10-fish-per-day creel with no length limit for black bass . Northern states have not opened regulations up as much , but they do acknowledge that catch-and-release angling is the common practice for black bass anglers on their websites and in reports .
Catch and release is essential to preserve and protect fisheries , but harvest is also a management tool that at one time helped fisheries improve . The truth is , across all states and fisheries , regulations today are no longer effective in improving or modifying a bass population due to lack of participation . Without harvest of any kind , we ’ re left facing a complex issue of how fisheries managers modify a fish population to maximize its potential .
This brings us to what bass fishermen — and more specifically tournament bass fishermen — should do to participate in improving our fisheries .
First , let ’ s be crystal clear that catch and release is an essential part of preserving bass populations and improving the chances for fish to reach a trophy size . When you catch a larger-than-average fish — in your lake , maybe this is a 3- to 5-pounder — you should treat that fish with excellent care , minimizing its time out of the water , limiting its contact with your body , boat , and other rough surfaces , and you absolutely should release that fish . If you want to catch more of that size class , you should likely be supporting and participating in a harvest of smaller-than-average fish — something like 10 to 14 inches .
By removing a percentage of those fish , you in theory allow for the remaining fish of the same size class to absorb the resources you just saved . This may not feel important , but consider that it takes 10 pounds of forage in a year to grow a bass 1 additional pound . If we are talking about 12-inch bass consuming 2.5- to 3-inch sunfish , then 10 pounds of forage is about 500 sunfish per year per fish your remove .
Supporting regulations that allow for the harvest of smaller fish while protecting larger fish puts tournament competitors in a tough spot , as anglers want to put the biggest fish of their day in the livewell to weigh it in . This means you either need to adopt a catch , weigh , and immediate release format or apply for a tournament exemption with your state agency to allow for your event to place bass in livewells outside of the regulations .
Both are excellent ways your tournament can support and improve your fishery . The first provides the opportunity to minimize post-tournament mortality of larger fish , and the second allows you to share data with your state agency about the bass population . MLF does the latter all the time by collecting data for every fish caught during Bass Pro Tour
and Tackle Warehouse Invitationals events and providing it to state agencies .
One final question you may have is , if harvest is so important and delayed mortality from tournaments does occur , then isn ’ t that a good thing ? But remember , most of us are trying to weigh in our biggest fish , and losing those fish is not good harvest practice . Those are the fish we ’ re trying to protect . So , in almost all cases , tournament mortality is not helpful for managing a fish population .
As a bass fisherman and a tournament angler , I urge you to do three things : First , go to your state agency ’ s website and pull the last lake management report for your favorite fishery . Read it and see if you find verbiage that discusses a lack of harvest or lack of change in the fish population over the past decade .
Second , contact your local agency biologist and ask when the next public meeting about regulations will occur so you can see the presentation of their data . I attended one such meeting last month in Louisiana where we heard this exact story — a fishery isn ’ t improving , and regulations don ’ t seem to help .
In order to grow more giant bass like this lunker landed by Bass
Pro Tour angler Skeet Reese , most fisheries need more anglers to participate in selective harvest .
Finally , start watching for content to learn more about this subject . It ’ s all over social media and YouTube , with biologists from across the country emerging as voices for changing the bass fishing culture . I did a longform interview that covers this and several other topics with Tyler Anderson that you can find on his YouTube channel , TylersReelFishing .
If you need more information or help , email me , and let ’ s chat about your fishery . I ’ ll happily put you in contact with your local biologist .
Steven . Bardin @ majorleaguefishing . com .
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