I release them myself, however, I have absolutely no issue with anyone who decides otherwise.. It's not my decision or problem to debate..

Only in America can free people, freely speak on such seemingly trivial matters..

Here's  before and after pictures from yesterday. Now, no "outdoor enthusiast" would have a problem with me keeping the panfish. Are there lives any less meaningful than the largemouth.

 

This one got his life spared last week

No, and sometimes corrective harvesting is needed. There is nothing wrong with harvesting fish... I don't do it because where I fish it is prohibited. But if you are an outdoorsman (fisherman, hunter, camper) and you make sure to follow all regulations, not to litter, and to generally be a responsible outdoorsman, then you care a lot more than the general population of people. Taxes on guns go to conservation. The guys with the conservation tags are more likely than not outdoorsmen.

Here in IL, taxes go into the pockets of the politicians while our fisheries go poorly managed and poaching laws are rarely enforced because there's no money in it. 

Is this abuse?

One of my pet peeves is people dragging their bass seemingly twenty yards up the bank or boat swinging and then dumping their bass unceremoniously on the bottom of the boat. I never do either of those.

Is this abuse?

 

 

Maybe...depends on how many people were fishing.....I count 36.

 

Jeff

Maybe...depends on how many people were fishing.....I count 36.

 

Jeff

That's my point. We are so quick to judge without knowing the facts.

This should get interesting. NY has instituted a new law where you can't take a picture of a fish out of season, yet the bucket brigade rolls on. You can try your best to be diplomatic but you can't fix stupid. Just try and take solace in the fact that there are many fish in the sea, lake, or pond.

Rediculous...but true

Either way NY can KMA....ive never kept a fish there bit i have taken several pics of them...out of season

IBTL

Sloan is that you holding the bass in the pic that you said it "got spared"? Just never knew what you looked like.

I used to fish a pier in Florida, that was like a 1/2 mile long (we would always fish at the end).  As we walked down people would always throw sailcats on the ground to die, because in their illogically logical minds they would catch less cats and more "gamefish".  If they were still alive I would usually throw them back, depending on the size/how crazy looking they dude fishing was. 

Here's before and after pictures from yesterday. Now, no "outdoor enthusiast" would have a problem with me keeping the panfish. Are there lives any less meaningful than the largemouth.

This one got his life spared last week

Looks like dinner to me! Abuse? Not hardly, lol

Here in IL, taxes go into the pockets of the politicians while our fisheries go poorly managed and poaching laws are rarely enforced because there's no money in it. 

There seems to be a lot of $$$ in it here (SC). They fine you to the point of seizing property if the offense is bad enough. In fact, it all seems to be about the $$$.

One of my pet peeves is people dragging their bass seemingly twenty yards up the bank or boat swinging and then dumping their bass unceremoniously on the bottom of the boat. I never do either of those.

If I'm in a tournament that I can win more than 1000$ in you better believe that all my fish are going in the bottom of the boat.

I too want to thank you for making that call. We have these stupid low life's in every state. You can cure cancer, fix broken bones, but you can't fix stupid! Thank God there are a lot more good people, then low life's.

If I'm in a tournament that I can win more than 1000$ in you better believe that all my fish are going in the bottom of the boat.

Not if the penalize you for it! The traditional tournament will soon be going the way of Major League Fishing. Just wait and see.

Sloan is that you holding the bass in the pic that you said it "got spared"? Just never knew what you looked like.

Yep. That's my ugly mug. Bass was caught and released in Sturgeon Bay along with other largemouths and smallies. The report is in the fishing reports forum http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/156730-weekend-in-sturgeon-bay/ The other 2 bozos in the pictures are my son and father

Not if the penalize you for it! The traditional tournament will soon be going the way of Major League Fishing. Just wait and see.

Not sure I see the feasibility of local tournaments equipping each competitor with a Marshall, iPad, etc. FLW or BASS, sure. But non the mom and pop tournies.

One of my pet peeves is people dragging their bass seemingly twenty yards up the bank or boat swinging and then dumping their bass unceremoniously on the bottom of the boat. I never do either of those.

Agreed. Especially when I catch the occasional pickerel, that slime covering is important and I think that a lot of people just don't understand how much it can potentially hurt the fish.

Watch the TacticallBassin' video on the River2Sea Spittin' Wa or S-Waver.  They boat flip like crazy. 

Not if the penalize you for it! The traditional tournament will soon be going the way of Major League Fishing. Just wait and see.

I highly doubt that the local tournaments around here are going to get a Marshall for every boat.

Is this abuse?

 

Accept for those checked shorts and sunglasses after dark, I'd say no bucket in sight.  You're Good!

Not if the penalize you for it! The traditional tournament will soon be going the way of Major League Fishing. Just wait and see.

 

I don't have that long to wait.

 

If you want to see less abuse during tournaments, increase the use of quality nets and a decrease the number of hot weather tournaments.

Tourney guys and bucket guys represent both extremes of the spectrum. Bucket guys don't believe in any conservation and tourney guys regard total C&R as the Bible. I've been told by several tourney guys to leave those 1 lb bass at the lake as if those bass belong to them and "hands-off" to everybody else. The same mentality that lets them justify fishing right on top of you or between you and your target or running full-throttle past every fishing boat out of the back of every cove they fish into.

 

Neither is correct. Luckily, the vast majority are not from either extreme and are interested in obeying the law (many of which are not aimed at sound fishery management either). I went for a while not keeping lake fish because I didn't feel they were healthy to eat. Now that I fish ponds, I usually keep everything between 3/4 and 2.5 lbs. That seems to work well for the small fisheries. One of them is LOADED with big bass and we routinely take more than 10 fish per person.

This should get interesting. NY has instituted a new law where you can't take a picture of a fish out of season, yet the bucket brigade rolls on. You can try your best to be diplomatic but you can't fix stupid. Just try and take solace in the fact that there are many fish in the sea, lake, or pond.

Actually NY just made a change.

You can take a picture as long as you pay the 8.25% tax

Friggen NY