What do they do with all the fish?

[FshBloodRiverMud]

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.

Someone call the CO

[Juneau4]

The late 50's and early 60's many people were hungry and yes I was 1.

Fsh. Call the CO. I will gladly give you my address if you share yours.

[CaptainMusky]

Juneau, so your argument of "being hungry" holds no water then. Nice try.

[Sandmannd]

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.

Spot on, I couldn't agree more. There have been times I've given fish away and kept more. Doesn't happen often but there are some older folks at work that love fish that just don't get out. I've offered to take them out but they don't want to. So now and then I bring them fish. I see no harm in that.

[Sandmannd]

You know what I love about these posts, everyone and I mean everyone, responds with "I don't keep fish all that often". With so many people never keeping fish why even have game laws. It seems no one keeps them anymore. It seriously cracks me up.

[FshBloodRiverMud]

The late 50's and early 60's many people were hungry and yes I was 1.

Fsh. Call the CO. I will gladly give you my address if you share yours.

Not 1 fish in my freezer. I prefer fresh, and out of cold water.

[outdoors247]

While I hear what you are saying I don't think this HSOforum and these posts in particular are an exact cross-section of the fishing community. Most guys on here are sportsmen and when I say sportsmen I'm talking about guys that not just concerned about catching fish but also think about the resources and what's best for them. I believe a very large percentage of the posters on here are concerned about the resources and think about it depending on what body of water they are on. After all, every lake has different fish structures so whats ok for one lake might not be ok for another.

I will never look down my nose at those that legally keep fish, as I do it too. And if the fishery can take it go ahead and keep some for family and friends. But please realize, not every stocked lake can take a day after day pounding. Seen a lot of good lakes go south due to overfishing.

[CaptainMusky]

Sandmann I am quite sure polling those who post on an internet forum on catch and release practices is an exact science.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

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.

I cant speak for everyone, but when I go fishing I will keep my legal limit. Freeze and package them. Many times I will take it to a guys place and donate extra fish. If I have a freezer full, before i go i drop him off some.He keeps them at a freezer (not sure where could be at a church) then about 3-4 weeks before christmas they put on a fish fry, all proceeds from the fish fry are used to buy presents for children and people in need for their christmas & other fund raising stuff during lent.

I guess I figure the DNR puts laws into place, if we follow them its not my business or concern on what others do with their fish if legally taken. I don't feel like I'm gaming the system when gifting or dropping fish off for a community cause when the community is benefiting from a resource they helped pay for.

Not to be mean, but you sound like one of those grumpy guys that is [PoorWordUsage] off someone else is harvesting his "fish" we have a renewable natural resource that we all pay for with laws that protect it. Those that decide to keep legal limits are well within their rights, so regardless of peoples opinion it is perfectly fine. The DNR was created for a reason. Do some fish end up going to waste.....yes, but is it really any worse then other food going to waste?

[jerkbait]

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

[Kyhl]

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

[Kyhl]

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.

If you are fishing because you are hungry, there are other cheaper means of aquiring a meal.

[Kyhl]

I cant speak for everyone, but when I go fishing I will keep my legal limit. Freeze and package them. Many times I will take it to a guys place and donate extra fish. If I have a freezer full, before i go i drop him off some.He keeps them at a freezer (not sure where could be at a church) then about 3-4 weeks before christmas they put on a fish fry, all proceeds from the fish fry are used to buy presents for children and people in need for their christmas & other fund raising stuff during lent.

Is this in MN or IA? I do not know the IA regs.

Define "freezer full of fish".

In MN you cannot have more than your limit. Limit and possession are the same in MN, for most species that we talk about.

In MN the party that you donated to cannot have more than a legal possession limit in storage. Also, if they have a license the gifted fish become theirs and count toward their limit/possession. If they do not have a license, then your information, name and license, are to be kept with the fish and they still count as your limit until consumed.

Finally, gifting fish away even to a licensed angler still count toward your possession limit for that calendar day. You cannot gift away a limit and keep a second limit on the same day.

No one cares if people donate small amounts to friends or family as long as it is within the law. I do not see how anyone could donate enough fish for a fundraiser without breaking MN possession laws.

[CaptainMusky]

Finally, gifting fish away even to a licensed angler still count toward your possession limit for that calendar day. You cannot gift away a limit and keep a second limit on the same day.

Just to add to this you cannot catch a limit of fish, eat that limit of fish the same day and catch another limit of fish after consuming the other limit. The daily limit had already been met.

[fishnowworknever]

And to add another to that "what you ate that day" you need to make sure that the toilet has been used and flushed before you go pursuing more fish of that same species otherwise that counts as your daily poss limit as well, if ya know what I mean.

[FshBloodRiverMud]

Yeah i don't get how someone can legally produce enough fish for a fundraiser in MN Without breaking the laws. Especially if it's for only 1 or two types of fish. Kyle pretty well covered that.

There are a few types of fish that allow very liberal harvest and are also very good to eat: Bullheads, Common Carp.

It is fairly common to have these types of 'feeds' at local community centers.

Some areas of the state (BOrder waters) Hoards of catfish could be kept. There are many very interested in lowering that limit.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

[

Is this in MN or IA? I do not know the IA regs.

Define "freezer full of fish".

In MN you cannot have more than your limit. Limit and possession are the same in MN, for most species that we talk about.

In MN the party that you donated to cannot have more than a legal possession limit in storage. Also, if they have a license the gifted fish become theirs and count toward their limit/possession. If they do not have a license, then your information, name and license, are to be kept with the fish and they still count as your limit until consumed.

Finally, gifting fish away even to a licensed angler still count toward your possession limit for that calendar day. You cannot gift away a limit and keep a second limit on the same day.

No one cares if people donate small amounts to friends or family as long as it is within the law. I do not see how anyone could donate enough fish for a fundraiser without breaking MN possession laws.

This is in IA.

Oh I'm sure the freezer for this fundraiser fish prya has a least a 100 over the limit if you abide by or believe the way you claim. I'm guessing they are kept in a freezer at the church, and the entire parish could be called to claim such fish if a [PoorWordUsage] caused problems about it.

[CANOPY SAM]

Dude. This is nothing to do with what you "believe" or "abide by". It's the law, cut and dried.

You don't get a different set of rules because you don't like the ones that are in place.

[candiru]

You know what I love about these posts, everyone and I mean everyone, responds with "I don't keep fish all that often". With so many people never keeping fish why even have game laws. It seems no one keeps them anymore. It seriously cracks me up.

Same feeling here!

[laportian]

I participate in walleye fish frys all over the state. We have to have receipts for where the fish was purchased or from whom it was donated. I have been doing this for the past ten years and have actually never been approached by anyone about the origins of our walleye while doing frys. I have been asked after the fact. When the Square Hook guys were doing their investigation a couple years ago they asked me about some specific political fund raisers that we fried fish for. I bought said fish from the Red Lake Fisheries, they took my word for it.

[Finns]

If you are fishing because you are hungry, there are other cheaper means of aquiring a meal.

Like what? I dig worms from my yard, walk to the river and fish for catfish. Kind of cheap.

[aanderud]

In MN the party that you donated to cannot have more than a legal possession limit in storage. Also, if they have a license the gifted fish become theirs and count toward their limit/possession. If they do not have a license, then your information, name and license, are to be kept with the fish and they still count as your limit until consumed.

Your post was mostly correct, but incorrect on one very big point. If you give fish away, those gifted fish do NOT count toward YOUR possession limit. They count toward the recipient's possession limit (whether they have a license or not). You're right that you can't catch another limit that same day, because the DAILY limit applies even after those fish are out of your possession. You CAN go out the following day and catch/keep another limit, even if the person you gave yesterday's fish to didn't eat them yet.

[Kyhl]

Your post was mostly correct, but incorrect on one very big point. If you give fish away, those gifted fish do NOT count toward YOUR possession limit. They count toward the recipient's possession limit (whether they have a license or not). You're right that you can't catch another limit that same day, because the DAILY limit applies even after those fish are out of your possession. You CAN go out the following day and catch/keep another limit, even if the person you gave yesterday's fish to didn't eat them yet.

Yep. Thanks for the correction.

[hayseed]

If you are fishing because you are hungry, there are other cheaper means of aquiring a meal.

Like what? I dig worms from my yard, walk to the river and fish for catfish. Kind of cheap.

Probably aging myself, but I remember tougher times when this would have been true. Maybe not so much now with all the support programs. Back then people were too proud to accept welfare.

[Sandmannd]

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