WHAT ARE THE RULES

One of our young club members caught a legal bass during a tournament.
The fish died, in our club you can weigh in a dead fish.
After weigh in, he threw it in the lake at the boat ramp.
Since then I have had people tell me that it is illegal to do that.
Wether it is or is not, I don't believe throwing the fish in the lake is the right thing to do.
Like I said, he is a YOUNG member, I don't want to be to hard on him, but I want him to learn what is acceptable in the bass fishing community.
I am the President of the club, so it is my job to address this situation.
Please give me your opinions on this.

Thanks in advance.

I don't know the proper etiquette but eating it would be first choice for me... 2nd would be throw it back and let something down the food chain eat it.

A garbage can would be the worst option, IMO.

I'd also try to determine why it died and take steps to prevent it from happening too often.

Bury it and hold a proper funeral?

Ethically, it should be cleaned and eaten. I guess.

I hate fish. I don't eat them. Ever. So I would have given it to someone that would have wanted to eat it. Or fed it to a animal. Something

What I don't agree with, and have seen happen is CULLING a dead fish.

Illegal to just throw it in the lake. Fillet it and enjoy. I keep a fillet knife and ziplocks in my truck in case this happens.

You're the president of the club and don't know the laws relating to bass fishing? What your young member did is called "waste of a resource" and it's against the law.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdo...ies-restitution

"Waste of Game: It is an offense if a person intentionally takes or possesses a game bird, game animal or fish and intentionally, knowingly or recklessly or with criminal negligence, fails to keep the edible portions of the bird, animal or fish in an edible condition".

It's a Class C Misdemeanor. $25-$500 fine and restitution for the wasted resource. In the case of one bass, I'd imagine restitution would be about $5-$10 depending on the size of the fish.

What's done is done and the Game Warden wasn't there so the angler's not in any trouble. Though this can be a teachable moment for the young angler.

This is what I would do at each tournament.
- Always make provisions to keep the dead fish for future club functions.
- Ice chest for the dead fish.
- Each contestant must sign a consent form, turning that fish over to the club.
- You do not want to be caught at the fish dressing station with over your limit without these forms in hand.
- Hold once a year fish fry just for these type situations or provide a fish fry for some needy group in your area once a year.

Fouzman is right on; with it being the law; so address this at your next meeting as well as culling a dead fish on the water, which also falls under this same law and should be part of the tournament rules.

Mr. Harper, that's a great way to handle the inevitable. You sir always have your ducks in a row!

How long does it take a dead fish to spoil to the point that it's not safe to eat? For instance, you are fishing a 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. tournament. You catch a keeper that is hooked deep at 6:15 and it dies almost immediately. By weigh-in time it is stiff as a board and has been in a 70 degree livewell for nine hours.

Are you going to fillet and eat that fish?

Not if it wasn't on ice.

Keep small trash bags in the boat just for a long term dead fish. You are allowed to gut the fish as long as you leave the head, fins and scales in tact.

I'm talking about a fish you are going to weigh as part of your tournament bag. You wouldn't want to gut and clean it before weighing it in. But, once you weigh it...what do you do with a fish that has been dead for hours and is unsafe for human consumption?

It kills me to let a fish die in my well. I use ice and Sure Life products when the water starts to warm, I divide my fish between two livewells to give them plenty of area and water, and I run my aerators on constant to keep them oxygenated. I check on them constantly throughout the day or night. I have maybe one fish die every three to four years. Still, it can happen, and when it does the law puts us in an awkward position. It is legal to possess a dead fish until weigh-in time, no matter how long it has been dead, but it doesn't allow us to dispose of a fish that is unsafe to eat. What are you supposed to do with it, take it home and throw it in a trash can? How is that better than throwing it back in the lake so at least the turtles can eat?

You are correct. Most rules read no iced or pale gill fish. One that is dead all day for 7 hours will have pale gills. Sometime a club will let that slide; but have seen many big tournaments turn them away that is stiff as a board with pale gills. The thanking there is one could have picked up a floater to weigh-in.

It is a call on the officials part at weighing it and giving the penalty of less weight. So now it becomes your call on what to do with it. If you follow the law you must keep the fish. It is up to you whether you are going to let it spoil or not. If your points in standings are that important to you then weigh the fish. I would then take it home to dispose of it.

Oh. It is just a good practice not to throw dead fish parts in the lake around the boat ramps and docks. This gets blamed on the Tourn. Director and gives tournaments a bad name when people see dead fish floating and lots of fish dressed at water's edge. A cleaning station is the place to do that. A good place to dispose of a spoiled fish is one of those stations with a grinder system and wash down area. Not in the trash can.

Maybe a 6 day mourning period, where you should only wear green or black clothing.......