Believe it or not, we have a bad bad problem regarding trophy bass here on the east coast. If you guys lived over here you would label it "emergency mode" I think the average west coast fisherman is alot more educated than an east coast fisherman. Our lakes get raped and battered over here. It's not even funny. From NC, to Florida its terrible. People have the mindset of catch a trophy and keep it before its too late and you will never catch another one. And then you have the typical redneck who keeps 6 over 7 lbs for the dinner table. Yes, some people are dumb enough to eat big bass. Small bass taste better, that is a proven fact, but that doesn't matter to these guys.

Now, this may be beating a dead horse to you guys in cali, but definitely not over here on the east coast. It's sad. Some awesome fisheries are pretty average now because of this. And then ofcourse you have all the lakes in GA, that used to kick out teen largemouth but now the biggest fish you can catch is 5 lb spot. Luckily in FL, I think the fish grow so fast that a fishery can heal in a couple years. But overall the fishing stays at average compared to how it could be if all the lakes were like Stick Marsh/Farm 13 and required you to release your bass.

It sucks seeing 10 lber after 8 lber after 11 lber being kept. If only these people knew what they were doing to a fishery.

http://www.calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/bigreenjobass/