Thought I Did the Right Thing..."Keeper" Question

[titelines]

Fishing on Saturday and hooked onto a 23" walleye. Got it in the boat, measured it, snapped a couple pics and released her...Very nice.

Spoke with 2 guys at the landing, and a couple more later on and they all thought I was nuts for letting it go. "Great Eater", and "Nice Meal" they said.

I know opinions vary, but I generally won't keep a walleye over, say 18" (unless I get that elusive 30" trophy). I personally think the best eaters are between 14" and 18". I thought I was doing right by the lake by letting her go and give her chance to make more for everyone to catch.

I always hear people complain that there aren't enough "big" walleye around any more. Well, could it be that most people out there would keep a 23" walleye instead of giving it a chance to grow into a 25", 26", 30" fish??

Just a thought....

[walleyeseeker]

You did the right thing. I wouldn't think twice about letting one that big go. Your buddies just let you know what kind of sportsmen they really are.

[Jim Uran]

People have their own opinions, a 23"er should be tossed back, but I wouldn't give anyone the business for keeping one. Kudos for you for releasing the beast.

[solbes]

You will get wildly varying opinions from everyone including the few that would eat a walleye of any size.

Lots of variables to determine if that 23" even has a chance of becoming a 30". But I generally agree with your method too. I have a personal slot of about 14-20". But there have been deviations, usually if kids catch 'em on my boat. My 7 year old nephew had a 12" and was excited about it, so we kept it. My 6 year old daughter caught a chunky 23 incher that was kept because she wanted to, and it was her first. I threw a 22 incher back while trolling one night, and my Mom was not too impressed when I returned to the campfire to tell the tale.

[mrklean]

buddy and i were pike fishing off the dock in the cities and he hooked into a nice pike about 6 pounds or so and we let it go, these other guys on the dock thought we were nuts, i thought they were gonna jump in the water after the fish, we just said they dont get bigger if you dont let them grow. The funny thing was they were keeping some pretty small sunnies and later on they started getting some nicer ones they they had already caught and they let them go but not the little ones

[Gordie]

titelines you did the right thing as long as you belive it the right thing dont worry what the other guy thinks and I'm like leech I would not rip on anyone for keeping such a fish. Who knows that 23 inch fish will someday be your thirty incher.

[Itsa Pole Bender]

What would you say if I told you this?

"I was deer hunting last year and had a really nice 10 point in my sights at about 75 yards. Guessing it had an eighteen to twenty inch spread. Just before I pulled the trigger I decided to be a good sportsman and let him walk so there would be more big ones out there to breed. I shot a spike later that day with 4 inch tines."

Am I crazy or a good sportsman?

[sdpikehntr]

I rarely keep any walleyes; if they are deep hooked or damaged I will, but that would be about it. My boys 10, 6, & 4 are on the same page and they hardly ever ask to keep one. Pearch on the other hand, they will make the frying pan from 8" to the 14" on a reg. basis, and the pike from 2 - 10 pounds will make the pan.

But as previously state everyone has there persoanl slot. You know... In the past I have kept all the fish I could legally keep, but that was called college and I was short on food & cash. Maybe they are just hungry!

[Itsa Pole Bender]

I agree with the thought that if you feel you should let it go then let it go. If you want to take it home and eat it and it is legal to do so, then take it home and eat it. Either way..... No one else has the right to give anyone [PoorWordUsage] about keeping a legally caught fish.

[Nick Kuhn]

It is the right thing to do. I can certainly taste the difference in flavor between a 17" eye and a 23" eye, and the 17" has a lot cleaner taste. The way I see it you set out a size range for eaters. If you don't catch any in that size range then you didn't catch any eaters, even if you caught a few that were too big to be eaters.

Now if only I had a nickle for every time someone's given me a look for the fish I've thrown back...

[katophil]

Right or wrong I do the same thing

[Smoker]

For me it is anything over 19" goes back. I was fishing with some friends once that caught a 28" and I told him to put it back unless he was going to have it mounted. He thought I was joking at first but then he saw it my way and decided it would go back. If I fish with someone else with differant slots I go by what they say if it is smaller other wise I let everything 19" and up go.

[fishgutz77]

Until they come up with a way to positively ID a fish's gender at a glance, I say you did the right thing, you may catch her little ones down the road.

[thatoneguy]

I never keep a walleye over 16" unless it's hooked deep and sure to die. The smaller ones are better eating, and releasing the big ones helps keep the fishery healthy for me and everyone else. Kudos to you for seeing the big picture.

If I ever catch a 30-incher (28.5" is my biggest so far), that's going back in the lake too - that's why we have replica mounts.

[Jim Almquist]

titelines you should do what seems right to you. I myself would not ever keep anything over 18" and most of the lakes I fish already have a 17" rule.

[walleyewild]

I would not even think twice about throwing back a 23"er That fish if a female will out produce 28'er's for spawn in the next few years.

Don't let other's goad you into changing your morals or principles.

I have a personal slot in my boat of under 20" unless the slot on the lake is smaller. But anything over 20" goes back.

WW

[SpecialK]

If you felt it was the right thing to do, it was the right thing to do.

[herefish101]

Note to everyone: If it's within the law, whatever you do is yours and only yours, never let some blowhard or anyone else ever tell you you'v done somthing wrong. If you want to keep your fish you keep em. Just stay within the law, it's there for a reason.

[WaveWacker]

I feel you did the right thing. In my boat, a 23" will always go back (given that for some reason she's not bleeding all over the place).

[Itsa Pole Bender]

Note to everyone: If it's within the law, whatever you do is yours and only yours, never let some blowhard or anyone else ever tell you you'v done somthing wrong. If you want to keep your fish you keep em. Just stay within the law, it's there for a reason.

Well said 101....

[Big Tom]

Roger that, within the law, your choice.

Personally I have kept a 24.5 inch male on Sag,(still squirting), and a few females that were foul hooked by crawler harnesses, (don't use tandem hook spinners any more) or just worn out from spawning. In all cases I spent significan time trying to resuscitate them. The female breeders are just too valuable to all of us to take out.

I keep a hemostat and side cutters with me at all times and stay away from fishing deeper than 30 in the hot summer months. I'm not into trophy's beyond a couple of quick pics but don't begrudge anyone that is. O.K. maybe a guy I know that has 6 30's on a stringer caught ice fishing did bother me a little but.

[magic_minnow]

of course its up to the angler if he/she decides to keep his/her catch. With that being said, you did the right thing imo. Besides, the bigger the fish, the greener your glow

[stifler51]

imo all u need is pictures. keeping it doesnt make it anymore of a catch, all u need is 2 pictures. One in ur hands and one next to the scale.

[J2M]

Does walleyes get special treatment because I've seen just about the exact opposite when it comes to crappies.

[mr_jman]

I was just about to post on the Crappies. Panfish in general seem to fall under different guidelines. It doesn't bother me if people keep the larger panfish, (Nice to see the 10" gills and 14+" crappies released though) but what does bother me is when 4 and 5 inch gills are in the pail. How do you get enough to eat on those?????

The one day I was fishing with my dad and we had 19 crappies about 10 - 11" and then I caught a 13" and my dad was surprised when I threw it back. I told him the fish were biting and why not release that fish for someone else to enjoy, or grow bigger. I then caught another 10" a minute later and we had our limit.

Some times a personal "slot" changes depending on the fishing. If its slow you may adjust your lengths slightly if you were set on a meal. I am more prone to release the first fish or two if I want a meal, because if there biting I'll get more and keep a few, if not then I don't need a meal that badly!

Bring a camera... I like to take pictures when I get a "nice" walleye but then she gets released. The smaller ones taste better anyways. I will be keeping a 30" walleye for the wall should one ever find its way into my boat.

I've always said a 30" walleye, 15" crappie, 11" bluegill will get on my wall. JUST ONE THOUGH (maybe a few panfish for a nicer mount, but only one walleye... I've always said it would take a state record for me to mount a second walleye!)