I have to admit as long as Ive been reading this site I have not seen this addressed that much so I am curious about how everyone feels on this subject when it comes to the BW.

Myself I feel any bigger fish should be released, but I really enjoy a nightly fish fry. I have never kept anything except for walleye to eat. Not that I dont like other fish(I have to admit I dont like bones and I have never taken the time to learn how to fillet a northern so it is boneless), any walleye over 20 inches in my opinion is too big to eat so I always put them back.

I never bring fish home because they just don't taste as good at home as they do in the BW. I am just curious how everyone else feels. I dont think the fish I eat at while up there is going to hurt the fishery at all. What do you all think?

We usually catch and release everyting but a couple meals worth. We're not against eating any species if size is right. I would estimate we usually eat 4-8 fish per trip staggered across several lakes. I'm not terribly concerned with our pressure on the lakes because of this.

Can count on 2-4 fish meals while we're in the Q for a week. Generally only eat the unfortunate "medium sized" ones. Everything else is released. Never brought anything back - wouldn't taste so good once it reached San Diego anyway ;-)

AdamX

I have agree with everyone else, I like 1 or possibly 2 fish and hsahbrowns meals a trip, always walleyes. Usually a 16 inch fish is plenty for me, I know on some lakes that could mean alot of fish leaving the lake each year but that means you need to get deeper in the BWCA to get better fishing next year which means longer trips---YES--. I haven't taken a single fish home from the BWCA or much further north for many years. I have turned loose many 40plus inch Northerns and many 30 inch plus Walleyes over the years and it never bothered me even a little, a couple of years ago my son turned loose a 46inch 30 pound northern, I hope I never live long enough to forget the grin on his face. I still carry the scars on my right hand from landing my daughter-in-laws 42 inch Northern on her first trip to Canada with me, no net and she threw her head when I went to grab her, I admit I was mad enough to eat her [raw in the spot] but we turned her loose, when I refer to "HER" I mean the Northern. HA HA HA

I'd never keep a big fish. An 18-inch walleye is plenty for my partner and me. We also never come home with fish. As others noted, they just don't taste the same after the journey home.

My partner and I look to catch a small pike (2-3pounds) or two small Walleyes (14" is ideal) for one meal when we go for a week. Everything else goes back in the water.

It's mostly catch and release for us, except for a couple of small fish we keep for the pan.

I'd love to see the BWCA fisheries managed so they could more resemble those of Quetico, as they once did.

To me this seems to be a mute question. When you are in the BWCA and you really can't bring fish out because of the lack of storage and transportation abilities it only seems logical to ONLY keep enough to eat and release all the other fish. That could be the reason why this topic doesn't get much time on this board. Everyone on here respects the natural beauty of the BWCA and it's preservation is very important so only keeping what you need to eat comes naturally.

quote Gravy33: "To me this seems to be a mute question. When you are in the BWCA and you really can't bring fish out because of the lack of storage and transportation abilities it only seems logical to ONLY keep enough to eat and release all the other fish. That could be the reason why this topic doesn't get much time on this board. Everyone on here respects the natural beauty of the BWCA and it's preservation is very important so only keeping what you need to eat comes naturally. "

+1 Taking fish out of the BW is too big of a hassle. I keep enough for supper. I've had days when all we caught is big fish and didn't have fish for supper. That's just the way it goes. The big fish create most of the babies. So I put them back. That's how you keep a fishery in good shape.

There are many many people on this board that practice catch and release especially for big fish. I dont keep any smallie over a pound and a half and its rare that I ever eat a snallie, walleye over 4 pounds go back, all pike over a couple of ponds go back also. I keep a few for dinner occasinally but its less than 1 percent of one percent that I catch.

Agree...I try to only cut 16-18" walleye or 13-15" bass.

The only time I've kept a fish you aren't supposed to keep is with muskies. I've spent weeks fishing a lake where all we could catch was muskies. It was either eat a musky or live on soup and oatmeal all week. So, we kept a couple small ones, but even a small musky is big enough to have made us sick of muskies in a hurry.

Eat the bass first, then walleye under 18", northern last. If it goes on stringer then we eat it, no keeping for pics even for 5 minutes, no trading out. If the group says they want more fish and decides to cook more than they can eat at night. It is taken for snacks or fish tacos next meal.

Out of 500+ fish caught on lasts years trip we ate 4 walleyes under 20", everything else was released. 99% of the fish we caught were all lip hooked and released quickly. Can't say there wasn't any delayed mortality but if there was it was minimal. Would have taken a bass or two but since the spawn was still going on it was hard to determine if it was spawned out or just chuck full of food.

Nothing wrong with eating a smallish bass or two their good and plentiful. The Canadian rangers even push eating bass since their considered a invasive species in a lot of lakes.

quote Gravy33: "To me this seems to be a mute question. When you are in the BWCA and you really can't bring fish out because of the lack of storage and transportation abilities it only seems logical to ONLY keep enough to eat and release all the other fish. That could be the reason why this topic doesn't get much time on this board. Everyone on here respects the natural beauty of the BWCA and it's preservation is very important so only keeping what you need to eat comes naturally. "

This is true Gravy33, but I have read in other places that even eating more than one meal of fish is highly frowned upon. When I go most of my nightly meals are fish frys. I'm all for c&r but some people I think go a little overboard.

We talked on length last year on this subject and most practice catch and release with a few meals thrown in. It makes also a difference what species and size you eat,for some are more vulnerable. Also the barbless hook talks could be tied into past forums.
The trout species are very vulnerable and depends much on the lake and location.

It is fun to read this topic about people that have the same understanding,for lack of better words, about the fishing.
When we get back home from a trip, non BWCAers ask how many fish did you bring back.
I tell them none and they ask didn't catch any.
Its not all about bringing home a limit.

+1 along with everybody else, 1 trip to the BW kept 1 fish big enough to give us a few bites along with supper one night. Big fish live to catch another day.

we like pike because so many people like walleye and the northern is just as good IMO still working on perfecting filleting w/o bones skills but we do pretty good.

what's the consensus on best keeper size for pike for the least impact on fish population?

quote PlumberDave: "It is fun to read this topic about people that have the same understanding,for lack of better words, about the fishing.
When we get back home from a trip, non BWCAers ask how many fish did you bring back.
I tell them none and they ask didn't catch any.
Its not all about bringing home a limit."

I think most of us think when in Quetico or the BWCA we are in a special place and want to maintain that feeling at the fishing part of it by maintaining a higher quality than maybe you would accept outside the wilderness area. We probably would keep a few more fish outside the BWCA.
Lake trout to me are like a icon of the wilderness and take about 10 to 12 years to reach 2 pounds. I do eat lake trout when up there,but maybe a meal or so at most,than substitute with like a northern pike or a granola bar. Many lakes can take only so much pressure.

Most people I know and all the people I fish with practice c&r. Keep a few eaters for a meal or two. Let the rest go. Pass it along to the kids.

I always practice catch and release. With the exception of 3-4 meals per week long trip, I release everything and am amazed that anyone packs fish out.

I dunno. 8 fish per person per week MAX seems pretty sustainable to me.

1 to 2 fish meals per week. I don't plan it that way, it just happens. It's about the same rate that we have fish at home, now that I think about it.
However, if I catch a species new to me, it goes in the pan even if I just had fish at the last meal.

I'll admit, we pack out one meal of fish. But then, we only eat one meal of fish while we are in. It's usually steak first night, fish 2nd, ribs or burgers 3rd, spaghetti 4th. So we keep two meals of fish, and one goes home. Sorry if that offends folks. It's just a few eater walleyes/bass. We rarely see more than one canoe a week on that lake. I don't think it sustains a ton of pressure. Anything bigger than a couple pounds goes back. We don't fish a whole lot the rest of the season, so it's nice to bring back one meal. I can see the other side of the argument, but we've been doing it on the same lake for 38 years, and it doesn't seem to have hurt the fish population any.

My father was terrible. He wanted to keep everything he caught. I basically had to convert him to catch and release when I got older and wiser. I can remember him and I going on a trip together, and I pulled in a 37 in pike. As I was sliding her back in the water, he almost went nuts. He couldn't believe I was releasing it. I asked him what the hell 2 of us were going to do with 11 lbs of pike. He said "eat it". I told him he was nuts. I'm not sure if he's ever changed his thinking completely, but when we were together I made him put anything over 2 lbs back in the water.

Btw, last year our take home meal was 6 smallies around 1 1/2 lbs each. I figure taking a few smallies out of the lake, perhaps gives the walleyes a little better chance.

quote analyzer: "I'll admit, we pack out one meal of fish. But then, we only eat one meal of fish while we are in. It's usually steak first night, fish 2nd, ribs or burgers 3rd, spaghetti 4th. So we keep two meals of fish, and one goes home. Sorry if that offends folks. It's just a few eater walleyes/bass. We rarely see more than one canoe a week on that lake. I don't think it sustains a ton of pressure. Anything bigger than a couple pounds goes back. We don't fish a whole lot the rest of the season, so it's nice to bring back one meal. I can see the other side of the argument, but we've been doing it on the same lake for 38 years, and it doesn't seem to have hurt the fish population any.


My father was terrible. He wanted to keep everything he caught. I basically had to convert him to catch and release when I got older and wiser. I can remember him and I going on a trip together, and I pulled in a 37 in pike. As I was sliding her back in the water, he almost went nuts. He couldn't believe I was releasing it. I asked him what the hell 2 of us were going to do with 11 lbs of pike. He said "eat it". I told him he was nuts. I'm not sure if he's ever changed his thinking completely, but when we were together I made him put anything over 2 lbs back in the water.


Btw, last year our take home meal was 6 smallies around 1 1/2 lbs each. I figure taking a few smallies out of the lake, perhaps gives the walleyes a little better chance."

I think his generation and the beginning of mine,if you caught something you kept it, and eat it.It was just the time and culture he grew up in.
Now I keep just enough for a meal or two and it also depends on the species. Keeping fish has changed and that is good. But still have the occasional shore lunch. That is a big part of the camping experience. It was just the time and culture he grew up in.
Peer pressure will determine what we do more than anything.

quote BigMac: "I have to admit as long as Ive been reading this site I have not seen this addressed that much so I am curious about how everyone feels on this subject when it comes to the BW.

Myself I feel any bigger fish should be released, but I really enjoy a nightly fish fry. I have never kept anything except for walleye to eat. Not that I dont like other fish(I have to admit I dont like bones and I have never taken the time to learn how to fillet a northern so it is boneless), any walleye over 20 inches in my opinion is too big to eat so I always put them back.

I never bring fish home because they just don't taste as good at home as they do in the BW. I am just curious how everyone else feels. I dont think the fish I eat at while up there is going to hurt the fi
shery at all. What do you all think?"

I didn't see anyone on this posting that mentioned the Minnesota fishing regulations stipulate that any one fisherman can have only one walleye of 20 inches or more in their possession. I don't know if that is an new regulation, or was in force in the past.

quote bruleman: "

quote BigMac: "I have to admit as long as Ive been reading this site I have not seen this addressed that much so I am curious about how everyone feels on this subject when it comes to the BW.


Myself I feel any bigger fish should be released, but I really enjoy a nightly fish fry. I have never kept anything except for walleye to eat. Not that I dont like other fish(I have to admit I dont like bones and I have never taken the time to learn how to fillet a northern so it is boneless), any walleye over 20 inches in my opinion is too big to eat so I always put them back.


I never bring fish home because they just don't taste as good at home as they do in the BW. I am just curious how everyone else feels. I dont think the fish I eat at while up there is going to hurt the fi
shery at all. What do you all think?"

I didn't see anyone on this posting that mentioned the Minnesota fishing regulations stipulate that any one fisherman can have only one walleye of 20 inches or more in their possession. I don't know if that is an new regulation, or was in force in the past. "

State-wide law that's been around for several years.

I have heard of groups that go to the same lakes every year and basecamp. They pretty much eat themselves sick of fish. That kind of fishing has a negative impact on the fishery without a doubt.
I also caught the same walleye with the same fin deformity on sucessive days at the same spot. Catch and release works.

quote emptynest56: "I have heard of groups that go to the same lakes every year and basecamp. They pretty much eat themselves sick of fish. That kind of fishing has a negative impact on the fishery without a doubt.
I also caught the same walleye with the same fin deformity on sucessive days at the same spot. Catch and release works. "

Totally agree !

Like many lakes in Minnesota they have size restrictions in place because otherwise overfishing would occur for sure. Voluntarily catch and release does work and does help.
Face it I have seen the same kind of fishermen who will go to a lake and eat fish every meal,than take a limit home. A quality resource can not handle that. A ball park figure used on good north central walleye lakes for walleyes is that you can harvest about 4 pounds per acre on lakes like Mille lacs and recruitment will negate the harvest.
Many BWCA lakes it would not be that high.
By all means like I said have a meal or two of fish on your camping trip. That's part of the experience.
Depending on the species,maybe keep certain sizes and also maybe vary the fish species you eat. I also look at individual lakes and determine what and if I have a fish meal.
Catch and release in itself could also be harmful if like your taking a high number of lake trout out of deep water in mid summer,than mortality will be high.
A common rule for all fish the colder the water,the slower the fishes metabolism will be,thus lower mortality rate.
I have seen early tournament fish contests with catch and release,with very low mortality in the spring,come warm water mortality becomes very high.

Eat everything you catch. Fish out every lake. Scour the internet for the world's best fishing holes and take everything you can get.

I eat a couple little ones on trips but really, why go to BWCA/Quetico to capture fish?

I keep one fish per meal per person with an extra prepared if needed. When I solo I fish alot but still throw everything back but the one I eat. Walleyes in the 15" - 18" range are preferred. I like northerns but will eat the walleyes or jumbo perch first if available....

I think there is a common theme across the question, all that enjoy the
BWCA enjoy catching and eating fish, however people don't seem to take or eat more than they need to. For myself I do eat maybe 2-3 fish meals in a week period but that would consist of 2-3 fish per meal for a family of 4, 1-2 fish for a couple. Fish and soup or noodles of some sort are quite filling! Also I think it all depends on the lake you are fishing? If you are on a bigger lake known for walleye the status of that fish is usually healthy so I don't think taking some fish out of a lake to consume is to cause alarm or worries on the fishery so much? We have taken a lot of trips to Lac La Croix via the nina-moose and we would catch 25-35 walleyes per day and of all sizes to select for meals, in that big of lake and little pressure comparably the fishing will always be there! Just remember to follow size regulations per state guideline and be simple on how much fish you really need to eat in a week, when you leave the BWCA you can always stop by your favorite buffet on your way home! LOL

They are many people who catch, keep, and even toss what they can't eat. I've witnessed them. For example, I was at a fishing resort near Lac Seul with my dad and on a blustery day, my dad stayed in the cabin. Some of the other folks who were staying at the resort invited me to share lunch with them. I regretted it afterwards because:

A. They helped themselves to some guy's cabin so they wouldn't have to cook in the rain.

B. They had kept everything they'd caught and they kept urging everyone to gorge.

C. Even then, we couldn't eat all of it and fish was tossed.

I should have cooked a little walleye outside in the rain. That would have been more pleasant than the gorging and the waste. Otherwise, they truly were nice people, but our values were so different. I was raised by Depression Era people and they taught me to take what I want, but to eat EVERYTHING I take.

I will keep what I want to eat or keep it if it dies, otherwise everything else is going back in the lake. I usually let big fish go after snapping a few pictures. I think now a days most folks are happy with catch and release, and fisheries in north america have definitely benefited from it.

Some days when fishing and catching and releasing a few,I may wait until maybe one of the fish I caught got hooked too bad and survival would be low. That is the one I would keep.