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Catch and release more a matter of prudence than setting strict limits
By STEVE MERLO, Bakersfield Californian Contributing columnist
February 19, 2003
I like the taste of deep fried largemouth or smallmouth bass. I don't have them very often, but every once in a while I get a deep craving for bass fillets and I'll take a fish or two home for dinner.
On the other hand, every time I watch a TV fisherman -- heck, any fisherman for that matter -- catch a nice bass and then release it, sometimes with a goodbye kiss like Jimmy Houston does, I feel good.
Practicing catch and release has certainly kept our lakes and reservoirs full of hard-fighting bass. As long as most sportsmen continue along these lines, our fishing heritage can be passed down to our sons, daughters and grandchildren, as well it should be.
But, when I was growing up and learning to fish, the thought of turning a big ol' bass loose to fight again just never entered the picture. Bass were very good to eat (and still are), and that's exactly what we did with them. Doing so was very much accepted by society, and if we were fortunate to catch a few more than the family could put away, the rest were given to needy neighbors. Nothing, and I mean nothing, was ever wasted.
Nowadays, though, it seems that some elitist bassin' fraternity has cropped up that continues to dissuade people from catching and eating what they put in the boat.
Don't get me wrong, because I'm probably a low-numbered, card-carrying member of that same conservationist group of proud anglers who release all or most of what they catch, but sometimes I think we've done too good of a job of putting them back.
A lot of folks fishing our waters, me included, like to string and eat some of what they catch. I get so tired feeling the consternation and guilt about simply wanting to take a few fish home to fry, instead of putting them back "to fight again."
Yes, there are lakes that the continued harvest of big fish has actually hurt populations, like Castaic and Isabella, but there are a lot more around that could sure use good, sane and sound management programs to eliminate excess numbers through harvest.
One principle of fisheries management includes harvesting the excess population through slot or size limits. This means that fishermen can keep fish under or over a certain size and leave the middle age classes for spawning. This works to a degree, but eventually the lake ends up being overcrowded with fish just above or below those restrictions.
Look at Lakes Success or Perris for example. Both are managed for numbers of bass, providing lots of fish-catching fun, but the average fish caught is usually 1/16 of an inch less than the 15-inch keeper size.
Another method is to restrict the entire take, perhaps to a zero-limit, hoping to raise the overall numbers of fish in a given body of water. This technique fails miserably, leaving a whole lot of bass competing for a given amount of forage, and you end up with a bunch of stunted fish.
Lake Barrett is a prime example of a lake with a zero limit. Oh, sure, the fishing is good, but the lake is completely out of balance and the condition of all species is declining. Before long, I see a complete collapse of the lake's fishery.
So where am I going with all this?
Simply put, there's nothing wrong with following the state's statutes and limits and there's nothing wrong with killing and eating a bass or two. There's also nothing wrong with an individual's catch-and-release ethics program, but it is still a personal choice.
I get so irritated every time I hear a bass fisherman say that they caught a big catfish, striper, trout or crappie and threw it back, as if those species were beneath their dignity to be in their boat's live-well. Taking some occasional fish for use at home is a good thing, and that's what it should be, without the irritating, condescending look of snobbery one gets for wanting to eat a legally-taken bass.
My biggest pet peeve in the world, though, is the people who catch bass, dutifully scale, fillet and then freeze them for later use, which never seems to happen. Now, I don't have a problem with them as long as the catch is utilized, but, in a lot of instances, they'll go out and catch another batch this year, toss last season's old, freezer-burned fish into the garbage and then restock their larder with the new. This cycle is damaging to all fisheries resources and is incredibly wasteful, and I do have a problem with them.
Okay, so there are people out there who desire to eat fish but don't want to hurt bass. That's not a problem either because right now, our reservoirs are chock full of many under-utilized and under-harvested species in dire need of harvest management.
Catfish, crappie, stripers, carp (yes, carp), planted trout and crappie swim almost unmolested and by the millions in our local waters, but the emphasis seems to only be on catching bass. Fishing is fishing, and the bass is not the only type of fish in the world.
This spring, when the bite comes on, keep a few to eat if you so desire, and don't feel bad about it. Just don't waste them.
--Columnist Steve Merlo can be reached via e-mail at merloworms@earthlink.net
By STEVE MERLO, Bakersfield Californian Contributing columnist
February 19, 2003
I like the taste of deep fried largemouth or smallmouth bass. I don't have them very often, but every once in a while I get a deep craving for bass fillets and I'll take a fish or two home for dinner.
On the other hand, every time I watch a TV fisherman -- heck, any fisherman for that matter -- catch a nice bass and then release it, sometimes with a goodbye kiss like Jimmy Houston does, I feel good.
Practicing catch and release has certainly kept our lakes and reservoirs full of hard-fighting bass. As long as most sportsmen continue along these lines, our fishing heritage can be passed down to our sons, daughters and grandchildren, as well it should be.
But, when I was growing up and learning to fish, the thought of turning a big ol' bass loose to fight again just never entered the picture. Bass were very good to eat (and still are), and that's exactly what we did with them. Doing so was very much accepted by society, and if we were fortunate to catch a few more than the family could put away, the rest were given to needy neighbors. Nothing, and I mean nothing, was ever wasted.
Nowadays, though, it seems that some elitist bassin' fraternity has cropped up that continues to dissuade people from catching and eating what they put in the boat.
Don't get me wrong, because I'm probably a low-numbered, card-carrying member of that same conservationist group of proud anglers who release all or most of what they catch, but sometimes I think we've done too good of a job of putting them back.
A lot of folks fishing our waters, me included, like to string and eat some of what they catch. I get so tired feeling the consternation and guilt about simply wanting to take a few fish home to fry, instead of putting them back "to fight again."
Yes, there are lakes that the continued harvest of big fish has actually hurt populations, like Castaic and Isabella, but there are a lot more around that could sure use good, sane and sound management programs to eliminate excess numbers through harvest.
One principle of fisheries management includes harvesting the excess population through slot or size limits. This means that fishermen can keep fish under or over a certain size and leave the middle age classes for spawning. This works to a degree, but eventually the lake ends up being overcrowded with fish just above or below those restrictions.
Look at Lakes Success or Perris for example. Both are managed for numbers of bass, providing lots of fish-catching fun, but the average fish caught is usually 1/16 of an inch less than the 15-inch keeper size.
Another method is to restrict the entire take, perhaps to a zero-limit, hoping to raise the overall numbers of fish in a given body of water. This technique fails miserably, leaving a whole lot of bass competing for a given amount of forage, and you end up with a bunch of stunted fish.
Lake Barrett is a prime example of a lake with a zero limit. Oh, sure, the fishing is good, but the lake is completely out of balance and the condition of all species is declining. Before long, I see a complete collapse of the lake's fishery.
So where am I going with all this?
Simply put, there's nothing wrong with following the state's statutes and limits and there's nothing wrong with killing and eating a bass or two. There's also nothing wrong with an individual's catch-and-release ethics program, but it is still a personal choice.
I get so irritated every time I hear a bass fisherman say that they caught a big catfish, striper, trout or crappie and threw it back, as if those species were beneath their dignity to be in their boat's live-well. Taking some occasional fish for use at home is a good thing, and that's what it should be, without the irritating, condescending look of snobbery one gets for wanting to eat a legally-taken bass.
My biggest pet peeve in the world, though, is the people who catch bass, dutifully scale, fillet and then freeze them for later use, which never seems to happen. Now, I don't have a problem with them as long as the catch is utilized, but, in a lot of instances, they'll go out and catch another batch this year, toss last season's old, freezer-burned fish into the garbage and then restock their larder with the new. This cycle is damaging to all fisheries resources and is incredibly wasteful, and I do have a problem with them.
Okay, so there are people out there who desire to eat fish but don't want to hurt bass. That's not a problem either because right now, our reservoirs are chock full of many under-utilized and under-harvested species in dire need of harvest management.
Catfish, crappie, stripers, carp (yes, carp), planted trout and crappie swim almost unmolested and by the millions in our local waters, but the emphasis seems to only be on catching bass. Fishing is fishing, and the bass is not the only type of fish in the world.
This spring, when the bite comes on, keep a few to eat if you so desire, and don't feel bad about it. Just don't waste them.
--Columnist Steve Merlo can be reached via e-mail at merloworms@earthlink.net
