I started several years ago throwing the females back unless I was trying to scrap up enough for a fry.
Just asking if any one else does the same?
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I started several years ago throwing the females back unless I was trying to scrap up enough for a fry.
Just asking if any one else does the same?
I do the same on bluegills and shellcrackers if I can make a positive ID on the females. Not always possible during post spawn times. I have ZERO problem with others who don't throw them back. Biologists will probably say it won't make a difference on the resource. Each to his own.
I agree. They're very prolific in most waters and doesn't hurt to harvest them. Bag limits usually are pretty generous.Quote:
Originally Posted by mrdux
I say keep what you want,I personally probably dont keep 2 dozen fish all year.
But I know alot believes like you.Keep males-release females.Thats 1 sure way to keep population coming back.
it all depnds on the lake i fish.. there is some ponds i fish that there is an overabundance of gills and actually need some taken out so then i dont mind, but if there not over populated tend to release females
I tend to release the big females to improve the general size of the fish population and all males who are needed to guard the eggs.
As others have said, I have no problem with folks who want to eat their catch, it is just that I really do not care for the taste of fish. Cows now, I can eat a bunch of cow.
You'all wont probally like this.Im only talking about my pond,anything I catch that's not eating size goes out for the racoons male and female.If you remove these small one's you will have a better chance of keepin your pond in good shape.On the other hand I release all I'm not going to keep back in any lake or small reservoir.
It won't take much research to find definitive studies that indicate you should always return the largest MALES that exist in the water you are fishing. Any female can lay eggs, but the MALES control the size of the population. This is especially true with smaller bodies of water.
Mike
I'm pretty much a catch and release fisherman. When I do keep the fish, about twice a year, I usually keep anything that is the right size. I guess there must be people out there that know more than me because I have no idea of how to tell the difference between male and female bluegills.
The biologist I have talked to have always told me there is nothing you can really do to hurt bream populations.
I mostly fish a 200 acre lake and we (community) have been advised to keep everything we catch because the lake has become overpopulated.
I am sure every fishery is different, but I know at least here in this area (Alabama) bluegill especially will bed all summer long. From my observations, I would agree with the biologist, I don't think there is much that you can do to hurt bluegill populations overall.
On a side not, over the years, I have noticed that when the overall population increases, the relative size of each fish seems to decrease, and in years where the population fluctuates the other way the sizes seem to increase.
Oscar
I agree with oscar 73 about keeping all on a 200 acre southern lake.
Smaller lakes and ponds and hard hit city waters can easily be overfished and in those cases returning largest males to the water will insure a better overall size.
It is interesting that I had a fisheries bioligest at Reelfoot Lake in TN. tell me it is impossible to overfish bluegill also. Bring that same so called expert up here to the midwest and he would get an education in a hurry.
I'm no activist by any means, but in this area ,it is not hard to overfish ANY of the smaller waters. I sure envy your southern bluegill populations. Mike
Good post! I guess fishing Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend especially, the size of those lakes must be quite larger than what yall are talking about. Both Rayburn & Toledo are loaded full of big bream, particularly TBend! I usually go once a year to TBend and bring home anywhere from 100-400 (300-400 only happened once) bull bream and it usually is mostly males with some females thrown in...about a 7:3 ratio. If I fished them regularly where I could bring a few home each time I'd go, I probably would be more selective.
I do like fish and would rather eat fish more than beef just due to all the additives in the feeds they give our livestock and poultry nowadays, that's one reason why I hunt so much.
It would be something new to have a daily bag limit placed on bream in Texas, and I should say there was on a little lake called Purtis Creek where all sunfish had to be a minimum of 7". That was removed about 3-4 years ago since it did not prove to enhance their population.
jimdiana,catch a few and compare.The male's are more colorful and tend to have larger scales.Also you're larger males have a large black lobe at the outside center end of their gill.If still in doubt catch some next month and filet them.See whitch one's have egg's and compare.You will surley notice the difference