Hmmm. I thought it was legal. I guess I learned something new.
That said, I believe it would be nearly impossible to enforce.
"What spawning bed?"
Clearly visible to who?
I don't think it is that big of a deal and don't see a huge ethical issue (if it were legal). Afterall, they are just fish, and certainly not scarce. And they do get over it as long as they are released.
That said, I don't target spawning bass because it is not much of a challenge. Targeting cruising bass is fun, but targeting spawning bass, ... not so much. Unless you are completely inexperienced, I think it is a little lame. Let me put it this way, if I was doing it, I wouldn't brag about it in a newspaper, legal or not.
How do you guys feel about targeting spawning bluegills.
That is legal and you can keep those. They do taste better than bass, too.
Actually, I don't even target spawning bluegills for the same reasnon, cept if the pond is overpopulated and needs thinning like my pond in the woods. The green sunfish and pumpkinseeds are exceptionally aggressive (and need to go).
Still haven't fished for trout in the fall when they are spawning, but mostly because I'm old and set in my ways. Foot traffic increases silt which can smother the eggs, even if you avoid treading on the redds. But I still reserve the right to do so if I so chose. Afterall, hey aren't exactly endangered, either.
