Slot Limits vs Minimum Length for Bass

[jad2t]

I'm curious if the general populous of fishermen feel the same way as I do about this, whether you are a strict catch and release angler when it comes to bass or you're like me and like to eat them. Smallmouth Bass have a minimum length of 18 inches in almost all of our lakes here. I think we can all agree that we'd like to see 3+ pound Smallmouth released. However, that isn't going to be the case with an 18 inch minimum. There are plenty of guys harvesting Smallies. I have no guilt about harvesting an 18+ incher but I would certainly be happy to release that fish if I was allowed to harvest a handful of 14-16 inchers.

Would this be the best of both worlds and make everyone happy? Sure there are people who want every bass released and I'm really not talking to that crowd. That's like telling a vegan why I like to hunt. But for those who are willing to meet the other halfway - with allowed slot limit harvesting, guys like me who enjoy the taste of bass can harvest smaller fish and would be fine letting larger ones go so that they can pass on good genetics and be caught another day.

I'd like to actually propose this to TWRA and want to know if I could confidently say that many anglers would support this change.

Dale Hollow has something similar. You can harvest one Smallie under 16 inches and one over 21 inches. That's not exactly what I'd like to see on Center Hill and Tims Ford but it's better than the 18" minimum and last I checked, Dale Hollow wasn't hurting in terms of being full of giant Smallmouth even with the allowed harvest of one over 21 inches.

Comments like "something is wrong with you if you eat Smallmouth" like was directed at me last time this topic was discussed will not be taken seriously.

[TNBronzeback]

Im all for it! slots for various species, as a whole work well on other bodies of water across the country. Some take it as far as no "bass" fishing during the spawning season.
Your right, an approach like slots would benefit all parties and could be beneficial to the overall health of the fishery.

[spottedbass]

I have no problem with a slot limit. I also have no problem with the regulations as they are now. As far as eating bass, largemouth and smallmouth are not on my menu (because I don't care for the taste) but spotted bass most definitely are. They taste better and you can keep the 12 - 14 inch fish.

[jad2t]

The minimum length on species, especially at 18 inches for Smallies, means almost every harvested fish of that species is going to be a female which reduces reproduction capability of that species. Thinning out some of the 14-17 inch Smallies in a reservoir allows the ones that already beat that 17 inch mark to grow bigger due to having more of the resources offered by that body of water per fish. Overall I think it is better for everyone.

[spottedbass]

Just another thought, if you take out the 10 -14 inch spots then there will be more resources for that body of water to allow the 14 -17 smallies to get bigger. Especially since spotted bass are very aggressive and don't reach the larger sizes that largemouth and smallmouth do.

[jad2t]

A yak angler caught a 21 inch spotted bass on the Coosa River not too long ago. Biggest one I've ever seen come from Tennessee!

[spottedbass]

That is huge!!! JPP has a ton of them but not a lot size. Center Hill has better size and good numbers too.

[jad2t]

I hardly ever catch spots on JPP. Matter of fact, I catch a lot more Smallies than Spots on JPP, and I'm always pissed off that I can't harvest them because I've only caught 2 legal ones. One I ate, one I released only because it was during pre spawn.

[jad2t]

As we discussed in the other forum, I overlooked how this would affect bass boat tournaments.

Do you think that would be the deciding factor in keeping things the way they are now?

[TnCreekMaster]

Michigan has a straight up closed season for bass during the spawn which I think is a great idea but dont think it would ever stick here in TN

[Travis C.]

As we discussed in the other forum, I overlooked how this would affect bass boat tournaments.

A lot of times the big tourneys like FLW or BASS "if" they go to a slot limit lake the slot will be lifted for them during the tourney and a min length instituted.

[Travis C.]

I am not opposed to a slot on anything as I hardly ever keep fish. Personally, I love to eat fish but no one in my household really does except for catfish/tilapia. A slot would be a good way for me to always have quality fish to try and catch so selfishly I am for it.

I have wanted a slot on the Caney for years and glad to finally have it. Personally, I would rather see it increment up over three year period and reset like Lake Fork does bass.

The bass populations aren't in bad enough shape around here to really worry about things going haywire from people catching fish in my opinion. Most of the time the reason you aren't catching smallies in a body of water that has them is due to the location your fishing more so than fish population.

[TnCreekMaster]

I watched a documentary one time about spawning smallies on lake saint clair and as fisherman would pull them off there beds the darters and gobys would invade the nest and eat all the eggs and fry before the fish was released and thats why Michigan has emplemented this rule

"Starting in 2015, anglers can catch-and-immediately-release largemouth and smallmouth bass all year (January 1 - December 31). The catch-and-keep season for both species runs later in the year. For Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair River and the Detroit River the season is the third Saturday in June through December 31. For all other waters, including the Great Lakes, the season is the Saturday before Memorial Day through December 31."

[TNBronzeback]

Michigan has a straight up closed season for bass during the spawn which I think is a great idea but dont think it would ever stick here in TN
Hard to argue the methpds of the D.N.R with the Smallmouth Meccas that are michigan lakes!

[Heiny57]

I am to much of a Narcissis to understand any of this. :D


Smallmouth are for those who can't catch Carp.

[Shoe man]

I'm all for slots on Tennessee rivers and lakes. I have fished tournaments on slot lakes. One in particular was Sardis in northern Mississippi. The slot was 14 to 18 and it hurt our feelings all day throwing back fish over 4 lbs that wouldn't measure 18. It was still one of my favorite tourneys ever cause of the number or good fish we caught!

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[jad2t]

I have wanted a slot on the Caney for years and glad to finally have it.

Wrong kind of slot! I'm wanting the ability to harvest maybe 14 to 17 inch smallies and let the big ones go.

I hate the Caney regs but that's a different convo haha

[XxthejuicexX]

I am fine with a slot limit. I think it would help JPP out with the quality of bass. I am also fine with limits on all fish. Sign us up for a town hall meeting with TWRA so we can voice our opinions Jimmy. Rabble Rabble Rabble!

[FishAddict]

I guess I'm a bit of a contrarian on this. I personally think that all smallmouth should be released. There are way better fish to eat around here like crappie, walleyes, spots, and saugers. I have kept one in my life.

[white95v6]

In general I am all for the slot on bass. Both small and and large mouth.

[fishfindergeneral]

Wrong kind of slot! I'm wanting the ability to harvest maybe 14 to 17 inch smallies and let the big ones go.

I hate the Caney regs but that's a different convo haha

Right now they are trying to decide which way to go with Dale. Whether to remove the slot or to keep it and perhaps increase it.
The two camps appear to be tourney guys who want better weigh ins and regular fisherman, marinas etc who are in favor of the slot to create the chance of a trophy of a life time which bring people back over and over again.
I'm in the slot camp and would like to see it raised from 16 to 21 to 17 to 23 and 3 unders/ 1 over. The not so long result would be an increase in over all size.
Http://trolldhl.com

[jad2t]

I guess I'm a bit of a contrarian on this. I personally think that all smallmouth should be released. There are way better fish to eat around here like crappie, walleyes, spots, and saugers. I have kept one in my life.

There is nothing wrong with that opinion. I certainly feel differently but most people are in your camp and want all Smallies released. You have to understand though that what you want won't happen. People eat them. I eat them. From my side of things, I don't understand why that fish is put on a pedestal but so be it. I'm willing to compromise and let the bigger ones go and harvest the smaller ones. 18 inches is a big smallie. I know people want them released but I will gladly harvest them because I like them. I'll also gladly let them go if the rules were changed to allow me to keep 14-17 inch fish and one over 20 if someone wants to mount or eat a trophy.

[notorious]

I am to much of a Narcissis to understand any of this. :D

LOL, Sarcasm is the highest level of humor.
Actually, Bass are not nearly as tasty as Sauger, Walleye, Crappie and KatFish...IMHO

[TNBronzeback]

LOL, Sarcasm is the highest level of humor.
Actually, Bass are not nearly as tasty as Sauger, Walleye, Crappie and KatFish...IMHO
There arent many fish that dont taste good under the right circumstances. If i had a choice for example, i would catch/keep all my eaters in the winter months. The colder water seems to keep em nice and firm.
Ive had smoked carp out of chilly lake michigan that was pretty good. I say if thier is a legal size and quantity for it, and you like it and will eat it.....then by all means knock yourself out!
ive not had the opportunity to try it myself, but ive been told by a few people that musky can be good eating if you do it right. To each thier own i guess. Lol

[XxthejuicexX]

There arent many fish that dont taste good under the right circumstances. If i had a choice for example, i would catch/keep all my eaters in the winter months. The colder water seems to keep em nice and firm.
Ive had smoked carp out of chilly lake michigan that was pretty good. I say if thier is a legal size and quantity for it, and you like it and will eat it.....then by all means knock yourself out!
ive not had the opportunity to try it myself, but ive been told by a few people that musky can be good eating if you do it right. To each thier own i guess. Lol

I like to catch Gar and I know that people love to eat them..... not me. Anything that smells like ass and cat food I'm going to stay away from eating.

[Alphahawk]

I like to catch Gar and I know that people love to eat them..... not me. Anything that smells like ass and cat food I'm going to stay away from eating.

Let me tell you about gar. The only reason people don't eat them is they have no clue how good they are....and why do folks not have a clue about them? It is a lot of work to clean one. I had an older man show me how to do it when I lived in west TN. You freeze the whole fish....LOL. Then you saw it into pieces....then take a knife and cut around the inside of the skin and you have the whitest meat you have ever seen.....and it is good. But it is just too much work to clean those things...LOL.


Regards

[jaystaler88]

I agree that spotted bass and smaller smallmouth in cool/cold water conditions can be tasty. I've eaten some larger smallmouth and I noticed a big difference in the taste.

Red Eye bass, if you can catch enough of them, are fine eating.

Every lake has a different biomass and fish population, so i'm all for the slot if that lake deems it necessary or if the goal is trophy management, which some lakes have better luck in than others.

[TNBronzeback]

I like to catch Gar and I know that people love to eat them..... not me. Anything that smells like ass and cat food I'm going to stay away from eating.
I dont know if i want to know what you do with your catfood buddy but i think i got the jist of what you are saying....lmao! ;-)

[Gone fishing]

We own about 1.5 - 2 miles of a smallmouth infested creek. I don't keep the jumbos but I'll tell you about the only fish on par eating wise is a crappie compared to a cold water smallmouth. I'll only keep them a couple trips a year but they certainly are mighty tasty! I Look forward to that meal every spring! If that bothers some folks so be it... We manage 5 square miles and there's no shortage of them or I might think different. I can catch 30+ in 4 hours on a good day and that's using big bait to try and wean out the pounders... To each their own but one shouldn't judge anybody acting within the game laws IMO.

[white95v6]

We own about 1.5 - 2 miles of a smallmouth infested creek. I don't keep the jumbos but I'll tell you about the only fish on par eating wise is a crappie compared to a cold water smallmouth. I'll only keep them a couple trips a year but they certainly are mighty tasty! I Look forward to that meal every spring! If that bothers some folks so be it... We manage 5 square miles and there's no shortage of them or I might think different. I can catch 30+ in 4 hours on a good day and that's using big bait to try and wean out the pounders... To each their own but one shouldn't judge anybody acting within the game laws IMO.

Sweet. What do you charge for guide service lol.

[Reel Tune]

I would be in favor of a PLR 17" to 24", and can keep 1 fish a day under 17", or one over 24".

This would give the people who enjoy this delicacy:rolleyes: a chance to keep one for the dinner table if they would like.

[spottedbass]

I think this slot could make everyone happy - 17 to 22 and 3 unders/1 over. It allows people to keep 3 smaller fish to eat, protects the larger fish and if you catch that trophy smallie you can keep it. Tournaments could have a min 12" length and those guys can weigh in 3 fish 12 - 16 inch and 1 really good one.

[jad2t]

I think this slot could make everyone happy - 17 to 22 and 3 unders/1 over. It allows people to keep 3 smaller fish to eat, protects the larger fish and if you catch that trophy smallie you can keep it. Tournaments could have a min 12" length and those guys can weigh in 3 fish 12 - 16 inch and 1 really good one.

I like it. I was originally thinking of something like a 14-17" allowable harvest range and one over 20" if someone wants a trophy. I like your idea just fine and I think it would make everyone happy. Everyone except the people who want every bass released but, again, I'm not really talking to that crowd. You can't reason with them.

[Jaymon]

I make an annual two week trip to the Boundary Waters and we eat quite a smallies while we are there. They are very tasty when they are around 11 or 12 inches, and its very easy to catch fish that size. As I was growing up and fishing here in West Tennessee, the idea of eating a smallmouth never occurred to me. We never caught them! Once I started creek wading in Middle Tennessee and actually started to catch smallies, they were such a special thing to me that I still never ate them. Still haven't eaten one from Tennessee.

I don't know about eating musky, but northern pike are very tasty. Just hard to fillet.

[Heiny57]

I make an annual two week trip to the Boundary Waters and we eat quite a smallies while we are there. They are very tasty when they are around 11 or 12 inches, and its very easy to catch fish that size. As I was growing up and fishing here in West Tennessee, the idea of eating a smallmouth never occurred to me. We never caught them! Once I started creek wading in Middle Tennessee and actually started to catch smallies, they were such a special thing to me that I still never ate them. Still haven't eaten one from Tennessee.

I don't know about eating musky, but northern pike are very tasty. Just hard to fillet.

OK,,,,, now I'm hungry.

[ddyyak]

lMAO, "smells like ass and cat food" Juice you made my day!


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[bfish]

I'm curious if the general populous of fishermen feel the same way as I do about this,...Short answer is no. You might want to read through some of TWRA's angler survey results, been a few years since I have. However, I recall over 90% of the responds preferred larger length limits for all bass species. Additionally, almost 90% practice catch and release. Both were the highest percentage wise for all categories.

Smallmouth bass have low recruitment in the reservoirs (and highly variable recruitment in streams), with moderate to slow growth in both. Slots are generally used when recruitment is high and growth rates are fast (unless crowding occurs, slowing growth rates). Smallmouth density in reservoirs and streams is sparse enough that stunting is never an issue. Additionally, smallmouth are rarely stocked by the state (difficult and expensive to raise) unlike largemouth and spotted bass which have high recruitment and fast growth rates in local reservoirs.

While your proposed would increase your creel; and if it is popular with many fisherman, long-term one would expect to see reduced populations size (particular in reservoirs). Couple that with dwindling smallmouth spawning habitat (function of reservoir aging), and additional pressures from expansion of non-native Alabama Spotted Bass and increasing competition from Northern Spotted Bass and in my area unknown consequences of introduction of non-native FL-strain largemouth bass (and the affects of its backcrosses); a collapse of reservoir smallmouth fishery might occur.

On rivers, the highly variable recruitment along with moderate to slow growth makes even moderate levels of harvest, demential to "TARP/trophy" smallmouth population (which according to the angler survey is what the majority prefer).

Angler Survey: https://www.tn.gov/twra/article/angler-surveys

[jad2t]

That's what I don't understand though. The hardcore catch and release guys want an even longer minimum length requirement because they want more trophy fish. Do they not realize that means only the larger fish that they want to populate the lakes are going to be harvested because any Smallie under 18" has to go back? It seems like a case of have your cake and eat it too syndrome.

The 18" minimum was pushed hard for by anglers starting around the year 2000. They were loud and in good numbers so they got it passed. What's funny is that same group of people would be furious over someone harvesting a 20" Smallie. I mean, they asked for it! Literally. All the more reason to allow a certain slot size to be harvested. I really like Dave's idea of 17-22 PLR with 3 under, 1 over. That should make everyone happy. Everyone who wants to be reasonable and understand that although they want every Smallmouth released, they're not going to get that.

I don't really think 90 percent of Tennessee anglers are strict catch and release. 90 percent of the ones who took that survey maybe but not of the entire state.

[bfish]

That's what I don't understand though. The hardcore catch and release guys want an even longer minimum length requirement because they want more trophy fish. Do they not realize that means only the larger fish that they want to populate the lakes are going to be harvested because any Smallie under 18" has to go back? ….

True but only under heavy harvest rates. Since the surveys show that almost all that are targeting bass are catch and release then the amount taken above the limit is minimal (compared to total population).

Also keep in mind that the commissioners often oppose "complicated" regulations. A length limit is pretty simple to understand.

[SAMBOLIE]

That's what I don't understand though. The hardcore catch and release guys want an even longer minimum length requirement because they want more trophy fish. Do they not realize that means only the larger fish that they want to populate the lakes are going to be harvested because any Smallie under 18" has to go back? It seems like a case of have your cake and eat it too syndrome.




We hardcore C&R enthusiasts are betting that the majority of the harvesters are like you. Can't catch a smallie over 18" so no danger of thinning the herd.:D

[jad2t]

Also keep in mind that the commissioners often oppose "complicated" regulations. A length limit is pretty simple to understand.

What I'd like to see done isn't as complicated as the Caney regs I don't think.

[jad2t]

We hardcore C&R enthusiasts are betting that the majority of the harvesters are like you. Can't catch a smallie over 18" so no danger of thinning the herd.:D

Haha. I've done it a few times and will do it plenty more times. Especially now that I've taken a liking to Tims Ford.

[XxthejuicexX]

This one came so close to hitting the oil. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160203/9ba73fc891fb4b12614bec255cf586f3.jpg


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[Heiny57]

It's amazing that any fish can successfully spawn in a rocky bottom reservoir.

I like the not fishing during spawning season rule , it works up north.

And I think the Bluegills are eating all the Smallie fry, so we need to eat all them.

[TNBronzeback]

This one came so close to hitting the oil. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160203/9ba73fc891fb4b12614bec255cf586f3.jpg


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Looks like that smallie crushed that rap!

[XxthejuicexX]

Yep, that thing has become my favorite for jigging.

[commdd]

man if your that hard up for some fish to eat just get a package of chicken livers and you can catch all the hybrids and cats you want on jpp.

[TNBronzeback]

Yep, that thing has become my favorite for jigging.
well buy them up when ever you can, im pretty sure Rapala has discontinued that model/series and have replaced it with a few others like the snap rap and snap shad. basically the same concept, but different action. ive caught a ton of flatheads on priest on those things while fishing for bass and hybrids.

[XxthejuicexX]

well buy them up when ever you can, im pretty sure Rapala has discontinued that model/series and have replaced it with a few others like the snap rap and snap shad. basically the same concept, but different action. ive caught a ton of flatheads on priest on those things while fishing for bass and hybrids.
f

Thanks for the heads up. I picked up a couple more the other day. All mine are the smaller size so I might pick up some of the larger ones for vertical jigging larger species of fish.