Fishing Forum

I am visiting this topic again. Catch, Picture, Release.
Every year I keep catfish. I LOVE eating catfish. I don't begrudge anyone from catching and keeping catfish. The problem I have is when people keep so many that they have to freeze them and then they end up throwing out a bunch of freezer burnt catfish.

Today I was telling a guy that I was fixing a mess of catfish nuggets and he said he cleaned out his freezer and threw away 50 pounds of freezer burnt catfish. I was stunned. I told him I try to only keep males, and I try not to keep anything over 24" unless they are hooked deep. He said he keeps everything he catches. He also id he needed to make room for new fish since the others went bad.

The females are full of eggs right now. I had to keep one my self and felt bad about it. I am just asking guys to try to target males for harvest, and to use discretion when keeping some to eat. Like I said I don't have a problem with keeping some.

I am not telling anyone what they should do. All I am saying is I target fish under 24" for harvest and I try to target males. I would like to encourage CPR for big fish. The F&G doesn't seem to care about brood stock so it will be u to us to do it.
Ron
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Amen Brother! and Bass over 15 inches will make you mercury sick.
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I never much liked eating the big ones anyway. I have no problems keeping males now that I know how to tell them apart. If we do make it over catfishing this year, I suspect we will bring back a reasonable load, but we also vacuum pack and eat the fish we catch, none will be wasted. And since making the long trip is a once every 3-4 year deal, having them last a while in the freezer is a nice treat.

Once we get enough to eat, the CPR starts.
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I agree! Good post Ron.
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Next time you talk too an idiot like that, kick him in the balls and tell him too freeze the fillets in a freezer bag filled with water, will take years too freezer burn, I have steelhead still good in the freezer from 2 years ago, I hate trout, don't keep them anymore...... As long as the fillets are completely submerged there's no reason too throw anything "meat" away... I know I don't buy meat .. At least for the last 11 years or so,
Matt
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how you tell a male from a female?[:p][:/]
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Ron, I released close to 50 last week and didn't keep a single fish! And you know where! I guess I'm different and not nearly as nice as you because I would have told him exactly what I thought of him and the fact that he was throwing fish away! To ME, that is the same thing as poaching and leaving it to waste! That is only MY opinion!
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Males I believe are more black than the females... Not sure thou,
Matt
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DS is right. When they get in the 24" range they are breeders. I know that some smaller will also breed but I have found that telling the difference is easier on big fish. The Males will be darker but also their lips and mouth will be darker and for the most part the males are more slender.



The females will be lighter in color and their mouths will be lighter in color as well. This time of the year they are also the fatter ones. but that is just a loose guide line.


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Thanks, never knew that[]
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Great post! And thanks for the little gender lesson will be helpful in the near future like saturday [:p] My family loves eating fish and wildgame hence we barely buy any beef from the store since me, my wife and my oldest boy hunt big game we are usually always stocked and wasting it in my house is a SIN!
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Thanks for the gender ID lesson. Just trying to learn how to catch Snake River cats. My wife and I seldom take home more than 1 or 2 fish, just enough for that nights dinner. We prefer it fresh rather than frozen. And cleaning a bunch of fish isn't the way I like to end the day.
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Can anyone point me in the right place to fined some cats in the south east part of state
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Quote:I am not telling anyone what they should do. All I am saying is I target fish under 24"All I am saying is I target fish under 24"

cool! but then I'd recommend they practice CPMR
dats catch photo measure and release,I know these abbreviations can get technical like CVPMWR fishing
but its important everyone knows
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mercury sick?.Who here has ever gotten mercury sick?
I gotta here this one[unimpressed]
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