keep em or not ?

The only problem I have are with the people who keep everything they catch and then turn around and complain that the creeks are fished out.

ORIGINAL: coldfront

with the prices of groceries, the price of gas, the cost of just going fishing, it makes sense to feed yourself and your family once in awhile. if one choses to release all, God bless them, it's their choice.

Agreed... I myself just never really thought to keep them... But now the funny thing since opening day I haven't caught a walleye over 13" >.> just my luck...

I don't mind keeping a few here and there. I usually am suckered into keeping just about anything legal my 6 year old catches so we can show everyone. However, I get really annoyed by people who try to keep fish that I catch. I dont mind giving one or two to a family member or friend, but when random strangers start asking because they can't catch anything, I get annoyed.... My theory is, you want it, you catch it yourself.

I only keep the baby fish that I see swimming around with their parents...

If its put and take water, rope em and smoke em. Fry/fingerling stocked(non-trout included) only a couple. Wild fish, leave them be except maybe one here and there(thriving panfish excluded). But that's just me.

Watch the Amish at Pymatuning on Saturdays.  They keep everything.............

Why would the PFBC and Ohio DNR just start to now fine the Amish?
 
I have a hard time believing that PFBC and Ohio's DNR would fine one group of anglers but not another...that is against the very oath they took when commissioned as WCOs 
 
 

you pay for it.  Eat it if you want.

I keep the Walleye, Perch and Steelhead that I catch on Lake Erie. Don't keep bass though. If I catch a trout locally, I keep it as well. I don't keep Walleye that I catch on the local rivers. The only time I have keep Walleye out of the river is when I caught them at Emlenton.
 
Back in '98, I caught an 11.5 lb Walleye that I got mounted. To this day, I regret having done that. That would've been some good eating.  

pwk5017

For the most part I agree with everyone's views;however, I am one of the people that can get jammed up over this topic.  One, I am irked by those who keep a limit everytime they go out.  We arent in 1492 anymore, it is a very real possibility to hurt a fishery through over harvesting.  Since we arent in 1492 anymore, it isnt a necessity to catch your breakfast, lunch and dinner.  As a sportsman, I just dont see a place for heavy harvesting.  Would you rather catch more 10" bass or more trophy bass? It is a serious reality.  A 20" smallmouth is about 10+ years old.  It is rare enough that a fish grows to that level in our rivers and streams, but what do you think happens to those percentages when you have a bunch of yahoos harvesting smallies "cause they're in season"?  As a final note, have you all ever fished spring creek? What do you think catch and release has done for that stream--hurt or made it a blue ribbon gem?

I dont want to see harvesting disappear from the sport, because I think it is a part of it, but I would like to see a more widespread respect for the resource, and not so much greed over "getting one's share".

p.s. I cant tell you the last time I harvested a freshwater fish, but I do keep a limit of chicken dolphins once a year on vacation for an enormous family dinner.

 
I agree with you.  A giant smallmouth can be 10+ years old.  It takes them a long time to grow that large.  Again, I have no problem with people keeping fish, but I agree with your statement about keeping fish just because they are "in season".  I can't help but have some respect for an animal that has managed to evade Birds, other fish, humans, snakes, turtles, pollution, and fishermen for that long.  I throw them back.  As for the Dolphin, they grow and breed so quickly, and live such short lives that fishermen can take and take without hurting the population.  They are the ultimate keeper fish in my opinion.  They both taste fantastic and reproduce and grow quickly.  Best of both worlds.  Now, if we could only have the same with Asian Carp...........

If you're going to eat them, keep them.  If they are legal size and you have a valid license it's no one elses business what you keep.  Personally I rarely keep a freshwater fish except for annual panfish frys.  Saltwater, that's a different story.  If I am going to eat them I keep them!

I practice C&R.Mainly because of all the polution in the water ways..Well really I don't like cleaning them..I would hope that most of us would return the fish,so our rivers and lakes do not end up like KPD.

JEB

dajigdog

I don't mind keeping a few here and there. I usually am suckered into keeping just about anything legal my 6 year old catches so we can show everyone. However, I get really annoyed by people who try to keep fish that I catch. I dont mind giving one or two to a family member or friend, but when random strangers start asking because they can't catch anything, I get annoyed.... My theory is, you want it, you catch it yourself.

You don't nee to keep them to show them off. Take a picture. I do keep a few here and there for family members. But it depends on a few things for me.
If I am fishing a lake in the extended early season or ice fishing that is going to be re-stocked prior to opening day. I might keep some.

If i'm stream fishing at the end of May or early June, I might keep a few. H20 is getting warmer and the stress of being caught will usually kill them.
But in April I will let them go unless they are injured. This way the creek has less of a chance of getting fished out and provides some more oppurtunities for other anglers.
The stockies are a put and take resource, however I like to release as many back into  the streams for a long as the stream will allow them to survive. Not all of them die out, I have caught trout in July and August in the streams that warm up. If they find a shady area of an undercut bank or a small trib flowing cooler water in some can and do survive.
But it is a matter of individual choice, and keeping 5 a day is legal.

I would like to see the PFBC change the limit to 3 year around, not just in the fall. 
Limits of 8 were just crazy, 5 is still alot, 3 would be ok by me !

Yep, nows the time to load up on pelletheads in warm streams and lakes. Put them out of their miseries.

Here's my $0.02 as well,
 
Trout-for stocked trout in the put and take streams that eventually get too warm I can care less if people keep them or not.  Then there's poaching on the other hand in special regualation stocked streams that can and do hold trout year round.  Why can't people just obey the rules?  The wild trout streams I fish the fish are mostly sublegal.  Although there are a few big ones in every stream, I can't see any of them getting havested,  I I would be pretty mad if they do. 
 
I occasionally keep a walleye, I won't keep every legal one I catch, but maybe a couple a year.  I just like catching them.  I guess keeping a bass here and there may be okay, but taking them out by the stringer full might dent the population since they aren't stocked.  I have never kept a bass.  For panfish, just keep what you can eat.  I don't really get that upset about it, but I think people constantly bringing in there limit of crappie and such day after day is crazy.  Keep a couple, release the rest. 
 
Just today I saw some people with stingers full of catfish, maybe 20 or so on 2 stringers.  Although the river has a lot of them, keeping that many I think is too much, especially if it is done a lot. 
 
Yes, I get very irritated by people asking for my fish.  If they want a fish, catch one.  And I've seen many people litterally keep everything they catch, even little 4in. gills, crappie, and green sunfish.  That to me is crazy.  Just go to the Shenango in Jamestown on that fishing platform, it happens every time I'm there.  Sad.
 
 

i don't really keep many fish. when i do, they're usually perch or crappie, but i won't keep or eat any fish caught after mid may. i just think they taste better from cold water.
 
i will however have a trout fishin friend get me 3 trout a year from mammoth park. as they have no chance whatsoever for survival. i like to use them for cut bait in put and take lakes. the cats tend to go for them pretty readily.