Thread: Bluegill Conservation

well, the poor guy surrendered, lets stop harassing him. We all hae our own beliefs. but still if you keep over 200 fish, you are a maniac fish killer.

Haha, your just getting warmed up at 200......

hope thats sarcasm

Maybe there is a difference, but I don't view one person taking home a large quantity once or twice a year any differently than I do one that keeps 5 a week throughout the year.

When I was young, the thought was to throw back the slower growing gamefish and to keep the more prolific panfish since they were viewed as more quick to recover. I still think that applies today as I don't believe there is currently a large market for catch and release panfishing. I think if the laws were changed to greatly restrict the panfish harvest, most that fish for them would just stop. There would be more to go around for those anglers that persist, but there would be a lot less anglers. Fishing then starts to become a sport of privilege where the only people that can enjoy it are those that can afford to spend the time and money doing it purely for the sporting benefit.

Originally Posted by Cricketcage

I still think that applies today as I don't believe there is currently a large market for catch and release panfishing. I think if the laws were changed to greatly restrict the panfish harvest, most that fish for them would just stop.

You might be right but, as someone who never keeps a fish, I just don't get it. Fish are fun to catch whether you eat them or not.

I would still fish for them if they were super close to the house. But for me, if there were small limits and great restrictions I would not even fish for bluegill. Like I mentioned several times, I go a few times a year and keep a couple nice mess of fish to have when I feel like eating whole fried bluegill. When gas is through the roof and you have a V8 and a 21ft bassboat with a 200 on it, the 50 mile round trip to catch 50-60 gills has turned into a 50-60 dollar trip. If I'm gonna spend that and not get to keep any fish I am just gonna go crappie fishing instead, I will turn them loose all day.......not because I don't like to eat them but I just go so much that I don't need to keep them every trip........unless of coarse I take someone to help me with gas and they want to keep fish....

I think in the end it comes down to whether one is a narcissist and believes the world revolves around him, and therefore he has no call to think of other anglers, or one actually has consideration for others. The assertion that most bluegill anglers presently are those who keep dozens or more per trip, is inaccurate; I am a member of ****************, certainly the largest forum on the internet by far dedicated to the species; there are over five thousand members, and a conservative estimate of the number who do not keep more than a handful of bluegill per trip, and most often release all they catch, would be ninety percent. I would suggest that, especially if one were to count all the bluegill anglers across the country, that the conservation-minded, considerate bluegill anglers outnumber the meathogs three or four to one, or more. The suggestion that bluegill fishing would be for a "privileged" few is a reflection of this sort of mentality - the distorted idea that somehow being forced by limits to actually think of one's fellow angler would be oppressive.

I am sure there must have been meathog bass fishermen that felt the same way when stricter limits were first implemented for that species. A lot of very specious, flat-earth stuff has been written in this thread by those who feel entitled to keep all the bluegill they want; I’ve yet to see any response to the notion that they have a responsibility to other anglers, and that it’s not just about them.