FYI... creel limits are set based upon what biologists believe can be "harvested," not based upon what can be "caught and released." In other words, if you believe TWRA biologists, bass anglers could kill every one of their 5-fish limit and not hurt the fishery.
Do I support that... no I don't. But is tournament mortality the bass fishery death knell that many seem to think it is? Probably not...
At risk of being banned from CFF, I share a column I wrote in 1993... in the last 13 years my attitude has changed somewhat... but it has changed because of peer pressure, not because of biology. If you want to do some reading, here is just a little different take on the situation:
OUTDOORS ... APRIL 22, 1993 ... RICHARD H. SIMMS - Something real strange happened to me the other day. I caught an eight-pound bass.
Actually it was 7-pounds, 14-ounces--but in fisherspeak, that's an eight-pounder. But that wasn't the strange thing. Unusual, yes--strange, no. I don't catch a lot of big bass--"big" meaning 5-pounds-plus. Once, maybe twice a year, I'll break the 5-pound barrier.
So I must admit that when I carried the fish into a boat dock to weigh, my cap fit pretty tight and my chest was probably swelled just a tad more than normal. The big red needle settled just shy of the eight-pound mark and the folks in the boat dock "oohed" and "aahed."
A little lady taking care of the place that morning asked, "are you gonna mount it or you gonna let it go?" Quite respectfully I answered, "No mam. I'm going to eat it."
There was an audible gasp from the gallery. The boat dock lady's eyes got real big and wide, and one guy reached for his wallet and said, "I'll give you 50 dollars for that fish right now," presumably to take it and have it mounted.
I politely said, "I'm sorry sir. That's illegal." The wildlife lawmen frown upon the commercial trade of game fish.
The boat dock lady tried to stay composed, not wanting to overly belittle her customer (me). She stared at the big bass I was holding, shook her head just slightly and said, "I sure hate to see you eat a fish like that, but I guess you've hauled it around too long to turn it loose."
She was correct. Survival rates are extremely poor for any fish unless it's released immediately. But the fact of the matter is, release had never been a serious consideration.
I fished hard this past weekend. Escaping from work and responsibility was the primary motivation. But putting some fish in the freezer was a real close second.
But as I left that boat dock Saturday morning, I felt anything but good. The three or four folks in there, including the very kind boat dock lady herself, made me feel like I was just one small notch above a poacher.
If I was going to kill the fish and mount it as a trophy, that would have been okay. But to eat it was downright sacrilegious.
That's when I realized something real strange is going on out there in the world. If a man goes deer hunting and kills a very small deer, he's often made to feel somewhat foolish. Shoot a prized buck that field dresses 160 pounds and said hunter is the king of the mountain.
Capture a massive catfish that takes two men to haul over the gunwale of the boat and you're suddenly a celebrity. Turkey hunters and goose hunters alike are judged in direct proportion to the size of the game they kill. A 15-pound goose or a 20-pound gobbler earns the successful hunter years of praise. On occasion those creatures are mounted as trophies, but most often the flesh goes directly to the dinner table. Clearly, their death is expected and accepted. But not so with the largemouth bass. This grand and glorious creature has been placed on a pedestal high above all other game species. The catch-and-release craze has reached an almost religious fervor. To kill, and eat, a big bass is taboo.
"It depends upon what people want," says TWRA Fisheries Biologist Anders Myhr. "There's nothing wrong with catching a big bass and eating it. But the competitive nature of the sport has created a different philosophy," he explains. "My dad was a big fisherman, and he raised me to big a fishermen and we didn't have that philosophy. And I don't necessarily agree with that philosophy, but it's out there."
There's an excellent chance that someone caught, and released, the very fish I recaptured Saturday morning. It had a deformed jaw bone, most likely caused by a hook in days gone by.
And I've written in this column, the compelling story of Charlie Duggan who captured, tagged, and released a six-pound bass. Then, one year later, Charlie got the joy of watching his young son capture the exact same tagged bass.
As I wrote at the time, "If you belong to the Church of Catch & Release, that's one powerful testimonial."
But Charlie still takes a knife to the occasional "hawg" bass, as do I. And we shouldn't be made to feel ashamed for doing so. Bass, along with all other well-managed resources, are "renewable" resources. Self-sustaining populations that can support regulated, reasonable harvest. Those of us who wish to do so, legally and ethically--for fun or for food, should be able to do so without fear of ridicule.
In other words, give those of us who enjoy a few sumptuous big bass filets a break.
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