07-10-2006, 06:29 PM
[cool][#0000ff]I'm sure you mean well with this post, but it is likely to "stir the pot" a little. I hope not.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are quite a few of us who love the big toothy fishies and respect them. We naturally want to see them survive and continue to grow to their ultimate potential. Unfortunately, this group is definitely in the minority in Utah. Most anglers (in all states) fish just to catch any old kind of fish and when they hang a monster they gotta keep it and take it home to show it off. Many of those fish are not mounted nor are they even properly cared for and eaten in a lot of cases. At best, they stay in the freezer, to take out and show off, until they are freezer burned to cardboard and the fins are all broken off. So
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[#0000ff]Yeah, it would be nice if a leading BFTer were able to catch the "ultimate" tiger...60 inches and 50 pounds. Yaaa Hooo! But, I guarantee that it would not stop most anglers from harvesting every fish they catch over 40 inches. Too Bad.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You are preaching to the choir. Most of the serious anglers on BFT know by now that you do not have to keep a fish in order to have a mount...with the replica mount process. But, to many anglers, there is still something about keeping all the big fish they catch, to take home and show off to everybody how mighty they are.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The good news is that the bigger fish are usually smarter, and not as many of them succumb to inexperienced or unskillful anglers. But, as we have all seen, sometimes the biggest fish in the lake bites for the rankest amateur...or the guy or gal out fishing for the first time. We can't change that, and being high minded is not going to save those fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The only positive side to people keeping the larger fish is that they aren't hurting the "gene pool". Since the fish will not be spawning anyway, there is really no harm in removing them from the system. The only thing it does is end their growth cycle so that someone else will not be able to have the enjoyment of catching them later, when they are bigger.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We feel your pain, but you might have been a bit rash in your proposal. But, if you feel that strongly about it, we have no objection if you go out and do just that your own self. Good luck.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There are quite a few of us who love the big toothy fishies and respect them. We naturally want to see them survive and continue to grow to their ultimate potential. Unfortunately, this group is definitely in the minority in Utah. Most anglers (in all states) fish just to catch any old kind of fish and when they hang a monster they gotta keep it and take it home to show it off. Many of those fish are not mounted nor are they even properly cared for and eaten in a lot of cases. At best, they stay in the freezer, to take out and show off, until they are freezer burned to cardboard and the fins are all broken off. So
.[/#0000ff] [#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Yeah, it would be nice if a leading BFTer were able to catch the "ultimate" tiger...60 inches and 50 pounds. Yaaa Hooo! But, I guarantee that it would not stop most anglers from harvesting every fish they catch over 40 inches. Too Bad.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You are preaching to the choir. Most of the serious anglers on BFT know by now that you do not have to keep a fish in order to have a mount...with the replica mount process. But, to many anglers, there is still something about keeping all the big fish they catch, to take home and show off to everybody how mighty they are.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The good news is that the bigger fish are usually smarter, and not as many of them succumb to inexperienced or unskillful anglers. But, as we have all seen, sometimes the biggest fish in the lake bites for the rankest amateur...or the guy or gal out fishing for the first time. We can't change that, and being high minded is not going to save those fish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The only positive side to people keeping the larger fish is that they aren't hurting the "gene pool". Since the fish will not be spawning anyway, there is really no harm in removing them from the system. The only thing it does is end their growth cycle so that someone else will not be able to have the enjoyment of catching them later, when they are bigger.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We feel your pain, but you might have been a bit rash in your proposal. But, if you feel that strongly about it, we have no objection if you go out and do just that your own self. Good luck.[/#0000ff]
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