Catch and release is fine, to a degree. Taking too many fish out of any given fishery can cause problems. Not taking enough out of some lakes can cause even more problems.
What is arguably the best bass lake in Mississippi ran into problems a few years ago because of catch and release. None of the bass fishermen were keeping fish except for the wallhangers. There were still plenty of big bass left over from the original stocking, but there were just herds of 12" and shorter fish that weren't growing. More is not necessarily better.
The limit on largemouth was raised to 30 as I recall, with some sort of slot to protect the bigger fish. This was done in an effort to maintain the quality of the bass population and to produce the biggest bass possible.
Catch and release is not the only management tool and I don't hear it pushed much anymore, largely because bass population management has evolved and is no longer so basic.
What do I do if I catch a five pound largemouth? Same thing I do with 35 pound redfish...take a picture and throw them back. Now if you're a 1-2 pound largemouth...look out, you're headed to the dinner table! (I threw in the redfish so this is ALMOST about saltwater.)
I strongly disagree with blackdogsrule and feel he should not have said anything. IMO, he has no right to criticize, particularly since he has no idea what the circumstances are behind the catch. They could have come from a stocked pond, over-populated fishery or intended for a church fish fry. Regardless, it was just rude and uncalled for.
Anyone who thinks catch and release is the global answer to fishery management is blatantly wrong. Any biologist will agree as will any bass fishermen who have fished and understand what goes into a quality fishery.
Last edited by skwerlkiller; 01/06/11.
