My 2 cents (from CL thread)

I can see where trying to "enforce your choice" on others can have an adverse reaction.

-Allen

I personally wouldnt try to enforce my personal choice onto someone, just merely explain and educate them on the negative affects of taking too many fish.

But it all comes down to their decision on what they want to do.  EDUCATE EDUCATE EDUCATE

Lets just do our own best on to respect the fishery. Not only bass but every species out there.

I can see where trying to "enforce your choice" on others can have an adverse reaction.

-Allen

I personally wouldnt try to enforce my personal choice onto someone, just merely explain and educate them on the negative affects of taking too many fish.

But it all comes down to their decision on what they want to do.  EDUCATE EDUCATE EDUCATE

Lets just do our own best on to respect the fishery. Not only bass but every species out there.

Oh yes ... EDUCATE.

Again, not aimed at you Jeff.  It's just that I've seen the fanatics trying to enforce their choice on me.  Unfortunately it is too common in this type of discussion.  And even more common in MLPA discussions.   

Lets just do our own best on to respect the fishery. Not only bass but every species out there.

AMEN!!!

-Allen

Oh yes ... EDUCATE.

Again, not aimed at you Jeff.  It's just that I've seen the fanatics trying to enforce their choice on me.  Unfortunately it is too common in this type of discussion.  And even more common in MLPA discussions.   

Didn't think it was

 Well I know there is a fine line between nicely educating and forcing. I personally dont paddle up to a powerboat I see harvesting anything I catch. But I have seen it happen. All it does is piss them off more and keep even more than they originally were.

..........ummmmm..........has anyone changed their minds yet?   just checking 

..........ummmmm..........has anyone changed their minds yet?   just checking 

Oh come on Art.  Didn't you see the post where I said I changed my mind?   

-Allen

It's the CNR crowd that has the issue.

I think it's more of the bass fishing crowd (see me) that has the issue.  We are a rare breed.  I don't know exactly when it happened, but at some point in my fishing life, I became obsessed with largemouth.  Ever since, I have been on a quest to catch bigger numbers and bigger fish.  It's all about fueling this obsession, I can't get enough.  I believe most bass dudes feel the same way and look at those that are keeping these fish  as a direct hit on their obsession.  Don't try to make sense of it, thats just the way it is.  For example, I could give 2 shits about trout and a stringer of those doesn't turn my head.  Crazy, eh?  I can see how many wouldn't understand it unless one day the bug bites you.  Just know that this is how the majority of bass crazed anglers feel and try to approach this part of the fishing world differently than what you may be used to.

One of the guys I used to surf with became obsessed with these LMB's. As soon as he caught this virulent bug that was it for the surfing, ab-diving, basically any other activity. Everytime I saw him he had a new fancier & faster bass speedboat. Everyday he went into work early and rushed thru his work-day in order to get off as soon as possible and drive like a madman up to Lake Sonoma or elsewhere. After I bought a house I asked him if he was ever going to. "Nope. Gotta buy a new bass boat!" He fishes the amateur bass circuit and does pretty well but he definitely is afflicted with this LMB disease. I don't know about "rare breeds" but I'm glad at least you're not in denial about bein "Down With the Sickness".


Just please don't use "The Sickness" as any excuse.....cause that would be sick. 

Although there is only a small representation here on this board, that is not what I meant.  The mentality is rare.  Pretty much across the board you will find the same ethics and etiquitte (with mixed reviews on bed fishing thrown in).  Watch any fishing show on WFN or VS and you will see a bass caught, unhooked and plunked back in.  Rinse, repeat.  It really is a different mindset and kind of ar arity in the fishing world. Thanks for your tid bid though.  

Ahhhh, I should have picked up on the distinction between bass fishermen and people who merely fish for bass.  How silly of me to think you'd consider yourself merely someone who fishes for bass.  

I'll take your word on the same ethics and etiquette being shared across the board...for the bass fishermen in your circle, but I can't help but think that there might be a sub group who have even high standards when it comes to ethics and etiquette for fishing bass during the spawn.  Maybe there are "super" bass fishermen who think putting bass through the trauma of being hooked and fighting for it's life too damaging to the fishery and not partake during that crucial spawn period.  I'm sure those people around.  And maybe they look down on you with the same sentiment you look down on the guy who took a fish during the spawn.

It's all relative...

This is not a Eithical issue it's a Romantic one if you love fishing for LMB you are going to feel the way XS and HB do I'm sure most of us feel protictive of our farorite fish I know I do. What I don't understand is if the Bass Comminuity feels that it's not OK to keep fish during spawning  why do they promote fishing it? Both kill and keep fish from spawning, if I felt about LMB as they say they do I would shut off fishing the beds, or at the least encourage millions of people not to fish them.

This is not a Eithical issue it's a Romantic one if you love fishing for LMB you are going to feel the way XS and HB do I'm sure most of us feel protictive of our farorite fish I know I do. What I don't understand is if the Bass Comminuity feels that it's not OK to keep fish during spawning  why do they promote fishing it? Both kill and keep fish from spawning, if I felt about LMB as they say they do I would shut off fishing the beds, or at the least encourage millions of people not to fish them.

Maybe they didn't know the facts about how CnR tourney can severely impact the Bass during spawning.  Maybe someone needs to EDUCATE them!

I understand your thoughts Mickfish.  Bedfishing, however, is not something that all bass fisherman agree upon.  Some bassers won't fish any water less than 10 feet deep during the spring spawn, some bassers don't "sight fish" for bedding bass but rather "blind cast" the shallows, other actively seek-out and hunt for bedding bass by sight fishing and will spend 20 to 30 minutes trying to coax one to bite.  So it is difficult to paint the Bass Fishing Community with one brushstroke.  Not all bassers are tournament crazy, and not all bassers are C&R crazy either.  There is diversity within the group.

I perfer blind casting, and releasing the fish as fast as possible and as close to the spot it was hooked whenever possible during the spawn.  The females ususally don't guard the nest, it is the smaller males that do that job, so I keep that fight short and release them extra fast so they can quickly resume their duties.  Those bass usually zip right back to the bed, from what I have personally witnessed.  I am also not a big fan of heavy tournament fishing (don't get me started on that topic either  ), or the basscar crowd in general.  Whoever posted the yaks vs basscars comparison pics, that was classic...

A few mentioned about C&R possibly being the reason that some lakes don't produce trophy bass.  Getting a lake to produce a WR bass is not the same objective as getting a lake to provide excellent chances of hooking trophy-sized bass (generally over 8 pounds).  Over-crowding is indeed a limiting factor to getting a lake to that point.  I have always liked the idea of slot limits myself.  CL or the delta may never produce a bass over 20 pounds, but your chances of getting a lunker there are probably higher than any other body of water in NorCal.  Let's try to keep it that way, or if possible, improve our odds.

Again, you NCKA guys make me proud.

HB  

Although there is only a small representation here on this board, that is not what I meant.  The mentality is rare.  Pretty much across the board you will find the same ethics and etiquitte (with mixed reviews on bed fishing thrown in).  Watch any fishing show on WFN or VS and you will see a bass caught, unhooked and plunked back in.  Rinse, repeat.  It really is a different mindset and kind of ar arity in the fishing world. Thanks for your tid bid though.  

Ahhhh, I should have picked up on the distinction between bass fishermen and people who merely fish for bass.  How silly of me to think you'd consider yourself merely someone who fishes for bass.  

I'll take your word on the same ethics and etiquette being shared across the board...for the bass fishermen in your circle, but I can't help but think that there might be a sub group who have even high standards when it comes to ethics and etiquette for fishing bass during the spawn.  Maybe there are "super" bass fishermen who think putting bass through the trauma of being hooked and fighting for it's life too damaging to the fishery and not partake during that crucial spawn period.  I'm sure those people around.  And maybe they look down on you with the same sentiment you look down on the guy who took a fish during the spawn.

It's all relative...

If there was an NCKA post Hall of Fame this post would be in it....well done spinal tap. 

Although there is only a small representation here on this board, that is not what I meant.  The mentality is rare.  Pretty much across the board you will find the same ethics and etiquitte (with mixed reviews on bed fishing thrown in).  Watch any fishing show on WFN or VS and you will see a bass caught, unhooked and plunked back in.  Rinse, repeat.  It really is a different mindset and kind of ar arity in the fishing world. Thanks for your tid bid though.   

Ahhhh, I should have picked up on the distinction between bass fishermen and people who merely fish for bass.  How silly of me to think you'd consider yourself merely someone who fishes for bass. 

I'll take your word on the same ethics and etiquette being shared across the board...for the bass fishermen in your circle, but I can't help but think that there might be a sub group who have even high standards when it comes to ethics and etiquette for fishing bass during the spawn.  Maybe there are "super" bass fishermen who think putting bass through the trauma of being hooked and fighting for it's life too damaging to the fishery and not partake during that crucial spawn period.  I'm sure those people around.  And maybe they look down on you with the same sentiment you look down on the guy who took a fish during the spawn.

It's all relative...

If there was an NCKA post Hall of Fame this post would be in it....well done spinal tap. 

I agree - well said.



By that token, let's not forget the "super duper" bass fishermen.... the ones who wish to have a zero-sum impact on bass altogether!

After all, spawn or not, bassfishing does stress and injure fish... and inadvertant casualties are unavoidable.  These "super duper" bass fisherman have evolved past that stage.  They look down on anyone actually catching bass, since catching bass is quite obviously worse for the fishery than not fishing for them altogether.

Xsquid, when you get to this "super duper" bass fishermen stage, their club is waiting for you.  They have the utmost respect for bass and are the pinnacle of your bass fishing "ethics & ettiquitte". 
http://www.superduperbassfishermenclub.com











As SpinalTap said, it's all relative.  Passing judgement on others is a slippery slope and even within CnR circles, there are differing opinions.

I have nothing against CnR fishing, but the houlier-than-thou attitude and preachiness irks me like no other... really no different than any other person/group who tries to force their views on another.  This is why I appreciate HobieBlue's level attitude to all of this.  I agree with his idea of slot limits - preserves the goal of developing a trophy fishery while allowing selective culling by those who wish to eat a fish or two.


Relevant quote from a San Diego article:
"I think it's gotten out of hand when people who favor catch-and-release fishing become zealots and pass judgment on others who are fishing and observing laws and limits, but keeping fish." - Jim Brown, program manager for the San Diego City Lakes

The superduper thing is funny, I do have a sense of humor after all.  But the fishinghurts thing is lame and not really what I was talking about.  That is more in line with the bong hit conversation earlier!

Just to remind you, I am about evaluating your catch.  It is all there in earlier posts.  I would like to think we can take into consideration time of year and other factors such as size when keeping fish rather that just blindly keeping it.  This was my main point and what I was stressing.  Although I wish I was more tactful when starting this (and didn't make an assumption about dave), I stand by my point and think it makes alot of sense.  My intention is not to put down, but to share a common thought among one of the fishing microclimates here. 

Just to remind you, I am about evaluating your catch.  It is all there in earlier posts.  I would like to think we can take into consideration time of year and other factors such as size when keeping fish rather that just blindly keeping it.  This was my main point and what I was stressing.

I understood your main point... which is also why I agree with HB that slot limits are a good compromise.  However, if you're saying people shouldn't keep bass during spawn, then shouldn't CnR be off-limits too for the same inherent reasons (especially tourneys)?  IMO, it seems hypocritical... but I'm not wearing bass goggles. 

The superduper thing is funny, I do have a sense of humor after all.  But the fishinghurts thing is lame and not really what I was talking about.  That is more in line with the bong hit conversation earlier!

I know Peta is not what you were talking about.  I used that as an example to articulate a point. 

The point SpinalTap was trying to make (and I was trying to reinforce) - it's a slippery slope and there will always be someone out there thinking you should be holding yourself to a "higher ethical standard".  Draw a sliding scale... with poachers on one extreme and Peta on the other... and legal consumptive fishermen in the middle.  The more you preach the "higher ethical standard" mentality, the closer to you lie on the Peta side of that scale.  If you really think about it, the highest ethical standard would be not to harass or disturb the fish at all.

• Holding yourself to a high personal standard is a noble endeavour.
• Sharing that standard can be good - it displays different view points and perspectives. 
• Preaching that standard... leads to a thread like this.