Die off and natural reproduction are probably not an issue in your neck of the woods like they are here? But I agree it takes alot to grow these fish so letting them go does help.

As always, it comes down to personal choice and no one is right or wrong in what they choose to do with their catch.

I personally release about 95% of what I catch so if I choose to keep 1 for the wall, I do not feel that I'm doing much harm to the population. Now, if I kept a limit every time out, then it may be a different story.

Exactly!

I agree with much of what HL has said.

It's a person's right to do whatever they wish with the fish they catch as long as they are within the laws. Personally, I won't keep a 20"+ walleye for the fry pan. But in the same breath, I'm not going to criticize someone for doing so either. It's not my place to try and enforce my own beliefs/practices on someone else who is acting within the laws/regs. Certainly we can try and encourage and educate people about practicing selective harvest, but I don't believe it's right to take it to the "Nth degree".

I have no problem with someone keeping a fish for the wall. I have no problem with someone doing a replica either. Whatever they choose is fine by me. They caught the fish, they earned it. Whatever the case may be, I choose to congratulate the person who caught the fish and not criticize whether they stuffed it or not.

There are really only 2 situations where I would be critical of someone with a big fish (or any fish for that matter). First would be if they are not following the laws/regs. Second would be how they handled the fish if they intended to let it go (i.e. - letting it flop around on the floor, taking 5 minutes to get a pic, etc and then trying to release it).

I have no problem either with someone keeping a trophy for the wall or some fish to eat either. My problem is with the attitude that it is O.K. to keep any walleye from 12-30 inches just because it is legal! The keep anything attitude that so many people have is what I am against. I look back at the awesome fishing my Grandpa had back in his day and the keep anything outlook they had and I see why there aren't as many big fish now as there was then. Time and time again people will go out and keep any walleye they can or any big crappie or bluegill. And then these are the same people that are the first to complain when they can't catch any fish! I am not judging anyone who keeps a true trophy or SOME fish for the pan. Just the ones who keep it just because it's legal. I am sure you or Harvey or most the people on this site are not like that but there are alot who are we have all witnessed it. I wish there would be a statewide slot on these fish just to prevent it. I am sorry you think I am judging you that is not my intent!

I understand what you are saying but I don't know if a statewide slot would fix it. Many will take what they want whether there is a slot or not. It takes education and we have come a long ways from the thinking of 20-30 years ago. In time, many of the old ways will go away with better education. I just don't believe that more laws will cure the problem.

Actually if you think about it a wouldn't a statewide slot make it easier rather than having to know the rules on each individual lake? I was entirely speaking of law abiding fisherpeople in my comments. Law breakers will be law breakers no matter what.

I think my attitude changed when I took our church group on a charter trip on ML. It was during the height of the treaty fight. One of our group caught a 30 inch walleye and the guide just trampolined it on to the deck - let it bounce from about 6 feet up - doing the death shiver flop on the deck. The charter guide said "This is one they won't get."

Then when we got back - one of our group FILLETED that fish that was, by now, dead for a couple hours in their tank. For some reason it just broke my heart and disgusted me on many levels.

I know it was legal - but it just turned my opinion of it all. I try to put all those bigger pigs back now - as gently as possible.

Hey PDOGG....I actually took the word "judging" out of my post....probably at the same time you were writing your post. Judging isn't a good word which is why I took it out. And I don't feel at all that you were being judgemental and my post wasn't directed at you either. I just use the "quick reply" screen and it lists the previous person's name automatically. Anyway, no hard feelings there.

I definitely agree with what you say though. I think there's a large percentage of FMers who practice selective harvest or do all C&R. And I also agree with HL's recent post that, in time, the old ways of thinking will eventually go away.

Sorry didn't see the edit! I think we are all on the same page here just differant was of thinking the same thing!

agreed!

Reading through all the posts on this topic makes me think...What can be done in these southern lakes so these walleyes can reproduce better.How can better habitat be acheived in these shallow lakes?Not at all thrying to change the subject or hijack this post.Only looking to further the discussion.

when talking of the shock a large fish might encounter after being caught and released, you can relate it to humans. 80-90 year old humans do not recover very well to injuries such as falling down and breaking a hip or something. Or say they are attacked by someone and they are putting in all the fight they have in them to try and get away. A huge fish that is near the end of its life does not do very well after putting up a huge fight for 5-10 mins, or longer depending on the line you used to catch it. either way it is at the discretion of the fisherman whether to keep it or release it. educated fisherman will do what they think is right and uneducated fisherman will do what they want.

Even where there are regs, how well they're enforced is another issue. I was at Kelly/Dudley the other night & talked to a guy in passing how fishing was, he said "not bad" & held up a stringer with 3 pike 2-3 lbs. It was dusk & I couldn't see his boat numbers or I would have called TIP. (30" minimum there)I often wonder how often this happens. For as many years as that reg has been in place it should be teeming with decent pike, I don't find this to be the case, maybe it's me, cause the same scenerio holds true with Clear in Waseca (all bass must be released), that lake should have hundreds of bass 3-4-5+ lb. bass again, maybe it's just me, but I work it well & don't do fantastic. Again in closing, the mentality needs to change not just the regs. Honestly, does anyone find numbers of sizeable if in either of these lakes? l2f

That will only happen in time with more education. Until then, size regs do not matter as the honest will continue to do the right thing and the others as they please.