I have fished WRC for the past 2 Fall and Winter seasons having successful and unsuccessful days catching "KEEPER" sized fish; Crappies, White Bass, and Yellow Bass. On almost all my trips I am able to catch fish whether they be keepers or not. As a part of the process, those that are not legal size to take must be thrown back.
- It's the law-
My uncle was my first influence and got my started in fishing and he taught me a few things: 1) Don't get your line tangled with someone else's as it means you are too close, and if it happens a 2nd time they should cut your line. 2) Do not go into another fisherman's bucket or touch their stringer.
and finally 3) Do not play with the Game Warden - meaning do not take fish that are not legal!!
I say that to say this: - As I fish these creeks I notice a particular crowd/group of fisherman who fish these waters on the regular and I rarely if ever see them throw back ANY fish. From fishing I have learned that you can only catch what is biting and when everyone around you is catching smaller sized fish that is normally whats in there. Now when I notice that after my 9th or 10th dink that I have thrown back they have yet to toss back 1 fish I start to wonder about the fish they keep.... They can't all be 10"... can they?
Conventional Wisdom aka "Common Sense" tells me NO but hey..... it is not my bucket. .