C&R, keeping fish, my one fishingmn.com complaint

[danny berg]

I agree with all of the above, I'm sure you have seen my post before of this subject, and I am glad there are more people who think this way. 'nuff said

[Dennis Steele]

I look at each species differently.
On one hand,I love to eat fish.I do practice and promote on this site as well as with clients "selective harvest".There is nothing wrong or immoral about keeping a limit of fish.Those who do not understand this I feel are radical.The same goes for the opposite.Those who must keep everything.
On the other hand there are sizes of species that I do not beleive should be kept for any reason.I have never kept a musky or a flathead to eat.The larger of these are trophy fish that should be treated as trophy fish only.I haven't kept a single fish of these species but am curious as to how they might taste.I might one day keep a wall hanger 'skie to not only put it on the wall but enjoy a fillet.I may also keep a small flathead cat just to see how it tastes,but would not make a habit of it as I respect the fishery as it is now.
In the end I do agree that you should not harass a person for keeping a legal limit of fish.It is there right and it is one of the many reason folks go fishing.
If your going to preach C&R,its best to have some information as to why it is important on a particular lake.
Still....I don't care for the taste of bass. Go for it if you like it. (shudder)

[TUMBLEWEED]

I wonder how many of the "old-timers"
complained when they set up limits
and slots on fish?? We have all seen those black and white pictures of all the big
fish and huge catches. Hey, it was legal ya know. They also were feeding families
and didn't have a clue about the damage
they were doing.

Lets fast forward to today.. The DNR just
reduced limits folks. Why?? Because we
were taking too many fish. Then we have
more slot limits and restrictions installed.
Why?? Because we are hurting the chances at
trophy sized fish on certain lakes by taking
medium to large fish.

The pressure on our lakes isn't going to
get any smaller in the future. Certainly
people are going to keep fish to eat.
And no matter that a replica can be made,
people are going to hang a fish on the
wall too. The problem lies in the
stuffed freezers and "trophy"-lined walls
of those few, who don't have a clue or
don't give a hoot about the resource.

It is left up to the DNR to react to
the problem and usually only after things
are bad off. We can go a long ways to
help keep our waters full of quality fishing
for generations to come. Conserve a little.
Let a few go. Encourage others to do the
same.

P.S.1 There are this little things called grocery stores!!

P.S.2 There is always a bigger fish!!

[Animal]

For me I generally keep a legal limit. That is, as an example, if I have 6 walleyes in the freezer at home, and I'm on a weekend trip, I don't keep fish for a shorelunch or dinner and my partner is on his own. If a companion boat is along I don't help keep a limit for those guys either. I fish a lot, and to have 6 walleyes or 3 northerns is not that hard to maintain, but I eat them before I add more to my take. Following the DNR rules allows for most of my fish to swim away.

I agree with you that no one need bash another for keeping a legal fish.

[This message has been edited by Animal (edited 06-24-2004).]

[honker23]

As others have said this is interesting, and I as previously posted...use common sense. What you read or see on tv isn't always the truth or best suited for your situation.
To me the lake (and my stomach) dictates what I will do in regards to eating vs releasing. I also hate to see a guy get looked down upon because he kept a legal limit for the first time all year and is happy about it. It's like the guy ripping on someone for legally shooting a "small" 8 pt buck. People have many different views on what is a keeper/trophy, as long as the law allows it, it has to be their decision. So, if a lake can't sustain a 6 fish limit, the dnr should reduce the limit and impose slots on more lakes. This would force everyone to practice the same selective harvest.

Another thought, tournament fisherman are typically in favor of C&R, but they probably kill more fish each year than 90% of anglers out there, just a thought.

[disco]

ya.... there was a tourney recently on minnetonka where they had the weigh-in at the mallofamerica...... wonder how those hundreds of 3-6 lbers fared.....

[The Grebe]

I totally agree...if you want to let them go, do it, if you want to keep some, do it!

I pay for my own license, with my own money, that I work for with my own hands and if the powers that be, determine that I can have a set number of fish of a certain kind, then if I feel I want to keep some, I'm going to, it's as simple as that!

I'm not a new guy! I've been around the block a few times, I've been eating fish since I was a kid and I certainly would'nt be stopping at this point, because of a newly adopted concensus, by a new breed of angler, that all fish should be let go! Yeah, right!

[Guest]

Nothing wrong with keeping a few in the eating slot, but if the fish is large enough to where it has no predators I say release them. all they can do for the rest of their days is re-produce. The larger fish don't taste nearly as well as the smaller ones. And freezing fish makes for a fishy tasting meal.

[SteveR]

I love to catch em more than eat em, but I love to eat em. And my boys, one 8 and one 16 both love to eat them too. It is a part of getting the youth interested. They look forward to the catch and the dinner!! If you were in Iowa looking at all of the advertising I see about the delicious Walleye in Minnesota you would think it would be OK to eat a few. So we do - within legal limits. We fish a slot lake most of the time, and we love to brag about the ones we have to throw back, but we don't mind it. I just have to wonder what some people would say about hunting - "Throw it back???" lol But we are happy to release most of the fish we do catch. You have a beautiful state.

SteveR

[rtwills]

heres my .02$

I like to fish for the sport and also love eating what I catch,I feel if the lake is stable enough to harvest some of the nicer sized fish then YES I will keep some for dinner, but on the other hand I look at a lake like Crooked Lake in Andover, all the posts about the walleyes in there and the enormous ammount of people there every day,I think C&R would be a good idea there until the population gets established.So on a nut shell I think it has more to do about the lake that is being fished.

[City_Slicker]

OH yeah I got attack more then once on this board for keeping my LEGAL limit.I even got attack about giving my parents a couple of Crappies. Some people take it way to far. I am all for catch and release and I do release 90% of my fish but some time I like to keep some to eat

[FishinChad]

Interesting topic as always, and I gotta add my .02

I understand taking offense to someone bashing you for keepin fish, its wrong and shouldnt happen, but I also understand taking offense to someone bashing you for expressing your beliefs in selective harvest and C&R. I have seen and been a part of alot of these debates, and from what I have seen, most of it is not bashing, ALMOST all of it is mear opinion sharing and a little preaching. We are all on a site full of thousands of minnesota fisherman, we are all here for our own reasons and are all free to express our opinions on matters that involve fishing. Ive heard way too many people complaining about this site and how its all about arguments and bashing people. This is not true at all, most of the topics are free from any such debate. Its true some people get out of hand and say things that shouldnt be said and could be considered "bashing" but it comes from both sides of the argument. You just cant expect to be talking with thousands of fisherman on this site and not encounter opinions contrary to yours. This site is amazing to me and I dont mind reading other people opinions on topics. If you dont like it, ignore it, keep an open mind and maybe you can learn something, or have a closed mind and become ignorant, this can be said for both sides of the debate. Bash the Bashers all you want but dont bash the site because we all wouldnt be here if we didnt love fishing and enjoy this site.

I think very, very few of the arguments on this topic are between people who eat fish and those who dont, its always seems to be between people who kept fish that some thought should not have been kept. Not because they kept fish, but because of the size, species, or quantity of the fish. The people that start these debates are not strict C&R people who think its wrong to keep fish, but more people who have deep beliefs instilled in them to practice selective harvest, and to them it is wrong to keep certain size and species of fish. These people have a right to responsibly express there opinion on this subject as long as it doesnt include bashing or insulting. If its gets out of control moderators of this site can take care of it if you bring it to their attention. So far this thread has stayed very peacfull and eduactional without any bashing, lets keep it that way, and lets not bash FM's site for these debate's occuring. There is nothing that can be done unless policy has been broken, and polite opinion sharing(wheather you agree or not) is not a violation of policy.

We cant learn anything if we dont listen with and open mind...

------------------
"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[This message has been edited by FishinChad (edited 06-24-2004).]

[sami0115]

this is a fantastic site! great topic... i have enjoyed reading what people have said so far and can agree with most... i am a bass fisherman and for me CPR is in my blood... for me i would never even consider eating a bass, its like cannibalism. but that is my viewpoint.. i will keep eating those annoying hammerhandles, mainly because i think that i can eliminate them from my bass hotspots
eventually i will be able to catch a bass on every cast

------------------
YIPPPPEEEEEEEE

[This message has been edited by sami0115 (edited 06-24-2004).]

[Guest]

I just had some walleye fingers tonight and boy were they good

Guilty pleasures I tell you.

[disco]

i hope this doesn't come across preachy or political, as i don't mean it be... just throwin in another angle....

i find sumthin fishy in the premise that we have to stock lakes with unstable fish populations due to over-harvest.... we spend tax dollars to augment our catches because apparently our regulations aren't strict enough to maintain stable populations of fish in our lakes/rivers....

this gripe isn't with fisherman keeping fish, but more with DNR management of fisheries.... if a good portion of the money spent on fish stocking was instead spent on habitat resoration in the lakes, and stricter regulations and slot limits were in place, then we could maintain these fisheries without wasting dollars.... kinda turns our lakes into amusement parks instead of self-sustaining eco-systems-- pay your tax dollars, ride the ride and keep the fish, cuz we'll stock more next year......

is this premise crazy or flawed? what do you folks think? i know the DNR has claimed in the past that only 14% of fish caught in the state are stocked, but that's still a ton o fish..... i also know that other factors like poaching/netting are involved, and fish stocking has its merits, as the survival rates are more than ten times better for the fry, but do you folks think different regs might not only help in this situation, but allow us to work to clean up some of our waterways?

------------------
Obviously you are not a golfer....

[BUCKNAKED]

Am I the only one sick and tired of logging on to what used to be a great site, just to read endless posts of people complaining? I've hesitated for some time now to post this becuase it is in itself complaining but when will it end? The new forum they need to start should be "Complaint Department" Then we could feel free to surf the rest of the forums without all the whining.

[Long Gray Line]

I love how there are "eaters" and "trophies" with walleyes and seemingly no in between. In reading the posts you'd get the impression a 26" walleye tastes bad because it's too big. I've never had a "bad" walleye!! Diced onions, flour, salt, pepper, lemon on a fillet in bacon grease with baked beans on a shore line might even make dogfish taste good!! I had a Canadian resort owner tell me he wouldn't let his guy in the fish shack clean anything over the slot, that they should all go back in the lake. Well, we were catching everything under 14" and over the slot that week. Sorry bud, we kept a few. Believe me, I'm not saying fish just to be a meat hunter. I'm saying stay legal and quit judging.
I'd be all for a graduated slot limit - 2 in the 14-18" range, 2 in the 18-22" range or something along those lines. It'd be more complicated but it'd take the pressure off of 1 or 2 year classes at a time.

[cashcrews]

This is a good post, I'm glad it got started. To anyone who would start "preaching" the C&R thing, I think you've got to be careful to judge what anyone may have done. One of the earlier replies mentioned the fact that some people don't get out fishing as much as others. Let's say, for example, that a guy goes out 3 times in a summer, and keeps a grand total of 12-18 "eater" walleyes, maybe one that's a bit bigger, and maybe a bass or other fish "flavor". That doesn't seem to be a problem, and I'm betting that's what the majority of fishermen are doing.

I have personally observed "locals" on one of my favorite lakes that go out every chance they can, keep a limit of walleyes, and repeat this time and time again. Later, they commented to me that they're almost "sick of eating walleye". That's where you might have a legitimate gripe.

Otherwise, like I've said on most other posts, keeping a few legal fish is basically the reason most people go fishing.

[Jim W]

FM is a believer of Catch and Release.

However, this doesn't mean throwing everything you catch back. Again, it's about awareness! Aware of the resource you decide to enjoy or use for simple pleasures like fishing.
Aware of the impact you might or might not have on the fishies habitat and the fish themselves.

It's about selective harvest.
Understanding what it all means! Understanding the large or small impact today's outing will have on my children's outing tomorrow! It is simple as that.

Next time out, check what the DNR is doing for or could be doing for your favorite catch or body of water. Then ask yourself am I contributing?

We all know the resource just isn't there for complete government managed fisheries. So we need to understand...maybe as volunteers of sorts for the DNR what we can do to help.

Heck, I want to take my some day grand kids out to waters I have success on today.

I try to do my part and that part is at least trying to understand, in part, the ecosystem and the balance between fishing and it's impacts on our loved resources.

Pure Catch and release, in my mind doesn't work anyway, taking us back to Selective Harvest.

Follow the laws and hope the little extra you do outside of the laws will benefit this great states resources!

Keep the rods bendin'!!

Jim W

[jegerjack]

I agree with most of you that if you catch your limit you should be able to keep it, but one area I might not agree with everyone is that if you feel like someone is being too preachy of rude (not to the point in which they would be banned) about this subject, then do not get into it with them. Like you said, a person has a right to keep their limit just as a person has a right to be passionate and vocal about their feelings on this issue. Is that not why peopel come here?

imo, JegerJack.

------------------
"What did the old man trade for these guys, a used puck bag?"

[pjfweb]

I probably throw back 90% or more of the fish I catch, it's just more enjoyable for me that way... no wait, I'll be honest... I don't really care to clean a mess of fish when I get home

Nothing wrong with keeping some fish as long as it's in the legal limits.

[lots of luck]

I find this intersesting.
I worked and Gander Mtn. and quit 3 weeks later, just because of much what I am hereing. My experience working there was people often came in the store grumpy, shopped and checked out even grumpier, like it was painful. How can something that is so fun, be so disheartening. I walk in and I cannot wait to throw money at new lures, just imagining what I may catch with them. I could not stand having people act this way and then try to bring me down with them.
Much of the discussion from some posts seems to be the same way.

Are we placing too much pressure on ourselves to catch? How about enjoying the 'whole' experience.

Pressure from spending tons of cash on that calcutta over the zebco 33?

Is it the push for competition, we all want to be a tourney champ or club champ?

Is it greed, are you keeping my fish?

Is it media driven, tv shows, magazines and websites, they often make it look easy. Shouldn't it be this easy for us?

I think this catch and keep, or catch n release is part of something much larger.
Have fun, if you see a guy on the lake not catching **** and still smiling , its probably me, stop and say hi.

[CrappieJohn]

Lots of luck....Well stated! Thank you!

------------------
Plastics...making better fishermen without bait! Good Fishing Guys! CrappieTom

muckbootsonline.com Pro Staff
Culprit Tackle Crappie Pro Staff
Catch-n Tackle
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by CrappieTom (edited 06-25-2004).]

[2dalake]

I like FishinChad's post. It sums up my stand pretty well. I noticed someone else keyed on a part of my post they didn't like, but ignored the rest.

Where you stand on what you keep is an individual opinion based on different influences: The law first of all, your upbringing and orientation to the sport, media influences, the state of the fishery and yes, peer pressure. Just like any other issue that also plays a role.

[wolfman-k]

When I was first learning to fish over forty years ago, the Old guy in town who took my buddies and I fishing would always tell us, "if you want to come back here and catch some next time, throw some back because you aren't going to eat every one you catch, and they can't make little fish out of rocks." We didn't fully understand what he was saying but we learned. A few to eat is great, but tommorrow is another day too. I also believe it's a personal choice, as long as it's legal, but if I catch some nice sized ones of any species, I have what has been refered to as a 'personal slot'. I know that I don't have to throw them back, but I just will so there will be some for next time. Enjoy the sport and it will bring you joy forever!

[This message has been edited by wolfman-k (edited 06-26-2004).]