It seems like the UDWR is pretty good about advising fisherpersons about which waters need fish to be harvested out of them and which don't.
For instance, when writing of Strawberry Reservoir, I remember the UDWR stating, "please do not feel compelled to harvest fish on every trip" or something to that effect. This, of course, is due to Strawberry being Utah's most popular fishing destination.
If everyone who fished Strawberry brought home a limit of fish each time he/she fished it, then the reservoir's fish populations would be affected greatly in short order, or so I suppose, or else the UDWR wouldn't have made such a statement.
However, we all know that each body of water in Utah has its own unique characteristics and needs. Take Utah Lake, as another example. The UDWR recently called this body of water "Utah's Most Underutilized Fishery," or something like that. Yes, a lot of people fish UL, but beyond the occasional limit of monster catfish and the truckloads full of white bass of yesteryear, does this body of water really experience a lot of fish harvest given how large it is?
Nearly everybody I talk to says UL is too dirty and polluted to eat fish out of. Well, let them think what they may because after all I've read and heard, I feel assured that it's perfectly safe to eat the fish I catch out of UL, and I do, most happily.
I don't feel like I have to apologize for eating just about any walleye I catch out of UL. I love catching and eating the toothy delectables more than just about another fish, and until I read of some study from the UDWR or another group of educated folks, I'll legally go on harvesting 'eyes out of UL as fast as I can catch them.
Then, there are other waters from which our state's resource managers practically beg us to take fish. Lake Powell (stripers), stretches of the Provo River (brown trout), Flaming Gorge (smaller lake trout), and other waters are apparently overrun with certain species of fish; therefore, fisherpersons are encouraged to harvest them.
All of these recommendations impact my decisions when I'm fishing various waters and considering whether or not to bring home fish to eat. The older I get, the more I lean towards bringing more and more fish home, not to freeze mind you, but to enjoy as the freshest of main courses for a dinner or two.
There seems to be this mentality that says, "If I practice catch and release, I'm a conservationist, and I'm saving the planet." Well, those who practice C & R are doing their part to conserve and are doing a good thing, but if I choose to bring home an evening's meal worth of fish, I'm not necessarily ruining the planet for future generations either.
Please be considerate enough not to try and make me feel like the guy who conked the last-remaining dodo bird on the head or the guy who ran the Exxon Valdez loaded with oil into some rocks off the pristine coast of Alaska, if I choose to put a fish on my stringer after I've caught it out of your beloved body of water.
There are those who fish who ALWAYS release what they catch, those who keep a fish occasionally, and those who try to "limit out" each time they approach a body of water.
Somehow, it all seems to equal itself out, and if it doesn't, I trust the UDWR to issue recommendations that I hope people have enough sense to follow.
I've said enough.
One more thing: I've been fishing for warm-water species now for quite some time, so the first big legal trout I hook into, no matter where I catch it, it's darn sure going home with me. Just thought I'd issue that warning to all you big trout out there. [
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Since you can't keep them anyways.
]) and perch and will definitely eat those fish if I catch them but that's it.