HookedOnFish

Edit: I have researched and it appears that bass is a legal bait fish in TN as long as you follow creel regulations for the area you are fishing. I just started fishing about a month ago and I have a valid license for all species.

Oh no! I wasn’t even aware of that. I feel so bad ? Is what I did going to get me in trouble? I can’t express enough how sad I am, but I wasn’t aware that this was illegal and now I am scared.

Today I was looking to catch some catfish and someone recommended I use cut-bait. I caught a very small bass, around 0.5 or less lbs, and decided to use it for bait. (the fish was foul hooked through the eye and was quite unhealthy). I casted the cut-bait out and didn’t catch anything. Now I feel super guilty for killing the fish and feel as if killing it had no purpose. Any ideas on how to come to terms with and accept this?