Little perch?

[JH57]

What do you do when you start pulling up dinky perch?  Keep them and deal with processing dozens of bite sized perch? Throw them back?  This is in the context of lakes or ponds with an overabundance of perch.  I was out Sunday and there were clouds of 5 or 6" perch, I could likely have caught as many as I cared too.  I threw them back, but I wonder if that's the 'right' thing to do.

Same thing with hammer handles.  I feel that putting pike back west of the divide is a no no, but trying to fillet out a hammer handle is a pita.

[lundin-loading]

If you want to eat them than keep them, otherwise turn them loose. Don't try to play biologist, just enjoy yourself and follow the regulations.

[RuralMT]

I wonder the same thing and try not to judge anyone's approach.  I tend to keep them if they're between 8-12" or so but try and put back any that are around 1.5 lb. or bigger.  As for the dinks, they go back.  Many people I fish with leave them on the ice for the birds, but I personally don't.  Several of the lakes around me are plagued by an overabundance of smaller perch, yes; but I'd rather that tiny perch feed the largemouth or pike in that lake.  Again, no judgement on those that do differently, but I think those calories can be put to better use. 

However, rather than returning them under the ice or tossing them on top of it, I've considered keeping the eagle-fodder for the composter (if legal to do so of course).  I'd also like to try boiling down some of those smaller pike.  I imagine they'd make a good stock and the meat would simply fall off the bone.  Like the OP, I'm curious what everyone else does.  It'd be nice to see the size class of the perch in some of my area lakes increase.

[429421Cowboy]

Disclaimer first: my fish bio experience and schooling has been mostly with cold water natives of special concern, IE bull trout, grayling and cutthroat, and walleye on the east side of the state. I haven't fished much on the lakes on the western side of the divide.
It seems to me that many of the lakes in the NW that have been the victim of bucket biology have an abundance if small perch. In these lakes the northerns and bass seem to also be somewhat limited in size (again, just going off of pics and friends that fish there more than me). On the eastern slope, if we had a lake with that kind of perch biomass that also contained pike or walleye, we would see an average size of apex predator that was big and getting bigger every year. We saw this when we did work in Tiber to boost the perch spawning and in Holter when highwater events have lead to a big recruitment year for perch. What gives out west? Why are there not as many slob pike rolling around in these lakes from the incredible biomass and limited competition?
For the record, I would rather see a guy keep a bucket full of 6" perch than one of 14" sows, even if I wouldn't want to have to clean them.

[albo]

The smaller pike are good pickled and the vinegar softens the bones so you don't notice them. If I am pulling up small perch from 25 or less feet, I throw them back, hoping they will survive.

[JH57]

My experience is primarily trout.  Back in the 70s we used to head to Lonepine for the occasional northern.  Back then, in western Montana, Lonepine was pretty much your only option for pike.  Now, of course, they are in most lakes and drainages in the area.  I've never really targeted perch on the ice, but the long drive to hit Georgetown at the crack of dawn got tiresome. So I'm trying something new.

Thank you for the insight.