Bass Fishing and our Environment-Keep it Green

Welcome back-Your continued support is appreciated. Enjoy your fishing day!!

Fish Green

Bass fisherman and outdoor enthusiast alike share an important role in conserving our environment. Conservation is an important step in keeping our outdoors, wildlife and ourselves healthy and happy. There has been a lot of discussion lately on green living, and other environment issues. While we can not control all of the issues surrounding a more green and healthy living we can take a few steps to insure we are doing our part to help conserve our most natural of resources, water and the outdoors.

• Practice catch and release, even for that once and a lifetime largemouth bass. Take a picture, or better yet a video, measure and release. There are plenty of taxidermists that will produce a fiberglass replica.
• Handle your catch with care, if possible remove the hook without taking the fish out of the water.
• If you must handle your fish, wet your hands first.
• Once you have hooked the fish, bring to the boat as quickly as possible thus reducing the stress on the fish.
• If you must have a memory of your catch, bring a camera or camera phone, take a photo and release.
• Be careful removing the hook, use pliers and remove quickly.
• Use barbless hooks.
• Use a boga grip instead of handling the fish
• Revive your catch by moving the fish forward to force water through its gills.
• If storing your bass in a livewell during a bass tournament keep the water running continuously, keep the water cool and keep a lid on top of your livewell system.
• Discard used fishing line properly, in the garbage can at the boat dock. Recycle your monofilament if possible.
• Do not litter-this is an easy one but many times we forget, especially those cigarette butts.
• Conserve gas, find the optimal speed of your boat to obtain the best gas mileage possible.
• Check the air pressure in your trailer tires.
• Support the Marine Stewardship Council
• Respect “no fishing” zones
• Respect size, slot and limit fish regulation

If we follow these simple steps we can do our small part in protecting our environment.

Please feel free to comment and leave some additional thoughts or tips for further conservation steps to promote a healthier and greener environment.

Please also check out these sites:

NOAA Fisheries

NCDMF

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Gulf States Marine Fisheries