By Ed Diem

This article may raise a few "letters to the editor, I am aware of that. I have given it some thought and since this section is called "Eds Thoughts" here they are. Of course there is always the Sound-Off board if someone would like equal time. ;-)

Recent posts on the Sound-Off Bulletin Board raised the issue of our First Amendment right, Freedom of Speech. Many, including me, felt that they were infringed upon. As Americans we have a Bill of Rights which protects our freedoms. It lays out what we have the right to do.

On many bulletin boards there has often been much discussion of "catch and release," often referred to as C&R. It is every ones right to promote C&R, in fact I myself promote it. I feel the practice will help protect our fisheries for future generations and in fact even our own. To keep every fish that is caught would eventually have some effect on a given fisherie unless, of course, there is a continual stocking program that is successful.

Now, this is what I haven given some thought to. The Illinois fishing regulations are, in fact, a list of laws and freedoms. For instance;

It is the "law" that, in the St. Charles area on the Fox River, any smallmouth bass that is caught must be released back into the river.

It is a "freedom" that, if someone catches a walleye that is 14 inches or longer, they may keep it.

It is the general "law" in Illinois that no more than 3 smallmouth bass may be kept each day.

It is also the "freedom" that 3 smallmouth bass, "may" be kept each day.

Since the recent thread of posts on the Sound-Off board this has given me reason to pause and consider the way we talk about C&R. We have the right to say what we want about it, but we must be careful that we do not infringe on any angler that wishes to exercise their freedom to keep a legal size fish as defined in their "Fishing Bill of Rights" by the state of Illinois.

The person that was the subject of the Freedom of Speech posts, expected to be treated a certain way and yet did not do so himself. This was the thing that made me, well, angry! But at the same time it made me think of how I expect to be given my rights without the interferance of others and yet perhaps by really over pressing the C&R issue, I may in fact be doing the same thing to others.

Once again it's just Eds Thoughts