Nebraskaland

January-February 2025 • Nebraskaland 51 make sure they're on track, fi sheries biologists plan to intensively sample the lakes to get population estimates, while also conducting repeat surveys to measure the response. Culture of Bass Catch-and- Release For the most part, a 21-inch minimum length limit on Nebraska lakes has acted as a total catch-and- release regulation for bass, with only trophy bass being kept to mount. Creel surveys conducted at nine southeastern Nebraska reservoirs with the regulation in place found just 547 of 131,910 bass caught were harvested. The number harvested might not have been much higher without the regulation. Creel surveys at two other southeastern reservoirs with a 15-inch minimum between 2014 and 2019 found only 1.4 percent of the 11,800 bass caught were kept. That could be attributed to Ray Scott, bass fi shing tournament pioneer and the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman's Society. In 1972, he began incentivizing anglers in his tournaments to have live wells so fi sh could be released after weigh-ins. That conservation-minded incentive led to catch-and-release being the norm for the majority of bass anglers. Tournament anglers now release 95 percent of the fi sh they catch, and some have never taken a bass home for dinner. The mentality has also led to lakes with stunted bass populations in places besides Nebraska. In 2022, Oklahoma changed its statewide bass size limit from a 14-inch minimum length to one fi sh over 16 inches. Their goal was the same as it is for the new regulation on four Nebraska lakes: That anglers would dial back their catch-and-release ethic and harvest the small bass dominating most of their waters in order to allow more bass to get bigger. "Not every bass has the genetics to be a 20-inch fi sh, and that's not necessarily the goal for this regulation," Blank said. "What we want to do is shift the size a couple of inches so instead of catching 12- or 13- inch fi sh, we're catching 15- or 16-inch fi sh." If harvesting bass helps make that happen, it will lead to better fi sheries and better angling opportunities. N Fried largemouth bass coated in Italian-style breadcrumbs and Parmesan, served with Caesar salad dressing for dipping. JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND In a wide, shallow bowl, combine 1 ⁄3 cup Progresso Italian-style breadcrumbs and 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. In a second bowl, beat 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. In a third bowl, add 1 ⁄4 cup of all-purpose flour. Preheat vegetable oil to 325-350 degrees F. Coat fish in this order: flour — shaking off excess, egg mixture and then breadcrumb mixture. Multiply coating ingredients as needed. Deep fry coated fish in batches until golden and crispy. Season with salt to taste. Parmesan Bass by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley

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