Catch & Release Ruined Trophy Bass Fishing? Science vs Opinion

[WB Staff]

Catch & Release Ruined Trophy Bass Fishing? Science vs Opinion




Tonight we will have a discussion with fisheries biologist Shan O'Gorman about the way Catch and Release ethos has affected fisheries across North America in regards to trophy sized bass specifically.

[WRB]

Disclaimer I am not a podcast listener and this was difficult to sit through.
The topic was a interest to me because my belief is catch & release has become a cult like following.
Let me turn the clock back before FLMB we’re introduced into San Diego city lakes.
I have been a trophy bass angler since starting bass fishing in the mid 1950’s, yes I’m old!
During my late teens fishing nearly all of SoCal lakes and growing up at Big Bear working at marinas during the summers spent thousands of hours observing and catch big bass. During that time period catch & eat was the goal of bass anglers, releasing bass was uncommon practice.
It became my obsession to educate bass anglers to release big bass by writing to editors of fishing marines and local news paper including WON. It was my belief the largest bass in a look was a rare fish with good genes to procreate the species.
The pendulum change to today’s release every bass in lieu of selective harvest based on actual bass populations.
I have been blessed to fish for the giant FLMB since they were introduced and fished both Casitas and Castiac when they opened to public fishing. As a member of Pisces Bass (Silver Eagle) fished nearly every lake in California that has giant FLMB. You may have never heard my name because it became my practice to keep under the radar believing the whale that surfaces gets harpooned.
Back to the podcast. The focus on baitfish is important but big bass were fingerlings before fish eaters and need a food chain to support their grow before they reach a 1/2 lb. crustaceans like crawdads, insects like Darer (dragon fly) nymphs are just as important to growth as Juvenal bass.
It takes a balance of prey and genetics grow giant bass.
Both Casitas and Castiac suffered from rain contaminated run off from fire retardants weakening the adult size bass but the recruitment class was very high do to the flooded cover. Casitas will recover if both crawdads and trout are planted. Castiac upper lake has Stripe Bass are the alpha predator that LMB must compete with, don’t see Castiac making a good come back.
California needs to reintroduce pure Florida strain LMB to spike the genetics if we expect our trophy bass fisheries to rebound.
Tom
PS, lost count of the 15 lb+ FLMB caught over the past 45 years, my 5 largest are 2ea 17.4, 17.6 and 18.6 )Casitas), 19.3 (Castiac) the 5 were all jig g fish, crawdads are important and missing since the quagga mussel infestation.

[mark poulson]

WRB,
I think you're right.

[coyote268]

Very good article but forget about Fish and Wildlife planting any Florida Strain bass as they do nothing but collect over priced hunting and fishing license fees. Its really sad the Department has gone down hill the last 25 years. There whole object is just to rip the sportsmen and women off. Do I sound bitter, you bet!! This is what happens when politics run a Department and not professionals

[mark poulson]

Very good article but forget about Fish and Wildlife planting any Florida Strain bass as they do nothing but collect over priced hunting and fishing license fees. Its really sad the Department has gone down hill the last 25 years. There whole object is just to rip the sportsmen and women off. Do I sound bitter, you bet!! This is what happens when politics run a Department and not professionals

So true!

[WRB]

All the Florida strain LMB in California were not initially stocked by the DFG/DFW, they were transplanted from Florida by Orville Ball City manager of San Diego back in 1959. FLMB from San Diego city and county lakes were then transplanted by DFG from electro shocking the originals strain. DFG is the legal method to move bass around California to introduce bass into lakes throughout the state when requested by local departments, this done one time. Most of the California’s FLMB came out of Upper Olay lake closed to fishing.
We need fresh FLMB from Florida to rejuvenate the vigor of strain.
Tom

[mark poulson]

All the Florida strain LMB in California were not initially stocked by the DFG/DFW, they were transplanted from Florida by Orville Ball City manager of San Diego back in 1959. FLMB from San Diego city and county lakes were then transplanted by DFG from electro shocking the originals strain. DFG is the legal method to move bass around California to introduce bass into lakes throughout the state when requested by local departments, this done one time. Most of the California’s FLMB came out of Upper Olay lake closed to fishing.
We need fresh FLMB from Florida to rejuvenate the vigor of strain.
Tom

We need the state to cull the sealions in the Delta, and to stop spraying the tulles and hyacinth, and hydrilla, or whatever submerged weed they spray for. Or modify their use to as needed, instead of just spraying to protect their budget numbers.