Would you knowingly keep a fish full of spawn

I caught some really nice crappies the other day and I had the intention of keeping about 4 or 5 of them. Upon closer inspection, it was obvious to me that these were fish full of spawn, so I released them instead. That got me to thinking, would you keep a fish that you knew was full of spawn and/or getting ready to spawn? Obviously lots of species this time of year are preparing for their reproductive cycle.

Yup sure do, anytime of the year.

I fail to see any logic in that a female taken post spawn bears less fruit’ than a female taken moments before spawn. Female removed is a female removed from the next spawn regardless of when it was taken.

The selective harvest means selecting the most meat for a legal limit

I know some that specifically target pre spawn panfish to eat the egg sacks. They fry them up just like you do a fish fillet. Panfish and perch are the only species that they eat the eggs from. I have tried it and its not too bad. Better than letting the eggs go to the fertilizer bin.

I dont see the difference between keeping them right before spawn or all winter long. They have eggs the whole time.

Yes I would keep them either way. As long as it was a good eater sized fish. Those 4 or 5 crappies would have made a good meal. No difference then taking them mid winter or summer

I don’t keep the females. They have eggs in fall and winter but I have a harder time identifying them.
If I see they are bulged full, I release them. There are usually plenty of males around for a fish fry.

Only if caught in a gill net. Then it’s OK

I’d release them. My thinking is there are millions of things that could have killed that fish throughout the year, but it made it, so may as well let it do it’s deed for the next generation and once they drop their eggs it’s free game.

I don’t knowingly keep them but it happens sometimes. I don’t see any issues with keeping them if someone wants to but I don’t keep a ton of fish anyways.

The only fish I don’t keep are bull bluegills on the nest or at times just after spawn. Otherwise they all see the live well when I want fresh fish.

You’d probably have to not keep fish for what, 1/3 of the year? Fish in fall have eggs, fish in winter have eggs, fish well into spring have eggs.

But everyone can do what they feel is right.

I’ll enjoy sticking my fillet knife in no matter what.

I hate freezing fish, so I only keep what I’m going to eat in a day or two. Well below daily limits. So, spawn or no spawn, I keep what I’m going to eat.

I will let them go unless I want fish that night and all I am getting is females. Normally I can get enough males to not take the females. I also don’t like taking the bluegill males off the nest.

If it’s spring and they are very near to dropping eggs, I always release them (unless deep hooked). I don’t fault anyone for keeping them though.

I understand that they are already carrying eggs if I keep them in the late Fall and Winter, but at that point there is still a strong likelihood of them being caught, killed, eaten, die of age, etc. for many more months. If they survive to the point where they’re about to spawn in the Spring…the probability of them successfully reproducing is high if I let them go.

Rodwork wrote:

I will let them go unless I want fish that night and all I am getting is females. Normally I can get enough males to not take the females. I also don’t like taking the bluegill males off the nest.

I used to only feed myself fish and rarely at that, but man are they’re a lot of people who LOVE a fish fry. Met a couple at breakfast in Utica Saturday and invited them to a walleye fry. Man you should’ve seen them light up!!!

Here’s a few recent fish fries for friends and family. 🧡

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BigWerm wrote:

I’d release them. My thinking is there are millions of things that could have killed that fish throughout the year, but it made it, so may as well let it do it’s deed for the next generation and once they drop their eggs it’s free game.

This is what I had in mind when I released those fish. If it goes in my livewell, 100% it cannot pass its genes/eggs on to the next generation. I wouldn’t shoot a fully pregnant doe if the season was open so I decided this was a similar situation even though the fish were legal to harvest.

Deuces wrote:

You’d probably have to not keep fish for what, 1/3 of the year? Fish in fall have eggs, fish in winter have eggs, fish well into spring have eggs.

That’s not really what I was getting at. I do see your point but I was specifically referring to fish that you can clearly tell are either spawning or nearly getting ready to. Sorry I should have made myself more clear on the original post.

Last weekend we got a bunch of crappie and got 2 that were really nice size but you could see the belly was full of eggs, so I let them go. You should have seen the other guy in the boat, he said he has never seen anyone let crappies like that go. I said now you did, we still kept a limit of fish for dinner.

Everyone gets something different out of fishing in terms of what gets kept and released. Some people fish for sport and others for all the meat they can get with most somewhere in between. I think as long as there is that mix and everyone isn’t taking home buckets of fish each time, the lakes will be OK.