fish abuse - part 2

Questions about Saltwater Fishing

fish abuse - part 2

Postby hooks40 » Tue Apr 02, 2013 7:52 am

Not at all related to the stuff in part 1, but it got me thinking. I respect most of the folks on here as conservation minded anglers, so I would like to hear some opinions.

Let me start by saying I am not an avid bass fisherman, nor do I fish in tournaments. That's not what fishing is for me, but I do respect the right of those who do. However, with respect to all of the advances made in fish survival in bass tourneys, there may still more that can be done. My 2 pet peeves are fish flipped into the boat and flopping around on the carpet and fishing for bedding bass.

I did see one tourney somewhere on WFN where participants were assessed a penalty if their fish hit the carpet, so at least it's being recognized somewhere. I know many may say that these fish are released alive, but flopping around on a dry carpet loosing slime and banging their head can't be good for their long term survival. What else can be proposed?

I know bedding bass can be the biggest and therefore most appealing and make for good TV....BUT we can't complain about decline in fisheries and fish sizes when we take the largest specimens off their nests during their attempt to pass on their superior genes. To me the answer is simple...don't allow it, but obviously that wouldn't make for good TV....

Rant over.

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Re: fish abuse - part 2

Postby dahlberg » Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:55 am

I wouldn't call yours a rant, but rather a couple of good points. I too hate seeing fish dropped, but it does happen to everyone occassionally. Luckily, I think in the majority of cases bouncing bass do recover. I bugs me when they get held up and talked about for too long.
In regards to bedding bass, I totally agree with you.
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Re: fish abuse - part 2

Postby Watchhiller » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:23 am

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Last edited by Watchhiller on Thu Jul 18, 2013 3:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: fish abuse - part 2

Postby aka anglinarcher » Tue Apr 02, 2013 12:23 pm

I tend to agree that there is some additional things that we should do, but let us keep one thing in mind, especially in regards to the fishing tournaments and fresh water fishing in general, which the bass fishing clearly is.

Freshwater fishing in general is better then it has ever been. Yes, I, and you, can point out specific spots that are failing, but in general, it is much better.

In my youth, a 12" bass was a pretty good fish, and it was eaten much more often then not. Any crappie or bluegill big enough to get on a hook was a keeper. :lol: Rivers and lakes were much more polluted then thy are now. Today, rivers and streams, lakes and ponds are cleaner then they have been in a 75 years. Regulations have saved a lot of our bigger fish, and more records are being caught, and at a faster rate, then they have since pre world war II. I really believe, as an old co-worker of Larry Dahlberg from his In Fishermen days, Al Linder, said on a show this last week, fishing is much better then it once was.

I do not humanize my fish and game. They do not feel as we do, they do not think as we do, and I do not have issue with hooks in their face. Sure, I want them to survive and prosper, but if the populations are strong, then the few that are lost due to slime removal, or the reduced recruitment due to catching bedded bass, is a small price to pay.

On the other hand, when populations are going down or are depressed, when problems are identified, then special regulations to protect bedded bass and to prevent slime removal are appropriate and strongly suggested.

This is just my 2 cents worth, but I think of fish abuse as tossing editable fish on the shore, not what has been defined previously.
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Re: fish abuse - part 2

Postby Seachaser » Sat Apr 13, 2013 6:49 am

I care about the fishery and only take what I need, but I dislike the trend for people to place their values on someone else. As long as the rules are obeyed I have no problem. I have released hundreds of sharks and only killed a couple, but I have no problem with those that kill their legal catch for whatever reason. I feel the explosion in shark numbers are a direct result of the "no kill" attitude that is prevalent today.
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Re: fish abuse - part 2

Postby Dan Hanon » Sat Apr 13, 2013 7:57 am

While I agree that fishing for bedding smallmouth bass, or any fish, can't be good for class recruitment, there's no way to stop it unless regulations are changed. Let's face it, if you're fishing the James River for smallmouth in early-May, the smallmouth are probably on their beds. Of course this varies each season according to weather patterns, but it occurs at roughly the same time each year. During this time, a large number or caught fish are protecting their nests, so you can't differentiate a bedding bass (or one in the vicinity of the nest) from a rogue bass or school. I suppose if the water is clear and you can sight fish, or if you know the body of water well, you can try to target non-bedding fish. In waters like Rainy Lake, there may be spawning bass hugging an island shoreline near some boulders, but there are also spawners farther from shore over shallow reefs. My point is, it's hard to avoid targeting spawning fish. Now, there's a section of Rainy Lake on a northwest arm that is off-limits to fishing during the spawning period. It has a special designation as a bass preserve, so it's protected during spring. While I personally don't condone fishing for bedding fish, I doubt it impacts the population the way keeping fish does. In my opinion, killing a 4 lb smallmouth is much more detrimental to the local population than catching that fish on the nest, then releasing it. The data is very clear that "catch and release" and "selective harvest" have allowed many fisheries to rebound and produce the great fishing we have today, including pike, musky and smallmouth bass.
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