If you ever want too see harvesting of big fish, look to panfish and wiping out a resource.
Sure am glad laws finally came around to regulate the harvest of them. That’s a fish that takes a beating and can suffer from over harvest.
Its still being done though…
Pike harvest has been similar. That’s why the bag limit is 10 on small ones.
Regs only go so far. It takes more voluntarily release to fix the problem.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Buffalo Fishhead wrote:</div>
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>big_g wrote:</div>
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Buffalo Fishhead wrote:</div>
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>big_g wrote:</div>
Just think if everybody threw every fish they ever caught back… you could walk across the lakes on the backs of all the big fish. There needs to be a balance in nature… and yes, we are a part of nature.If those big fish would all be released there would be a balance of nature, it is called natural mortality.
Buffalo Fishhead
Hence my last line…. “WE” are part of nature (natural mortality). We often think so much of ourselves being so superior, that we forget where we came from.
While I agree we (humans) are part of nature, “we” have little to do with natural mortality in a fish population.
We have everything to do with angling mortality.
Buffalo Fishhead
So you are saying man is different from a Bear when he eats a big salmon in what way ? Now if the Bear just went down to the creek to see what Big Salmon he could “catch” and then let them go, that would not be considered natural. So technically, one could say, man eating big fish or any fish for that matter, is natural. Catching them over and over, hoping they survive would not be natural. That I am on board with.
LOL – what’s natural about the way we catch them? The real point is that we have an ability to truly exploit pretty much any resource we want, and a choice about whether or not to do it.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BigWerm wrote:</div>
Here’s a good article on the topic.
http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/why-you-should-always-always-always-release-big-fish/Is it a good article? Many here have read studies saying the older the fish gets the less viable the eggs become, this article is saying almost exact opposite with no studies to back it up.
I guess I trust the head of Saskatchewan’s Hatcheries, and I haven’t seen any walleye specific studies to the contrary, but am open to reading them. Also, volume matters, even if a big walleye produces less viable eggs (which this expert doesn’t think is true, “They get better and better as they age, and never reach their peak.”) the volume of eggs would make up for all or most of that difference. Per the article an 11 pound big old female walleye produces about 300k eggs, a 2-3 pounder produces 20-30% of that (90k). So the old walleye’s eggs would have to have a less than 30% viability, while the 2-3 pounder has 100% viability for the smaller walleye produce as much or more.
And regardless of your beliefs on this, IMO you can’t catch 30″+ walleye if people don’t release the 25″+.
And you can’t catch a 35″ walleye if people don’t release the 30″ walleye. 
And you can’t catch a 35″ walleye if people don’t release the 30″ walleye.
yes that too!
And regardless of your beliefs on this, IMO you can’t catch 30″+ walleye if people don’t release the 25″+.
good fisheries produce trophy fish irregardless of harvesting practices.
These are the waters that consistently put out big fish.
Still waiting for that 35″ though
Which is why good fisheries are so rare?
I fish more than most people. I’ve been on the water for 217 days already this year(180 in 2019, 193 in 2018, 213 in 2017, and 233 in 2016). I am 99% a catch and release fisherman. I don’t specifically target trophy fish. I have never caught a fish that I would consider being a true trophy size fish of its species. Why is that? I attribute it to the fact that people are selfish. The greatest gift I can give another fisherman is the ability to catch the fish I just caught by releasing it. It is obvious to me that selective harvest has not caught on among enough of the fishing public at large. It is really quite sad. I have released several dozen 12″ to 14″ crappies into Platte/Sullivan in the last 18 years in hopes that 17″ or 18″ would return to me. My personal best is only 14.25″, that isn’t right. With replica mounts available trophy fish should be more commonplace now than at any time in the last 100 years. Why is anyone keeping 13-inch crappie when 10-11 inchers are so abundant. Pure selfishness.
Pure selfishness.
This is what it boils down to in my opinion too. It’s one thing if you’re keeping a big fish because you’re not experienced and don’t know better, but if you’re a good enough fisherman to catch smaller and bigger walleyes, you’re just choosing to keep the bigger ones, then that’s 100% selfishness and lack of knowledge/appreciation for our resource.
Im so glad that pool 4 finally adjusted limits to avoid the harvesting of bigger fish. Hopefully sooner rather than later something similar becomes the statewide limit.
“WaTcH yOuR oWn BobBeR tBRo”
Is it a good article? Many here have read studies saying the older the fish gets the less viable the eggs become, this article is saying almost exact opposite with no studies to back it up.
[/quote]
I will listen to scientists instead of IDO’s that Volume of eggs from big fish matter most
My personal best is only 14.25″, that isn’t right. With replica mounts available trophy fish should be more commonplace now than at any time in the last 100 years. Why is anyone keeping 13-inch crappie when 10-11 inchers are so abundant.
Valid points that I agree with. To be more specific though, when referring to crappies, most anglers simply do not even think twice about releasing them. They are targeted almost exclusively to harvest. The same can be said with other species of fish too, mainly other panfish and walleyes to some extent. Why do bass and muskie anglers target their species? Certainly not to harvest them for the most part. If this catch and release culture caught on for other species, maybe that elusive 18 inch crappie would be more likely?
This reminds me of a story that I told my nephews years ago when they wondered why we were keeping the little fish and letting the big ones go. I said – imagine that you’re a cannibal and you have the choice of eating cousin Tommy or Grandpa. Which one would taste better? That’s why we keep the smaller fish but have lots of photos of the bigger ones. They still remind me of that gross story but they also release all the big ones.
I’ve been on the water for 217 days already this year(180 in 2019, 193 in 2018, 213 in 2017, and 233 in 2016).
That is a lot of days…How many on waters that support the size class your searching for?
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bass Pundit wrote:</div>
My personal best is only 14.25″, that isn’t right. With replica mounts available trophy fish should be more commonplace now than at any time in the last 100 years. Why is anyone keeping 13-inch <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>crappie when 10-11 inchers are so abundant.Valid points that I agree with. To be more specific though, when referring to crappies, most anglers simply do not even think twice about releasing them. They are targeted almost exclusively to harvest. The same can be said with other species of fish too, mainly other <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>panfish and walleyes to some extent. Why do bass and muskie anglers target their species? Certainly not to harvest them for the most part. If this catch and release culture caught on for other species, maybe that elusive 18 inch <em class=”ido-tag-em”>crappie would be more likely?
Doubtful on the crappie.
Why do bass fisherman or Muskie fisherman only practice catch and release? Must be their the only true sportsman. 
or
Maybe it’s because they taste like crap.
Unless we are talking Muskie cheeks as those are good but I don’t have to harvest the whole fish for those.
Doubtful on the crappie.
Could also be because bass and muskies aren’t targeted through the ice and they’re basically hibernating all winter, so they don’t receive the year round pressure that other species do. If Joneser was still here I’m sure he’d have something 4 pages long to say about this…
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ripjiggen wrote:</div>
Doubtful on the crappie.Could also be because <em class=”ido-tag-em”>bass and muskies aren’t targeted through the ice and they’re basically hibernating all winter, so they don’t receive the year round pressure that other species do. If Joneser was still here I’m sure he’d have something 4 pages long to say about this…
We target bass all winter through the ice. Very successful as well
Bass and muskies definitely don’t hibernate in the winter.
I fish more than most people. I’ve been on the water for 217 days already this year(180 in 2019, 193 in 2018, 213 in 2017, and 233 in 2016). I am 99% a catch and release fisherman. I don’t specifically target trophy fish. I have never caught a fish that I would consider being a true trophy size fish of its species. Why is that?
No offense BP, but you should be catching multiple trophy caliber fish every year with that much time on the water, if you are on the right water. But if most of it is on Platte or from shore on Mille Lacs it may be awhile. I grew up on Platte, and really not a great opportunity for trophy fish there. Maybe sunnies or one of the very few trophy walleye, but between my family members who have been on Platte for 70+ years there just aren’t 17-18″ crappie coming out of there. Sullivan maybe a little better, but still a unicorn imo.
Mille Lacs just doesn’t produce a ton of trophy walleye, which I consider 30″+ to be a trophy. And your other trophy opportunities on ML from shore would be northern, muskie or crappie in the spring when they are shallow. Smallmouth certainly are attainable (I’ve got 3 over 21″ in the last couple years, which I consider trophies), but not sure if they are realistic from shore. So I don’t think your lack of trophies is really to blame on others selfishness, than it is just not putting yourself on the right bodies of water that produce better odds of catching them. Just my .02 and again no offense just trying to help!
Very good reasoning BigWerm. You explained just about everything I was thinking before I bothered to reply.
I know FB&R was trying to point out in his comments that not all waters are equal when it comes to trophy fish potential.
Im more likely to keep a fish from a large body of water ( Mille Lacs, LOTW, Bay of Green Bay) than a 300-500 acre lake. A lot of these trophy fish end up in a net or the end of a spear.
Bass, especially the little ones are delicious.
Just think if everybody threw every fish they ever caught back… you could walk across the lakes on the backs of all the big fish. There needs to be a balance in nature… and yes, we are a part of nature.
X2
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bass Pundit wrote:</div>
I’ve been on the water for 217 days already this year(180 in 2019, 193 in 2018, 213 in 2017, and 233 in 2016).That is a lot of days…How many on waters that support the size class your searching for?
95% of the time I am fishing Platte/Sullivan. Platte/Sullivan has a history of producing trophy pike and walleye. I don’t really target either of those species through the ice. Out of my boat, I fish for bass pretty much exclusively. I’ve gotten a couple of 6lbers, but I consider a 7lber to be a true MN Trophy bass; These lakes have produced that size fish in the past; I witnessed a 7lber get weighed 13 or 14 years ago. It would surprise me if I lost one or two that size in the reeds or rice. I catch or see some nice size pike every year. I have had some big pike miss my topwater lures. I don’t throw back at them as I usually don’t have a leader and have a small rubber net. As for crappies, people don’t think twice about keeping 13″ and 14″ when the bite is on word gets out and the area lakes get blasted. A fish can’t grow to be 15,16,or17 if it is being kept at 12 to 14. That is why getting one is a unicorn. I am just not a trophy hunter. I fish the way I like to fish. If a giant bites great, but I don’t go out of my way to target them.
if it is being kept at 12 to 14.
I would say that even a crappie of that size is rare now. Most of them are in the palm size range. I’ve never caught one that’s 14 inches and I’ve been fishing around here for 22 years. Granted, I only target them a couple times in the spring but I still should have run into one by accident.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bass Pundit wrote:</div>
if it is being kept at 12 to 14.I would say that even a crappie of that size is rare now. Most of them are in the palm size range. I’ve never caught one that’s 14 inches and I’ve been fishing around here for 22 years. Granted, I only target them a couple times in the spring but I still should have run into one by accident.
PM me this winter. We’ll get you that 14″ no problem and maybe you might just catch the elusive 15″er!
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