As the title says, what do you guys think? I personally have never eaten any species of bass, and never will unless it's better for the fish. When I say better for the fish, I mean if it is clearly going to die and is suffering. I know this topic will ruffle some feathers, and that's partially why I wanted to post it. I was also just curious. Just know that your safety might be compromised depending on your answer.

For me, I don’t really care. If someone wants to legally catch some bass to take home and feed their family and friends so be it. Nothing wrong with it at all. Personally, I do not but I’m not a big fish eater.

I don’t and won’t

As long it it isn’t wasted to each they’re own

Mike

Not much of a freshwater fish eater but ocean striped bass makes fine table fare. I believe my regs are 1 in the slot, so that's what I'll have on occasion. Cod in season is really, really good!

It is my favorite thing in the world

Every year, the state of Alabama posts a list of fish safe to eat from its waterways. Needless to say, I’m a BIG catch and release guy from those reports…

I will eat spotted bass once in a while. I won’t eat largemouth because they smell like frogs. I won’t eat smallmouth because the biologists say because of the available forage it takes 10 years for them to reach the legal limit.

Frogs are delicious

Andys Red and bass fillets are delicous. I fish some lakes with slot limits and I keep those bass under the limit.

17 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Frogs are delicious

I actually had fried frog legs in the Bahamas ... don't knock it until you try it

I've eaten plenty of bass. They are fine. If you're going to eat them, eat the ones under 15" or even better in that 12-13" bracket. That said, if I'm looking for fresh fish, I'll keep some crappie, perch, or big bluegills first.

@Jigfishn10 - Pretty sure he's not knocking it.

I'm a big omnivore. Few animals are safe. Birds of prey get a pass.

4 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

@Jigfishn10 - Pretty sure he's not knocking it.

I was agreeing with him ... The "don't knock it" line was more for the participants of the thread ... 🙂 ... All good man

I'm not really a fish guy.

The only fish I've had that I personally caught were from Canada. Those would have been walleye, pike, and yes, even smallmouth.

I've also had some bluegills but caught from someone else. Had those as a kid and I remember loving it. Still had the fins on, crunchy like potato chips.

If someone could teach me a good recipe, I wouldn't mind keeping some. But it wouldn't be bass, it would be like panfish.

Eating a bass from crystal clear water in Canada seems a lot different than say from a lake that looks like pea soup the majority of the year. No thanks.

Its ok. Much better fish to catch and eat.

State minimum is 14 inches here in 'sconsin. I wouldn't keep anything bigger than that to eat. I wish it was 12 inches to be honest, but what do I know.

Would rather keep an early spring or late fall bass for eatin'.

Bass are my forever passion and I release them as quickly as possible; I do not even take time for a photo. A rare exception is when I have done all the CPR possible and failed. I have to look away when others take them to the fillet table or mishandle them in a manner certain to cause mortality.

I was raised in an era when everything was "catch and eat", often depended upon to ease the cost of table fare for the family; I changed, but my parents and brothers never did.

I admire tournaments where immediate release is required, and I think back to an article published in Alabama a few years ago about the high percentage of Bass which expire in the days following tournament weigh-ins.

I’ve eaten them for 50 years now. The first 15 years or so I kept nearly every bass and ate it. (My dad’s idea of catch and release was catch and release into your ice chest). But I began releasing a lot more bass after 1990 or so.

Now , I never keep any bass over 17 inches, but will keep some occasionally under that size.

I like filleting bass because I believe the skin of a bass takes away from the taste some.

Keeping some also helps keep the fishery from overpopulating.

They are good if filleted, lightly battered, and fried.

There are better eating fish , of course.

As far as the ethics of it, I don’t have any problem with people that keep their legal limits. I try to discourage people from keeping large bass, because they are the big egg bearers.

Spots make beautiful fillets.

I'm a great believer in selective harvest as promoted by Al Lindner. So yes, I harvest bass in a certain size range for eating....I like them.

I am never against anyone eating a legally caught fish. I personally do not eat anything I catch. The water here is gross.

Bass and Bluegill are my 2 favorite freshwater fish for the dinner table.

I don't often keep them but when the mood hits, the live well is getting filled.

No I don't keep the bigger specimens.

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

It is my favorite thing in the world

I havent had a beer in a year and Busch is my choice. Soon as the Dr gives me the go ahead I'm having a couple.

I wish that Kansas offered better regulations to encourage people to keep smaller bass. Some of the lakes are starting to come around with protected slot limits allowing anglers to keep 5 bass under 13" and all bass between 13-18 are protected. If I was going to keep bass, 5 12" bass would be plenty and those would be the size I'd prefer to eat. I've eaten a lot of bass growing up really poor, but I'd prefer not to eat another one. Every one I've ever eaten tasted like eating a big handful of algae mixed with mud.

I like to eat bass, but I don't like to keep them fresh, clean or cook them. I release my bass because I am lazy, and tell everybody it is because I am a conservationist.

I would never eat a bass and do all I can to get them safely and quickly back in the water. If I want fish to eat, a trip to the store or restaurant works. Here the mercury levels would most likely do you in. I don't understand, if you are passionate about the sport, why you would kill what makes you happy, mainly catching bass. Around here, natural predators thin the herd just fine without human intervention. I would not deny your right to take fish legally, but I don't have to agree with it. I do all I can by safely removing hooks and have tools to cut hooks that may be deep or compromising. If a fish is mortally wounded, I am safe in knowing another critter will have a meal in just a few minutes. I know ponds can be full of small stunted fish, but I do not see it here like I did when I lived in the north.