The Alarming Number Of Anglers Who Are Keeping And Eating Bass..

I agree with the last fellow below but on another note what are the Cormorants on these lakes doing to all fish species. They are getting ridiculously out of hand here in Ohio.

Randy you found all the problems what could know can fill all the possible being solved

You are 100% right about the immigrants keeping over their limits. Not just people from South of the Border but a lot of Russian and Ukrainian people as well. This is no slight to those people but they don't pick up rules and regulations booklets or get fishing licenses. It is also true that the Game Department are powerless because of language barriers and not being able to ID them. We saw a couple of Russian guys at the boat ramp with just a zodiac talking to the game warden who was looking very frustrated. After they left he came and checked us, so we asked what the deal was with those guys. He said that they had over 100 fish in that zodiac. Bass, bluegill, crappie, and some trout. He said his hands were tied because he didn't speak their language and they were playing him because they knew that he didn't. The Warden said this happens an average of 5 times a day even during the closed season.

I fish the grand lake wolf creek boat ramp with livescope every weekend to get my limit of bass to take home and eat, great place since all the tournament releases.. I’m so excited for the classic so I can find new fishing spots

And tournament fishing anglers (i say anglers cuz most of us are anglers we release fishermen keep it. ). Tournaments need to do the weigh and release on catch no more live wells even needed. To many fatalities when they bring them in

As a stream Smallmouth Bass fishing nut I never eat the Bronze Bomber but I do not hesitate to eat Largemouth. It’s a renewable resource. It’s literally a put and take fishery in the vast majority of public waters. I fish a small lake where the limit is 3 LM-2 under and 1 over a slot length. Few years ago I chased down a DNR shock boat to pick their brains on the fishery. The head biologist told me “too many Bass in this lake, people need to start keeping them”, to which I replied “I almost always do Sir”.
A LM bass is akin to a catfish IMO-put&take, and don’t even get me started on those despicable tournaments, they make me wanna puke.

I dont eat bass. I'll keep a few crappie or catfish to eat here or there but I see too much chemical runoff in the water and it's a fact that fish have high mercury content in our fresh water. It's simply not good for you to eat too many. Secondly, I think tournament anglers putting bass in their live wells and banging them around all day, then carrying them up on a stage and banging them around some more to go back out and release them far from where they came from are doing just as much damage to them as people who eat some. Just my opinion.

I used to always catch and release, especially bass. i would look at people who caught and kept as some primative people and never understood it. Up until I learned myself how to cook and fry, I now cant wait to go and catch a few bass and fry up some fillet. I obviously wont keep if I'm fishing by myself. I only keep if I'm visiting my grandma, or I go with my dad. When I will own a boat I definitely wont come empty handed unless I'm fishing a tournament.

I release all bass I catch. Bass aren't even that good in comparison to other species. Bass are Americans #1 freshwater sport fish. They shouldn't be eaten. I hate when I see people keeping bass to eat. Putting them in a live well & beating them up running across the lake or in heat of summer isn't good either!

And the alarming number of tournament anglers hauling around bass all day to weigh ins, and fishing for bass on beds for the benefit of giving tournament promoters a job.

You go Randy, I’m with you !
Fish and game are not what they use to be, nothing is these days ! Immigrants play dumb to our laws and get away with, breaking the law.
Scopers have to eat what they catch after spending all there money on FFS. The other guys feed there family game fish cause there too lazy to work. Come on guys quit whining and just do the right thing, for your kids and there kids. Its not about who’s telling you what you can and can’t do. Its about doing the right thing.

This is a video on Randy from couple days ago it should show you it’s all about Randy and Randy’s happiness.screw everyone else. He does mental Monday talking about being kind a courteous to the neighbor but as he said it was only for his satisfaction. https://youtu.be/UzkWTRnhTIc?si=BNxNoFf-wwJuKczw

Bass mortality rate each year is at least 30%. That is 30% of bass die each year on their own do to natural causes or disease. Tournaments are guest on the lakes of the people you are referring to. Hunting and fishing license raise billions of dollars each year for conservation. What is all these people got together and pushed their legislators to ban tournaments forever. How would you feel. Lakes with low populations if that was case but I don’t think it is can be restocked. I believe it’s very selfish of you to tell these people they can’t keep the limit of fish that is set for them. I practice catch and release but that is my choice same as them keeping fish is their choice and right. Lake guntersville gets ten times the fishing pressure of your lakes and it’s easy to catch 5 lb spots.