I've never been one to harvest the fish I catch, but this is because I do not think fish are very tasty to eat! What are your guy's opinions on selective harvest of fish, as long as regulation is followed? IMO, if someone wants to harvest fish, it is fine with me, if they follow all regulations, and aren't taking massive amounts of fish.

The strip mines i fish i keep every under 13" bass i catch. (Right up to me and my buddies limit)

Those small fish gotta go! (In the peanut oil )

Every once in a blue moon I harvest bass for people if requested. I keep the catches well within the harvesting limits as far as size and number's kept. 

I like channel cat, crappie, and bluegill. Usually only fish for them once or twice a year. Most of the time when I fish I catch and release bass.

I like channel cat, crappie, and bluegill. Usually only fish for them once or twice a year. Most of the time when I fish I catch and release bass.

 

I am the same way. I have on occasion had fish fries with cats and crappie, and I don't mind taking a few of those fish. I've never been one for the taste of bass though!

Selective harvest can be a good thing. Over-population leads to stunted growth.

I love to eat bass and many other types of freshwater fish!

It's been awhile, but I have no problem keeping a few and eating them.  I prefer bass be 12" or 13" for eaters, maybe 14" but no bigger than that.  It is good to remove a few now and then... and heck, they are good eating! 

The primary reason that I don't keep fish to eat is that by the end of the day I am tired and I don't feel like messing with cleaning fish.  My goal is to pack up my fishing truck correctly ( so that it unpacks easily the next time I go fishing) and go home.  At the end of the day, I am generally hungry, so I am most likely to stop at a restaurant on the way home.

 

Back in the day, when I was a broke hippie, I ate fish quite a bit.  I had access to a couple of private places that were filled with small stunted bass, mostly in the 9 to 11 inch range. I had permission of the owner to keep all the small fish I wanted, just throw the ones over 12" back.    For the record, I recall these fish as being very tasty.

12-16" bass plus old bay, a little garlic and butter equals a tasty breakfast lunch or dinner. However I throw most all of 'em back these days

12-16" bass plus old bay, a little garlic and butter equals a tasty breakfast lunch or dinner. However I throw most all of 'em back these days

What do you mean by old bay?

50/50 Andy's red and Zataran's, no egg batter, just moist fillets straight into the 50/50 mix, yum yum, good good.

What do you mean by old bay?

 

Old Bay is a seasoning, a blend of herbs and spices.

Old Bay is a seasoning, a blend of herbs and spices.

I see!

I fish a natural wetland that was created 30 years ago when pennsauken creek flooded out 3 small land lock ponds.dont keep fish let them go have noticed the last 5 years the smallest fish has been 2.5 lbs on average not catching anything smaller.think fish have eliminated smaller bass leaving 2.5 lb and up to prosper

I think bass fishermen and brookie fishermen are the only ones that look down on selective harvest. Personally I don't keep either but that is because I like the taste of other fish species other. I will however not judge someone as long as they follow the letter of the law and the meat goes to good use.

I think bass fishermen and brookie fishermen are the only ones that look down on selective harvest. Personally I don't keep either but that is because I like the taste of other fish species other. I will however not judge someone as long as they follow the letter of the law and the meat goes to good use.

Hmm. Seems like I meet more people that don't care if you eat bass than people who do, down here in south georiga lots of people eat bass... Even the bass fishermen.

Lunker5:

No, somebody else has been having some really good fish frys, and its paying off.

I will not eat bass, especially fish taken south of lake Okeechobee. The mercury levels are high enough that there were warning signs at all the South Florida Ramps several years ago. Fertilizers from the big sugar cane farmers was a big contributor. I don't mind if people take a few under size bass but I will warn them of the long term risk.

Hmm. Seems like I meet more people that don't care if you eat bass than people who do, down here in south georiga lots of people eat bass... Even the bass fishermen.

That is good to know.

Most people up here are trout cats craps Perch gills walleyes and the like

Other then the occasional Amish family I rarely see people keep bass

I normally throw back everything and i have friends that keep everything to eat.  I dont care if people stay legal and within slot limits if those are in effect.  I ask that people fishing with me release bass over 2 lbs, as those are big for washington.  I also recommend all fish are let go during the spawn.  If i am in my boat than that is a rule, but i don't say bo to others as long as they are legal. 

Only when I go camping up north i'll eat fish, but we are pretty much the only people up there so the fish population has little stress.  Nothing better than a shore lunch!

For 20 years I've fished a private 40 acre strip pit in Southern Illinois that used to produce a lot of 4 to 5 pound bass. Eventually the old guys that used to catch and fry bass quit coming around. 

 

Soon we quit catching those big bass, then we stopped catching anything over 2 pounds. Something had to change, so about 4 years ago we decided to aggressively harvest the small bass that we caught. This year we caught a great variety of healthy bass in all sizes up to 5 pounds. The lake is back, and we continue to catch and keep bass under 14".

I don't keep fish, if I did it would be selective and the breeders go back in the water.

I see more problems in saltwater, whether it's keeping a legal limit of fish or keeping fish that have no limits there some of the same people doing it nearly everyday.  Legal yes, but IMO excessive with no regard to the overall fishery.  I have read newspaper articles declaring our waters are over fished both by recreational fishermen as well commercial. Just recently the Sun Sentinel had an expose about the over fishing of barracuda, highly sought after for the plate.  I have noticed catching far less cuda and other species as I once did.  I'm at odds with some of my very close friends on this issue.

Local rez here actually begs you to take home a limit of sub-16-inch LMB's.