Northwest Fishing Reports

Well,..as for me ,..I C&R EVERY BASS I LAND! Some don't and it's thier choice,..they have that right as an Angler. But let's not "DOWN" them for doing so,..again it's thier perogative,..WDFW has Rules and Regs 2 follow and fish by and if we do this and abide by the rules/regs then we can all have fun and catch fish,..sorry,..but I got a little upset when I read a Reply on C&R,..the team of WL.com totally supports C&R as well as it's founders as far as I have read,..so IDEALLY C&R,..if not then whatever! But it's up 2 you as an Angler and if you do decide to "keep" your Bass you shoulnd't be harassed or verbally put down for all the world 2 read,..just my thoughts. Think twice out there and if you do decide 2 approach an Angler on the launch with his/her catch, be careful and use some tact when you give your opinion,..alot of people have short fuses! Keep tossin that line!

BB

amen.....was thinking the same thing when I read a couple replies. Back in the day guys on the tournament trails would fill tubs of their catches and have a fish fry. C&R has come along way for bass especially but everyone has the right to do what they want with their catch(as long as it is legal to do so). Maybe the next step is to C&R deer? Shoot'em with a tranquilizer, take a picture and let it go.

thats pretty good mossy. sometimes I wish I could shoot and release ducks.

I betcha a LOT more hunters eat the deer they take than they do the fish they eat. I haven't met a single person yet that kills a deer only for the sake of killing....or for just the antlers. Ya can't beat venison!

You'd also be suprised at how much meat (and hides) are donated every year.

As for C&R deer with tranquilizers...there was a similar idea pitched a couple years ago for a high-fence hunting ranch in Texas IIRC. Ultimately, the idea was dismissed as tranquilization is too stressful on the animals....kinda like landing a big fish in a knotted net, handling it with dirty cotton gloves, and holding it out of the water for a 1 minute video segment followed by pictures.

Anyhoo, I ran across a thread on another forum that was "slamming" washingtonlakes.com, saying they were disgusted with all the "trophy pics" being posted, and huge stringers of fish. I guess they thought we were a bunch of crude, arrogant fisherman that didn't give a darn about nature.

From what I've seen on this forum (and personally practice), the majority of fish caught here are C&R'd...
A common exception, however, being the "stocked trout lakes."...but hey, isn't that way they're stocked with several THOUSAND fish every year?

I do keep a few meals worth of trout a year...but 95% of those kept come from highly stocked lakes. The rest are only fish that I cannot release (gill/gut hooked). I respect the (small, slow growing) populations of high lakes and remote streams, and choose the C&R in those areas. The only other freshwater fish I've ever caught and kept would be perch.

I practice C&R every time I fish. About this time of the year I sometimes remove the "C" from C&R. When the water gets warm and the oxygen level drops in the water, you can cause the fish (trout mostly) great stress by just landing it. A couple of years ago, I was out at Amber fishing in August. I caught my first fish, barely revived it and proceeded to go for another. The second fish was just as exhausted upon landing it. I got it revived and checked the water temperature. It was in the high 70's. I then hung up my rod and headed home. After a couple of weeks, a cold front moved in with a lot of rain and wind. Went out shortly after that and the fish had a much higher level of stamina. The water had cooled down about 8 degrees.

I don't know if bass are effected by high temperatures, but you have to watch it with trout.

I caught a 3lb bass in 80 degree water 3 hours ago. Man I felt like jumping in the water it was so warm, maybe too warm of water to cool off in. Fish was released just fine, bass are tough fish. Best to keep them in consistent temp water that the lake is. If the livewell water rises, so does the fishes chance of not surviving.

I definitely C&R locally (Snohomish County) mainly because I think that is what leads to good amounts of catching each time you go out, and the lakes are small. However, when I go to Banks, I will catch 20-40 fish, and keep 5 or so for a few good dinners with my friends. That is my exception.

I have been C&R'ing pretty much since I started fishing. It started when younger just not wanting to clean the fish.LOL But realized it makes the fishing better for everyone for years to come if they are released. I saw some guys catching bluegills, like 30 no bigger than 6'', they kept putting them on their stringer not throwing back any of them. I was camping right by them. I saw their stringer in the water out front their tent for day and half. The last morning I saw all the bluegill on shore where the stringer was located. They just let them sit out for 36hrs then junked em. BS!!!

Another guy, who was with me, caught a very nice crappie; almost 1.5lbs 14''. The lake we were at is not known for crappie this size. He has learned to C&R since me harping on him all the time but he wanted to keep the fish because he didn't have his camera!!! I told him the most important part is HE knows he caught a nice fish. He was hardheaded and kept it in the net, atleast in the water to keep it alive. 5 casts later he catches another 1 even bigger. I told him, "SEE, you can catch big ones. Just measure 'em and let them go." Finally he agreed and we released both crappie. Both swam away effortlessly to fight another day.

Yep Snoho that's your right as an Angler,..we all know the WDFW Regs and abide by them so it sounds good to me,..Good job Delyakguy,..always makes for better fishing!

C&R is good but when i see a guy with a 6lb LMB on a stringer at the boat launch at a small lake i make sure he knows my opinion. If you don't like what people have to say, then dont post on a forum...

I guess you gotta take the good with the bad but by no means should someone be "Bashed" or "Harassed" especially for everyone on the site to read! What you say to them in person or in a PM is up to you!

With the exception of the occasional trout,kokanee and maybe a walleye or 2.I'm a C&R guy.When I actually do catch a bass(I ALWAYS C&R them)Not only because I don't want to eat it,but I try to respect others fishery. And I hope in turn they respect mine(C&Ring muskies) I've run across a few anglers that keep their bass and I try to ENCOURAGE catch and release practice. I understand that it can be a double edged sword,if someone is fishing to put dinner on the table.Who am I to pull it away...even if it was a muskie.
I try to let other anglers know of C&R...but I'm careful not to stuff it in their face

!

I've always released bass, from back when I was a kid growing up fishing the swamps and culvert ponds in Georgia. The only bass I've ever brought home was a 12 pounder I caught and had mounted - and for the lake I was fishing, that was considered a smaller one.

Trout I typically keep since my son loves to eat trout. I've finally turned him on to fishing by taking him out to Five Mile earlier this year when the trout were hitting everything in front of them.

I think the WDFW should implement C&R bass habitats in specific fisheries. They can legislate everything else (and do!) regarding fishing in this state, so a push to designate specific lakes as C&R for bass would go a long way in developing strong bass habitats and increase sport fishing opportunities, as well as more regional and national tournaments.

CnR bass all the way. Can't say I've ever kept em. Lots of other opportunities to have fresh fish in our state, trout, salmon among the top for red meat and saltwater bottomfish, perch, walleye for white meat....

Although it wouldn't hurt for people to keep a bunch of the 12 inch and under guys in some of our lakes....I'm not taking a bass home, never have, never will....

i CnR all the time my son wants to keep them so i bought him a camera. i never keep the fish but i eat the bait. fried senkos are awesome!

I eat the fish I catch often because it's good for you. Fish prices are insane where I live and I enjoy the occasional fish fry or BBQ. I mostly catch Sunfish for this purpose because they are far easier to catch. I don't catch very big bass but if they are over 12 inches I always let them go now because where I fish there are a lot of regulars who C&R and I don't want to ruin their fun. On the same token I hate when they give me that "Look" for keeping a few small bass with my perch and blue gill catch. I read an article one time that said keeping small bass is actually good for the lake because they are such active feeders they can out compete the larger fish preventing them from growing as large as they would otherwise.

I'll eat what I catch if Im in the mood for fish, but will only keep 1 or 2. Only 2 have been kept/cooked so far this year. Most species are fair game as far as Im concerned.

I will however let the trophy fish go every time.