12-16-2002, 02:31 PM
Sorry to have to post again on this subject, but this is starting to sound like an A. A. meeting for closet fish eaters. Hee hee. Now, there is nothing wrong with keeping fish. That is as long as you eat them and dont feed them to the cat. In fact, there are many times when keeping fish is a very important managment tool. In the instance of willard bay last year, a bad year for the shad meant the food source was in trouble. Same deal at starvation. Now if not managed properly, we can see the same situations as yuba and lake powell arise. However, in the case of the strawberry cutt the effective tool is to reduce harvest. The question comes in when you deal in fish such as lake trout, tiger musky, and any other fish that is in a situation where it seems that it wouldnt hurt or help. Its just kind of an option. Also in smaller lakes that recieve a lot of pressure. HFT made a good point that we should all recognize, as a liscensed angler, you have the right to keep any legal fish, if you desire. Perhaps the best philosophy is "to each his own". I would like to echo what many have already said, we have a great site here, what a cool thing it is that we can come together and discuss such topics. I have made many friends through this site. I love this place!