the gene pool but YOU can catch them again. I can’t begin to tell you how many of the large BGs out of the lake I usually fish have one [or more] holes in their lip.
Not only does this work with BGs; one summer a friend and I caught one smallmouth NINE times! His [or her?] lip had more holes in it than JaLo’s earlobe! We named him “ole dumbo”. Cast a grasshopper at the head of an overhang of riprap, let it float back under it about one foot, give a little pop - and KAPOSH!!! We only tried for that fish if the fishing had sucked otherwise that day.
don
Sure it’s good to cull your fish and keep smaller and med. sized fish but how do you cook the little ones?
We bake 'em. Just gut and scale the fish [I don’t mess with filleting the small ones]. Then use alum foil to make a packet that will hold all the fish, add a pat of butter inside each one, pepper with lemon pepper, put a bit of water in the foil, slice a lemon and spread it over the fish. Now seal the foil & throw it into a 350 oven for 30-35 minutes. The fish lifts right off the bones for the most part.
donald
beadleech
that is a recipe that is going in my cookbook!
Another good one for smaller fish is to boil them, like shrimp, and then strip the meat off with a fork, put it in a cocktail glass and cover/mix with shrimp cocktail sauce. Its basically a simple seafood cocktail substitutuing bluegill meat for shrimp or whatever one usually uses.
Hey all,
An interesting angle on this debate is a stable of In-Fisherman magazine, that is called Selective Harvest. I beleive the concept is to keep only small to medium sized fish and release big ones. This idea was presented first ablut ten years ago, so I am not sure of the data now. I am sure that In-Fisherman has continued research in this field. One interesting point is that the habitat for larger fish is depleated by compition by the more numerous smaller fishes. If the smaller fish are consumed then the habitat is less depleated and is able to sustain more larger fish. In Fisherman is not a stickly flyfishing based mag. but do have a lead in the research that they do over conservation over other mags. They also work with several fish and game depts to keep up on the process. I hope this helps.
Sarge.
Hey I’ll try both of your recipe’s because I sure like the taste of tender fish.
Donald, we love fish that way. We find any heat source works fine. Campfires are preferred.
The Jenn Air grill and charcoal grill work super.
We add one additional ingredient. We stuff the inside of the fish with fresh basil from our garden. Delightful!
Jim
You’re right Jim. We started using that method when the wife and I camped a lot more [when my bones and such were more resistant to rocks, roots, etc <G>] and we just tossed the foil packet on the edge of the campfire! We also fixed them in one of those fold up fish baskets over the campfire with just salt and pepper and ate them dipped in a sauce made out of ketchup and horsehadish. That’s been a while ago tho.
donald