state record ?

[fishuhalik]

Originally Posted By: mplspug

I don't think anyone who says they would keep it needs to start with an apology.

Everyone has the right to feel guilty. We don't need to chastise them for doing something they feel morally grey about, even if we have so such qualms.

I think he's talking about the people that would keep a record fish having to explain themselves if they wanted to keep the fish. If you wanna release it, good for you. If you wanna keep it, good for you. If you wanna keep your limit of fish every time out, regardless of how big they are and it's within the law, good for you. I'll give you some friendly advise on why I think you shouldn't, but that's your own decision and I'm not gonna chastize you for it.

[Surreal Deal]

According to Forum Stats there have been 1,871,884 posts & sometimes it seems like about half of them have been about this topic.

[fishuhalik]

^gets old, don't it

[LoonState]

can't be getting that old with two pages of replies

[cutter08]

Never know what i would do until i get it in the boat.

[Laska]

Id buy a swimming pool and post a sign out front as a tourist attraction "State Record Catfish; $5 Adults Kids $3" lol

[Gordie]

you must know the guys at the BP contest

I just couldnt resist

[fishinJohn]

I fish for a variety of species and don't know any of the record weights. I know few people who would even be impressed. I'd like to pull up a monster but only to have a look at it and enjoy the adrenaline. However I would rather see a record cat kept than someone with a freezer full of perch.

[LoonState]

I fish for a variety of species and don't know any of the record weights. I know few people who would even be impressed. I'd like to pull up a monster but only to have a look at it and enjoy the adrenaline. However I would rather see a record cat kept than someone with a freezer full of perch.

Wow really? So you are telling me that you would rather keep a fish that took 15-25 years to grow to that size over a fish that takes a few years to get to its maximum size?

[nsnutter]

However I would rather see a record cat kept than someone with a freezer full of perch.

Interesting thought ... but I'm going to politely have to disagree. There is certainly an abundance of 'eater' perch, and certainly not an abundance of record cats swimming around.

[fishinJohn]

I meant a healthy population of perch is more important than one fish, to me. An abundance of good size perch is often exploited whereas people are not generally exploiting monster cats because they are so hard to come by.

[BuckKiller]

Originally Posted By: fishinJohn

However I would rather see a record cat kept than someone with a freezer full of perch.

Interesting thought ... but I'm going to politely have to disagree. There is certainly an abundance of 'eater' perch, and certainly not an abundance of record cats swimming around.

True, but here's a thought... just a thought don't get all crazy. If you released it how much longer will it live anyhow? Could die of old age before the year is over.

I'd probably put it on my wall.

[RAB]

What if somebody had caught the fish the day before you did? What if he thought it was going to die anyway and had kept it?

[mplspug]

I am curious why you think a record fish, or big fish for that matter, is going to die of old age. I am curious because you have brought it up a couple of times. What if that fish was had a superior genetic disposition for fast growth and was actually 5 years younger than a fish that size would normally be?

For me, when you catch a monster fish there is an exponentially greater chance of their genes being far superior than smaller size fish. And by superior, I am of course talking about the characteristics fishermen usually seek and that characteristic is size. Some 10 pound flat could live to be forty years old, but I don't think those are genes we want in the pool.

I have less of a problem with people who indiscriminately keep fish, within the law, regardless of size. But those who just keep trophies I think are doing a disservice to the fishery. Back before conservation and CPR there was a lot of that. The result was 'unnatural selection' of the biggest fish in a population and that fosters the result of an undesirable population of stunted small. It also usually means over population of these smaller fish where you have little chance of catching a decent size fish. If anyone needs proof, try catching a slab bluegill out of Calhoun.

Luckily, rivers where flatheads live are less vulnerable to any kind of harvest.