"Slot" /verses "No Kill"

[bassphish2005]

Ok boys,here is a tough question

Which is better for a fishery

No Kill.....on bass?

Slot Limits on certain sizes of bass?

Ok...let the debate begin

I have ideas on this subject,but I want to hear what others think??? Give me your best thoughts???

[Central Bassman]

Dont keep bass so i guess no kill!!! As long as we can weigh them in if we have a tournament there!!!

[Slyster]

Catch and release. Ocean fish (from Cub) taste better anyway than local fish!

UNLESS... there is something I don't understand about the ecology of lakes... perhaps slot limits are BETTER overall for populations. This is something I would hope the DNR knows and enacts... it's not MY job. My job is just to enjoy fishing and the great outdoors.

For my own family.. We keep a total of perhaps 4 nice fish per year to eat... I get SICK when I hear of people catching 'their limit' every time they go out. Can't they afford food at the grocery store like the rest of us?

But.. IF it is better for the lake ecology.. I am ALL FOR keeping certain sized fish.. I would do my share! It's all about the fishery and not our stomachs in America! No one is STARVING here in the US... This is my opinion as a sportsman!

MY OPINION. I already know there are always two sides on these issues!

[RobertELee]

If a fishery is overrun by a certain size and the size is not increasing then it would be neccesary to thin out the population. If the population has a wide range of sizes then I would leave it alone because that fishery is able to sustain itself.

[EBass]

It depends on the situation, but I'm CPR on bass.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I am CPR on bass as well.. but I do think that selective harvest is important. If you look at some of the best bass lakes in the state of MN, ver few of them are Catch and Release... I think putting a catch and release on bass in lakes where they need a re-bound is a good idea for sure. Or maybe each lake rotate a few years as a catch and release and then a slot harvest to thin out a bit of a certain size.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

If it were a slot Id probably say 12-14" max size. Most the lakes I fish and do quite well on have no regulations. Then their are a few Ive fished with slots/protection and I cant seem to get many over 14".

[ricqik]

I'm all for c&r but even there are those who are lower than the low income bracket folks and the food market is just too costly for such incomes and warm blooded game are seasonal. I must think of all before deciding soley on the majority's view. So with that thought and a little bit of sake for the lakes ecological balance, a slot limit is more logical. One must also remember that one should not determine what the other can consume so long as it's not life threatening.

[Ray Esboldt]

I agree with Deitz, most lakes don't need total C&R or slots of any form. However, I can think of some good examples of lakes that sure didn't seem to be hurt by them (Chisago, Waconia, Green-Spicer). But, look at a lake like Turtle in Shoreview. It's been C&R for 5 years (?). You can catch 50 fish in a half day out there, but how many of them break 16". Not too many.

There's goods and bads to total C&R lakes and slot lakes. But, for the most part, I think the regulations are largely unnecessary.