I wrote a post out of reaction describing my disgust with this fish being killed (yes it was killed in order to get the anglers name in a record book and to hang on the wall.) I wrote and posted the article, then posted it in a couple of forums. I have since removed the article (you can read why here: Apology) but I have not backed down on my stance that removing this fish had a negative impact on the Blanco/San Marcos River fishery. This does not just happen on this river, it happens everywhere, and more often than you think. Big fish are the fish that are kept and the small fish are released.
Harvesting big fish and releasing smaller fish can negatively impact any body of water. The larger fish that are kept tend to be females and the smaller bass that are released are most often males. The larger bass are also the fish that will propagate the genetics for more big bass. Male bass tend to reach 14 inches in length quicker than females, but do not grow as long as females which can grow to over 20 inches. So, with the typical fishing regulations of 5 bass over 14 inches being kept, after culling out smaller fish for larger bass, the typical angler will end up with a 5 fish stringer that is mostly females. And those may be the females with the genetics to produce bigger offspring.
Small bodies of water, such a small river, creek, or stream, are impacted by the harvesting of bass differently than a larger river, lake, or reservoir is. One of the main reasons is simply because they have less habitat for, an therefor hold less bass. Taking one bass from a smaller population will have a much larger impact than removing that one bass from a larger population. Although it will not destroy a fishery to take a few bass from it, it will have an impact (like it or not.) And with the growth in popularity of river fishing, more and more anglers are beginning to keep bass from the small bodies of water.
Some states are starting to recognize this fact and are implementing new regulations on keeping fish in rivers and streams that are different than those on larger bodies of water. For example, Indiana started new regulations on May 25, 2012, that are river and stream specific. The new regulations state that 5 bass may be kept that are a) under 12 inches or b) over 15 inches. However, only 2 of those five bass are allowed to be over 15 inches in length. The new regulations are aimed at the fears of over-harvesting big fish from these smaller bodies of water (where they are more vulnerable, and the impact from their harvesting is greater.)
I will write more later on what I think needs to be done with bass fishing regulations everywhere, but here is what I think needs to be done in Texas:
Rivers and Streams
- 5 black bass limit (only 3 of which may be species native to that body of water)
- any combination of native and non native species may be harvested up to a total of 5 black bass but not to exceed three native bass
- 5 non-native bass may be kept
- 3 native bass may be kept
- a total of 5 bass may be kept
- A non-keeper slot length of 13" to 18" should be implemented for native basses; One native fish over 18 inches can be kept; no native black bass over 21 inches can be kept
- No native black basses between 13 and 18 inches can be harvested
- One native bass between 18 and 21 inches can be kept
- No native black bass over 21 inches can be kept
- Any length of non-native black bass species can be harvested
- River and Stream records should be considered in terms of length of the bass rather than weight of the bass.
- Anglers should be allowed to purchase certified measuring boards that are easily distinguishable in pictures.
- Pictures of the bass on a certified measuring device should be allowed for consideration as a body of water record.
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