Do you prefer fishing for fewer bigger fish or more smaller fish?

[gbin]

Went out with a buddy yesterday to a walleye lake known for numbers, and we did catch 18 fish (I think; I started to lose count), but only 3 were the 15" minimum size to keep, and 1 of those 3 just barely met the minimum, at that. None of the fish we caught made it to 20", and a few would have looked right at home in one of my aquariums. It prompted us to indulge in that old discussion about whether we prefer fishing for fewer bigger fish or more smaller fish.

My answer has always been the same: definitely fewer bigger, even with the increased likelihood of getting skunked. Were circumstances to allow, I'd do all of my walleye fishing for trophies even if it meant I had to buy fish for the table because I wasn't willing to keep such large fish. My buddy said he goes back and forth between the two, as (of course) he likes catching big fish but sometimes he just finds it more fun to catch a bunch, and he's much more averse to getting skunked.

Mind you, it was still a fine day.

What's your preference?...

Gerry

[Bigtaproot]

I must confess to being a numbers guy. I dont get to fish that often so like a lot of action and the ability to try many different things. I also like the no pressure of not being upset it I dont get a fish in the boat and the ability to use barbless hooks.

[buckmaster7600]

It totally depends on what I’m fishing for, trout/salmon I would rather catch one big one over a bunch of small ones. Walleye don’t fight so I’d rather catch 20 smaller ones than one 5lb’er.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gbin]

Originally Posted by Bigtaproot

I must confess to being a numbers guy. I dont get to fish that often so like a lot of action and the ability to try many different things. I also like the no pressure of not being upset it I dont get a fish in the boat and the ability to use barbless hooks.

There are no wrong answers, I reckon.

It's never really bothered me to get skunked; I have a good or even great time, either way. Maybe it has something to do with my having grown up with a favorite baseball team (the Twins) that people used to refer to as "the best AAA team in major league baseball!" Or a favorite football team (the Vikings) that is the winningest team never to win a Super Bowl. Or...

Seriously, though, I've always looked at fishing and hunting to be treasure hunting, of a sort. Would it still be treasure if it were too easy and reliable to find?

I've used barbless hooks for ultralight fishing for panfish plenty of times, but never tried them for anything bigger. I should!

Gerry

[REW]

I simply like to catch fish.
So, I am willing to go after other species if the walleye are not on the bite. I just enjoy the challenge of the hunt.

I also like to eat fish. If walleyes are not on the menu, but I can catch perch, I will catch a bunch of perch for dinner. In my opinion, I actually prefer the taste of perch over walleye anyway.

Also, I don't like to keep any Walleye over about 18 inches. Over that size, I simply don't care for the taste of the fish as much as a smaller fish.

Take care

[buckaroo]

Depends. But usually (90% of the time) size over numbers.

[Buffalo Fishhead]

Originally Posted by REW

I simply like to catch fish.
So, I am willing to go after other species if the walleye are not on the bite. I just enjoy the challenge of the hunt.

I also like to eat fish. If walleyes are not on the menu, but I can catch perch, I will catch a bunch of perch for dinner. In my opinion, I actually prefer the taste of perch over walleye anyway.

Also, I don't like to keep any Walleye over about 18 inches. Over that size, I simply don't care for the taste of the fish as much as a smaller fish.

Take care

This is the answer of the day!!

Buffalo Fishhead

[tandm]

Originally Posted by REW

I simply like to catch fish.
So, I am willing to go after other species if the walleye are not on the bite. I just enjoy the challenge of the hunt.

I also like to eat fish. If walleyes are not on the menu, but I can catch perch, I will catch a bunch of perch for dinner. In my opinion, I actually prefer the taste of perch over walleye anyway.

Also, I don't like to keep any Walleye over about 18 inches. Over that size, I simply don't care for the taste of the fish as much as a smaller fish.

Take care

x2

[That Minnesota guy]

I'm 100% catch and release (unless the fish is damaged in the process) so I would fish for days for the one big fish vs numbers. But to do that I need to be alone as most others want some action.

[Mojo-NC]

If we have had a difficult time catching fish for whatever reason, catching a bunch of dinks can be fun for a little while. However, it gets boring pretty quickly and I then prefer to move on to try to find other larger fish or fish for a different species.