Culling Systems

[Bushwacker]

Being the eternal optomist that I am, I think I will be needing a new culling system this season. What has worked best for everyone? I like the X-Tools system with the scale, but I also like the Quick Cull system with ropes instead of the plastic tags of the X-Tools. What does everyone use?

[Bobb-o]

culling isnt legal in minnesota

[Deitz Dittrich]

Culling, Once you have a limmit of fish is not legal. However if you do not have a limmit you are allowed to return fish back to the body of water it was taken from.

That is why most all bass tournaments only allow 5 fish.. because once you catch a 6th.... you have your limmit and can no longer cull.

[Bushwacker]

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culling isnt legal in minnesota

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Page 10 of the 2006 Minnesota Fishing Regulations states, "Once a limit of fish has been reduced to pocession, no culling or livewell sorting of that species is allowed"

Just as Deitz stated, it is legal to cull as long as you don't pocess a limit of fish.

Now back to the original question, what systems are people using? Thanks for any input.

[blakjack23]

I use a system I bought at Gander for like $20. Its 8 different colored surgical tubbing strips with clips on the end. Just use pen and paper to keep track of what color weights what. I like this because you just clip it on the lip of the fish instead of having to stab something through the lip. They do come off once in awhile, but its usually only one here or there, so its easy to see which fish it came off of.

[Banger]

I use the Bag-em system. Like mentioned earlier I like because you just clip it the fish and you don't have poke them. I was thinking about the X-tool system for this year though. I have a few friends that use the Cull-em right system and they like that unit. A little too much for me though.

[ikeslayer]

So i realize that this is a question of integrity but does culling still happen in minnesota during tourneys. Does that mean that once you have 5 fish you should stop fishing and go sit at the landing and wait for weigh in?? just curious. ike

[Bushwacker]

I have only fished in team bass tournaments so far and the limit is 8 fish four the team. So we could keep fishing without any worries at all.

As far as individual tournaments with a 5 bass limit, I guess it comes down to what the term "reduced to posession" technically means. DISCLAIMER: HERE IS MY PERSONAL, NON-DNR INTERPRETATION: A bass is reduced to posession once it hits the live well. So if you have 5 fish in the live well and you catch #6, as long as you quickly release a healthy, smaller fish out of the livewell you would be legal as long as the #6 fish never hits the live well. If you would put #6 in the live well, and then fish around in the wells for your two smallest fish and then measure and weigh them and only then release the smallest one, then you would legally be done fishing for bass. You would not have broken any laws up to that point, but if you would continue fishing for bass and then take a small fish out you would be guilty of breaking the "culling" law. What does everyone else think of that? Way off base??

[Wayne Ek]

Deitz, my theory is to just catch 5 piggies of the first spot and then not worry about culling during the day... go fish for walleyes, you know... something easy to catch

[Deitz Dittrich]

dude..you crack me up!

[Stelz]

Very interesting and good to know...

If you were fishing any 2 man type tourney's you really don't have to worry either, because even with culling you would not reach a limit as long as the bag limit for the tourney is less than that of the state..

[Bushwacker]

I am fishing in the Falcon Individual Bass Slam tournaments this year and the limit in those tournaments is 4 bass. I talked to the tournament director yesterday and he said the main reason for the 4 bass limit is just so nobody has to deal with this issue.

[mplspug]

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fish for walleyes, you know... something easy to catch

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Or snag a stick on the bank and reel it in, because it will probably put up more of a fight.