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Mr Flats wrote:It seems I am in the minority here but any lizard fish or catfish that finds its way into my boat is going to have a VERY bad day!

Well, you would be in the minority around me. What little damage you put on the catfish/lizardfish population by killing one or a dozen and one is not going make even the slightest difference in the "pressure" they feel as a species in the Gulf - so why not just let them go on their way?

KarstRanger wrote:

Mr Flats wrote:It seems I am in the minority here but any lizard fish or catfish that finds its way into my boat is going to have a VERY bad day!

Well, you would be in the minority around me. What little damage you put on the catfish/lizardfish population by killing one or a dozen and one is not going make even the slightest difference in the "pressure" they feel as a species in the Gulf - so why not just let them go on their way?

Well if you do the math in total: thousands of fisherman in the gulf harvesting 10 of thousands of Reds; Trout; Macks; etc annually while releasing a comparable number of cats & lizards, it is easy to see how in a few short years there is an increasing strain on the favored species while the others are left to grow relatively unchecked.

For the record I try not to waste the cats and am usually able to give them away. The lizards become chum.

Actually its interesting that folks take issue with this yet I bet a lot of folks here have needlessly killed pinfish and shrimp they didn't use. Or if out on a hunt would or have killed a wild dog so that the dog won't kill deer, etc. Yet these same folks are upset with someone for killing a catfish....

Oh well as I said earlier in the thread, I am not looking to convert anyone and hope that you can respect other's opinions on issues like this...

If its fresh and little its chum or bait, if its fresh and big its dinner.

I heard a story last year where a shrimper gave a guy three triple tail a flounder and a few misc other fish.

As the story goes the triple tail where delicious.

Mr Flats wrote: They are aggressive fish who are not "pressured" by fisherman as most of us usually just throw them back. Yet, we harvest a number of other species reducing their population whilst the lizard and cats populations are left to grow relatively unchecked...

You have brought up a point that I have never really thought about. We do reduce the numbers of trout, reds, cobia, spanish...etc, yet we throw back the trash fish. I am sure we mess up the balance of nature doing that. I just have not really sat down to think of what a good solution would be.

I guess it is like the fact that if we all stopped using gasoline, the pollution would be reduced, but who is gonna stop first....me...you....them....?

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