Why Bass? Well, aside from the obvious that is...

[Alan]

I like to fish Bass because they are a ton of fun to catch. But why would you ever keep a Bass? I guess if you caught a monster, hang it on your wall. But, would you keep it to eat it? Don't hear much talk of eating Bass. Maybe I am missing something..

And if you don't eat them, then why have a season for Bass? If the majority is catch & release. I am just curious is all..hopefully someone will satisfy my curiosity..

[Deitz Dittrich]

Alan- Not all anglers are serious bass anglers, and will keep and eat just about all they catch. Which if it is done in a lawfull manner, is fine with me. That is why there is a season for bass, to help protect the resorce. Currently the MN DNR does very little if any at all stocking for bass. So it all happens on natural reproduction for the most part.

[polarsusd81]

I have been searching the DNR lake finder reports for years, and like Deitz said, they don't do much stocking for bass. I have yet to find a lake where they have been stocked.

I don't typically eat bass, if I want to eat some fish I will get some pannies, perch, or eyes. But, my grandma loves bass and being a good grandson, each spring I will keep a couple and have her over for dinner and cook them up just the way she likes. I don't think they are any better or worse than any other fish when they hit the pan. But then again, I love me some fish.

I think the current regulations and seasons for Bass are great the way they are. Overall I believe the DNR has a very good handle on the way they operate the fisheries department. If people want to keep and eat a bass, that is just fine as long as they are within the limits set forth.

[slipperybob]

Bass are pretty good eating, but they are quite vulnerable when it comes to catching them 12-18 inches bass. They can be aggressive, frequent shallow waters, and can be caught by a variety of methods, making them easy to harvest. So when we talk about preserving our natural resources, we should promote the release of them.

Just think of all the tournament pressure if they hadn't adopted the release rule into them.

[katoguy]

They stock bass in the southern part of the state after it has been poisoned to kill off the rough fish or after a lake freezes out. Usually it is just a dozen or so 2 pounders (males and females) so nature can take its course.

I tried eating them 30 years ago with dad, but I'll never do it again. Sunnies, perch, and walleyes are for eating! Yum. If you don't have a sophisticated appetite I suppose bass could be edible tablefare. (I don't care for mushy crappies, either.)

[Deitz Dittrich]

That is true Kato- after a poision they will put bass in.. but not like walleye... when they put in 100,000 fingerlings in at a time type deal

[NELS-BELLS]

I do a lot of bass fishing and release most but occasionally I'll keep enough for a fresh meal if we are camping. The smaller ones are better tasting, and I think smallmouth are better tasting than largemouth. On average I'm talking maybe one meal a year of bass and thats only if we can't catch anything better, like walleye or crappies.

Its tough to beat a pan of golden brown smallmouth fillets while sitting on some rock outcrop up on one of the beautiful lakes in the Voyaguers Park area. Hmmm, can't wait!

Nels

[EBass]

"Its tough to beat a pan of golden brown smallmouth fillets" You must know my dad. He's a catch and eat kinda guy.

I say to him, "Why are you eating a smallie, that's a sport fish" His reply, "They have less bones than pike" Good ol dad response.

[SledNeck]

I just threw up.

[TonkaBass]

"Its tough to beat a pan of golden brown smallmouth fillets" You must know my dad. He's a catch and eat kinda guy.

I say to him, "Why are you eating a smallie, that's a sport fish" His reply, "They have less bones than pike" Good ol dad response.

LOL I have also talked to plenty of old timers the do that stuff. Some change there ways, but they are the people who took our fathers fishing so they could take us, so a guy cant give them too hard of a time!

[gritsnham]

(I don't care for mushy crappies, either.)

You should try crappies again because they must have been prepared poorly. They are delicious especially when they come through the ice. I have had bass when i was younger but not recently and never preffered it. They say it tastes alot better if you carve out the lateral line before cooking them

[bassislife]

With all the panfish and eyes in the state, why anyone would eat a bass is beyond me. I love bass fishing and do it regularly, but I will never keep any, CPR is the only way to go. Why not let them go so they can grow and be caught again another day? They taste terrible anyway. And don't say I must not have prepared it right. I don't care what you do to it, a bass still tastes like a bass. If I'm hungry I'll catch a quick mess of pannies for the pan. And I agree with you GNH, Crappies are one of the best eating fish out there!

And Alan, I agree with you. I've always thought why not make it so you can only keep one bass over 20" for trophy purposes or something? I've witnessed little lakes up north get fished out of bass by only a couple fisherman in the course of only one summer, and thats no joke. They just keep keeping bass until there is no more left, and since DNR doesn't stock bass, it isn't that hard to fish out smaller to mid sized lakes.