Chatterbaits-- With or without skirts?

[efishnc]

  Well good for you but I think your wrong. First of all you can't pick a fight with me because I simple won't fight. It's a childish game and I'm not into that. So fell free to say what ever you like to me. Second I can to say what I said because I have seen in my life time many lakes go down hill because of poor management of fish. It has nothing to do what is legal. It has everything to do with what is right. It is our responsibility to see that our next generation has the chance to fish like or better then we did. Take a big fish like that ? Why kill it ? If nothing else learn to respect that. If you want some smaller fish for dinner then ok. But don't kill the big spawners. Your only hurting yourself and the future of fishing.
  And just saying I'm as guilty as anyone. When I was a kid my dad and I would come home after a day of fish with the floor board of the pick up full of big bass. We thought there was no end to them. Well we were wrong. All I'm trying to do now is to teach the next generation what I have learned. And yes I have the right to do that. In fact it's my responsibility.

I agree with everything you said... and I'm glad you have a thick skin and some conviction.  I think most serious fishermen practice just what you said.  However, I have a buddy that is a part-time (at best) fisherman and I've heard him rant about what others would impose on him more than once, and I agree with him also.  I'm just trying to eliminate divisions in the ranks.  (There is far worse strife in the hunting ranks and the antis will use any lever they can; just don't be so naïve to think that there aren't any that want to eliminate fishing as well.)

[efishnc]

The truth of the matter is that the smaller fish do most of the reproduction...

I'm glad you said this so I didn't have to.  (I think it would have looked like I was reaching for excuses to back what I said when that wasn't the issue I was trying to focus on).   

In 1993, I attended a smallmouth and walleye seminar put on by Wisconsin DNR biologists.  Talking about walleyes, they said no one should feel bad about keeping a trophy fish; and that the spawning success rate for walleyes drops off markedly after 6 pounds, to where 10 pounders have (essentially) zero success in spawning.  (They said it was because trophy fish are not as healthy as the younger ones and the big fish produce more eggs per body weight with substantially less quality per egg.)  Granted this came from the DNR, and they are part of the government, but I believe what they said was legit... I'm not sure if this can be validated on line, but I'll forever remember some of those stats from that seminar.

[Lamar]

  I agree with that. But I feel even though I have no proof on this that big blood will produce bigger fish. Just like humans tall people have tall kids and short people have sort kids. It's in their genes. True with a smaller fish you don't know what your removing but with a larger one you do. Your removing the large blood from the water you like to fish at. I believe we need to educate those that do not understand that to help build our lakes in to better lakes to fish in. I'm a big believer in seasons to allow the fish to spawn and in slot limits. Here in Ohio the only season they put on fish is on Lake Erie. On Erie the bass fishing has gotten better while the rest of Ohio it seems to have gotten worse.

[efishnc]

I think we're on the same page...