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A Time to Keep?
by Jeff Samsel
“The slot limit is intended to improve bass growth by encouraging selective harvest of smaller bass. Angler cooperation is imperative to improve bass growth and angling opportunities.”
 That comes directly from a Lake Sinclair Fishing Guide published by the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, and it’s a message that fisheries biologists have been trying to drive home for several years. Bass fishermen have an extremely strong release ethic, and in most cases that benefits fish populations. On slot limit lakes such as Sinclair, however, the slot will only serve its intended function if a pretty good number of sub-slot bass get taken home for dinner, thus removing mouths from the system and leaving more food for the larger fish.
Bass clubs throughout the nation have been instrumental in spreading the “catch-and-release” message among their memberships and beyond and in promoting other causes such as youth education and lakeshore cleanup. In those places where intentionally harvesting a certain size class or variety of bass would benefit the fishery, clubs enjoy the opportunity to provide a similarly important role in spreading this odd-sounding message and providing an example.
Along with the smaller-sized fish that need to be harvested from slot limit waters, taking fish of a specific species, such as spotted bass, sometimes helps the overall black bass fishing in a river or a lake. Spot limits are intentionally liberal or non-existent in some places, and biologists hope that anglers will take advantage of opportunities to take these fish home. Norris Lake, which spreads over 34,200 acres in the Tennessee mountains, is a perfect example.
“Spotted bass make up a good percentage of the bass population in Norris,” said Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency biologist Jim Negus. “Unlike largemouth and smallmouth bass, the species rarely reaches quality size in any East Tennessee reservoir. They also utilize the same habitat and compete with the more quality-sized smallmouth bass. As a result, anglers are encouraged to keep these fish for the table. There is no size or creel limit for this species.”
Smallmouths have the potential to grow to large sizes in Norris, but food and habitat alike are clearly limited in the lake’s deep, clear waters, and spots compete directly with smallmouths for both. Every spotted bass released back into Norris Lake, therefore, actually works against the lake’s smallmouth production potential.
A similar situation exists along Georgia’s Flint River, which is widely considered the premier waterway for shoal bass fishing. Spots, which are not native to the Flint and were recently introduced by well-intending anglers, compete with the shoal bass and threatened to displace unknown numbers of the native bass. Shoal bass are regionally distinctive, similar to smallmouths in appearance and personality and substantially larger growing than spots in that waterway.
The Shoal Bass Alliance (www.shoalbassalliance.com), which unites shoal bass fans, took an innovative approach last summer with a special “Spot Fry & River Cleanup” day. The alliance challenged all who were interested to spend a day fishing the river, to keep every legal spotted bass caught (l0 fish limit, no minimum size) and to carry a bag to pick up trash along the way. At day’s end, everyone gathered for a big fish fry, and prizes were awarded for the biggest bag of trash, the largest spot and the most spots (up to 10).
Major objectives included a concerted effort to remove quite a few spots from the river in a single day while at the same time providing publicity to the fact that spotted bass are now in the Flint River and to their potential threat to the shoal bass fishery. In addition, the event provided a fun fishing day and a shared sense of purpose in the spot removal plan and the river cleanup. Not to be overlooked, everyone went home feeling well fed and happy.
The Spot Fry & River Cleanup couldn’t really have been dubbed a tournament because, despite a few prizes, competition was extremely low on the priorities list. The concept, however, is one that warrants definite consideration by any club that ever fishes waters that would benefit from selective harvest of bass.
Specific applications, of course, would vary by the harvest needs at a given waterway, by regulations and by a club’s other objectives. If targeted thinning of a specific group of fish and public education are needed , then something similar to the Spot Fry would be difficult to top. Such an event should be open to the public and advertised, so that more fish can be taken and so that area anglers will see posters and give thought to why a bass club is encouraging the harvest of bass.
If a slot lake is a regular tournament stop, on the other hand, the club might simply want to help management efforts during its regular tournament visit by encouraging harvest of sub-slot fish that are weighed. Better yet, a club can disallow the release of sub-slot fish that are brought to the scales or at least assess penalties for releasing those fish.
Beyond special tournament plans, a good way for a club to help shape angler mindsets about selective harvest practices is to invite a fisheries biologist to make a presentation at a club gathering and to invite the public to the event. Even internal programs at regular club meetings can provide a good education to club members and begin a grass roots spreading of the message. Clubs can also help spread such a message by creating and putting up posters or by distributing educational brochures.
It’s important to emphasize that no selective harvest need exists in many places, and often “catch-and-release” remains the best practice and the most valuable message to convey. The release mentality has become so strong among bass fishermen, however, that the very suggestion of keeping, cleaning and eating a bass makes many club members cringe. As counter-cultural as it may be, though, it really is worthwhile to take a look at the waters fished by a club and to see which, if any, would benefit from some amount of bass harvest.
A good starting point for learning about lakes in a given area is within the regulations themselves. If a slot exists for a lake, chances are quite good that some amount of harvest of sub-slot fish is desired. Otherwise, a high minimum size would have been a better option. Likewise, if there is no size limit or length limit on spotted bass, biologists probably would like to see some of those fish removed.
Looking past the regulations, many states’ fisheries departments publish reports about various lakes, and those reports commonly remind anglers about any fish that biologists would prefer to see harvested. Browsing a state’s fisheries website might even reveal an article that provides more detail about a specific bass harvest need.
A final way to learn which waters would be helped by harvest is simply to ask. Fisheries biologist, although often in the field and therefore strapped for office time, generally welcome calls from anglers who sincerely want to do what is best for the waters they fish. A biologist can provide sound answers that might help you convince other club members that a need to take home bass actually exists.
Even anglers who understand the value of selective harvest often find it foreign at first to actually run a fillet knife through a bass. The oddity typically fades with time and newfound (or rediscovered) familiarity, however, and the end result is a step taken toward a better-managed fishery.
Sidebar
Recipe: Bass Stew
2 to 3 pounds of bass fillets
1 package of bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 cans of stewed tomatoes
1 can of chicken broth
1 can of corn
1 small can of green chilies
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Cayenne pepper to taste
Boil enough water to cover fillets in a large pot and then add the fillets. Cook until meat is soft enough to break with a fork (10 to 15 minutes). Drain water and break fillets into bite-sized pieces. Put fish back in pot, add all remaining ingredients, bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes. Serve in bowls over rice with hot sauce on the side.
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Captions
MH1, MH2 - At times thin fish are an indicator of overpopulation, and the harvest of smaller bass actually benefits the fishery.
MH3 – In waterways where spotted bass don’t grow very large they compete with largemouths and smallmouths for food and for habitat, and the other black bass fisheries would be helped by an increased harvest of spots.
MH4-MH5 –For slot limits to be effective, anglers have to keep significant numbers of sub-slot fish.
MH-6- MH7 – Bass anglers typically cringe at the notion of taking home fish, but in some cases, selective harvest actually helps the fish population and is part of the intended management plan.
*MH-8, MH9 – As foreign as the concept seems to many bass anglers, taking some fish home to eat really is OK, and at times it’s the best thing.
Note: fish being cooked in these photos are trout; it’s just meant as an illustration. I don’t think it’s obvious, but I wanted to make sure you knew.
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