Do you always throw back the big fish?

[bhearsum]

I've been lurking on these forums for awhile now and I've noticed that pretty much every thread about a big fish talks about releasing them. I understand throwing them back to breed again but are there others why people do so? I have to admit, my first instinct would be to keep it for food. (I'm new-ish to fishing - not trying to stir anything up here.)

[Syn]

The big fish pike, bass are old and hard. Would you eat an old chicken?

I'd rather eat the smaller younger ones.

 

There are ministry rules to what size you can keep and which you have to put back.

 

"big" is a relative term. 53" muskie ---who would want to eat that?

53" tuna, or salmon should be ok to eat.

 

Here is the guide which also talks about Contaminants levels in fish and how much you can eat.

http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/en/water/fishguide/guides.php

Edited August 16, 2009 by Syn

[Cudz]

I throw back big fish. That is my personal choice though. To each their own. If I wan to keep anything I will go out for 30 minutes and catch decent perch and keep about 6 for dinner. I will also keep one whitefish or smaller laker every now and then.

[Paully]

I try to keep the smaller ones myself

just because they taste better.

[Nippissinger]

Big ones ALWAYS go back.....

 

As SYN has stated, the contaminant level increases with the size and age. Only common sense that the lomger the fish lives, the more it will ingest...

Plus the bigger fish are also the good breeding gene...

The slots or keepers are always better tasting, and if you want a mount now a days, the taxi's don't use the fish for mounts. Most just go by the pics and measurements to build ur trophy.

 

"A picture is worth a thousand words"

 

Take a few quick pics then release so others can enjoy the fight....

 

Will

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

preserving the genetics of trophy fish seems worth it to me. plus, as others have stated, the smaller fish are much more palatable.

[Terry]

yup, smaller fish taste better and are healthier

big fish lay lots of eggs and I get more enjoyment from catching a big fish then eating it , if I release it there is a chance I can catch it again

 

plus I don't want to be one of those guys that keep everything then ask gee whiz, what happened to all the big fish I use to catch here. they all seem to be gone

 

but that's just me

[MCTFisher9120]

Bass is all we keep alongside a rare pike catch. If the pike were 30" or bigger CPR would be in effect. As for bass, nothing bigger than 2 lbs i will take anymore. Last year I kept some bigger fish and well didn't know or have the equipment to get a good photograph in the boat so fish were always brough back to camp.

 

Long story short this year i have kept 3 bass in the 1-1.8lb range and a pike that was 3.4lbs.

 

Catch

Photograph

Release

=CPR

[splashhopper]

I started releasing most fish I catch this year...

I do keep perch and will likely keep a small rainbow or two...

the rest go back in the river to swim another day..

 

It is really "the hunt" for the fish that keeps me pumped up on fishing... not so much the meal.

 

 

That being said....

 

Some responses on this thread seem to suggest that the bigger fish have better gene pools...

how do they get big in they first place? They have to live..... one way or another they gotta have a chance to live....

[Terry]

yeah, but big fish you know can reproduce big fish..so you want them to reproduce

 

but small fish are a crap shoot

 

that's why they use the same bull for sperm

the top race horses, they are proven

[taildancer66]

any walleye i catch over slot size(18") goes back. i'll take a couple of pics if it's big enough, then back in the water asap. we have a great fishery in red lake and i believe most locals do the same.

[Rich Clemens]

I release just about everything I catch. I may keep a couple bass or a mess of crappy for a fish fry, but that's about it.

[lunkerbasshunter]

unless its not going to make it i throw back the big fish

 

Cheers!

[Mike the Pike]

I only eat Walleye but when I get a big one she goes back.

 

I once read the average female Walleye lays 14 000 to 19 000 eggs where a walleye over 30 inches in the 11 to 12 pound range can lay up

65 000 eggs so this fish contributes alot during spawning.

 

I have caught some big walleye in Quinte who took the hook too deep and died they were consumed not wasted but I found the larger fish not as good to eat.

 

Its a matter of choice I just respect the big females who are a major producer to our fisherie.

 

MTP

[Burning Babies]

My reasons for releasing big fish, in order:

 

Maintaining population structure

Maintaining genetic stock

Smaller fish taste better

Fiberglass reproductions last longer

 

I don't get bent out of shape about someone keeping an occasional big fish however.

[Gerritt]

Someone have multiple accounts??

[bhearsum]

Thanks for all the replies folks - I feel more educated on this subject now!

[smally21]

there was a picture on the longpoint page about an unnamed charter showing 68 bass laid out on the lawn. how many of those fish will get eaten? you know as well as i do they will sit in a tupperware container in the freezer "til we have enough for a big feed" then 4 months later they'll be found and chucked out. killed for no reason. of every picture we see of a nice fat bass that "was released" half are taken on shore with the guys car in the background - that fish is dead. worm filled, slimy, soft fleshed largemouth yum!!! the piles of giant walleye dragged up on downriggers seem to get released as well but they always seem to be laid out on cardboard with a knife in the picture. as much as recreational angling will never touch commercial fishing numbers i still shake my head at people keeping big fish.

however having said that the conservation gurus set these limits and i trust they know what they are doing.

at the end of the day anyone not going over their limit is guilty of nothing.

[danbouck]

If it's within the regs you can do as you please

 

I do not keep big fish because I am never given the chance. Not that I'd keep them anyway

[bbog]

Big ones always go back (assuming they will survive). Only keep what I will eat and I choose not to eat older and prime breeders.

[Ben_Daniels]

I don't really like fish ....I think I've kept 3 fish in the past 5 years, all smaller fish that were just barely legal to keep, the flesh always tastes better on the smaller ones!

 

-Ben

[Spiel]

"Do you always throw back the big fish?"

 

Well I could reply with an indepth answer and relate all the varibles that may arise when deciding whether to keep or release but the short answer is, NO!

[bigfish1965]

I think it is quite amazing how, over the last 15 to 20 years, the entire ethos of anglers has changed and most everyone is onboard with the CPR and selective harvest.

The effects are obvious and fishing opportunities remain as good as they have been in spite of reduced stocking and resources.

It is a testament to all those who have shown responsibility of ownership of our resources.

The science is behind slot limits and we have seen the success of it.

[Kinger]

Big Fish = quick picture and back in the water.

Especially the females, come on now. I think you have to be pretty ignorant to keep giant female fish.

They are miracles and have amazing genes and instincts to have reached such a size.

Those are the fish you want reproducing!!

 

MMMMmmmMMmm this 48" Northern sure tastes like bum.

[brifishrgy]

Big fish get released unless they are eyes from Erie .. then they are on the menu .. have kept some bigger bass because of excessive bleeding and the odd tourney loss fish