Colorado beast

Bluegills-

7-9″ eat

10-1/2″= mounter

Crappies-
10-12″ eat

16″ = mounter

perch-
10-12″ eat

15″= mounter

Saugers
12-1/2″ to 18″ eat

24″= mounter

Walleyes
15″-19″ eat

29-30″= mounter

Bass
23″ largmeouth= mounter
23″ smallmouth= mounter (I have a largemouth and smallmouth on the wall that are under this guideline, but now that I am older, and I deal with these fish regularly, I see that they are more important in the system they came out of. If I caught some kind of freak fish, I might just have to get it mounted, otherwise, i put them back!
i’ve eaten one in my life, because it died on me

yes, please don’t eat those, I heard they are poisoness!

Welcome to IDO Shorelineangler

big G

First off, welcome to IDO shorelineangler

I am a very lucky dude and I have a great wife that lets me fish at least 3 times a week. For me that means a lot of trips are total catch and release. If I want a fish fry normally a dozen or so fish come home with me. It is on a very rare occasion that I am trying to keep a limit.

With that said…..

I love the flavor of gills in the 7-8.5 inch range.
I would like something over 10 inches for the wall.

When it comes to eating crappies I believe it is hard to beat the 9-11 inch specks but have kept the 12 inchers and start to release at 13 inches.

I have a 15 inch crappie on the wall now so I would be looking for something that really caught my eye.

I keep walleyes from 15-19 inches and release everything larger. Myself I like to eat the 14 – 18 inch saugers that are becoming abundant on pool 8.
I’m still looking for that 10 pound fish for the wall.

I’m not much of a bass fisherman (unless Blue Fleck ask me out ) but wouldn’t mind a toad smallie to look at

I do get an opportunity to fish Musky a few times a year and would love to put a 48 plus inch replica on the wall to go with the 40 inch pike I now have.

The one thing I always try to keep in mind, the trophy is in the eye of the beholder and everyone has the right to keep what they want as long as things are legal

Gills 8″ up eat 10 1/2 wall

Perch 10″ up eat 16″ wall

Crappies 10″ up eat 17″ wall

Smallmouth 21″ wall

Largemouth 10 pounds wall

Walleye 14-17″ eat 30″or true 10 pounds wall

Pike 25 up eat 20 pounds wall

Muskies will eat one when and IF it dies. First Iowa 50″ replica

We only keep enough on stock for a few meals though. Rest get CPR

The length of fish for my skillet can very. Depends how badly the family wants a fry or how overun that body of water is. Have to say though–I have one rock bass on the wall and want to add some more! Maybe this year!

–Whitey

thanks guys just wanted to say my minimum walleye eat size would be higher but but our lake up north has a two fish limit. one under 14 and one over 14. sometimes it is hard to get your two fish cause 13 is just too small in my mind so you have to hold out for that 13.5 or the 13.75 or a 13.875. two fish limit kind of stinks but the fishery has just been amazing lately.

I guess I never really put a hard-core size to what I keep and throw back. Common sense needs to prevail. Take a lake in Southeastern WI. You have a 500 acre lake with about 150 acres of suitable habbitat. Now apply creel or netting samples to to your habitat. Walleyes may be at 2.8/acres for mature fish – that means nearly a million angling man(or woman) hours are targeted at 420 fish…now catch and release is SO important. Another body of water of equal size may be at 34/acre = 5100 fish – I’ll take a few there.

Even with gills, lakes that are over-populated and stunted are perfect for catching coon bait for trapping. Other lakes of quality fish are pounded so hard, it doesn’t make sense to keep any.

I did set a min limit for mounting gills though. 12″ min. My youngest daughter has caught two that were just shy if a true 12″ and she had to pass. I have 1 over 13″ from Mendota and years ago, had caught them at 12″ from the stumps fields on the Miss. Wish I had the money then to mount it as I will probaly never see one like that again. I do have a video of it for memory sake.

For walleyes, the only mounts I have looked at that I liked were group mounts of 3-4# fish. Many of the big pigs often look fake to me when mounted so I don’t have the interest. My largest walleye was 34-1/2″ and just spawned out in the Wisconsin River. Ironicly, it stunk so bad like muck when you held it.

My Mother mounted a 3# largemouth she caught while fishing eyes with me. Cool looking mount with an awsome story behind it. I have a LM & SM bass mounted each at 5#. 1 died in the live well and the other was hook so bad in the gills and bled to death. Well enough rambling, just my 2cents

This is a cool post! Welcome to IDO shorelineangler!

bluegill- 8-9″ eat

11″ trophy

crappies- 10-13″ eat

17″ trophy

walleye- 14-19″ eat

30″ trophy

smallies- all released

23″ trophy

largies- all released

24″ trophy

muskies- all released

55″ trophy (has to be a girthy fish too)

perch- 10-13″ eat

14″ trophy

pike- all released

42″ trophy (better be girthy)

And when I say trophy, I do mean replica unless the fish may die for some reason.

hi Shorelineangler,
Welcome to IDA..

Bluegills-

8″ eat

11+ ==mount

Crappies-
10-12″ eat

14+ = mount

Saugers
16-18″ eat

23″ mount

Walleyes
16-18″ eat

29-30″ += mount

Mounting any fish is an angler’s right, and I’ve done some small fish for people with a “special situation” fish. I like doing 1st fish for youngsters.
Have a great Season, everyone.
Jack.

Quote:

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This is a cool post! Welcome to IDO shorelineangler!

bluegill- 8-9″ eat
11″ trophy
crappies- 10-13″ eat
17″ trophy
walleye- 14-19″ eat
30″ trophy
smallies- all released
23″ trophy
largies- all released
24″ trophy
muskies- all released
55″ trophy (has to be a girthy fish too)
perch- 10-13″ eat
14″ trophy
pike- all released
42″ trophy (better be girthy)

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I couldnt agree more with your standards! I am in the same boat..

Pics sent to me from a buddy in Wyoming.

holy crap!!! How wide would he go

If I ever got two shoot a muley like that I would never hunt them again. Be hard to top that

Yeah, He’d make ya shake.

you think thats a cross breed? There are no points on him that resemble a muley

What a freaking hog! I have seen a couple big ones like this in the Slater Co.

That thing is huge!

Its not that big.

OMG Big Muleys are finding a bigger place in my heart for something I love to pursue.

Great photos! Do you know how they were taken? Was through digiscoping?

Thats it Wayne, I am definately coming with on one of your road trips next fall and meet some of your friends out there, maybe have to bring the bow or gun with!

I know a guy that has several large mullies under his belt. He has told me that their ears are 22-24 inches wide when layed flat on a mature buck. Looks like he’s over 30 for sure!

Man, That’s one awesome buck. I don’t know much about Muleys, but I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him. I’d love to get a chance to hunt Muleys some day.