Would you still fish if you couldn't keep anything?

[tailwaters]

I fish with SG most weekends and although I'll keep the occasional red to eat fresh, 99% of the inshore fish we catch are let go. The one exception to this is flounder. Maybe if I could figure out how to catch them more often I'd let them go but the handful I do land each year are generally introduced to a pot of hot grease. Offshore is a little different. If I need fish for the freezer I'll catch or shoot them. If I don't then I'll focus on fish that are fun to catch and don't eat as well. Surprising to some cobia fit this profile for me. So does anything in the jack family along with bonitos and kings.

I keep enough fish in the freezer for a small fish fry, about 10lbs worth. Other than that I let everything go. I will provide my neighbor with a fresh fillet from time to time but I'm not going to deplete a resource that keeps me sane just to make someone else happy.

[Juan]

Heck Yeah, I'd keep fishing.. I don't call it fishing any way. I call it therapy. I've fished all my life and without it, I'd be wearing a white coat with the sleeves tied behind my back in less than a week and what would I do with my boats if I didn't fish?
I do keep enough trout and flounder to enjoy a fish meal once a week or so but everything else goes back unharmed and I never give any fish away to anyone. Let them buy a boat, truck, fuel, tackle,and beer and catch their own.

[Hit-n-Miss]

If I could keep none then no. Be like going hunting with a camera. I like to eat fish. That being said 5 a piece is plenty. I would not want to clean more than that. And it's plenty for a couple of meals. Now I'm not chasing one red. I'll stick to trout. They taste better to me anyway.


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[GaryDroze]

I highly suspect fish feel pain, based on how they always freak out when I hook them. That's why I stop fishing as soon as I have caught as many as I need to feed my family and - sometimes - friends. I hate hooking fish I do not plan to keep. This philosophy also helps me abide by the "no culling" spirit of most tournaments.

Please do not read between the lines...I am NOT judging catch and release fans, who arguably preserve the fishery. Feel free to not judge me. My opinion is only equal to yours, not superior or inferior.

Debate pros among you may even challenge me on my penchant for using live bait. Do they not also feel pain? Hell, maybe there's some hypocrisy going on here...

[FUTCHCAIRO]

FRANKLY, IT WOULD NOT MATTER TO ME IF THEY PUT A LIMIT OF 1 FISH FOR EACH CATAGORY, IF I WANT A FISH TO EAT I AM GONNA CATCH A FISH TO EAT NO MATTER HOW MANY RULES AND REGULATIONS THEY PUT ON. I SPENT 5 YRS. OF MY LIFE KILLING PEOPLE SO MY COUNTRY COULD BE FREE, AND FREE IS WHAT I PLAN TO BE. THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE RECREATIONAL FISHERPERSONS, IT IS THE HUGONMOUS TONNAGE OF FISH THE COMMERCIAL PEOPLE ARE PULLING OUT OF THE WATERS OF OUR COUNTRY. WE NEED TO PUT A STOP TO THE RAPING OF OUR FISHERIES BY LIMITING THE COMMERCIAL TAKE TO NO MORE THAN 1 TON PER VESEL PER YEAR. WHEN WE DO THIS THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CATCH ANY WHERE NEAR THE NUMBERS OF FISH THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE. I KNOW IF I CATCH 10 TROUT ABOUT ONE TIME EVERY TWO TO THREE MONTHS I WILL HAVE ALL THE TROUT I CAN EAT IN THAT TIME PERIOD. BESIDES WHO IS GONNA PUT A 100YEAR OLD MAN IN JAIL, THEY WOULD HAVE TO SPEND $25,000.00 A MONTH TO SUPPLY MY MEDICATION AND HEALTH CARE.
PA
SEMPER FI

[fishinfool]

I did a lot, and I mean a lot, of Bass fishing some years ago. Between clubs, recreational and tournament fishing I was averaging twice a week for a few years straight. It was strictly catch and release, and i loved it.
I would probably still fish if I could not keep any, but I do enjoy a fresh fish dinner from time to time.
I only keep what I plan to eat. An eighteen inch Trout or a slot Red will feed two folks, so the rest go back.

[countrycorners]

I'd go anyway. Love the outdoors! Actually, When I fly fish New England, Colorado and the Smokies I never keep anything:catch & release---for years.
Around here I usually keep a couple of keepers for dinner.
I'd go to run the boat and see if I can avoid the rocks.

[FishWithChris]

100% I'd still fish. It's not always about the hook-set...

[Jhults11]

I would absolutely still fish with 0 bag limits. I don't fish because I'm hungry, I fish because I enjoy the outdoors, fishing, and putting friends and family on fish. With that said, I do keep "1" redfish most trips for the pan, but turn loose all the other reds, trout, spanish, etc. It is understandable that folks want to keep some fish for the table, but it highly annoys me to think some fill the freezer with that "3 man limit" of trout only to have it go to waste after sitting in the freezer and getting freezer burned for months on end. Keep limits the same, lower limits, close them all together, either way you'll still find me on the water doing what I enjoy !

[Aucilla]

I like going out and being out.... and I like the surprise of whatever it is you might catch. I enjoy fighting the odds.... So, yes, if I couldn't keep 'em, I'd still be trying to catch them knowing I won't catch too many anyway.

Now, would I fish if I never caught any? Nah!

[Salty Gator]

Thanks for all the responses. No right or wrong answer here. Just curious how many would still fish. If they outlawed keeping all fish, I'd still fish for gags, mangroves, cobia, Spanish, redfish, snook etc etc. I would fish in a puddle for bream if that's all I had. I like fish, but I love fishing.
Thanks for everyone's thoughts on what that keep also. Truth be told, I turn into a bit of a meat fisherman when offshore. I like to get a few gags( rather eat vacuum sealed frozen gag than redfish or trout any day). Few mangroves to eat fresh ( don't think they freeze well). Usually one AJ and one cobia a year for the smoker. Only inshore fish I keep are Spanish and flounder. Nothing wrong w keeping them, just prefer the taste of other fish much more.
Gary, that is an interesting take. I don't know if we will ever know the answer, but I think it's not the pain from the hook that freaks em out, I think it's the "restraint ".... being pulled against their will. I've given lost of injections and taken blood from lots of animals ( even a fish). They usually don't even turn their heads when you inject them ( even w big needles), but when you restrain them , they freak out. That goes for almost all animals, big and small that I've dealt with. The " fight" may stress them, but the survival studies I've seen for bass suggest they almost always survive, unless a gill is nicked, then almost 100% mortality.

[Juan]

Great thread. I'm finding the diversity in the fish people prefer to keep to eat interesting.. Some prefer offshore species while others inshore.. Personally, I seldom fish offshore any more not only because of limited creel limits and seasons but mainly because I prefer the taste of inshore fish. I don't like and never keep a red fish but if I'm going to keep and eat a fish, legal sized flounder are my favorite and go in the cooler every time.

[Chalk]

Yes - grew up in the take all you can times and saw the impact of taking too much.

Have had a self imposed rule of not keeping any trout over 20" for many years.

When I fished kill tournaments we spent a lot of time and effort keeping fish alive and released them when we could. Have even driven many miles to go release spotted bass caught up river and made an effort to release them back up river. Always tried to give more back than I took and tried to put more back for the ones that took too much

[JeffB]

Yep, I would definitely keep fishing.
Fishing's kinda like quail hunting for me. It's not about killing the quail, it's the dogs and all the other stuff that goes along with it.
I do keep my limit of trout and redfish, if I ever catch the limit which is rare. I don't freeze fish, so I fry fish with friends and family and
if there's any more over that, I give away to other friends. I might keep a couple of small black drum occasionally but they are always towards the
small end of the slot. I only fish inshore.

[Salty Gator]

Yep, I would definitely keep fishing.
Fishing's kinda like quail hunting for me. It's not about killing the quail, it's the dogs and all the other stuff that goes along with it.
I do keep my limit of trout and redfish, if I ever catch the limit which is rare. I don't freeze fish, so I fry fish with friends and family and
if there's any more over that, I give away to other friends. I might keep a couple of small black drum occasionally but they are always towards the
small end of the slot. I only fish inshore.

I'm with you Jeff, I'd still chase quail around with my dogs and use a blank pistol if taking quail were outlawed.