Who thinks we should have an earlier bass opener?

[Guest]

Iowa....no closed season.
Wis. Three weeks ahead of us

When are we going to get our head out of the sand and have an earlier bass opener?

How many are for an earlier opener?

[Guest]

As far as I'm concerned the closed season is ok, obviously it's the "no targeting" falderall that I have a problem with. There should be no closed season to catch and release fishing and the dnr should impliment a special catch and release licence that allows C&R during the closed season. Simply allow no live bait for out of season fish and allow tournament anglers to box and weigh, mortality will be very low due to cold water. Simple, If Basspastor was DNR Commish.

[Blackstarluver]

I do! I went out yesterday morning threw big spinnerbait 1 1/2 oz, rapala minnow spoons and silver minnows, caught 3 small bass. I never keep bass. My family says that they taste like s@#t, and I don't eat fish. MY 2.
JC

[mnbass2002]

i would like to see the bass open on the same weekend but make it C&R because i think there are to many people would keep them especially if the fishing is bad and they want a meal. they are to vulnerable this early and it would help protect the spawn. i am a tournement guy and we do not need anymore tourneys on the lakes keep them on the river in the spring.

[EBass]

Count me in too. But I would like to see all bass over 12" must be released all year. Like Minnewashta (spelling off)has.

There's this asian guy who I work with that kept a few 5-6 pound largemouths on Prior Lake. (after bass opener, but Jeez!) He said they tasted good. He was going for walleye, but took what they caught. I guess that's legal, but unethical (spelling again).

I thought there was a spell check on here before.

[say_der]

EBass-

I'm pretty sure Minnewashta is catch and release only for all bass. Doesn't matter if they are 12" or less. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Why in your post do you mention the guy you work with is Asian? And why was what he did unethical? Just curious.

[Guest]

Keeping a fish as long as it is legal to do it is not unethical ever. I wouldn't keep a 5lb bass ever (I think 10-12" bass are the best eaters for a bass), but a big girl like that might not get caught again even if you do release it.

[Aquaman01]

I'd like to see statistics for the percentage of fishing license holders which are sport-fishing, and how many are harvesting food, just like hunting deer, turkey or waterfowl. That guy's license is just as valid as anyone else's - sport-fishing or otherwise.

I think the two-week lag is okay for largemouth but I think smallies should open up when walleye & northerns do.

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Aquaman
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Peace and Fishes

[EBass]

say_der,
You're right. Minnewashta is catch and release for bass.

I was just stating that I would like to see all bass over 12" must be returned to the water. Harvest the little ones. OK maybe one over 20" for the wall, but the stomach?

I guess I was being stero-typical. Sorry to offend.

He and his family ate a few 5+ pound largemouth. I saw the pics. Big ol females!! You don't see anything wrong with that? What happend to selective harvest? To me I think it's unethical/not right, but that's just me.

Catch and release works. I caught a the same smallie two days in a row in the same spot.

[Blackstarluver]

I was fishing monday afternoon. As I mentioned earlier I caught three bass, immediately released, as I said. A little while later some folks of a different ethnic background came to fish. Within 5 minutes one of them caught a bass. As he was walking toward his car I turned to him and said that keeping bass is illegal right now, he replied "What" I then informed him of the fishing laws towards bass. He and his friends started biching non-stop about the stupid law. Last year I had had the pleasure of witnessing someone of another ethinic origin fishing for panfish. I was quite taken aback when he lifted his rod, and there were two sunnies on the line with another dropper hook empty. I explained to him that that was illegal. He looked at me, then away and continued fishing. I explained it again (must've had a death wish or something) a contemporary of his walked up and asked me what was going on I explained, he spoke to his friend in native tongue, and he ceased the method he was using. All this brings up a question, If we have special laws for a catch and release season, how many will be completely ignorant of law and start harvesting? I also wonder if some of the aliens fishing our local lakes know that they need a fishing license? These are just some thoughts I have had, and if you think I am just being xenophobic, I am most certainly not!
My 2
JC

[Coach Dog]

I think we should maybe even have the bass opener a week later. My case in point: This past weekend on the fishing opener, while casting for northern, I caught 5 bass (3 smallies and 2 largemouth) in the 4 lb. range. All of them full of eggs. I let them go immediately. I am strictly catch and release, but for those who are not, and if they had the same luck as I did on saturday, that would be a down-right shame to harvest those fish.

[Guest]

Thanks guys, Sounds like it is evenly split. I still believe we could open the season a week or two earlier without harming the population. One thing most people do not realize is that it only takes a fraction of the bass to have a successful spawn to keep the population healthy. In fact many lakes have to many small bass. To much compitition for food.

[cwmn]

If you see anyone breaking the fishing regs you should call the DNR/Tip.
Most people who fish a dozen times a season don't have a clue about the fishing regs.
So to change the season start is a waste of time. How many times do you see a CO when your out fishing? We need more COs to uphold the law.

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Have a good one!
CWMN

[Chev_trucks501]

Ebass,

I happen to agree with SayDer. I happen to be one of the offended people at whom your post was directed. So that means because I am of asian backround that I keep 5# largies and hell why not keep 5# smallies too. I friggin HATE people who do that to me. I happen to fish quite a few tournaments and believe in CPR for pretty much all fish.
I guess maybe next time you had better think about what you are typing before you type it. I realize that you apologized later in the post but any non-sterotypical person would not have wrote it.

A Little Miffed
Chev

[EBass]

Chev,
I didn't mean to offend. My best friend is half Japanese and half white, yet he grew up here in the states. So he's used to the Catch and Release pratice.

The fact that I said he is asian (to me) meant that HE'S not used to catch and release philosophy. It wasn't like a rip on his race, or at least that wasn't my intent.

Forget that I said he's asian, mexican, indian, black, white or whatever. His father and him kept a HUGE stringer of BIG BASS. Is it legal? Yes. Is it unethical? Yes.

So if I said there's this guy I work with ... would you still have posted?

The Asian guy I work with is a nice guy. I like him, but I don't like all the BIG BASS he kept. It's about the size of the fish and NOT the color of his skin.

I hope I'm more clear on this now. I don't want to start a post war and I sure didn't mean to [PoorWordUsage] anyone off. Are we OK now or are you still mad at me?

Non-racial,
EBass

[ricqik]

"The fact that I said he is asian (to me) meant that HE'S not used to catch and release philosophy. It wasn't like a rip on his race, or at least that wasn't my intent."

You're being stereotypic again. Not being all white american doesn't mean they're not used to c&r.

"His father and him kept a HUGE stringer of BIG BASS. Is it legal? Yes. Is it unethical? Yes. I don't like all the BIG BASS he kept."

It is not unethical that they kept those big bass. Unethical is when someone wantonly waste game and not make use of it. Ofcourse I'm not white so I can't be right.

[Chev_trucks501]

Ebass,

Ok I may have come off a little harsh in my last post. I know that is not what you meant, it is just that I have been judged before by people who know nothing about me and just assume that I have broken some rule or another. It's even happened with DNR officers I am not mad or anything like that. I am just stating my point of view which is different than some others. Anyways I do agree with you that a 5# + bass should be released, I guess until the rules are changed we will just have to live with it.
Just outta curiousity did you ever talk to him about releasing such fish?

Happy Fishing
Chev

[EBass]

ricqik,

Did you read the whole post or only certain parts? Tell me the proper way to apologize to Chev since I seem to suck at it and now labeled for being sterotypical.

I don't care that he's asian. I don't care what color anyone is. One of my other best friends is Akbar. What color do you think he is?

All I care about is the BIG Bass (plural) he took. But that's fine if you don't. (Doesn't matter if you eat them or toss them in the garden. The whole point is that they're DEAD.)
So go ahead and kill your limit each and every day, and make sure that they are all females and way bigger than average. Eat em up, they taste good. You have every right to do so, so why not do it? Also, make sure it's a little lake so you can wipe out the whole good genitics line and kill the population.

Mr. Sterotypical now,
EBass

[EBass]

Chev,
Just saw you post. Sorry about all of this.

I spoke to him about it when he showed me the proud pics, but I don't think he cares. He was hungry I guess.

ricqik,
I'm ticked that you labeled me for being sterotypical especially when I'm trying to apologize to Chev. Which we made amends.

Ethical means right, just or correct. Because it's legal doesn't mean it's right. I don't care what color you are, and I don't beleive you are correct on anything in your last post.

Maybe we should start a poll on who thinks keeping stringer full of 5# bass is a good thing. I know you're in favor.

[Guest]

"You have every right to do so, so why not do it?" Of coarse, rights come with responsibilies and this knee jerk appeal to absurdity is to make a point, but I am not so sure how valid it is.

I guess it's a matter of me not believing that the sky is falling if some fisherman decide to keep some bass, large or not, from most bodies of water. Some selective harvest is a good thing and declines in bass quantity and quality are just not likely scenario's on most MN bodies of water. Most bass fisherman like me release the vast majority of fish and incidental catches of bass by meat hunters is not a problem at this point in my opinion. I think our fisheries can more than sustain the current harvest levels on the vast majority of lakes.

[Guest]

One thing one must remember about stereotypes is that there is overwhelming evidence to support that stereotype.

I challenge anyone to show me that the asian stereotype that they keep everything they catch. Sure there is exceptions but in most cases this is what they do. If you can't handle or hear the truth what should we do? Pretend it doesn't exist.

I am not anti-asian but I will say what I see!!!

[Guest]

"Maybe we should start a poll on who thinks keeping stringer full of 5# bass is a good thing. I know you're in favor."

To keep a stringer full of 5# bass first you have to catch one and then five more and even the best bass fisherman can rarely do this. Check Classic Bass.com and you will soon discover that a 25lb five bass limit is rare if it exists at all. A five lb average is the holy grail of MN bass fishing.

Just because you or I release the fish is no reason to hold a grudge against those who don't. "Lighten Up Francis!"

[Guest]

"One thing one must remember about stereotypes is that there is overwhelming evidence to support that stereotype."

And one thing also to remember about stereotypes is that they do not apply to the actions of all individuals within the named group and may not even in truth represent the actions of the majority within the named group. Personally, in all honesty I do not know: "that they (Asian's) keep everything they catch. Sure there is exceptions but in most cases this is what they do." The fact is you don't know this either and really have no relevant "overwhelming evidence."

Sure I have seen Asians keep fish, but then again there are times when I do this too. In my experience Asian's are hard working and decent people who play by the rules and would not intentionally do things that were ethically wrong or illegal.

The worst poaching I have ever seen have been done by an older Norwegian in SW MN and by Eastern Europeans at the Root River in Racine WI. Heck I bet on average your average Iowan poaches more than the average Asian. Prove me wrong! If you try, you will soon discover the folly of your point because you don't have one. A stereotype or in technical logic a "sweeping generality" is a logical fallacy in all but the most statistically studied and confirmed cases and those in many cases yield contradictory evidence. I think you just need to admit that you are harboring a prejudice based on slimmest of corroborative evidence. A commonly held perception does not make the perception true. The honest position on this matter is one of agnosticism or calling for multiple scientific statistical studies.

[This message has been edited by Basspastor (edited 05-14-2003).]

[ricqik]

EBass,
Thought that'll get you going. See how easily you got upset. It's people like that that we non-white folks have to deal with everytime we're out fishing. There hasn't been a single week that I can go fishing and not be confronted by(put choice of gamefish savior here)for why, what I'm there for and why I kept what I kept. Because of that I vowed to never be like them. That's why I said it's not unethical for one to keep a fish big or small.

Yes I keep some of my fish, only enough for a meal. Would I keep more, no, not if I can't finish it in one meal(3-5 fish). My consumption of fish is less then 10x a year. But I would never call anyone unethical for keeping fish regardless of its size nor would I tell them it's ok to keep all they catch. It's not my catch and my decision for them.
The big ? is, are you just refering to bass? I hope not. You sound like you only care about you favorite species and not others such as rough fish. Would you have thought the same if it was 6 10# redhorses.
I certainly wouldn't release 6 5# basses if I caught them all in one day. Nor would I release 6 trophy rough fish. If it make you feel any better, I have never eaten any bass over 5#. Any bass above that is already on my wall along with other species I consider trophy for it's size. This includes rough fish.

Lastly, I know your trying NOT to be stereotypical, it just came out that way and it caught my attention(too). No hard feelings on my end, just voicing my thoughts as you would yours.

[EBass]

Baspastor,
Good point, "not believing that the sky is falling if some fisherman decide to keep some bass, large or not, from most bodies of water."