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Although the recreational catch and release mortality likely (or certainly if you believe the standard estimates) exceeds the commerical harvest, I have a hard time believing that the recreational take of LARGE bass is greater than the commerical pressure on the same year classes. Very few recreational fisherman catch and kill large fish on a consistent basis. If I am correct, it means that the commerical season takes an inordinate toll on the largest fish in the population, year after year after year. A lower commerical size limit (say 26") would shift this pressure onto younger year classes, at the expense of killing more fish before they spawn, but with the benefit of preserving larger fish populations as a trophy fishery and genetic stock. Once fish get to a certain size, I think they should be protected more than is currently the case.
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