How many do you keep?

[stripermania]

I was talking to a guy who said he always takes home what he catches up to his limit. Even if he catches every day for a week he just brings them home and freezes them. I tried to tell the guy that if everyone did that there would be no bass left. IMO, you should only keep what you can immediately use fresh and throw the rest back. What do you do and how do you feel about it?

[Monty]

Last year I kept one that swallowed a pencil popper and released the others. This year I will keep more as famaiay and a neighbor who helps us out have asked for fish. They will be eaten fresh, not frozen. That said I will most likely keep no more than one (most of the time) and depending on where I am fishing, I may take none. I really believe the limit should be one fish at 36 inches or more. What turns my stomach is the charter boats when everyon walks off with two fish, again I really would like the limit set at one fish 36" or more.

[vpass]

Last year I kept one that swallowed a pencil popper and released the others. This year I will keep more as famaiay and a neighbor who helps us out have asked for fish. They will be eaten fresh, not frozen. That said I will most likely keep no more than one (most of the time) and depending on where I am fishing, I may take none. I really believe the limit should be one fish at 36 inches or more. What turns my stomach is the charter boats when everyon walks off with two fish, again I really would like the limit set at one fish 36" or more.

I like to see a tag system where you only allowed somany bass a year.

I kept 3 last year. The year before I only kept 1. This year I already kept 1. I may keep 2 more. I'm very happy with those amount. I do the same with Bluefish.

[wish4fish]

I was talking to a guy who said he always takes home what he catches up to his limit. Even if he catches every day for a week he just brings them home and freezes them. I tried to tell the guy that if everyone did that there would be no bass left. IMO, you should only keep what you can immediately use fresh and throw the rest back. What do you do and how do you feel about it?


keeping every fish is greedy and stupid not thinking about the future. just because the law says its ok doesn't mean its coolhttp://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon13.gif

[BassBuddah]

keeping every fish is greedy and stupid not thinking about the future. just because the law says its ok doesn't mean its coolhttp://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon13.gif

That may be true, but if people are complying with the law it's a stretch to call them greedy. "Stupid" I would agree with because it means they are not focusing on tomorrow. You cannot make evryone care about something as much as you do.

[jimbob]

I usually keep one or two a month, my family eats it and there are so many good ways to eat it. I like to keep a Bass around the holidays for the smoke house it goes over really well at the family partys.

[surfwalker]

Maybe one or two a year, sometimes none. I'm the only one in the family that eats them. They make all kinds of faces when I put it on the table. Sometimes it's not worth getting agita before I even dip a fork into the Bass.

[buckethead]

I keep one a month. I wish more guys would catch and release. I have been reading lots of articles about the striped bass being down in count.

[finchaser]

maybe 2 a year if my daughter asks for them

[voyager35]

I will keep a limit if people have never got any bass before and I know they will eat every bit of them. Otherwise, I'm the captain, and I try to educate anyone coming out with me about catch and release. I also explain and how far we have come in growing our fishery back from what it was when the moratorium was put in place.

[7deadlyplugs]

I try to release as many as I can but sometimes the stomach hunger pains are too strong to over come.

[Frankiesurf]

Three bass in three years. Four blues in that time span.

My next bass that I keep will be my first 30, 40, 50 up to 80 (:naughty:).

[CharlieTuna]

About one a month when I am fishing for them.

[Rickman]

Last year I kept one that swallowed a pencil popper and released the others. This year I will keep more as famaiay and a neighbor who helps us out have asked for fish. They will be eaten fresh, not frozen. That said I will most likely keep no more than one (most of the time) and depending on where I am fishing, I may take none. I really believe the limit should be one fish at 36 inches or more. What turns my stomach is the charter boats when everyon walks off with two fish, again I really would like the limit set at one fish 36" or more.

Wouldn't it be better to keep 1 or 2 24"-28" or so and let anything larger go, esp the breeders? I liked the old system with the slot and 1. Seldom kept more than the slot for the grill.

[Stripercoast1]

I release pretty much all my fish. I am the only one in the house thats eats them. I have a couple of neighbors that are feeling the pinch real bad right now, so I keep one or two, to help them out once in a while. I'll keep a piece of a fillet from one for myself and give them the rest. So far this year I've kept more than last year, 3 fish. I never kill a fish over 35 inches, at 36 you can bet your family, house and dog that it's an egg bearing female.

[JakeF]

If a fish cannot be successfully released for some reason, I will keep it for the table. Last year I kept 3, out of hundreds released successfully. Pictured below are 2 of the 3. The small male had a spinal disorder and needed to be removed from the gene pool, the other inhaled a plug WAY too deep. She was hungry I guess ;). Even then, I did my best to revive her after getting the plug out, despite the fact that there was a school of big bass blitzing in front of me.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/baitrunner/Fishing/Stripers9-13-08-sm.jpg

[JakeF]

By the way,, the "Slow Children" sign is the background is not referring to my kids. The slow kids belong to the neighbor. :naughty: