Thread: Catch and release, catch and eat, or both?

Originally Posted by grizzly

I release the small crappie, but the small gills I usually keep in a trough at the house to use as flathead catfish bait. grizzly

Most of my bream fishing is for bait .

We live right on a lake so during the period of a year we catch quite a few fish. (even a blind squirrel finds an occasional nut.) Some days I will go out and catch 10 to 20 catfish (rod and reel) I usually release most of them, but sometimes take some back to the dock to take pics. Sometimes, just because we fish a lot from our dock and have friends that do the same here with us, I will release some at the dock....most of them will eventually leave, but some will stay around for a while anyway. Sometimes I think they feel they feel safe and our dock is their sanctuary. I catch a lot of bluegill and green sunfish for bait as well as throw a cast net for shad from our dock. Hardly ever do I keep a bluegill for eating. Lots of times I will go out and catch crappie, bring them back and release them at the dock. I fish mostly for crappie from the dock and only deep enough to eat. Sometimes I will fillet enough crappie or catfish to give to friends that have had to move off the lake due to health problems(most areas of the lake is pretty doggone steep!) or to neighbors and of course when we have friends or family down they love to eat fish! But we never keep bass, release them to grow and fight again. Now, walleye are different Have not caught many keepers, but when I do they end up filleted. I would say that we probably release more than 95% of the fish we catch.

I catch and eat both unless my freezer has more than 5 meals already. Or if I'm fishing to give to others. I have older friends that can't get out and I give them fish often.

brim----catch and eat
crappie----catch and give away

Half the time I release all specks, the other half of the time my dad is with me and he wants to keep to eat.