I keep waiting for the clowns to jump out from behind the curtains and say "Gotcha" but I just don't think that is going to happen.

BigDozer66

I agree with you txwhitacre. It is his right as long as he is in the legal limits but I do hate to see so many large ones taken like that. By the way was he in a two man bass buster type boat.

No it was a 15 or 16 ft alum boat with a motor.

How big was the fish your friend caught..

5.25 lbs. and was put back

Congrats and I never keep any either....Looks like your daughter needs to give us all fishing lessons..

ENterTaInInG!

Haha...great thread full of heated opinions.

My opinion is LMB is mighty good eatin. Would I keep a stronger of 20" plus fish? Absolutely not. First of all the smaller (legal) sized fish are better eatin. Second those big girls need to stay in the water for breeding. Third they need to be in the water for other anglers to enjoy as well. It wouldn't hurt my feelings at all to see a upper size slot limit implemented state wide. Take a pic and release. The 1 & 2 pounders go in the box.

have you tried to hook the car battery to the gaf. my uncle Dim Flannery taught me that one, he was a real bright man, rest his soul. Not only does it get the job done all the sparks are real pertty!

I love it! a smart-alec, AND you know how to push all the right buttons, and dare I say, not so gently "touch" those really sensitive spots...

Irony and cruelty, all in the same thread. Poor gator-gar-baits. Just let those stupid basses alone, and catch only the smart ones, is what I say.

Bass grow to about 1.5 to 2 pounds in the first year, if the lake is healthy. They grow about 0.5 pounds/year afterwards. A 5 pound bass is only 7 or 8 years old. More will fill their place.

I heard someone comment on jug fishing for catfish, which I love to do. I once tried to keep a 15-20 pound blue, and it was disgusting. I now don't keep any over about 7-8 pounds. Flatheads are a different story. Most fisherman know this, and rarely see people keep big blues, due to their bad taste.

I have eaten plenty of 5-6 pound bass, but nothing bigger. The 5-6 pounders taste great, and so do the 2 pounders. One has significantly more meat on it though.

I agree about the big cats being nasty to eat. It boils my blood to see 40 and 50# blues at the cleaning table. They aren't worth eating. People have a look at me and my big fish complex. A picture would suffice yet people feel a need to keep everything they catch. A few summer's ago our local lake was flooded and we were murdering the blues in flooded vegetation. 30 to 50 a day on rod and reel. Anything over 10#s went back into the lake. The 2 to 5 pounders are fine dining. Anything old is normally not as good to eat. There are a few exceptions but most fish lose their flavor at a certain age. I see it down here on the coast all the time. People taking bull drum home during the run (illegally), same with bull reds. I don't understand why people would risk a huge fine to keep a fish that is no good to eat.

The only fresh water fish I keep are crappie and the occasional catfish but I hardly ever go catfishing. I have tried a bass once and I didnt like it. I grew up eating salt water fish in Florida so fresh water fish arent that tasty to me.