How Many of you Keep Bass to Eat??

Post by **Wall-I-Guy** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 2:20 pm

Low on my list of keepers for sure

However, I wouldn't refuse a shore lunch of 'em on the rare occassion

especially those tasty 5 lbers

j/k CCB...inhale

The smaller they are the tastier they are IMHO...

Post by **joco** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 5:57 pm

HI all

IN summer i do catch a lot off bass,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i do keep some to eat
and by the way i would(( bet,)),,,,,,that wen you kook some bass and walley in oil and after put some all the fixing,,,,,milk,,,,season coating mix,,,,,there mabe 5% off the fisherman that could realy tell me whitch one is bass or walley,,,,,,,,,,

there is a mutch more diference betwen pike and walley thene bass and walley,,,,,,,,,,

So bass is a very good fish to eat,,,,,,,,

thats my opinon.....i think there to mutch off theme compare to walley,,,,,

in my lake at the cottage the bass,,,,,,,just went big time and now no more minnows perch and sunfish and all,,,,,,the bass population went mabe like 500% there just to mutch bass in that lake so,,,,i do eat some frome there a cople off lunch a year,,,,,,,

joco

Post by **Snidley** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:31 pm

I hate to see people keep Bass period. I live in Toronto and often fish Island lake in Orangeville or Valens or Montsberg and i hope the rubes that keep the Bass out of these impoundments choke on them. Those fish in the 3-4lb size are probably 15 year old or older. Mucho effort has gone into creating a decent habitat for them and careless garbage strewing meatheads will come in and keep everything they catch. They always uselive bait (which the "Conservation Authorities" actually sell) and they treat these recreational resources like a deep discount (read free) grocery store. MANY do not have licences(the Ministry guy beats a path between Montsberg and Valens all season) and nothing seems to slow them down. The philistines at Vaens even hold a catch and keep biggest Bass "Tournament" twice a year. This on an impoundment that is measured in the low number of Acres. Needless to say the fishing has fallen off dramatically especially at Valens. Bass are sport fish, period. Try the keeping Bass ethic in places like Texas or Arkansas and the good old boys will stroll over and blow your head off. It should not come as a suprise then that about every 100 fish you catch in Texas is a 10+ pounder. Ontario anglers slaughter mega numbers of Steelhead, walleye, Pike and other fish that we should be putting back. In the USA the catch and release ethic for Bass, especially in southernstates has createds a real respect for the resource. Eat Crappie, Perch, Sunfish etc but put the Bass back. If we do so in short order there will be no need for a season for Bass because the big strong older fish will live for 20-25 years providing great fun for anglers of all ages and the respect anglers develop by partaking in catch and release will overlap into other species so that we don't have to impose restrictive measures for those fish as well. As a final thought if you have to eat Bass there are farm raised Bass available at Chinese grocery stores in all major cities. Let em swim Snidley

Post by **duber** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:53 pm

I don't go bass fishing to get supper . But I will keep some bass a couple times a year . I can't belive all the people that think they don't taste good . I have never had a bad tasting one . I fish mudcat (bullheads) to eat ! They are my favorite supper . I also like pike , walleye, perch,panfish and speckies . I hear that ling is good as well but I have never had the chance to try them . I have no problem keeping any fish
I catch to eat . If I keep some I only keep enough for my own family eat . What I don't like to see is guys who have so much fish in the freezer that they have to give it away when they get more . Somebody wrote something about not keeping bass in the Bay of Quinte . I live on the B.o.Q. and when i can go out any time of the year and catch 20 or 30 bass in a day and some days you can't catch a single walleye I would think you would do the fishery better to keep the odd bass instead of the walleye . The bass and pike fishing here is awsome but everybody wants to fish walleye .

Post by **joco** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:58 pm

HI all

I do keep some for eating and i am not feeling bad about it,,,,i do about 3 to 4 bass luntch a year,,,,and they taste realy good,,,,,,,,i think there is just to mutch off theme in (((some place)) and that for some place in the usa they protect them i think more for the monney$ thene for species itself,,,,,,its realy bring people wen you catch some 10 pound and over
so you keep theme get biger and (( they will come))the fisherman,,,,its more an economic thing I think,,,,,,,they wont stop the multi milion dollars derby,,,,to help the fisherie,,,,,,wuy pprotect more the bass thene let say
catfish?or perch?or walley?wy protect so mutch the bass,,,,,,,i do realeas theme in the ottawa and rideau rivers,,,,,because they get a lot off abuse over there,,,,,,,,but there some place,,,they just never saw a lures and there tons off them its almost scary,,,,,,

and wen they get to mutch off theme they take control off the other species,,,,,(smaller then theme and in there zone,,,,,,,

thats my opinion,,,,,,,

take care guys

joco

Post by **big-o** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 7:18 pm

Thanks Guys and Gals...for your honest response...this is not a thread to debate wether it is RIGHT or WRONG to keep bass, please keep it to Yes I do and Like it, or no I don't.... again I stress this thread was started to find out there are more catch and release people, or more like me who will take bass home for dinner, ....In RJ's thread he wanted to know why the bass season closes so early in some zones, just as the fall bass fishing gets hot....there was a response that the catch and keep guys, may wipe out a fishery in three or four years(in some cases), if the season was extented! So far I think the catch and release guys are in majority, with only two full time Meat guys, and the rest will eat only a few small bass , but would prefer a walleye

Post by **toobinator** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 7:25 pm

Big-O: this may come as a total suprise, but I have brought bass home to eat. I am not a big fresh water fish eater, but if a bass has engulfed a lure and I feel he will be floating belly up in a short time, then home he comes. I didn't bring any home last year, I believe 2 the year before that. Not a lot to be sure but I would be a liar if I said I never brought 1 home.

Ed Toobinator Puddephatt

Post by **big-o** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 7:30 pm

ED .....My heart is a lot Stronger than I thought

Thanks for your response, and that brings up another good question, if you are fun fishing and are a catch and release person ,or prefishing for a tournament, and you get a fish that is gill hooked or not going to survive..what do you do with it??????

Post by RJ » Sun Mar 27, 2005 7:44 pm

Ed,

You just wanted your tube back....

I know everyone loves to catch and keep walleyes...but to me....in this area....it is the most pressured fish there is....rarely do any get put back....and nobody EVER screams about their return to the water the way bass get put up on a pedestal for release....Why is that?.....

Great responses guys!

RJ

Post by **Gordo** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 7:47 pm

Hey Big-O great topic, I have kept some bass in the past (4 + years ago), but now I let them go. There is a guy at our camp ground who catches a ton of bass and keeps them all the time (anything over 3 lbs he keeps). It is his right to do it I just wish that he would throw the big fellas back and keep a few small ones instead. The funny thing is he doesn't normally eat them cause he hates to clean 'em, so he puts them in a cage by his boat and offers them to other folks on the campground (they never go to waste).

Gordo

Post by **big-o** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 7:52 pm

Good point RJ....you never hear to many storys of released walleyes, Well maybe at Quinte....

Post by RJ » Sun Mar 27, 2005 8:00 pm

At Quinte.....Yes......around here?....never.....and I'd bet the walleye fishery around here is the most fragile....to catch and keep anglers....

RJ

Post by **Moosebunk** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 8:03 pm

Kept a feed of bass with Laker_taker and friends probably 8 to 10 years back. They tasted OK if I remember, but haven't had any since.

Post by **Nassau Frank** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 8:04 pm

Last Fall my wife and I kept one to eat. I was very dissapointed. I guess the reason is that in the southen US- where I grew up- bass grow quickly so a 2.5 lber is a younger fish than in Ontario where a 2.5 lber may be what? - 3-5 years old. That's a tough fish. This year it's release them all and keep a walleye,perch or pan fish to eat because I do love my fried fish & hushpuppies.

Post by **steve-hamilton** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 8:07 pm

"and nobody EVER screams about their return to the water the way bass get put up on a pedestal for release....Why is that?....."

because walleye are usually a put and take species. the government spends a lot of money stocking walleye, and special interest groups also do the same....

you never hear of bass getting stocked. secondly, walleye dont really fight. they are a boring fish for the most part. their use for most that fish for them is food.

bass on the other hand, usually get caught for sport. you want to keep them, fine.

but if you have the choice of a natural bass, or the common stocked pickerel, take the eater fish.

its too bad people are going to start keeping bass at Quinte. The reason they are doing so well is everyone fishes for walleye. now that they can't catch 20 an outing, they want to keep their bass....

i talked to three groups last summer, staying out of baycrest, that said they were ONLY keeping the bass cause they couldn't catch walleye....

That sucks. Put the bass back.

Oh well. Can't always get what ya want....

as for catch and release guys that gut hook. 9 out of 10 times, if the BASS looks like its going to die, i still let it go, and hope for the best. maybe it survives, maybe a bird or turtle eats it. Either way, at least i didn't decide its demise.