We keep some fish for the skillet. I agree with several others here that no one should take fish that they aren't sure they can use.

To me, catch and release has two major advantages: it allows the fish to return to the spawning population, and it pisses off the members of PETA who would like to abolish sportfishing entirely.

Love to catch them, but back in the water for me. We need every potential spawner we can get back in the water out here in West Texas.

All the time. Whites are kept for eating but only what we can use at the time as it is not hard to catch more when you are hungry for them. Hybrids are only kept if they are going to die or whomever is with me wants them, don't care about eating them at all.

Well I say keep what you can use and put the rest
back, I always have two or three messes ahead in
the freezer and that is all I try to keep. But
in my opinion anyone that don't like to eat
Whites because of the taste, just don't know how
to eat em. They are mild white and flakey meat,
hard to beat.

I usually release all whites and hybrids. I just like the fight. If I have a fish fry coming up I will stock up on the sandies. Sandies are for fish frys crappie are for me.

I usually keep sandies 13" and over and release the others. I don't mind cleaning them but have to be in the mood to do so. Yall are making me hungry.

I don't get to fish as much as I used to, so if it is legal, it goes home with me. When we have fresh sandies/hybrids/striper, we will eat fish 3 or 4 nights in a row or until we run out. As for cooking any of those 3, I developed a recipe 15 years ago or so, fillet them out, cut the fillets up into 2"x2" chunks, roll them in Flour(no corn meal), deep fry them(this will also work for crappie and black bass, I don't like it on catfish that much), place the fried fish on paper towels to drain off the excess cooking oil. For a dip I use a cup of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, Soy Sauce, and mild or medium Pace Picante. The last 2 ingredients are added at amounts to taste for salt,(the soy sauce) and heat,(the Picante). When I used to fish a lot, I would make this up and take to parties and an entire platter of fish would be eaten in 30 minutes or less.

In other words mask the taste as much as possible! No, seriously the Ranch thing sounds pretty good!

I dont eat fish much so usually I just let them go. Still fun to catch though.

Based on fishing Somerville on a regular basis, I have too much fun chasing schooling whites to bother unhooking and putting them in the live well. I'll take home a half dozen or so if my freezer is empty, but there are other fish I'd rather fry and eat, especially ( pardon the sacrilege) largemouth bass in the 32-3 pound range.
=ROSS=

Depends on how the freezer looks. I like fresh fish mainly. If I know the propane tank is full and the peanut oil is still usable the 10 + inchers better watch out. I like the 10 to 13 inchers in the fish cooker more than the 15 inch sows.

I boated somewhere in the neighborhood of 1300 sandies last summer before the boat gave me some trouble and out of that, we kept probably 25-50 for a couple of fish fries. I have never understood how sandies are looked down on as table fare...or is it me ? I do believe in catch and release..straight in the grease!! I like them fried in corn meal with lots of red pepper, salt and black pepper mixed in. If its a big filet, cut them in strips about two fingers wide before battering and frying. It cooks quicker and makes easier handling for finger foods and dipping.

Darn!!!! Now I want some fish for breakfast....

Crappie for eating, sandies for fun.
MO

I agree with most. I keep what I can eat and let the rest go. I keep about one lemit of WB and two limits of Striper in a year. Thats about all I really eat. The only exception is a fish that is gilled or swallow the hook. no point in wasting them. That leaves a lot for release. Besides salmon that is what we eat almost exclusivley. GOt hooked on pelagic fish while living on the coast and can't go back. Ill fry a catfish to cover the taste and still like crappie but we prefer the taste of striper over all. I don't bother cutting off the red meat either. Just our taste...

Besides, the day is a lot more fun when don't have to clean a mess of fish at the end!

My wife and son are the only ones that fish with me. She says that throwing fish back is like going shopping and not buying anything. I will quickly throw in that we do not Bass fish.

When we cut out the red meat on Sandies they fry up great.