ganman:
I think you bring up an interesting point. Several in fact.
Younger anglers who say there is no shortage of bass often just don't have any basis for comparison.
Is fishing in most of our lakes as good as it was two years ago? Possibly.
Is the fishing as good as it was 10 years ago? No way.
Is the fishing as good as it was 20 years ago? Not even close!
30-40 years ago? Any yahoo with a rod and reel and a red devil or even a stick tied on could limit out on bass on a regular basis on almost any waterway.
The decline has been slow but steady, and if it wasn't for the adoption of catch-and-release by many anglers, I shudder to think of the sorry state we'd be in now.
As for the larger fish containing more contaminants, that fact has been accepted for years. The majority of the contaminants are stored in the fatty tissue around the rib cage and stomach, and in the lateral line. Yes, you can cut these areas out of larger fish, and reduce the crap you're ingesting, but why would you want to?
If the
Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish says you can safely eat 4 meals of bass from 14-18" from Lake "X", would you do it? Would you feed those four meals to your children?
Studies of Great Lakes commercial fishermen's families have shown all kinds of medical problems that can be traced back to their diet- a lot of fish. Why not eat the smaller specimens and all but eliminate the risk?
CCB- too nasty out to go fishing, so might as well rant!
