some smallmouth from this week (updated 4-9-10 more pics)

[DOUBLELUNG]

Nobody should be flamed for killing bass or walleye in a salmon river. 

In lakes, not a bad idea to release the big ones for recreation and reproduction, but kill a limit of fryer size fish for eats. 

Another good reason to put back the big ones, the older they are, the higher the mercury content.  That one's pretty much worldwide, as mercury salts released by burning coal are returned to earth by rain.  Same holds true for a lot of other toxins that bioaccumulate in fish-eating predators, the older the fish the higher the levels of toxins.  Feed your kids a bunch of old bass as they are growing up, screw up their brain development; ditto for pregnant women (the fetus, not the mom, she's already screwed up by estrogen, progesterone and oxytocin).

[Black Plague]

yeah I heard that they were thinking of putting a bounty on the smallmouth in Roosevelt and in the arm too, but I seriously doubt it will ever happen...maybe it was just a rumor going around so that more people would think that it is the hot spot to be for the smallmouth and so they don't feel so bad about keeping them...but boy oh boy if they did put a bounty on them you can bet there wouldn't be any parking anywhere...you would just have to have someone drop off you and your boat and then pick you up at night 

[Panic Minnow]

The reason for no limit on smallies on the Yakima River is because it is the ONLY place in the state of Washington that they have found the smallies are predators of the salmon smolt. They are not sure why it is only there, but this is directly from the warm water guy.
FYI

[woodywsu]

The reason for no limit on smallies on the Yakima River is because it is the ONLY place in the state of Washington that they have found the smallies are predators of the salmon smolt. They are not sure why it is only there, but this is directly from the warm water guy.
FYI

That is not true. Smallies affect smolt throughout the whole river system.

[Panic Minnow]

The reason for no limit on smallies on the Yakima River is because it is the ONLY place in the state of Washington that they have found the smallies are predators of the salmon smolt. They are not sure why it is only there, but this is directly from the warm water guy.
FYI

That is not true. Smallies affect smolt throughout the whole river system.

Let me rephrase the statement. This was from the mouth of the WDFW Bruce Baker (I think it was his name) at a meeting, and he stated that thru all of their research and shocking studies, the mouth of the Yakima river is the ONLY place that they have found any measurable impact with the smallies eating smolt. That is why they have the limit where it is. Now there may be other areas added to the list since. But I was very surprised that they found most of the smallmouth had more crayfish in their system. Of course the Northern Pike Minnow are the biggest problems in most of the river system.

[duckmen1]

sorry to prove you wrong panic minnow but thats not the only place they tear up salmon smolt?there are many others

[BLUEBULLS]

There is no way that keeping bass for dinner is going to hurt the smallmouth population in the Yakima, columbia or Snake. theses are huge areas with a feed base and habitat that's incredible. the population of larger fish in these areas is slightly down but it's not due to people keeping them for the table. It's the tournaments that are hurting them. Pretty much all good areas in eastern Wa. are way overloaded with tournaments especially around the spawn. what happens when you take all of the larger females off of their beds and move them 20 miles? they don't spawn. yeah some make it back and spawn but most don't. it's mostly tournament fisherman that spread rumors of the "meat hunters" killing the population. They don't like to see fish taken from their money winning spots. The yakima is a great example. People have been catching and keeping big smallies in there for a long, long time. it's always been full of big smallies until lately. Tournament fisherman finally figured out that they can get a small jetboat up there and since this has become so common, the number of 3-6lb fish is way way down. Pull a fish off it's bed up there in the heat of the spawn, take it 20 miles down river and turn it loose, chances are those eggs aren't coming out.


I've been fishing tournaments all of my life and it's become so obvious to me.

you want to eat bass, go for it. Walleye too. they'll be just fine.

[duckmen1]

and taking the big females off their beds to eat will make them spawn better how
at least those female live another day to spawn
plus the females only stay at the beds a portion of the time it the males that stay at the beds
plus the females Will bed in another area they will make several beds a year and choose which is best
released fish to live another day hurts the population SOOOO much much more than dead fish  YA RIGHT

[BLKBEARKLR]

There has been numerous articles, studies and research done on fish being released from a tournament. The success rate is about 95%. Of that within a week there is about an 80% return of the fish back to the original area.

I myself as a tournament fisher after the fish are weighed put them back in the live well and bring them back to where they were caught. If not doing that then someone is in it for the money and not the love of fishing, I do everything possible to ensure they survive and live on.

Bottom line is an eaten fish is a dead fish there is no hope in it returning to it's bed. 

And just for the record yes I release, musky, a lot of the trout and some of the salmon and steelhead I catch. I do keep some, why because they are being replenished by man not by nature

Joe

[BLUEBULLS]

generally people aren't going to bring 5 big females a day home to eat off of their beds but tournament guys are going to move them during the most critical time.

also, the males stay at the bed after the spawn to guard. during the heat of the spawn, the female will almost always be at the bed and yes, they do make different beds but in the same area. if these fish get released 20 miles away and conditions are right, they miss the spawn.


BLKBEARKLR, you're right about 95% living and 80 percent make it back to the original area but most don't make it in time to spawn. as far as taking fish back to the area where they were caught, that's a great way of doing things and I do it whne it's allowed but it's generally against the rules.

A lot of the fish in our reservoirs over here are released 20-60 miles from where they were caught.

I don't keep bass but I know that keeping a few for dinner isn't hurting anything in my area.

[WSU]

I don't keep bass but I know that keeping a few for dinner isn't hurting anything in my area.

Releasing them may very well be hurting things in the area...

[Curly]

A lot of the fish in our reservoirs over here are released 20-60 miles from where they were caught.

 

And they may be caught on the other side of one or more dams if the fisherman locked through......

[duckmen1]

in my area people do keep big one off of beds and i'm sure they do there to your just not realizing it no bass should be kept off a bed
and ya i think even in tournaments its kind of wrong to keep them off the beds even though there realesing them later
a few small ones here and there are not a problem with me if theres that many fish but let the big ones go

[MtnMuley]

That's what slot limits are for.

[Black Plague]

yeah...they are too easy to catch off there beds...but a lot of fun...I am fine with targeting them on their beds for a nice reaction strike...but as a rule of thumb most people know its best to release them and let them do their thing...sometimes I too wonder about the legitimacy of hosting tournaments during prime spawning time...but I guess its just about money...and fun...