Northwest Fishing Reports

How many of you release and how many of you keep your fish for dinner?

I release my fish if I don't plan on cooking them directly after I get home. If a fish hits the freezer, its next destination is the garbage a few months later.

General comment about this subject:
If you really want to see opinions about releasing/keeping, go read all the recent reports and read the comments under them. Some people, and I won't name names, sound a little like a broken record. C&R is a personal preference, not a requirement (most of the time). Taking a fish home to be eaten, stuffed, shown off and discarded... all a personal choice that should not be discriminated against or chastised for. It's just the way people are and the last thing we want is for people to feel afraid to post reports or pictures because the picture might show them standing somewhere that is obviously not 2 feet from the lake.

I am not your die-hard, release every fish fly fisherman. I enjoy an occasional fish fry and so do my wife and kids, but I'm selective. I won't keep any fish from West Medical for example, but will occasionally bring home some brookies and tigers from Fish Lake near Cheney and some mountain lakes in NE Washington. Ditto for an occasional brown or tiger from Medical. My release to keep ratio is at least 15 to 1, but is probably closer to 20 to 1. In my earlier years I kept too many fish and on occasion had to toss some. I now avoid this and only bring home fish I know are destined for the pan within a day or two. During the winter while ice fishing, when the water is cold and clear and the fish are good and firm, the boys and I will keep a few 10-12" rainbows. Even rainbows are tasty at this time of the year!

Here's a quick edit note.....practicing C&R keeps me on the water longer. I fish a lot, 4-5 times a week, and I often spend several hours a day tossing a line. By not retaining any fish I avoid any and all restrictions brought on by said retention! I guess I'm one of those "sporties" some folks have mentioned......but, if it's a body of water with brookies and tigers, watch out, for I might be done in an hour or so!

I like Aaron's comment on the subject. It is a personal preference, as long as you stay within the guidelines. I do think there are times when C&R is a little more appropriate than others. For example, I have a fishing spot that holds some very nice bass. This lake is also quite small. On a good day, we can catch five to ten a piece, some of them hitting four or five pounds, and most averaging two pounds. One has to consider a few things here. One, its a very small lake, and only holds "X" amount of fish. Taking five bass every fishing trip will definately begin to affect the population (I'm sure we have hooked into the same fish more than once). Second, these lunkers are probably five or six years old. If you keep them all, you are not only depleating the population, but you have to wait another six years four a fish to become as big as the one you kept. Not to mention, the larger the fish, the more eggs it will produce during the spawn.

However, on other lakes, I think that keeping fish is much more acceptable. I do a lot of bass fishing on the Snake River. This is a huge habitat and is capable of harvesting much greater numbers of fish. Keeping a few within the guidelines is not going to dent the population near the way fishing a tiny little "hole in the wall" will. Also, as far as trout are concerned... Most lakes are stocked with rainbow trout multiple times per year. Once again, the concern of ruining the population is not near as great, as they will be continually replenished (as long as we stay within the guidelines). These are just my personal views, and I have no bias either way for people who C&R vs people who keep them, as long as they are within the guidelines. Nothing irritates me more than watching people take twice their limits!

I think raffen has the right idea....


I'm kind of the same way..... my decision to keep or release depends on how the fishery I'm working is being managed, how I think it should be managed, how good I think that particular fish is going to taste, whether or not I feel like cleaning fish when I get home, and whether or not I need "points" with my wife (she loves fish and doesn't think I should ever let any go).

for the most part I'm a catch and release guy because the answer to factor number 4 (do I feel like cleaning fish when I get home??) more often than not is in the negative....

but I have been learning new ways to prep and cook fish and this has me keeping more and more of the smaller fish that most think to be a pain to clean and prepare for cooking....

what I do with smaller trout, perch, panfish, and even shiner perch is to simply remove the gill material and entrails after I get as many of the scales off as possible........


the trout are sauted whole in butter that has been doctored with tumeric (when you saute in butter you need to keep the cooking temperature more to the med and med-low side of the control otherwise the butter gets black and oooky) and the other species are sauteed in canola oil (high smoke temp) at much higher temperature........ I rub a variety of spices like cumin, garlic, dill, etc. into the skin of these other species before they hit the pan........ I've never found any particular mix that I prefer.. they all seem to be pretty good........ with the non-trout species you want the pan really hot for the first few minutes.. this carmelizes the skin and adds a lot of flavor... once you get the proper level of carmelization turn the heat down to medium to let it finish cooking.. but don't cook too long.. you're looking for a final internal temp of about 120F.....

by cooking them this way you bypass the need to filet the smaller fish because when properly cooked the meat and skin just sort of peel right out of the skeletal bone structure and you have a boneless but not skinless filet..... the spices rubbed in the skin make it very tasty and, besides, the skin is where all those omega 3's are so we older guys need to be eating more of that part of the fish... it's for our health.... one option for cooking this way is to use mexicali kinds of spices in the rub and use the meat for making fish tacos.... just get some corn tortillas that have been sauted lightly in oil and pull some of the sides of the fish off and put the meat plus skin in the middle of the tortilla and then slop on tomatoes, lettuce, fresh cilantro, and other taco fixins and those little fish that you used to throw back because they were such a pain to fiiet turn into tasty treats...... (and, if you are like me and somehow managed to reach middle age without knowing what fresh cilantro is you gotta start buying a bunch of it from time to time... it really makes a difference on any kind of taco or burrito not just the fish ones..good in omlettes and lots of other kinds of dishes also)

Keep the occasional trout if your in freshwater. Walleye or perch or whatever else you might like. Throw back fish like bass (they taste horrible) and any other fish. Don't go fill up your 5 fish trout limit UNLESS you will eat EVERY SINGLE ONE! I'd bet that half the trout caught out of planter lakes this time of year get kept and then thrown away....

Aaron wrote:I release my fish if I don't plan on cooking them directly after I get home. If a fish hits the freezer, its next destination is the garbage a few months later.

I am generally the same way, but when I am planning to smoke any fish I always freeze them first, I heard that causes water inside the flesh to expand and create pockets for the brine to fill after its thawed (try it out!).

Matt

I only fish for bass and I release 100%.

The first reason would be as already stated bass are disgusting hence the reason why you cant order one at any restaurant. If I want fish then give me some salmon, mahi mahi or halibut.

The second reason would be because too many people keep bass of all sizes. I do what I can to educate people that dont really fish for bass but catch em sometimes. I understand that people that dont get to fish that often like to keep everything to have something to show for and are proud of their catch. But there are also too many bass anglers that keep monster bass they have caught even during pre-spawn. Wall art is retarded unless you have a beautifully decorated house with other "animals" that you've had taxidermied. Replicas are also a better option.

By nature, I'm not a CNR kinda guy, although I intentionally (and, at times, unintentionally) practice this on occasion.

Aaron and Littleriver have hit on two of the things I strongly believe in, (1) CNR is a personal choice within the regulations and those who choose to do so shouldn't be overly critical of those who don't, and (2) the number of fish I retain within the regulations is directly proportional to the species I'm fishing for, how good it tastes, and how many of them I want to clean when I get home!

If we're fishing for panfish, then we're shooting for limits everytime out. Properly cared for, they are still very tasty after just a few months of freezer storage. The key here is proper care and packaging!!! If I'm really concerned about long term storage, then I vacuum pack my fish so I have no issues with storage and off taste. This works very well.

I'm not a big fan of trout for table fare, IMO, most taste meally even when eaten within a few days. Therefore, we only retain trout from deep water lakes or during cold weather seasons. In our case, that means trout come mostly from Roosevelt when the water temps are in the low 40s to upper 30s. Even I enjoy trout from Roosevelt.=d>

I have to disagree on the taste of other game fish, especially bass. They are every bit as good as crappie, perch, and bluegill and I have no qualms about retaining them within regulations. I respect the fishery, so I wouldn't keep a lunker for table fare. Besides, I usually catch a whole lot more of the smaller ones anyway, and I don't have a problem running a fillet knife through them.

I know there are some who consistently comment that we should realease all Tiger Muskies, and maybe we should, but as long as the regs say one over 36" is allowed, then no one should chastise anyone else for abiding by the regs. Same holds true for a monster bass, the regs allow one over 17" on most waters in the state and if someone chooses to keep one within the guidlines of the regs, whether for table or wall, that's their right.

I agree that people shouldn't keep a limit of 4 or 5 pound bass or 7 to 8 pound walleye, but, if they do, those fish most certainly would be over the size limits and a rules infraction anyway. My hope is WDFW happens to be there when they get off the water!!!

Everybody seems to have their own strong opinion and thats great! Me myself I usually release more trout than keep. Now if I come across a trout or two that are just amazing in size, then you can count on me keeping it for the pan. I will be sure to eat it up within that night or the next day. Especially when I am camping and their is some ice cold beer on the side. I have done a few of those trips where you have to catch your food. Good times because it makes fishing a little more difficult for some reason. I think its because your wanting that fish a little to much.

Wow...what a potentially explosive topic. I agree with hewesfisher's second paragraph. Personally, I will sometimes keep a limit, but I am crazy for trout and eat every one. I use common sense about how much my family and I can eat though and what we like, so I wouldn't bring home 5 huge trout and a couple bass and expect us to eat each one. Usually, I take home two more fish than I know I can eat alone (judging by 10-12 inch fish).

When I do my fishing I only keep the ones that I have too. Dont get me wrong I LOVE to limit out but I know all the fish wont get eaten. From time to time when Im going on a weekend trip and I know Im going to knock em dead Ill call up some family or the neighbor and ask them if they want any to be nice. And then Ill bring some extra home. But if I go somewhere for the weekend and I catch fish I always bring home a meal or two. To me catching the fish is great but cooking them is another great part of catching fish, but I love to cook. But I keep all the fish heads and guts for my crab/crawdad pots so if 1 or 2 fish do go bad in the freezer they get put in the pot as well so even though they did go waste they didnt go to waste all the way

danielt wrote:I only fish for bass and I release 100%.

The first reason would be as already stated bass are disgusting hence the reason why you cant order one at any restaurant. If I want fish then give me some salmon, mahi mahi or halibut.

I find smallmouth to be tasty. Everyone has their likes and dislikes I suppose. I can't stand catfish for example.

I would think that the cost of harvesting bass is what really keeps it out of the restaurants. Not many freshwater fish make it -- but that's another discussion.

I CNR 100% unless I know I have a reason to keep the fish (I'm at Jameson all next week and I will keep most of my catch for smoking). My wife is allergic to fish and shellfish so I bringing home fish isn't always viewed as a good thing.



tcb

What do folks think about releasing damaged fish? I tend to keep them, but the idea that has been on my mind lately is to throw them back so that other animals can feed on them.

Thoughts?

Bass= 100% C&R....why? because i don't like how they taste.

Panfish= at least 80% C&R....why? because i get sick when people keep all their panfish. if i catch 100 perch i'm only gonna keep 10-15. i don't need the rest.

i feel good when i release a fish, and when i keep one i always feel kinda bad.

I cant say I ever feel bad for keeping them. Call me heartless but sorry! I release because I can only keep so many in my freezer. Or if they are to small. I will always keep salmon thats for sure.

Danielt makes an excellent point about a specific form of fishing.....

For someone who has a big bass boat and is into "hawg" hunting I think a total cnr ethic is totally appropriate...

I love that kind of fishing but don't focus on it while I live in washington because the season is too short and the investment in boat, trailer, fishing gear, too high for the amount of time I would be able to use it all... however, if anything happens to my wife and I find myself totally single and with decent retirement income I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to buy a big bass boat (would have to be a ranger with a 200 hp Merc) and just work the SE to Northern midwest circuit..... would just rent a cabin for a month and fish every day for that month and then move up or down one state for the next month.... December and January you would find me in Florida and South Carolina.. June and July you would find me in Michigan, Wisconsin, or Minnesota... I would just maintain the pattern until I died of old age........

my will would say.... just cremate the remains and spread them out over the nearest bass lake....

tcb wrote:What do folks think about releasing damaged fish? I tend to keep them, but the idea that has been on my mind lately is to throw them back so that other animals can feed on them.

Thoughts?

Well yea it does help the whole system. all the little baitfish who are scavengers can get a bunch of chunks of meat off that fish. A crawdad (or a bunch) can get a good supply of food and get bigger, which might mean that a bass can to that bigger crawdad and the bass grows bigger for us to catch.

Or an eagle can have a meal.

Put it this way, it's not going to go to waste...

I'm not much for trout (except I agree lake Roosevet trout are THE BEST). I will keep an occasional 2-3 small bass from a lake that is heavily populated with them for a bass sandwich (which my son likes a lot). But I never keep the upper slot bass.

I hope guys keep the comments civil (and most have). I think the comments are one of our great upgrades. This site can be a wonderful resource for learning and sharing with fellow anglers. Aaron and I will use our admin privledges to keep this a friendly enviroment. We will never let it degrade like some sites I have seen in the "bad old days".

Sam Kafelafish wrote:

tcb wrote:What do folks think about releasing damaged fish? I tend to keep them, but the idea that has been on my mind lately is to throw them back so that other animals can feed on them.

Thoughts?

Well yea it does help the whole system. all the little baitfish who are scavengers can get a bunch of chunks of meat off that fish. A crawdad (or a bunch) can get a good supply of food and get bigger, which might mean that a bass can to that bigger crawdad and the bass grows bigger for us to catch.

Or an eagle can have a meal.

Put it this way, it's not going to go to waste...

I agree with the baitfish stuff. Releasing seems to bring better luck too. When I keep a fish, sometimes it takes forever to even get another bite. When I release, I am on shortly after releasing