I’m not trying to slam the guy for keeping a big fish…I’ve done it myself, when legal. The only thing I’m questioning is whether or not it was legal to keep on the body of water he was fishing. Like I said…most of the lakes I’ve fished in UT seem to have the special regulation of anything over 12" goes straight back into the lake. If he did indeed make a trip to Quail Creek though which is notorious for producing largemouths that size in Utah, and that fish is over 20"…apparently it is legal to keep…anyway…it’s a good fish…
hedgesd, I say #2 is bigger, at about 8 pounds and about 32 inches. Let me Know how close I was (VERY NICE LARGEMOUTHS)-TIBBZ-
Nice fish what time of year did you catch it?
All are 2 weeks after post spawn. I disected the stomach to see what it was eating and their was nothing in it. I read later that bass don’t eat for about 2 weeks after spawning. I’m not sure if it’s true but it sounds like a bass protecting their nest wouldn’t swim off and to find food.
I usually like to catch and release my fish but I’m not doing nothing wrong with eat a fish anytime I want. I didn’t break the law to keep or catch this fish, so don’t think it’s from a private pond.
Hey Sturgeon kid by keeping a fish or two isn’t going to hurt a bass fishery in fact consider what most bass fisheries do. They stunt because of over population and lack of harvesting. I’m not saying keep fish but do what you like and if you want to eat a fish go ahead and eat it.
In the last 5 years I’ve kept less than 12 fish and enjoyed every one.
Ok, obviously everyone keeps reading my posts on this topic way out of whack. Sorry for any confusion or frusteration I’ve caused anyone. First of all, let me restate that I only wanted to verify that it was LEGAL to keep the fish in the body of water where it was caught. Once again, seeing as to how A LOT of Utah waters have special regulations on bass over 12". I have absolutely NO problem with a guy keepin’ fish…as long as it is legal. I am well aware of the advantages / disadvantages of BOTH C & R and harvesting some fish. It is a topic that is debated A LOT here amoungst the bass fishing community in CA, especially when word gets out about some guy keepin’ a 10+ or even better a 15+lb largemouth. Infact, I always jump in on the debate and back up the guy who kept the fish because it’s perfectly legal…CA is just the opposite of UT with their bass, because MOST of the lakes say any bass over 12" is totally legal. Anyways…I’m probably getting carried away now and should just shut-up. hahaha. Hopefully I’ve gotten my point across this time…BTW…I was even fishing in my float tube today when a couple of kids saw me catching some good bass, so they asked if they could have my fish…I, of course, usually just come up with some reason not to and reject them…but since I was mainly catching just 1-3lb bass today, I didn’t seem much harm in it, but at the same time, I personally (just me…everyone makes their own choice and I don’t care) don’t like to see a bass slung around on a stringer, so I told them…Well, you’re gonna have to give me 5 bucks ta do it…and they said…all right, next fish you catch then…and I told them…as long as it’s not over 5lbs…haha…anywho, so about 5 minutes later I stuck a 4.5lber and brought it over to them. WooHoo! 5 bucks!!
Gosh, I forgot to ask DH…so when are you gonna stop holding everyone in suspense and tell everyone which is bigger and more details on the catch(es)?
Kid ,
You keep looking out for the fish. I know what you are saying. People need to choose waht is best for that body of water and carry cameras.
I wouldn’t say people should choose what’s best for a perticular body of water but the should take to the biologist over the lake and do what they feel is best for themselves not because of pressure to catch and release everything. I’m just saying what’s right for you might not be right for somebody else, make your own decisions.
Okay the I’m glad to see that some people can figure out that this is the exact same fish. It was caught at Quail in southern utah with a 1/2 inch of worm, so bigger isn’t always better in fact this is my favorite method for the bigger bass unless your at Newcastle. The regulation is 2 under 14" and 2 over 20" so don’t think it’s illegal or I’m sneeking into a private pond. This fish weight in at just shy of 8 pounds, 24 inches in length and 20 inch girth. I’m sure the small wound on the tail thru a couple of people. It was a post spawner and made my day after a 14 hour day at work. Does anybody want to see the original lake side picture?
It just goes to show that a big fish can look small and a small fish can be a lot bigger than what somebody says or the pic looks. Trust you own eye and as a personal rule if the story has been told more than once it always bigger and better than the last time it was told.
How about everybody showing of some of your big fish or most favorite pics.
I’m with the Kid. Slots allow one big fish for the wall. And the only difference between hanging one on the wall and frying that piggie up is that you’ll probably only put one on the wall, but continue porking on the big boys until they’re gone from the resource.
Every fishery is different, but I’d rather fish a lake where anglers return the piggy sumo’s and keep the dinks. There’s WAY too many waters where the reverse is true. Even our fisheries biologiest recommend returning the larger bass and keeping full limits of the small ones at pretty dang near all our bass fisheries.
I’m not trying or intending to push some elitist attitude, really. I just want to be an asset to our limited resources and not a liability. Heck, the Sturgeon Kid might have released that piggie last fall!?!
That’s nice that you let the piggies go but I pay for a license just like you so I can do what I want with the fish I can keep. If you say your not trying to press your opinion on other people I think your wrong what you and some other people do is put pressure and make people think that it’s wrong or sin like to take a fish. If they didn’t want people taking big fish than they wouldn’t have the size limits like one over 22 inches.
I don’t think that anybody is calling you a sinner, or saying what you are doing is wrong. When somebody loves something, like much of us do fishing, we take concern with any issue that surround it. Many of us spend our time trying to improve the ecosystems of our waterways. I myself spend a portion of every fishing trip placing cover in lakes that need it. People violate our waters without asking us for our opinion, so the only thing we can do is approach the matter of conservation with a preemptive attitude. The fact is we all are connected. No one is saying that what you did hurt/helped the fishing, they simply feel that they have an obligation to voice an opinion on what is taking place in and around our lakes. My point is, we are all affected by each other, whether keeping, or releasing fish, the affect is felt throughout an ecosystem, whether for the better or for the worse. It’s only right that we all voice our opinions. No one is telling you what to do. Alex was only concerned about whether the fish was legal or illegal. We can’t tell anyone to throw back a legal fish, and I never have, or plan to for that matter, but we should all voice an opinion about the subject. I myself, from reading research, and from my own knowledge about biology, have decided to throw big fish back. My dad likes to eat fish, if I keep a fish, I keep the smaller ones. I feel that it is important to say this. I am not trying to push an opinion, but I am offering one. I offer it to anyone who reads this post, its not an attack to anyone, but simply fulfilling an obligation that I feel I have,
Eric
i agree with 75% of what you are saying ebass - but this wasn’t a philosphical post about catch and release, and it wasnt 'begging the question" . . it was a fun post when it was raining over most of the state and nobody was fishin . .
will everytime somebody posts a pic of a fish, or a stringer of fish, will 15 people ask ‘where’d ya catch it’ , and ‘was that a legal fish’, and ‘have you done an intensive survey of the fish and species you caught in that body of water before you concluded it was best for the entire world at large that you keep this fish!’
thats gonna get old real quick!
sm
Let’s take up painting or some other form of recreation this is getting too deep.
Thats funny take up painting. That is the reason we all go fishing to the food, camping, and just relaxing. Isn’t the main reason the DWR stocks lakes is for food and recreation fun like catching and releasing. I’m not attack and don’t really care if people like my opinion. Frankly put everything I post is for info not my opinion and if it’s a opinion I don’t try and push the issue and convert people to my view.
I know that he wasn’t attacking me in any way. I just pointed out how he was pressing his opinion, which I agree with some of it, but not the way it’s was put.
Hey SM…
So where'd ya catch that stringer of fish? Har Har! jk [;)] I don't see a problem in anyone asking where the fish in a picture were caught, but I agree with you in the idea of people asking if it was a legal fish everytime a photo is posted...it just looks like you missed my point again in my last post about how A LOT of the Utah waters have special regulations on bass over 12", so that's why it raised my eyebrow as of to where it was caught. But as for your stringer of trout...it doesn't raise my eyebrow at all seeing as to how there aren't nearly as many special regulations on trout in UT as there are for bass...
It just ignorant to ask people if that fish is legal. It be like somebody walking into your house and asking where did you get that stereo and implying that it’s stolen. I guess you wasn’t taught manners.
That stinger of fish was caught this weekend at Yankee so you to answer your question about if it’s legal than here you go. Their is a four fish limit but with 2 people fishing that makes 8 fish which you should see in the pics.
Its not really like asking about any stereo. Picture this, you and a friend are going to a movie, he shows you he has a pistol in his jacket. Sure its legal for some people to carry a gun , those who have a permit. You would probally ask your freind if he had a permit, wouldn’t you? Considering its not legal for a majority of the people to carry guns, it is not out of place to ask this question. Granted, this is utah, and there are alot of permits out there,LOL, lets try to not loose sight of this analogy. Since most large bass are “illeagal”, it only seems right to ask if it is legal or not. It seems like 90% of our bass waters require that a fish like that is released. If you carry that to the previous analogy, it would be like 90% of the population not having a carry permit, then all of a sudden someone shows you he’s carrying a gun, you might want to ask whether its legal or not right? Anyways, I think we’ve beat this thing into the ground, does anybody else have some lunker pictures they want to post, I promise this time I’ll keep my comments to myself.
Whoops…well, I’m gonna make myself eat my own words…I forgot to sign-in on that last post…THIS is my last post under this topic! Har!
fine, ask away where something was caught, what it was caught on, what time . . ect thats why we’re all here - sharing and learning
BUT
First of all, let me restate that I only wanted to verify that it was LEGAL to keep the fish in the body of water where it was caught. - sturgeonkid
but this is where i’ve got as problem - i dont believe its our jobs to verify other members catches in pictures from posts . . .we’re supposed to be helping each other, not verifying! if somebody asks about the proclamation and size limits thats one thing, implying somebody doesnt know the law is downright rude and snotty . . its hard enough to get people to open up about their fishing habits and secrets, if people come on and start harassing them with ‘was that a legal fish !!!’ , there wont be anybody worth anything on this board…
sm
ps ebass your analogy between a bass and a pistol just dont wash - analogies make poor points to argue in inductive logic . .