C/R, Why only for Largemouth's ???

[Fish Chris]

Lately I've been trying for a trophy Striper. My goal is a legit 40.0 lb plus..... But I'm lucky to get a 30.

The thing that just kills me though, is that every time I hear of a giant Striper being caught, they are always killed ? Well how the heck is a Striper ever supposed to get to be 40 lbs, 50 lbs, or heck, even bigger, if every time a nice 25 or 30 lb'er gets caught, it gets executed ?

It just strikes me in a messed up way, that a lot of guys wouldn't even consider killing a big Largemouth, but act like a big Striper is not anywhere near as important ?

Personally speaking, I'd release a 30, 40, 50 plus lbs Striper, just as soon as I'd release a 20 lb Channel cat, a 3 lb Crappie, or heck, for that matter, a 10 lb Largemouth !

Actually, I think I do know the answer to my original question;

It's because their are just so few leaders, and so many followers in our society

Anyway, that's my rant for this morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's a pretty little 21.4 I C/R'd a couple days ago:



....and if you want to see some absolute monsters, "ALL C/R'd" (or guided to) by a good Internet buddy of mine, Fred McClintock, from back East, check this link:
http://www.trophybassonly.com/id76.htm

And tell me these photos don't look "infinitely better" than some rigormortised, white eyed, piece of garbage, hanging from the scale hook in front of the bait store !!!!

Fred M is the MAN !!!

Peace,
Fish

PS, I know their are a few guys (and probably a much higher percentage of the hardcore Largemouth anglers on this site) who do in fact, release their big Stripers, and I certainly appreciate that. I do want to give credit, where credit is due.

[Calistar]

Chris,
Largemouth are beautiful fish that we spend thousands of dollars on and lifetimes trying to understand. Most anglers do not spend that kind of time, money, or effort in the chase of stripers. Therefore the largemouth automatically become more valuable.

Stripers, although fun and powerful, are not nearly as pleasing to the eye. And its much easier to catch a six-pound Striper than a six-pound largemouth....at least it is for me.

Not that I am defending the 'execution' of any fish. I ALWAYS C/R (unless I accidently gut-hook one and it dies). I am just attempting to give my answer as to why some people decide to keep stripers.

personally I'd love to see every fish given the chance to become a trophy size.

[Slippy]

i just C\R a big ol striper the other day.

[Joe W.]

I C&R everything unless it is a tasty Halibut or salmon!

[DeltaDan]

i just C\R a big ol striper the other day.

....... I could of swore that we ate all that mercury last Friday night Slipperz..



I don't care for the Stripers personally and my view is that there are too many of them in our river system already.


They are a non-native species that was introduced that is a big factor in the poor state of our salmon fisheries today. (along with the mis-management of our water)


The DFG used to release the hatchery smolt down past Benica where the Salmon had a fighting chance to live, grow and reproduce. They don't do that any more and out of the milloins of smolt that are now released upriver -- most are consumed by the Stripers.


But if you really want to blame someone and be able to make a post with your mug in it Chris --- for you not having much luck at catching a 40+ pounder -- Blame it on the State for not keeping the sealion population in check with the balance of the fisheries resources.

[Slippy]

Dan you da man!

[bruizer343]

a big 50 lber is gonna be a old cow and get hung on my wall skin and all........skin mounts are far superior to replica's....Plus I just like knowing its the skin......that 50 lber will feed plenty of crawdads on the delta.

[brambo0311]

Hey I will be the first one to admit that I will keep a striper. But never one over 5#. They dont taste good after that, and who eats 20# of fish for dinner other than a seal. It was hard to let my first 40# striper go I will tell ya. I think the problem lies in a couple of areas. 1 Stripers cant be handled that much, if you grab them with a towel to take a picture and wipe off that slime there dead. I know they are a tough fish but not as tough as you think. 2 the people that sit on the bank and use the "I still have room in my bucket for 25 more striper heads" and fish and game wont be able to fit my name on the ticket, so they wont look my direction. Chris I dont know how to inform the people who dont understand, if I come up with something I will let you know.

[Blue_R70]

I don't care for the Stripers personally and my view is that there are too many of them in our river system already.

They are a non-native species that was introduced that is a big factor in the poor state of our salmon fisheries today. (along with the mis-management of our water)

Most of our inland gamefish species (the ones that are actually worth pursuing) are non-native, including the largemouth/smallmouth/spotted bass. CA never really had any native fish worth going after until the bucket biologists did their work in the 1800s...

But back to Fish Chris' question. Stripers for the most part are still considered a food fish so you'll notice more meat fishermen keeping them. Striper fishing hasn't evolved to the point where it's become a recreational catch-and-release activity the way bass fishing has.

[Mike]

Its because of all of the "non-native" fishermen rapping our river catching and eating (selling) all of our LM and Stripers!!

[Phil]

CATCH AND RELEASE IS A VERY SORE SUBJECT AT A TACKLE SHOP............YOU ASK A GUY WHY HE CATCHES 1000 CRAPPIE A YEAR AND KEEPS THEM, WHY HE CATCHES 20 SALMON A YEAR AND KEEPS THEM....ALWAYS THE ANSWER IS BECAUSE I PAY FOR THE RIGHT TO DO SO AND I CAN.....AND DON'T YOU TRY TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO !! YOU SHRUG YOUR HEAD AND GO HOME AND DRINK A FEW JACKS AND WONDER WHY YOU HAVE SPENT 40 YEARS GOING THRU HELL TO TRY AND CONVINCE PEOPLE THAT THEY NEED TO THINK ABOUT CATCH AND RELEASE, LET A BIG BUCK GO LET THAT FLOCK OF GEESE FLY BY THIS TIME OR JUST WATCH THAT PHEASANT JUST ONCE IN A WHILE. WHY DO I EVEN TRY TO PRESERVE OUR NATURAL RESOURCES ANYWAY AND JUST GET BEAT UP TALKING ABOUT IT EVERY WEEK ! I HAVE ONE LARGE CRAPPIE MOUNTED THAT WAS TAKEN 40 YEARS AGO AND OF THOUSANDS OF BASS, STRIPERS, CRAPPIE, SALMON,TROUT, STEELHEAD & CATFISH. I HAVE NOT HAD ONE MOUNTED SINCE. WE EVEN HAD ROD MARTINS 18LB 9 OZ BASS IN HERE LAST YEAR.....SORRY, REPLICA IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO !1 JUST MY $ .02. I LOVE TO EAT FISH, I GET MINE AT COSTCO ! LOOK WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE ABALONE; MAN DID THEY TASTE GREAT !

JIGS

[Blue_R70]

Its because of all of the "non-native" fishermen rapping our river catching and eating (selling) all of our LM and Stripers!!

But it was the native fishermen who ate EVERY fish they harvested.

[Cooch]

The DFG used to release the hatchery smolt down past Benica where the Salmon had a fighting chance to live

Actually Dan, PG&E was responsible for the salmon releases in Benicia, Pittsburg and Antioch, specifically as part of fines for their intake valves killing the salmon smolt. The reason it's not done any more is, short of the fine period had been acheived and expired, none of those fish that were released in those three areas, ever made it up river to spawn. They returned 3-5 years later to the west Delta, and as far as their senses told em, they were home. Made for an exciting salmon fishery down here in the fall, yet it did absolutely nothing to improve the overall state and spawning yeilds of the Salmon.

I cetainly understand and feel the same as Chris about catch and release. I've fished New England, Martha's Vinyard and other areas of the North East coast, they got a tremendous big bass fishery there right now. A catch and release plight on the Stripers here is a complete waist of time! There are so many anglers on this River, every single day(just travel from Sherman to Mildred and count em one day, I'll bet you can count 200 lil tin boats with 2-4 anglers in each out there), pulling limits or more out. There's no way these fish have a chance to get to the bigger sizes, let alone in numbers. Sorry Chris & DanMc, a C&R plight, is a Pipe Dream at best! And on the Forums here at Westernbass.COM, yer really preachin' to the choir, who sing this loud and clear with you.

The only way we'll ever see these big stripers with any regularity again, is if the DFG steps in and imposes a "Slot Limit", as they have done for sturgeon! PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guy Kelley]

As usual Cooch is about the only one who makes any sense of the actual situation and cuts to the chase.

When I was a kid fishing on the Delta a 10 pound fish was considered small , the limit was 3 and the legal length was 16 inches. Now its been changed to two with a longer length.

My biggest was 29 lps and I have been in boats were there several dead 40's on the floor. Biggest to date I saw was a 50 pound plus hanging dead on a scale in front of the old bait and tackle shop at the bridgehead before it was torn down for a gas station.

We dint try to keep em alive then, just took em home and fry-ed em up and mercury was not a issue. Until the state dose something about the old mercury mine at Diablo and other sites it will be a problem that will always haunts us.

To me personally there is nothing pretty about a bug eyed fat bellied LM with its fins ripped up and possible sores on her body that some guy just snagged off a bed.

Yes I C/R all fish, except a small salmon(good eating ocean caught)
But until the mind set is changed and the bucket brigade is stopped on the bank, along with the the striper derby in Rio Vista weigh in dead fish. we will have minnows for stripers.

I use to work with advid duck hunters that never ate what they killed. Just gave em away to the labors. Nothing wrong with it cept its a sport of killing something that was wild and free. And now its just dead in the bottom of a boat. Or in a gunny sack.

No I am not a member of PETA and I do believe that hunters and fishermen have the rights they do. As a conservitave Bass Fisher men who injoys this sport Its just my personel belief that all creatures small and large should be catch and released.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Chris, unfortunately stripers are not as hardy a fish as the largemouth..This is even more true with the larger fish..Once you get them out of the water to take pictures and then release, you have probably kept them out too long..At least that has been my experience..I too, try to release my larger stripers, if I get lucky enough to catch one..Those from 5 to 8 pounds can be excellent eating, once you get rid of the blood line..

I think Cooch has the right idea about a slot limit for keepers..Of course a slot limit is only as good as the enforcement of the the same..There are still some huge stripers out there, just not as many as there once was..

mac

[Mike]

I guess this one would be 40 by now?? I killed it a couple of years ago. I didnt have a camera and wanted a picture. It was 33 pounds

<img src="/shared/photos/photos/resized/770_resized.jpg">

[jamescaird]

Right on Chris... as for the gentleman who posted they are a non-native species...so are LMB, SMB, the crappies, should we whack them too? Stripers have been here over 100 years, more than most of us can say about our families. They should get "native" status. They have co-existed with all time highs of salmon/steelhead populations, when the stripers were also at all times highs!! THe problem for the salmon/steelhead has nothing to do with stripers... but it's the same problem the stripers have...can you say water exports? And the striper fishery is at all time lows per the DFG data, so no, there are not "too many of them". They are a magnificent sport fish....my favorite. And I do think it's important to preach C&R on the big fish...with the numbers the way they are, and with how much spawning potential a big female has, every fish over 20 pounds in the system is very significant from an egg production standpoint. Even with all the poaching and meatwhacking that goes on, every big broodstock female counts. I release anything over 10 pounds and take maybe 2-3 fish a year for the table. I also do my best to ensure I'm not killing fish through C&R mortality. A big stripers can be 20-30 years old.... to kill a fish like that, particularly when they are so loaded with mercury, is beyond me. Hopefully we'll get a slot limit. Striped bass were once the #1 sport fish in California in terms of the # of anglers that went after them and the $$$ generated (ref. Striped Bass Fishing in Calfornia and Oregon by Leon Adams)....they were once so abundant a commercial fishery was supported. They are hurting and need help.

[Steve]

....you are in left field on this issue, big time.

Largemouth are non-native too, are also are fingered as culprits eating our salmon smolts (most of which could be considered non-native too since most are hatchery strains).

To try and say DFG hasnt kept the sealion pop in check with fish populations may be one of the most ridiculous statements Ive seen on this board in a very long time. Are you suggesting "selective harves" of sealion populations as a potential solution to decreasing salmon numbers? Oh my.

[NaCl]

DFG can establish a slot limit but it won't have the desired effect unless those guys in all those tim boats are properly policed by the game wardens to stop the taking of over-limits and under-sized fish...or in the case of a slot limit, that would include the over-sized fish. Enforcement is presently insufficient.

Just my $.02

.....NaCl

[Buzzbait]

Here's a pretty little 21.4 I C/R'd a couple days ago:



.

Dude, that is the most awsome fish I have ever seen. I absolutely must come down there and fish the delta. Holy ****. It's beautiful as can be.

[brambo0311]

Chris you messed up man, I see that yo-zuri shallow diver trailing in the picture. I know your spot, great pic by the way. I will be there saterday and monday. I will C/R everything dont worry.

[Terry]

Sea lions are regulated by the Federal government, not the state. The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 pretty much hamstrings us from doing anything about pinnipeds. Sportfishing boats in southern CA are constantly harassed by sea lion; the population is as high as it's ever been on record, but the fish population isn't.

But have a nice day!

Terry

[bruizer343]

your the man...nice fish....

its not like ya feed it to your plants and vegatables.



for LIFE.

[nipples]

I pretty much C/R everything except on very specific circumstances...

If I go ocean fishing (very seldom), then I am pretty much going for sport and meat... If I catch a striper, salmon, or anything else that is tasty out in the ocean, it is getting grilled. (providing I am going home right after the fishing trip). The ocean is by far cleaner than any freshwater you can find (but not so much after that recent oil spill in SF)

For fresh water, it has to be extremely clean water, a good tasting fish, not too big and gamey, and I am planning on cooking it in less than 1 hour from catching it. This usually means I am camping. Otherwise I throw back crappie, bluegill, bass, stripers, trout, salmon, catfish, etc. etc. Occasionally I will keep a striper caught in the delta if it is only 18 to 20 inches and I plan to cook it right away.

Some years I don't keep a single fish, some years I keep a couple and that usually means I went camping or on an ocean charter.

I would say that 99.9% of the fish I catch get released. (except squawfish... I kill those per DFGs wishes and leave them on the banks for the raccoons and critters to eat.)

The big fish never taste good unless they came from clean salt water. The bigger the fish, the higher the mercury content, even in salt water. And if you don't remove the skin and belly fat you are ingesting a ton of toxins.

Some people fish only for something to eat, and unfortunatly that is the only pleasure they take in fishing. I can't fault them for that, some are doing it because they are financially strapped. While I don't give them the fish I catch, I don't condem them for any legal catches they take home to eat. But then again, I don't believe in giving pan handlers money either, but i am more than happy to help them with a resume, getting medical attention, or giving them a burger or fries, but not cash nor the fish I catch and release....

[Jason Wood]

Just a word to the wise...

DON'T FISH YER HONEY HOLES IF ANY OF 'EM ARE AROUND!!!!

I screwed up twice this year during tournaments and caught big fish when some of the little tin boats were around... Now I can't get anywhere around the spots because they are packed with the tin cans 24/7... Hopefully they are all just fillin' up with bluegills fer bait...

These guys have no problem movin' in on ya if they see ya catchin' fish either... I've had it happen a few times now and can't stand it... Just hafta flush it out with the 225 before leavin' each time!!!

I guess it's time ta find some honey holes farther away from any launch than a 5 gallon tank of gas can reach...

[Andy Giannini]

I would say fishing means different things to different people.

But I really am shocked that you would say, "executed".

The fish did not commit a crime, and was not on trial for sure.

Catch and release is neat, but it takes awhile of angling to realize what an impact ONE angler can have on a fishery. Some may never realize it, or give a rats *** if they do.

You aren't going to sway everyone that either wants to eat it, wants to mount it, or isn't going to do either, just drag it back to the trailer park to show everybody.

You can be happy in the positive effect you have had by practicing C&R and try to spread the gospel. But everybody isn't going to go along with this selective harvest thing. The race card? Just toss it out. Because I have known many white people that would keep anything, pan sized-oversize you name it.

In closing, promoting C&R can be a cool thing, but everybody is simply not going to get it. Some guys are still gonna get big ones, and fillet them in front of you. If you lean too far to one side, a guy could be mistaken for a Petaphile. Remember, they may think its ok to fish if your life depended on it, but its wrong to fish merely for fun or sport! They have so many different ideals/rules and general BS that I can't keep up with it all.

.02 and it stinks,

A.G.

If targeting trophy fish, you might have to target the trophies of this era.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Andy, your post makes too much sense..You are going to have to edit it and take all that great info out..Personally the way I look at it is just about the same as you..Most people that catch and release will never admit that at times the release part of the equation is not the best thing for that fishery..We rarely run into that scenario, but it is out there..

mac

[Fish Chris]

Bruizer, just admit it..... What you really like, is to see how many people you can get riled up

.......and besides that, you would have to "catch a 50 lb'er" before you could kill it So probably not much to worry about here

Hope you know I'm just having fun with ya'

Fish

[DeltaDan]

Chris- Bruizer is serious........ He lives at the mouth of Kellog Creek -- where I lived for 7 years as well.



Bruiser does indeed have the whopper of all skin mounts, catches crayfish with my traps with both the Tuna I provide as bait and the Striper meat from his catches.



Chris- I CHIT YOU NOT----- The biggest Striper that I know of cought out of Kellog creek was in 1985 in a rowboat with Paul Fritas, Joe Cuttingham and myself -- It was caught on Joes pole -- #53 pounds 1 hour after we got it back to the house and had it weighed at the original DB Chandlerry run by Rich who lived 13 houses down and was my boss for boat cleaning.


I used to have a poloride of it-- but lost it somewhere along time ago.


It was caught on a meps #4 red spinner willow leaf blade, #20 pound test on a 8' heavy spinning rod. -- We were rowing the boat back to the dock after my 8hp merc was out of gas. That blade must of been just dragging on the bottom I imagine.


Honest Injun............ Swear ~!!


I wish I still had that pic ~!!

[Fish Chris]

Hello Mike. Thank you for proving my point. Big, stiff, white eyed sportfish, hanging dead on a meathook, or in many cases, in somebodies front yard, look hideous. Certainly nothing I'd want to show off.

Also you said, you just had to have a picture, but didn't have a camera. When you go on a fishing trip, don't you ever think to yourself, "Ya' know, if I'm really lucky, I might actually catch a fish that's worthy of a photo. Hmmm. Maybe I should bring a camera" ?
Same goes for scales. Might be kind of nice to know how much a PB weighed too, huh ? {not saying you didn't have one, but that's another commonly forgotten piece of equipment, and a rediculous reason to kill a trophy sized sportfish}

Next, you were obviously proud to have caught such a big Striper (and rightfully so) So we gather that a big fish has some sort of extra importance to you. So why in the world would you want to turn around a singlehandedly reduce your own chances at sticking an even bigger one in the future ??? But its only one fish out of hundreds of thousands you say. Sure it is. But if every 10th guy fishing the Delta killed a 30 lb'er, their might not be a 30 lb'er left. And for that matter, of every 100th guy killed a 40 lb'er, their might not be any of those left either.

My point is, killing just one big fish has a very small, almost unpercievable effect on the fishery as a whole. However, hundreds of thousands of guys with the same attitude about killing large sportfish, over a period of many years, can have a devastaing cumulative effect on the fishery.

Of course these are all just my personal opinions. I wouldn't want you to think this was some sort of a personal slam on you.

And BTW, you have me beat by more than a pound ! But I am SOO confident that I will be posting a photo of a beautful, "lively" 35 plus Striper in the next month ! ........then, I might just even show you the same fish again, in a few years, when she has grown to be 40 plus ! Anythings possible..... but in this case, one has to "make it possible".

Really Mike, no hard feelings,
Fish

[Fish Chris]

they sure are some awesome sportfish, aren't they ???

Peace,
Fish

[bruizer343]

Bruizer, just admit it..... What you really like, is to see how many people you can get riled up

.......and besides that, you would have to "catch a 50 lb'er" before you could kill it So probably not much to worry about here

Hope you know I'm just having fun with ya'

Fish

........ who can't soak bait to get a big striper ??
or better yet post up pics that are years old to "guess the weight"
not to mention a crappy picture not showing the tail....

Kinda Boring if ya ask me......I'll be thinking of you when I gut another bigun this week.....my bad..it's Passion.

[Paul W]

I've only read a few of the replies to this thread...theres just too many! It makes me cringe seeing guys killing big Stripers...heck ANY Stripers. I too wonder why Bass fishermen that hold the Largemouth in such high regard, will think NOTHING of killing a Striper. Stripers are under MUCH more catch and kill pressure than Largemouth.....one example are the numerous party boats that will literally wipe out schools of Stripers. You cant blame Stripers for killing off huge numbers of native species like Salmon.....u can blame dams, pollution, water diversions, commercial fishing, and lack of catch and release on that.

Paul W

[Fish Chris]

Watch it Dean...... I fish from a "tin boat" !

......but yes, I know the type your referring to.

Peace,
Fish

[Fish Chris]

Hey Dan, I don't doubt your story, but I also know how Bruizer likes to play

Peace,
Fish

[bruizer343]

I wish I could find a better crawdaddy bait.....old toxin filled stripers work the best....plus Im doing ahealth service...If I kill the Biguns......the Cong can't eat em and get sick...or sell em at the Flea market......

Public Service.......how many 40's on artifical's........

[Brian]

Why is it that every month this C/R argument comes up. Leave it alone. I'll tell you what, For every post after this one about C/R especially for stripers, I'm going to catch and kill one fish. Then give it to one of the tin boats for thier dinner Then post a pic of the dead fish.

[Fish Chris]

just a few things I want to stress.

The first is that I don't have a problem with somebody keeping a few Stripers for dinner...... No more than I would with somebody keeping a few smaller Largemouths, or Catfish, or whatever. Selective Harvest is really where it's at.
My point is, pretty much every angler places extra importance on catching a big fish..... even the guys who kill every fish they catch. These guys just need to know, that they are stomping on their own foot, by killing the very fish, they wish they could catch more of.
If a guy wants a better fishery, with more, and bigger fish, he needs to do whatever he can do to make it that way.

The other thing I have to say is, while many of you agreed with most, or all of what I was saying, not too many really addressed the "why C/R Largemouths, and not Stripers" question ?

I still stand by my statement that this is primarily because our society is so slam full of followers, with so few self-thinking leaders.
I believe that so many people C/R Largemouths, because they have been told that "This is the thing to do. Everybody is doing it, so you should too". On the opposite hand, "all kinds of people kill big Stripers, and hang them on a meat hook in front of the baitstore, so this must also be okay".
Oh..... and while we are at it, "Everybody says Carp are big, ugly, worthless trash fish, so they must be right about that too....... Unless you live anywhere in Europe, then you would be told they were the greatest sportfish on the planet..... and you would believe it.... because somebody else said so Human nature cracks me up.

Anyway, I don't C/R Stripers.... or Largemouths, or anything else for that matter "because somebody else told me it was the right thing to do". I C/R big sportfish, because I like to C/R big sportfish. Nobody had to tell me that killing these fish would hurt my own odds in the future. I know enough to have deduced that for myself.

Peace,
Fish

[bruizer343]

yawn........are you out of cookies ??? blah blah blah.....

Killing is what Americans do THE BEST.

Take your Hippie soap box and go make a candle.

[DeltaDan]

Chris- On your post I witch led to on pourpose ........ Steve took the bait and ran with it like a gut hooked striper that just swallowed a bull head ~!


Yes- I will keep and eat one 12 pound Striper compared to two 8 pound Stripers to make a meal.

Yes- I prefer Halibut for the family to eat.

Yes- I do not keep anything big ..... The science and warnings are ture and I am already light headed enoufgh.

Yes- Bruizer kept a BIG Striper for a skinmount and fed the meat to the traps ....... It did cost him 3 days of 24hr shift OT to pay for it though -- But his wife did not mind his time away. -- THe finished product should be awesome !!

Yes-- I firmly believe that the sealion population is totally out of control and is a major crunch to out fisheries....... I have seen and continue to see it first hand what those rats do and how far inland they travel to not eat "just the small ones"


Yes I wish there was a season for Sealion hunting....... I would pay alot to see my dog retireve one at 150+ yards that was dispatched by me with a .300 win mag !!

No- BrothA Mike is not telling a lie that most of our poaching is comming form different ethnic cultures that what we consider the norm of the delta.

Yes- I have see the effects and the hand slaps of the results just in sport fishing for Abalone in the last 12 years.

Yes- I dislike it all................ along with the price of todays gas -- As Jerry Lewis would say on Labor Day -- "until there is a cure........."



There are no correct laws and penalties for the perps to be cought and justly/rightiously penalized form them ever doing it again. Their is no solid proof of the unbalance in natures species combatting for the sustinance of themselves while decimating others -- Native and Non-native no matter how far back they go.......... They will continue to be just "Studies" untill it is way to late. There is no money cause the Govt. does not have a true clue or rightly care because it is not in the budget. There is no enforcement due to no money to support our Wardens in the field to enforce our laws in protecting out resources --and thus... there is no enforecemnt of all mentioned above that is just a portion of the pie that gets sliced -- and all others will pay for through the nose of all the ages to come.




-- That is just the way it is......................



Be grateful for your last fish that you cought -- It just may very well be the last "big one" you will ever catch.

[nipples]

yawn........are you out of cookies ??? blah blah blah.....

Killing is what Americans do THE BEST.

Take your Hippie soap box and go make a candle.

ROTFLMAO!!! Damn Bruizer.. I have never heard that one... LOL... Take your Hippie soap box and go make a candle....

Anyway... If you take a look at what stripers did for lake mead, you might think twice about wanting the striper population to boom. Granted, these are not land locked stripers, but I am sure they eat their fair share of other sport fish.

In a way, Bruizer hit the nail on the head.. A selfish person would not C/R a huge striper for any reason.

I don't C/R for the benefit of others. I do it because I feel it is right... Just like any of the morals and values I live by, I hold myself accountable.. regardless of weather or not it pleases others... A lot of people would rather I wasn't so honest when it comes to something they don't want to hear. But I'm not about to lie just to make them feel better. Just like I am not going to give a panhandling fisherman the fish I am releasing... I'm sure it would make them happy to have the fish, but I release them because that is what I feel right doing. If they don't understand that, and they choose to get butt hurt about it, then that is their choice.

We really didn't start managing our fisheries until the late 60s/ early 70s... There were a lot of lakes and rivers that really sucked back then (the ocean has suffered more than anything, but that is also a global problem). I feel that wildlife management has come along way in the past 35 years. They are constantly changing limits and regulations to try to improve our fisheries. So long as no one is poaching and they are respecting the regulations, then I am fine with them catching dinner. And I personally don't want the Striper population in the delta to explode and then find them as the only fish out there. I prefer the diversity and balance we enjoy today.

So both of you sea hags can go make candles... LOL

[Steve]

DeltaDan, as redneck as it gets. His southern Avatar pretty much says it all. Squell like a piggy.........

[Fish Chris]

Hey Brian, I don't remember a post specifically about the C/R of Stripers on this forum.... ever.

My whole point was, the opinions about C/R of Largmouth's, vs. Stripers are completely different. So why would it matter when the last time somebody posted about the C/R of Largemouth's specifically, or what was said about it ?

And your thing about "your gonna' yadda, yadda...".....

What ev. You'd have to catch them first

Fish

[tunaman]

Since I still haven't seen anyone really nail the topic (I see a few dancing close) I thought I'd chime in... looks like an emotional subject for many here, and of course passion is a great thing!

nipples hit part of it... the C&R movement really wasn't in vogue until 1972 when the first C&R tournament was held. The movement was widely communicated and 'caught on' (pardon the pun). It continues today for LMB specifically because a.) they are a prized gamefish targetted in tournaments across the country (and well beyond); and b.) they have a relatively slow growth rate.

While there are certainly striper tournaments in certain areas of the country, they are far less common than black bass tournaments. Stripers have a voracious appetite and rapid growth rate, and thus are extremely prolific in those bodies of water where they exist. This also is one of the major factors why they are typically *not* released - they can and will overrun a fishery, once they get a toe-hold, unless they are "managed".

Down south, at Diamond Valley, the staff will tell you at check-in *not* to release any stripers caught, as they're trying to prevent them from becoming the predominant predator species.

I myself believe we all need to do what we feel is right - they're all a limited (but renewable) resource and are subject to overharvesting if left unchecked. If you want to C&R your black bass, stripers, catfish, carp, etc... power to you. If you want to take your bag limits, it is certainly within your rights. Make your reasoned decision either way and live with it.

Roger

[swampy]

In early october my bro caught one that easily went over 50 lbs while tossing rip-baits down south.We released it after a couple pics.It did take a bit to revive it but it did swim away very well.This was the biggest striper I have seen and was as big as the one on the wall at rivers end.
The decision to release this monster was an easy one,I couldn't see killing something that had survived that long just so we could show everyone and brag a bit.Cooch moved it to the front page and we have the photos for us(thanks a bunch cooch) That's all I need to be satisfied.
I have been lucky enough to have caught a couple big fish and I would say throw a stacee!
Swampy

[Fish Chris]

Thank you Roger.

BTW, my feelings about "landlocked Stripers" are somewhat different. I know Stripers have caused problems for other sportfish species, in some places, and sometimes, even for themselves, with over population, and stunting.

Peace,
Fish

[bruizer343]

Until you have hung a 40 off a cleat with some 1/2" rope and drung her around all day, you havn't lived.......



BTW, my wife's roses have never looked so pretty.....must be the striper Guts.....

Peace is for Sissy's.........

[Cooch]

Since I still haven't seen anyone really nail the topic (I see a few dancing close)

Well how the heck is a Striper ever supposed to get to be 40 lbs, 50 lbs, or heck, even bigger, if every time a nice 25 or 30 lb'er gets caught, it gets executed ?

The only way we'll ever see these big stripers with any regularity again, is if the DFG steps in and imposes a "Slot Limit", as they have done for sturgeon! PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe Roger didn't read all the threads, Chris' question was purty simple, and there really is only one answer, short of banning the taking of stripers all together! I'll agree with Roger though, this indeed is a passionate subject fer many, with a ton of rhetoric tossed in between! HAR! HAR! HAR!

[tunaman]

Maybe Roger didn't read all the threads, Chris' question was purty simple, and there really is only one answer, short of banning the taking of stripers all together! I'll agree with Roger though, this indeed is a passionate subject fer many, with a ton of rhetoric tossed in between! HAR! HAR! HAR!

Actually Cooch - I certainly did take the time to read all before deciding to respond. I saw a lot of discussion regarding stripers, but no real explanation on why black bass currently enjoy the level of protection while the stripers don't.

I do realize that this is really a striper-focused discussion, and certainly didn't mean to derail that, just figured I'd point out the obvious

Roger