Brian,

No worries, and I completely understand your position. But my position still stands that if we take 60 bass, it will not impact the longterm population of the fishery. Remember that if these 20 were on a charter to the SM1, that they would most likey take many more fish than three, and then go over the channel to fill out their limit of Rockfish. So, if anything, I am keeping them from being out that day and killing many more fish. (I know that that line of reasoning is flawed and asinine, but no different than those guys wouldn't keep those fish if it wernt for the tourney.)

Think about a cattle boat, day in and day out, about how many fish they take off our reefs, and we can still go out and catch many fish. I am again, not condoning taking of fish you can't eat, but it is well within the limits that the law of the land has prescribed.

I mean, realistically, do you think that a spot like mesa lane, which is pretty small, has a long term impact by the 1/2 day boat fishing there one day??? If this were the case, you would never catch a fish on the one mile, Horseshoe, Cambys, Mohawk or Naples. Calico bass move around quite a bit and the overall impact is negligable, otherwise I would not be promoting it. If this is the way you feel, will you stop fishing the party boats because they kill fish? (you probably will because you just got a killer skiff : )

I think that we need to remember that we are out there, using a resource. I also think that the person that goes to the store and buys a hunk of fish flesh wrapped in styrofoam does a lot more to damage the resource(ocean) than I do, killing a few fish that I do eat. The fish in the store was caught by methods that have bycatch issues, spoilage issues and is probably not very fresh at all.

I would love for there to be an easy answer. I would love to say that, yes, we will have a pick up boat, and that the fish that you wish to be released, will be. But with the liability issues involved, with the posibility of someone dropping a winning fish overboard, oops, sorry bro, there goes your prize money..., it just isn't gonna happen this early in the tourneys. I would like to see someone come up with a good solution to this, but what I don't want is for someone to go to the trouble, expense and time of keeping a fish in a container, weighing it and releasing it, all banged up with all it's slime gone, for it to die of an infection. This defeats all the effort and is even more wrong in my opinion, the end result, 1 dead fish, and you didn't get to eat it. Granted, I hope that that 8 lb lobster did....

Also remember that I hope to bring a bunch of new people into the sport of kayakfishing. Kayakfishing can be challenging enough to someone who is just starting out. Trying to tow around a livewell, or finding a caged bouy.... too much. I think that the value of teaching someone how to properly fillet and use a fish, rather than them wasting a lot of the meat, has more intrinsic value. That instilling within the community that, this is how to fish, how to eat, and only eat what you can, will do more for that guy than not having him turn out to an event because he is intimadated, and having him go out on a 1/2 day where they will have him keep everything from 11 5/6 inch to 10 lbs, a full limit that will help the deckhand pay rent, but partially go to waste.

I remember being on the old Sea Hawk, man what a fun boat to fish, in the mid/late 80's and holding bigger fish that we got in the bow tank for the JP. We then got a scale so we could release the bigger fish, after weighing them. This was way before anyone starting pushing C&R.

My stand is still that the RESPONSIBLE take of calico bass is legal and moral, and alright by me. I believe that 3 fish should adequatly provide for most. I believe that the calico fishery, in our part of the channel is healthy and not under any immediate threat, and that a couple of tournaments a year will not have a long term impact on the fishery.

Now killing big spawning largemouths that you rip from shallow spawning beds is wrong, you are in an enclosed area with a smaller population of fish, less area and structure for them to hide in, many more fishermen with INFINATLY more technology and know-how. In a kayak, on the BIG pond, you would be hard pressed to fish the same rock, without a bouy marking it, and put pressure on it. You are constantly moving around, drifting, kelp grows and dies, things are always moving and changing out there.

I think that you would do much more for your cause of educating people about C&R by showing up and devising a way that is feasable for kayakers and tubers to carry fish in a healthy manner than just not showing up, and convincing others not to either.

My $.02
MoonDoggie
have2fish@yahoo.com