For those who can recall, during the last 20 years, Kentucky’s daily creel limit on largemouths was reduced from 10 fish to six. Part of the idea behind that reduction was to conserve the resource, but the main reason is because the average angler doesn’t catch 10 keeper bass a day.

And for those who like to say, “I caught a limit today,” catching six is much more achievable than catching 10. And few days on the water ever produce six largemouths of 15 inches or better, so the potential of overharvesting is rarely an issue -- at least not for bass.

Practicing catch-and-release helps the populations in some ways, perhaps most in giving another angler a chance to catch the same large bass and enjoy that experience. At the same time, releasing small bass on reservoirs where a slot limit is in effect may negate the improvement that limit was designed to bring about.

Oster said, “I encourage any angler who has questions about our regulations, and why we have the limits and restrictions we do, to contact a fishery biologist and just ask them about it.

“We try to manage for the best of all worlds, and provide the broadest kinds of opportunity we can, whether it’s for tournament anglers, trophy anglers or recreational anglers out there just to catch a bass.

“Understanding how each of us can help with the management in our approach to fishing is a big key to having good quality opportunities each year,” he concluded.

To find out who the district fishery biologist is for your favorite lakes, log on to fw.ky.gov , or call toll-free 1-800-858-1549 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Eastern.