Why do out-of-staters fillet bass?

One man's trophy is another man's dinner...it's all about perception.

Crappie guys want to protect their fish.
Bass guys want to protect their fish.
Catfish guys want to protect their fish.
Carp guys want to protect their fish.
Bluegill guys want to protect their fish.
And on and on and on....

If the fishery can't support the creel limit, then it wouldn't be posted.

Sure I cringe at the sight of a 5 lb bass under the knife, but a catfisherman cringes just the same at the site of me putting a 20 lb blue under the knife. It's all about perception and all part of the circle of fisheries management. You just have to accept it and go on http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/wink.gif

P.S. - when you see a northerner putting a 5 lb bass under the knife, don't get mad at him, be friendly and see if he'll tell you where and how he caught it...that way you can beat him out there the next morning and save those fish http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by artcarney_agr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

P.S. - when you see a northerner putting a 5 lb bass under the knife, don't get mad at him, be friendly and see if he'll tell you where and how he caught it...that way you can beat him out there the next morning and save those fish http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif </TD></TR></TABLE>

I have offered to give them some crappie if they'd let the bass go before. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/wink.gif

you mean they didn't invite you over for "shore lunch"?

I've fished up North alot just inside Canada and in Minnesota. Bass just aren't a big game fish for them up there so they don't value them as much it seems. As for locals doing the same a large part of it is just ignorance I think. If your new to the sport and haven't had anyone introduce you to the sport that was ethical or introduced yourself then it's hard to blame them sometimes. It's our job to educate and promote our sport and those ignorant of it I guess. For those that know better and choose to do it anyways, well that's another story. I believe those individuals for the most part of a small minority though.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by john n &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Man, if I could just come up with a good way to fix those drum, I would never be without fresh fish !! I'll supply them to the Rally if somebody dares to fix em !!

John N</TD></TR></TABLE>


We better be fishing out of your rig, NO SLIMY STINKING DRUM IS GETTING IN MY BOAT....better be able to unhook it while you hang over the side http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/wink.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif

well... heres one that'll really tick ya off. i was out on lake reba the other day (local trolling motor only lake) and came upon a young punk (teenager) who had a 5lber on a stringer which wasnt even in the water. he then asked me, "hey man you wanna buy a fish?" when he picked the 5lber up off of the dried mud i almost cried. if the fish was still alive i would have gladly bought the fish and released it but it was DEAD. AND i know good and well this kid had absolutely NO idea how to fillet a fish.

so basically this 5lber was killed for NOTHING. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/mad.gif

Nothing wrong with eating some 2lb bass every now and then. Heck, bass eat their own children for crying out loud. Don't get me wrong, leave the 4 and 5lbers in the water. Take a pic and put them babies back. But if my family wants some fish to fry, we keep a few here and there until we have enough to eat. Mostly out of local river. I'm probably gonna die from what's in that river anyway. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif

i agree with scott, the fisheries are managed very strictly. i've seen very few "catch and release" crappie fishermen, same goes for bluegill and catfish. and back home on the gulf coast, most guys don't even have a livewell. as far as flounder, redfish and speckled trout, the legal catch goes straight in to the ice chest; never to see water again. let's not flatter ourselves. for every fish an angler catches, there are many, many more that never feel the point of a hook; even with the fishing pressure as out of control as it is. if an angler buys a license, and fishes winthin the boundries of the law, he is entitled to keep his share of the harvest and nothing more. regardless if it's a 15" male or 8lb trophy.

personally, i think i've kept 3 bass in my life. (yes that's all i've ever caught. there, i beat you to the punchline trent) i don't eat fish. i've never liked the taste.

BUT it seems like this arguement says that we should protect the bass, and let everything else that swims get eaten. i hate seeing a 6lb smallie go home so it can be mounted, i hate seeing an 8lb lm being filleted for a pan full of grease, but who are we to say what someone else does. if they are legal, they should be allowed to do whatever they like without harassment.

we have gotten so selfish as tournament bass fishermen. we have also become high and mighty on this topic. we treat someone who keeps a bass like a second class citizen. when we see a 5lb fish perish under the knife, we feel that we have witnessed murder. but it's ok for a 15" fish to die the same death. guess what? some of those 15" fish grow up too. what's the difference? a few reproductive cycles. but as bass fishermen, we are so fascinated with weight, that it breaks our hearts to know that a 5lb fish is killed and no longer catchable.

again, i release every bass i catch, and it does break my heart to see a big girl not get released, but that's life. we can't chastize those who harvest what they worked to catch.

Roddy, sorry for highjacking your post.

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I'm with clint to some extent on this, yes I cringe when I see someone take a 5+ home but I'm not gonna get up in arms over it. Won't ever allow it in my boat, but the freedom to take home a big fish if you want is yours to make, what drive me nuts is the ones that keep every single fish they catch, those are the ones that will get the game warden called on them and get a piece of my mind on the spot.

that really makes me mad too people keeping and eating bass I saw a guy onsat do the same thing I said some about calling the game warden on some poachers and about 5 minutes later they headed to the ramp and left.this was an indiana lake and this wasn't the first time I seen this happen.they need to stick with the gills and crappies they taste better.

I saw 2 guys filleting a 5 gallon bucket of bass this afternoon. It made me sick to me stomach. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/sick.gif

I guess I'll be the devils advocate here. If caught legal then some of you shouldn't say anything. I guess those people that spent a couple hundred in gas, 50 on a fishing license, couple hundred on lodging, hundred or so at the diners and misc. money at the tackle store. Should feel grateful that you do not like them cleaning bass and that they should put everything back just so that they can please you. Now on the other hand if it is an Illegal catch then it should be your duty as a law abiding sportsman to report them.

If people want bass to take to eat take the smaller ones, but still legal. Why take the big fish out that are the brooding stock for future generations. If you want fish to eat go catch some crappie, bream, catfish, etc.

The lakes we have in Kentuck are some of the best in the world and I think more needs to be done to protect them.

Charlie

if we want to save something, let's focus on the quality of water. i'm not a member of greenpeace, but the quality of water in our rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands are pathetically poor.

one thing that bothers me is all of the old clunker cars on the road. there aren't enough states that require an anual inspection. walk around any giver parking lot, and you'll see puddles of oil and other fluids. this gets washed into the sewers that poor into thr rivers and streams. that's just one example. more states need to get involved.

so if we are truly "preserving the resource for our kids and grandkids" then let's save the habitat. if we protect the habitat, the wildlife will prosper.

again, Roddy i'm sorry for highjacking your post and making it political.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DH205DVS &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I guess I'll be the devils advocate here. If caught legal then some of you shouldn't say anything. I guess those people that spent a couple hundred in gas, 50 on a fishing license, couple hundred on lodging, hundred or so at the diners and misc. money at the tackle store. Should feel grateful that you do not like them cleaning bass and that they should put everything back just so that they can please you. Now on the other hand if it is an Illegal catch then it should be your duty as a law abiding sportsman to report them. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I would just as soon if their intentions are to come here and eat the bass then these folks stay home and save their money...maybe they can use it to enhance the great bass fishing in Ohio.

I agree with that 100%. Leave our bass alone.

Charlie

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dave Stewart &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I would just as soon if their intentions are to come here and eat the bass then these folks stay home and save their money...maybe they can use it to enhance the great bass fishing in Ohio.</TD></TR></TABLE>
http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/beers.gif

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TR21Bassin &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If people want bass to take to eat take the smaller ones, but still legal. Why take the big fish out that are the brooding stock for future generations. If you want fish to eat go catch some crappie, bream, catfish, etc.

The lakes we have in Kentuck are some of the best in the world and I think more needs to be done to protect them.

Charlie</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm certainly not in favor of keeping bass at all. However, speaking scientifically, the larger bass, 5lbs+ are not nearly as prolific as brood stock as the small bass, those in the 2-5lb range. So taking the big girls out is likely to not have a major effect on the bass population's ability to reproduce. On the other hand...I'd hate to see those bigger fish taken out as it might decrease my chances of catching one! http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif Of course my chances are slim at catching a big bass anyway!! http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif

Guys I've been watching this thread for a while, and while this will probably get me strung up by my toes, I'm gonna say it anyways!

1) How many of you guys deer hunt? Do you kill just the smaller bucks (8 pointers or less) or go for the king-daddy, Pope & Young, Booner class deer?

2) Who are we as bass fishermen to judge another angler, whether he's a crappie guy, or a kid with a cane pole on what he chooses to do with a fish that HE catches?

3) Are they really "our fish" to catch and release, or are they free to roam and bite whatever bait they choose? Come on Charlie... http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif

4) Bill is 100% correct! Those big girls are not the ones who add significantly to the bass population. They are older, and therefore less fertile, and they usually go on the beds too early for significant numbers of their offspring to survive. Why do you think that so many trophy fisheries have a slot limit - because it works! Those 15-20" fish are the ones that reproduce the best!

5) All of the areas where our lakes are located are really economically dependent on tourists - i.e. fishermen and boaters. Do you really think that these little communities can survive if the lakes only allow catch and release bass fishermen. We guys just don't spend enough money in those mom and pop tackle stores to keep them afloat! We price shop the internet and buy from Bass Pro and such... Ask any owner where they make their money, and I'd bet 80% will say from live bait!

I'm not one to keep and fillet 5+ pound bass, but that is my choice... If I take a customer of mine fishing and he catches an 8 pounder and wants it mounted, I'll offer a fiberglass replica, but if he insists on keeping it - no problem at all - that's his choice, being that he paid for a license and it's completely legal. BTW guys, catch and release is not the end-all, cure-all... Google tournament mortality rates, and you'll be astonished at the number of big fish that die post weigh-in... I'm done, now crucify me... http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/stirthepot.gif