Fish Trends/ females vs jacks

[wakina]

I do not target big walleyes, male or female! I target walleyes period, big or small. I also do not harbor any animosity toward those who do target big fish before, during or after the spawn.

With me if they are of legal length they go in the box, if by chance there are two fish hooked at the same time and only 1 is needed to fill my limit I will keep the larger of the 2 and release the smaller one, that is if I am fishing by myself.

This is an old argument, one that comes up every year at this time, or with no ice season, then at the start of the jig season. Did you know that a female walleye has only 2 seasons? They are either actively spawning(dropping their eggs) or they are pre spawn. It makes no difference if they just became mature or a 30+ inch adult they are in one stage or the other there is no in-between. Once that last egg is dropped a healthy female immediately starts to develop eggs for the next spawning and that my friend is pre-spawn. Just because a female is not visibly swollen with eggs does not mean there are no eggs present in her egg sack.

To those who saw the females laid out by the trailer at Crane Creek and then came on here and related their feelings in a post describing how it made them want to throw up. Here is a question for you. Did you voice your concern to those who were present and taking those pictures that you have related to in your post, I mean the ones who actually caught those fish? If not why not?

You did say that it is every ones right to keep what they want as long as they are within the regulations. If you honestly feel that way then your beef is not with the law abiding sportsmen nor is it with the other law abiding members of this forum who keep those legally caught big fish, so please quit trying to make them feel bad or guilty, but instead your beef is with the ODNR as they are the ones who set the regulations governing what can or cannot be kept. There are 3 types of fishermen and women on this site, those who will keep those big females and those who will not and those who keep no fish but catch and release only. The only way that you will be able to stop people who keep those fish is to petition the ODNR to make it illegal to include them in ones daily bag limit! You will never be able to change anyone's mind or behavior by posting those concerns on this or any other fishing site.

The culinary usefulness of a large sized fish versus a smaller sized fish of the same species would be the individual preferences of each person. Just as it would be from one species of fish to another. I have had just as many small walleyes taste skunky as I have 8lb or larger walleyes. It is what it is and they are what they are. Just as you would cut and cook a roast differently than you would cut and cook a steak, the same applies to the bigger fish versus the smaller fish it makes a world of difference in the taste of the fish big or small.