I am writing this post to apologize.
I recently wrote a post out of anger and frustration. The post was about the killing of a record largemouth bass on the Blanco River, that was caught near the confluence of the San Marcos River. Do not get me wrong, I am still very upset that this fish was killed, and can honestly say that I would not have killed that fish in order to get into the record books. In fact I have caught fish at least as big in the same area and have released every single one. I think it is a disgrace that the fish was killed. It should have been measured, photographed, and released to finish spawning, grow bigger, and be caught again. I will not back down on my feelings about that.
The reason I took the post down is because I did not intend to publicly disgrace the angler who caught the fish. It was never my intent to bring any negative attention to the angler, but rather bring awareness to the impact of killing a record bass while it is spawning.
Catching and keeping fish to feed your family in a properly managed body of water is one thing. Catching and keeping record bass to get you name in a record book, and to hang on your wall is another. It is also a different story when you catch a big bass on a large and fully stocked (or overstocked) reservoir. Catching and keeping a bass, especially a "giant" fish from small body of water like this section of the San Marcos/Blanco River system has a significant impact!!! The San Marcos River has gone down hill as a fishery over the past eight years or so...way down. The popularity of this section of river has also go up, way up, over this same period of time. Coincidence?
Anyway, I do apologize to appearing to specifically target one angler. That was not my goal. I wanted to bring attention to the culture of keeping big bass. Maybe we should forget about keeping records, or maybe we should change how we keep records. We should focus on fish length more than weight. That way we can measure and release the fish right back into the waters from which she was caught.
I get it. I really do. There exists in this sport a propensity to make nice and shrug off our differences. Without such humanity, our sport would suffer from stagnation and internet-derived polarity. We may otherwise cause a rift well before we have established ourselves as relevant sportsmen. Sometimes redaction is a necessary evil in the contemporary milieu of passion-based blog posts. The issue at hand, however, is, perhaps, an exception to the status quo of kayak angling media.
ReplyDeleteI've been following this topic since your first Facebook post regarding said killing. I'm in your corner, brother. Ego-driven angling has become a pervasive and toxic entity in the human-powered, (and therefore human-centric) angling world. At least as far as media is concerned.
I do think, though, that some things are worth fighting for. Maybe this is one. Maybe this is worth bruising a feeling or two over. Maybe it's time to set some moral guidelines upon our fledgling sport. You have the gift of prose, and can make an articulate and passionate argument. And make it represent the viewpoints of many others. It's a gift, and it shouldn't be held back for fear of occluding the target. This blog has always had an organic base, and said post exemplified that. Don't feel the need for apology; you brought forth a lot of awareness. For that you should be proud.
You've got the power to make a difference...I say to go with your gut and continue said passion. We need voices like yours. It'll make things better...
Thank you, Andy. I appreciate the kind words and especially your feeling about "Ego-driven" anglers. I debated for a while on whether or not I should have removed the post, but ultimately determined that taking the post down was the best decision. As you know, it has nothing to do with my feelings on that fish and this situation, I just did not want instantly smear the name of someone I have never met. I will continue to write about, and promote, the importance of protecting fisheries, and will mention this situation in the future. If anyone wants to research about this fish on there own, just search for "record Blanco River bass."
ReplyDeleteCheers, brother. Total support. Just vow to keep it organic and honest. This here is a bastion of purity; let's see it stay that way...
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