What do they do with all the fish?

[CaptJohnWis]

I know several expert anglers who insist on keeping every legal fish they catch. Why? Some of them go fishing every day and keep their limit every day. They even take extra anglers along so they can keep two or three limits. What do they do with all those fish?

You can only legally have so many in your freezer. So I assume they sell or give them away. But why? Some will tell you the fish are for this or that special event - so they probably have way over their limit in the freezer. If they are giving them away to friends, why? How many of those given away go to waste? Plenty is my guess. And if they are selling them! I would report em in a heartbeat and hope they lose all fishing privileges forever.

My personal rule is if I have ANY fish in the freezer, they git eaten before I keep another fish. If my friends want some fish, they can come along with me and catch em themselves.

And for those that insist on pounding deep water walleyes, why?? Any walleye caught below 40 FOW is a dead walleye (crappies are even worse) whether released or not. Might take a few days, but they will all die. Reeling them in slowly will not help unless you mean 24 hours to bring em up from 40 feet. If you are into catch and release, please stay in shallower water.

Spend more time fishing and less time cleaning. Report the fish hogs and other that abuse the resource.

[delcecchi]

I know several expert anglers who insist on keeping every legal fish they catch. Why? Some of them go fishing every day and keep their limit every day. They even take extra anglers along so they can keep two or three limits. What do they do with all those fish?

You can only legally have so many in your freezer. So I assume they sell or give them away. But why? Some will tell you the fish are for this or that special event - so they probably have way over their limit in the freezer. If they are giving them away to friends, why? How many of those given away go to waste? Plenty is my guess. And if they are selling them! I would report em in a heartbeat and hope they lose all fishing privileges forever.

My personal rule is if I have ANY fish in the freezer, they git eaten before I keep another fish. If my friends want some fish, they can come along with me and catch em themselves.

And for those that insist on pounding deep water walleyes, why?? Any walleye caught below 40 FOW is a dead walleye (crappies are even worse) whether released or not. Might take a few days, but they will all die. Reeling them in slowly will not help unless you mean 24 hours to bring em up from 40 feet. If you are into catch and release, please stay in shallower water.

Spend more time fishing and less time cleaning. Report the fish hogs and other that abuse the resource.

First, I bet they have way over the legal limit in their freezer. And second, they get a bang by giving fish to everyone they know. Like a Potlatch from the west coast aboriginal culture.

[h8go4s]

Del, I had to look up "potlach". I'd say you're pretty close on this. Overabundance of testosterone too. Gotta be the big shot. It's a trait that has always been part of the population and probably always will be.

[Comit 2]

I was talking to one of those self proclaimed fishing experts last week. He was telling me about the white meat in all the Brown Bullheads he has. Then he went on to describe them. White barbell under the chin and ..... Now hold on. This so called expert doesn't know a Bullhead from a Channel Catfish. I told him that he was describing a Catfish but he wouldn't hear that.

Some how they always find a way to justify there actions.

I just wonder if they realize how pathetic they sound. An expert without a clue.

This is a guy I had to lecture last year about leaving stacks of Bowfin lying on the shore to rot and stink up the area.

[Igor Drackenwolf]

Somebody with more than their legal limit in the freezer is a poacher, end of story.

But every fisherman has a right to harvest fish legally in numbers that he sees fit. Catch-and-release moralists who stand in judgment of people who like to catch and eat fish LEGALLY are a pain in the rear-end. Busybodies should mind their own business. Legal limits take harvest into account. You don't want to harvest fish? Don't.

There is no moral superiority to catch-and-release. It is a matter of personal preference.

[Search Function]

Somebody with more than their legal limit in the freezer is a poacher, end of story.

But every fisherman has a right to harvest fish legally in numbers that he sees fit. Catch-and-release moralists who stand in judgment of people who like to catch and eat fish LEGALLY are a pain in the rear-end. Busybodies should mind their own business. Legal limits take harvest into account. You don't want to harvest fish? Don't.

There is no moral superiority to catch-and-release. It is a matter of personal preference.

Legal limits take harvest into account, but that is on a hypothetical body of water. On real bodies of water fish populations can suffer from over harvest quite easily if word gets out on a hot bite. It happens all the time to panfish and walleye fisheries. Not so much on bass fisheries, because generally bass fishermen have the good sense to not eat the kind of fish they want to catch.

[Kyhl]

If you know that they have more than a possession limit, http://www.turninpoachers.com/ It's the responsible thing for sportsman to do.

[foo]

There is not doubt it all about being the mighty hunter with the biggest...well you know. I personally know a couple of guys like this---they want to prove themselves to the world all the time. They measure every fish and keep will keep everything. I mean who measures a 15 inch walleye every time they catch one? They do is the answer.

I don't understand this train of thought at all. Lack of confidence when they were younger is my guess.

This does not pertain to those guys who go out and catch eaters and eat the fish. It's the freezer stuffer's and the people that feel the need to keep every single thing they catch that I don't understand.

[fishnowworknever]

If someone wants to keep their legal limit, it's their right to do so.

I agree with the over limit in the freezer, that's poaching plain and simple. There is a posession limit for a reason, if you have 2 in the freezer from a non special limit lake and you fish that same lake 1 week later, you better only be keeping 4 more.

Also a fish brought in from 40+ feet are not 100% guaranteed to die. You really think a walleye that has been sitting in 45 fow most of the day takes 24 hours to come up to feed in 15-20' in the evening? I'm not advocating fishing deep water walleyes but, get real man.

One atmosphere in water is between 33.8' and 33.9' so throwing out 40' is just hearsay.

[Igor Drackenwolf]

Some of you guys are being obnoxiously presumptuous about the motivations of people who harvest more fish than you prefer to harvest.

I myself am not a big harvester. I'll usually take a limit or two of crappies each year, and bring a limit of walleyes back from Canada each year.

But I'll be daggumed if I'm going to sit in judgement of someone else who likes to harvest more, so long as they're within their limit. I'm certainly not going to make presumptions about his need to express his manhood through fish harvesting. That's just ridiculous, baseless, preening, trying to place ones self on some sort of moral high ground by casting baseless aspersions on someone about whose motivations you know nothing.

Newsflash: You aren't a more righteous or moral person than them because you call them out or harvest less fish than them.

I DO measure my fish. Because I'm interested to know what size they are. It has nothing to do with my manhood.

[Raider4ever]

I know several expert anglers who insist on keeping every legal fish they catch. Why? Some of them go fishing every day and keep their limit every day. They even take extra anglers along so they can keep two or three limits. What do they do with all those fish?

You can only legally have so many in your freezer. So I assume they sell or give them away. But why? Some will tell you the fish are for this or that special event - so they probably have way over their limit in the freezer. If they are giving them away to friends, why? How many of those given away go to waste? Plenty is my guess. And if they are selling them! I would report em in a heartbeat and hope they lose all fishing privileges forever.

My personal rule is if I have ANY fish in the freezer, they git eaten before I keep another fish. If my friends want some fish, they can come along with me and catch em themselves.

And for those that insist on pounding deep water walleyes, why?? Any walleye caught below 40 FOW is a dead walleye (crappies are even worse) whether released or not. Might take a few days, but they will all die. Reeling them in slowly will not help unless you mean 24 hours to bring em up from 40 feet. If you are into catch and release, please stay in shallower water.

Spend more time fishing and less time cleaning. Report the fish hogs and other that abuse the resource.

And THAT ladies and gentlemen, is the purest definition of Internet Trolling one could ever hope to produce: Harvest vs. C&R, shallow vs. deep, and of course the "Johnson Syndrome". Wow! that one is good.

[leech~~]

Ha, when I read the title I thought it was just another netting thread!

[Search Function]

I measure a good % of the fish I catch because the online fishing log I use requires I put in length or weigh information.

I don't keep many of the fish I catch, and a lot of the one's I keep go to others.

[CANOPY SAM]

I thought the exact same thing when I read this Raider. Is this for real????????????

Hope the OP doesn't spend any time watching the charters come in at Morris Point (Lake of the Woods, MN) or Door County (Lake Michigan).

[Finns]

I know several expert anglers who insist on keeping every legal fish they catch. Why? Some of them go fishing every day and keep their limit every day. They even take extra anglers along so they can keep two or three limits. What do they do with all those fish?

You can only legally have so many in your freezer. So I assume they sell or give them away. But why? Some will tell you the fish are for this or that special event - so they probably have way over their limit in the freezer. If they are giving them away to friends, why? How many of those given away go to waste? Plenty is my guess. And if they are selling them! I would report em in a heartbeat and hope they lose all fishing privileges forever.

My personal rule is if I have ANY fish in the freezer, they git eaten before I keep another fish. If my friends want some fish, they can come along with me and catch em themselves.

And for those that insist on pounding deep water walleyes, why?? Any walleye caught below 40 FOW is a dead walleye (crappies are even worse) whether released or not. Might take a few days, but they will all die. Reeling them in slowly will not help unless you mean 24 hours to bring em up from 40 feet. If you are into catch and release, please stay in shallower water.

Spend more time fishing and less time cleaning. Report the fish hogs and other that abuse the resource.

John you say you know them. If so, Ask them!

As for pounding deep water walleyes. If it is legal, may want to let it be.

[expl]

I catch alot of fish because I fish alot I dont keep many fish however.I may keep a few for a meal or two while on a trip(fresh meal not frozen) or a meal of fish for the grandparents which is 2 small walleyes omce a year.But for the other 95 percent of the time I fish-I catch and release,that is why I have a camera and a ruler.The keep,keep,keep mentality gets old and it does hurt lakes,small lakes especially.I know guys like that up north and they eat them,All..and allways.They never waste or toss and rarely ever freeze any,and They never go over their possesion limits.If they have limits in possesion they will A.either not fish that day B.eat the ones they have then go catch another limit of fish or C.switch to fishing a different species that they dont have a limit of in their possesion.These guys to me only care about getting limits,as they want to go and catch,catch ,catch and be back home asap cleaning and cooking their catch.I like the chase,the exploration,the figuring things out,and of course the catching when it all comes together.If it doesnt all come together Im still a happy guy as I personally can think of nothing better then spending a day on the water...Everyone has different motives and the guys I know catch some flak from me time to time for basically killing an entire lake of certain species,but they arnt breaking any laws so not much I can do about it..Im their buddy but they know Id turn them in in flash if they broke the fishing laws.

[Juneau4]

I just hope they never put a limit on the number of carrots or heads of cauliflower I can have in my possession. If the fish aren't being wasted- who cares?

Yes at times I have had over my Poss. Limit of fish and non-O have ever gone to waste. I would bet that most people who Smoke, Pickle, and eat fish could say the same.

[traveler]

Yes at times I have had over my Poss. Limit of fish and non-O have ever gone to waste. I would bet that most people who Smoke, Pickle, and eat fish could say the same.

of course they could, but would they? Nope. Sooner go on a HSOforum with a holier than thou attitude I guess...

[Ufatz]

There is nothing "holier than thou" about obeying the LAW. Bag limits and other restrictions are placed on fish species (and other wildlife) to lessen the possibilities of over-harvest in a certain lake or in the total population of a species.There are many examples of fish populations being harmed by the attitude of "keep all I catch and to hell with a limit".

Ever heard the term "game hog".

The Game Hog is a thief (taking fish others might use) and a law breaker. There is no other way to look at it.

[CaptainMusky]

I dont know how anyone can justify breaking the law and consider themself a sportsman. The argument that it isnt going to waste is completely ridiculous.

If some people had a little more respect and common sense we wouldnt have many of the ridiculous laws we have in place today.

Its because of this that seasons and bag limits are in place to begin with.

Im all for gifting someone an occasional meal, but acting as a commercial fisherman for everyone in your Facebook friend list I am not.

[OnAFly]

It seems people on these forums forget that many times there is a difference between legality and ethics.

I can go out every day, catch a limit of whatever fish I want, gift those fish, then do it again the next day. Legally, this is fine. Ethically, it is not. I am finding a loophole in the law which is intending to keep a single person from abusing a resource owned by many.

Not much different from a corporation finding a way to "technically" not have to pay taxes. But, for some reason everyone gets uppity about that

I'm sure this will not be a popular response

[Juan Grande]

I agree with you 100% OnAFly. Like CaptainMusky said, it's not a big deal to give away a meal of fish every once in a while. Gifting fish to anyone and everyone who will take it just so you can keep your limit every time out is abusing the resource.

[JP Z]

I would bet that most people who Smoke, Pickle, and eat fish could say the same.

Juneau, I think once they have been "cooked/processed" they are no longer in your possession though. At least I know that goes for fish in Alaska for instance, salmon and what not.

[Juneau4]

I dont know how anyone can justify breaking the law and consider themself a sportsman. The argument that it isnt going to waste is completely ridiculous.

If some people had a little more respect and common sense we wouldnt have many of the ridiculous laws we have in place today.

Its because of this that seasons and bag limits are in place to begin with.

Im all for gifting someone an occasional meal, but acting as a commercial fisherman for everyone in your Facebook friend list I am not.

You have never been hungry, have you? I have. If I keep over my possession limit to have some fish during the winter months when I can not fish and you don't like it, thats fine , but don't start with the morality bit with me.

Yes I do fish to eat the fish I catch. Do I catch and release? Yes. Do I have at times over my possesion limit?__ __ ___ Fill in the blanks. Do I have a guilt trip because of it? NO! Will I continue to fish in the same manner in the future? __ __ ___. Maybe you should ask what species I fish for-- It's not the precious Walleye.

[CaptainMusky]

Juneau, I really could care less what species of fish you are targeting. The laws apply to everyone not just those who have a conscience.

I have a real hard time believing that you have gone hungry, but whatever.