you know i could care less what you personally like as far as eatin' catfish ... i've got a long way to go before i can be turned loose with intelligent company? ... why cuz i ain't just like you? ... or is cuz i got ye number?

you can take all your elitist carp & shove it on down the line

Son,I am 62 years old,I am willing to bet i have turned loose more fish over 20 lb's than you have ever caught,That's a promise,

Hmmmmm...the ole wifey has started to pack on some weight. I guess I need to try and catch a smaller younger one so I don't hurt the people population. Makes sense to me.

No I dont disagree with you that people catch 20 lbers and larger but you dont see many that do it on a CONSISTANT basis. On just about every trip or every other trip. Or hell once a month LOL. Its not the people I fish with that I make my observation its this forum and what I see on the lake.



I think I am very conservative and make the right decisions when it comes to CPR. The past two months I have caught 19 blues over 30 lbs all but 3 were released. Mainly cause it is legal to keep and eat them so I kept me some for the freezer. Although some think that is hurting the gene pool or population. I have this un sportsman like attitude on this forum cause I get tired of all these weekend warrior fisherman trying to tell me how when where to keep the fish I catch. If I want to eat what I catch I will as long as the law says I can. Me taking 10 or 11 Aps a year is not going to hurt the population of a 33,000 acre lake. I release most of the big cats I catch. But I do eat SOME. People see a study and say OMG they say dont keep big fish it hurts the population. Yes if everyone caught big fish and everyone kept every big fish they caught then yes it would. I catch my share of big fish. And I would say off the top of my head I keep probably 10% of those big fish. Unfortunatley I dont catch Aps over 30 lbs as often as I do blues. But if I did I would still only keep WHAT I WOULD EAT. Some fish for sport some fish for table fare. I do both. If I have fish in the freezer I dont keep fish. IF I dont guess what. Call Hillary call Obama call McCain, Hell call your moma I dont care I am going to keep it and eat it. If I want it. Its legal and it wont be wasted. And guess what TP&W will stock some more for me to catch next time

I will take that bet. And I am half your age. Hhahahaha too funny. Its funny how when you post most cant catch 20 lbers or more on a consistant basis the attacks start. The ones attacking are usually the ones that say I was catching and releasing catfish that big before your parents were born hahahaha. Or I was catching fish that big while you were still in diapers sh****** green. Come on LMAO did I say Sixman you cant catch fish over 20 lbs. But since I said most cannot your conciense tells you I am talking about you. I know how the memory fades as you get older. Make no mistake you may very well have released more fish then I have caught. But I doubt it seriously . So prove me wrong

I'm right at that age myself, and have seen times where it was the norm to eat what you caught, and we had plenty of fish back then.

It may be true that there are more people fishing now days, but the limits are reasonable, and if you are conservation minded then that's a plus for our fisheries, but the law says you can keep them.

I don't, but that's just me, and I don't specifically target big fish so I hardly have to worry about it because it doesn't happen often.

I remember back when I used to fish bass clubs in the early seventies and we used to have an annual fish fry that we used the proceeds to build up our treasury.

We killed a ton of bass back in the day before catch and release caught on.

Sure wouldn't want to be seen at the cleaning station cleaning a bass now days!

Only reason I wouldn't, is I'm too old to go a few rounds with some wise guy who will surely make some smart arse comment about me cleaning a bass.

I locked, but then decided to unlock this thread, as long as it doesn't get any further out of hand.

Please dont lock I want Sixman to prove his point then you can lock it. How about it Sixman show us some pics.

I do both does that make sense???
when on trips anything over 20 goes back after pics.... I have buddies that run jugs and I go with them....if I tried to make them throw the big ones back I would be fish bait....
I was told by a guide on Tawokani that he thought that we need to take some of the big ones and leave some of them.....I think you guys are right..... I like to see the passion of catfishing shared with each other .....keep the opions coming....just try to support your opion with passion and not hatred towards your fishing peers.....

If your fishing Tawakoni all it takes to catch fish over 20lbs is a rod, reel, line and some bait on a hook. That Lake is an awesome catfish lake. I know guys that have caught 20 over 20lbs in one day with pics to back it up. I would not brag about catching catfish over 20lbs on Tawakoni because anyone can do that. Putting out jug lines and trot lines is nothing to brag about either not that there is anything wrong with it.

This thread is not out of hand. It reports a study about how fish respond to fishing pressure. There are difference in opinions. To stifle, or even think of doing so, discussion because of that is ridiculous.

Albert, I have no idea what your problems are, or how you developed your poor outlook on life. I am extremely happy I live 350 miles from Post so I don't have to deal with you daily. If you respond to others as you do here, I feel sorry for you and them.

Danny, I don't know what put the chip on your shoulder, but you need to get it off and relax. It doesn't impress anyone.

In reading your post, its obvious you are a good sportsman. No one said anything is wrong with keeping a few to eat and enjoy, and releasing the number you have is impressive.

It sounds to me like you are a good fisherman, but you didn't invent catfishing. Many of us have been after them far longer than you. Again, I was impressed with your statements about the catch and release. That's exactly what this study was about. Letting many of the larger ones go keeps the gene pool for large fish intact.

Ray

Harold your fairly new here. If you have been around a couple of years on this forum you would know why some of us seem like we have a chip on our shoulder. I dont pretend or portray as if I invented catfishing. But everytime one of these discussions come up someone makes some arse hat statement about keeping a big fish. If everyone kept every big fish they caught then yes I could see a problem with that. But we dont. Many if not all on TFF are very conservative when it comes to our fishing resources. But if we keep a big fish god forbid we are depleting the gene pool. IF I come across as harsh its cause I have a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to this discussion.

Then get a toothbrush. Just joking.

I guide on Eagle Mountain just know guides on that lake that are my friends.... I am not bragging about anything....but I do have friends that catch big fish.... ...My good friend Ernie caught the lake record two weeks ago....42.15 ...and then there are my friends that fish the NTTC they wack the big ones...and not mention my new buddies on the Centeral Texas tourney trail...and oh yea ..My friend Andrew that holds the record on Grapevine Lake ..and then there is my friends BigMick and Steve who Guarrentee 20 pounders on there winter trips or your trip is free..... that might be bragging there but those are just guys I know ..........I guess I can say I have been around some big fish..............Oh yeah I consider Caney Cat and Danny my friends also..... .. I forgot to hit the reply tab this post is a reply to the guy that said I was bragging about catching 20 pounders on Tawakoni....I really dont feel like I was bragging about catching big fish I was stating that I ...as a guide have a policy on trips that we throw back fish over 20 and fishing jugs with some buddies we keep them....