Ice fishing for small mouth bass. Harmfull or harmless?

[Fishing 24/7]

Well guys i have to ask this very importnat question.

 

what do you think about ice fishing for bass?

 

iv hear some of you get pretty upset about it. but here in quebec the season is open and its very legal.

 

but first here are the facts!

 

when im ice fishing for bass.

 

i get them shallow i mean not more than 15 FOW.

 

i dont go ice fishing when the weather is -20 oC so there gils and eyes are fine.

 

i catch and release them all the time i dont eat bass.

 

i want to know what you think about this.

 

and if someone has the fact about this not beeing good i have to know.

 

i dont want to harm my preciouse lakes for the futur of angling !

 

all comment are welcome on this topic

Edited March 3, 2010 by fishing 24/7

[Spiel]

No worries, I think you have all your ducks in a row.

[Terry]

it's when water is above 80 f that mortality rates increase in bass for catch and release, in real cold weather you only need to worry that their eyes don't freeze

other wise no sweat

[JohnF]

How late do they actually start getting into nesting mode?

 

JF

[pike slayer]

if its legal in your area then i dont see a problem.

if you catch and release only then just follow good releasing practices like normal

keep laying into the pigs!

[blarg]

Unless you're eating them, which I generally don't do, I don't see the point. Relatively speaking how can any game fish caught through the ice fight anything like they do in the summer, i would rather see them caught in the summer. For me ice fishing is just a way of getting fish on the table, catching a 'fighting' fish for sport through the ice doesn't make sense to me.

 

But to each his own, i don't begrudge anyone for doing it if it is legal.

[Terry]

Unless you're eating them, which I generally don't do, I don't see the point. Relatively speaking how can any game fish caught through the ice fight anything like they do in the summer, i would rather see them caught in the summer. For me ice fishing is just a way of getting fish on the table, catching a 'fighting' fish for sport through the ice doesn't make sense to me.

 

But to each his own, i don't begrudge anyone for doing it if it is legal.

 

why would fighting/catching any GameFish in the winter be any different then fight them in the summer, except jumping fish can't jump

 

I don't get your comments

and I would say lake trout fight harder in the winter

 

and you should try carp through the ice, no there is some fun

[pike slayer]

what a thrill fighting a fish with a little tiny rod and the added difficulty of getting him up through the hole. and your limited to where you can go. your basically stuck at one spot on the lake and cant troll or work areas for fish and also the added difficulty lures, theres a limited amount of lures for ice fishing compared to soft water fishing.

[Guest steel'n'esox]

Bass fishing is legal in Quebec lucky for you, as a previous thread said you are doing all things right in pursuing your sport, far better than the bent jaw holds I see Bass guys do for their glory shots, and been cramed into a livewell with 4 other bass driving around a lake waiting for weigh in, only to be taken out once again for more bent jaw pictures and released back into the lake

[solopaddler]

Has someone been sending you nasty pm's?

Don't worry about it bud, it's only harmul if you keep and kill them.

Just like in the late fall the smallies are vulnerable in the winter 'cause they school up sometimes in pretty big pods.

[Fishing 24/7]

nope no pm's just wondering why people stop replying on my threads.

 

seems like people dont apreciate the reports about small mouth beeing caught in the winter times.

 

iv heard enough.

 

im a C& R only guy.

 

so i dont see any harm done to these fish.

 

on my reports iv seen people BASH me for catching them thru the ice. yet no one has ''proven'' to me that its harmfull..

 

 

ill keep you guys updated on this specific lake.

 

as I am maybe the best resource there is out there.

 

i will be targetting small mouth threw the whole year winter , summer and fall.

 

so for the next 5 years.

 

keep reading these reports. and if the small mouth get rare then.

 

its harmfull.

 

if its gets better.

 

 

then its harmeless

[irishfield]

Post a report about your favourite shoe laces and you'll get replies 24/7.. seems to be where we've gone in the last year or so...

 

Nobody seems interested enough to respond to the actual fishing reports anymore.

 

As far as I'm concerned, bass should be open all year everywhere in Ontario. Few eat them anyhow.. can't see it denting the population.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i enjoy your posts. i don't always leave a comment but i read every single one.

[pike slayer]

yup same here. i enjoyed reading them and i think i actually did post on your last one.

i dont see why ppl dont keep more bass to eat they are quite tasty

[Syn]

fishing 24/7 I take issue with miss stephanie out-fishing you most of the time in your postings. Come on you're making us males look bad. kudos to her.

 

I enjoy your posts and from the smiles on your faces its nice to see you're all having a good time fishing.

Edited March 4, 2010 by Syn

[Roy]

Yup, what Syn said. Keep up the good work, Kevin. I know that I appreciate and look forward to your reports.

[singingdog]

As far as I'm concerned, bass should be open all year everywhere in Ontario. Few eat them anyhow.. can't see it denting the population.

 

Agreed. The fisheries folks in south/central Ontario seem to think that our bass are far more fragile than their northern cousins in Quebec, Wisconsin and Northern Ontario. The bass season here is ridiculously short.

 

24/7: keep up the good work. I love the fish pics, but have never understood the draw of ice fishing.

[Fishing 24/7]

thanks guys.

 

well seems like the biologist are not on this site.

 

cause i cant see any negative tought about ice fishing for small mouth!

[Guest steel'n'esox]

I enjoy your big winter smallmouth reports as well, and 2nd Waynes thoughts on them been open year round, except at spawning time as they are very protective of there nest, the guys who go out and fish for them at that time do far more harm to the resourse even by releasing them

[Abraxus]

I read and enjoy your reports as well.

 

Ab

Edited March 4, 2010 by Abraxus

[smally21]

ive always wondered why i never catch bass in the winter. when i fish for perch or walleye or pike on softwater i catch tons of bass. when i ice fish for these species thru the ice i never catch any bass. come to think of it i never catch any perch pike or walleye thru the ice either...

[xeon]

It does the same harm as catching any other spring spawner in the winter. I SAID IT! And catching fish in the winter also does as much or less damage as catching fish in the summer. If someone doesn't like it, and its legal, who cares. Everybody always mixes up the difference between ethics and the law.

 

Just to make myself clear, I'm on your side for this one.