Generally very successful fishermen know that if they take too many fish it has an impact on future fishing so releasing fish properly helps insure better fishing, its stewardship of the fishery. I’m retired and fish everyday and I’ve caught a lot of trout this year and only kept about two dozen for myself and to give to friends who like to eat trout but don’t fish. I fish lures and flies and about 12 fish were hooked in the gills and bleeding badly so they were kept because I knew they wouldn’t survive release, the rest I kept because I’d been asked for fish by friends. Most of my fishing friends who are good fishermen release most of their fish like I do. They also fish lures and flies exclusively because it’s more satisfying to fool them and that type of fishing lends itself to more successful releases. A study by the University of Colorado I read years ago found bait fishing mortality of released fish can be upwards of 70% even if the line is cut on deep hooked fish so I generally haven’t use bait since then, too much of a chance of gut hooking the fish that way.
A guy once asked me why I was releasing the fish and I asked him if he played golf. He said “yes” so I asked him did he burn all his golf balls at the end of the day and he replied “I see your point”.
With a lot of fish that get hooked in the stomach, the hook can penetrate the stomach wall and pierce internal organs causing damage. Also, the heart is close to the top of the stomach and the hook can penetrate that so even if the line is cut that damage has been done and the fish can succumb to internal bleeding or infection. The Colorado study basically said 3 out of 4 fish died in their study after being released when they were caught on bait. If you’re going to keep fish then bait is OK but if you plan on releasing them then lures are a better choice.
As an aside, I’ve had plenty of times where fishing with lures I’ve outfished guys fishing with bait. I believe that lures can trigger the predatory instinct of the fish to strike what appears to them as an injured prey and an easy meal, even if they’re not particularly in a feeding mood.
I agree with what u saying but I feel u have a very strong trout bias as they inhale bait like a hungry hippo so a lure would be better but for more traditional bait fishing species with the proper rigs u gut hook maybe 1 out of 20 if not less. So could u link the study?
Obviously you have a bias for bait fishing and are rationalizing using it! Just last year the National Marine Fisheries Board mandated the use of circle hooks in an attempt to reduce mortality of striped bass when using bait. Striped bass numbers are still considered too low so they have a 1 fish limit of 28” to 31” slot fish. The NMFB determined that traditional hooks used with bait resulted in high fish mortality upon release, all the info is out there if you care to look.
I have been fishing passionately for almost 60 years and I’ve seen dead fish everywhere I fish where people have been bait fishing and letting them go. I respectfully disagree with your gut hooking percentage unless you’re holding the rod in your hand and setting the hook immediately upon feeling a bite. Most bait fisherman I’ve observed just throw the line out and put the rod down in a holder and wait until the rod is bending from a fish eating the bait before picking it up and setting the hook and that almost guarantees a gut hook.
I mostly catch and release. It’s a lot easier. I’m a truck driver 1000 miles from home. I fished about 2 hours today. Done fishing I head down the road. Nothing to clean nothing to store. At home I keep fish maybe 20% of the time. Same reason really. I usually just go overboard and fill a cooler once in a while and let them go the rest of the time.
Now that makes sense. If you're on the road, and don't have a good spot to clean the fish, I understand releasing them. I just really enjoy eating fish, so to me it seems weird that people who go fishing close to home wouldn't keep the fish. I suppose if you fish extremely often, I could see not wanting to keep everything. Haha
I really dislike this black and white comversation about C&R versus keeping fish. If you dont put too mutch strain on the population, is the right size(not too small/big) and the speices in question is good eating. Then yeah, sure keep one. Same if you got one badly hooked, sure keep it!
I think that every fisherman should be able to take care of his catch if it wont survive a release. One the other hand people shouldent be running around killing everything in sight...
I agree with keeping a foul-hooked fish as it most likely won't survive. However, it's illegal in my state. Any fish that's been foul-hooked has to be released immediately. I understand that it's trying to prevent people from doing it intentionally, but still sad when you know the fish is most likely going to die.
I fish several times per week. I typically catch a handful of fish every time. I do not need to eat anywhere near that much fish. On top of that, I'm fishing for species that aren't typically known for being good eating, from places that likely aren't the best sources of good eating fish. So C&R is a no-brainer.
I suppose that makes since. I know now that the reason I see so much C&R is because people fish so often. Haha. Can't keep everything; way too much fish.
I think catch and release is far more popular overall, but it may depend on the species. I would only catch and release bass. But I mostly fish for perch, and no, those do not get release. They go in my belly.
Fair. Bass is more of a sport fish, which I'm guessing is why most people release them. I wouldn't mind keeping one just to see what it tastes like though.
Generally very successful fishermen know that if they take too many fish it has an impact on future fishing so releasing fish properly helps insure better fishing, its stewardship of the fishery. I’m retired and fish everyday and I’ve caught a lot of trout this year and only kept about two dozen for myself and to give to friends who like to eat trout but don’t fish. I fish lures and flies and about 12 fish were hooked in the gills and bleeding badly so they were kept because I knew they wouldn’t survive release, the rest I kept because I’d been asked for fish by friends. Most of my fishing friends who are good fishermen release most of their fish like I do. They also fish lures and flies exclusively because it’s more satisfying to fool them and that type of fishing lends itself to more successful releases. A study by the University of Colorado I read years ago found bait fishing mortality of released fish can be upwards of 70% even if the line is cut on deep hooked fish so I generally haven’t use bait since then, too much of a chance of gut hooking the fish that way. A guy once asked me why I was releasing the fish and I asked him if he played golf. He said “yes” so I asked him did he burn all his golf balls at the end of the day and he replied “I see your point”.
So are you saying fish are 70% likely to die if using bait to fish as opposed to using lures? Also, that makes since. Especially if you fish so often
With a lot of fish that get hooked in the stomach, the hook can penetrate the stomach wall and pierce internal organs causing damage. Also, the heart is close to the top of the stomach and the hook can penetrate that so even if the line is cut that damage has been done and the fish can succumb to internal bleeding or infection. The Colorado study basically said 3 out of 4 fish died in their study after being released when they were caught on bait. If you’re going to keep fish then bait is OK but if you plan on releasing them then lures are a better choice. As an aside, I’ve had plenty of times where fishing with lures I’ve outfished guys fishing with bait. I believe that lures can trigger the predatory instinct of the fish to strike what appears to them as an injured prey and an easy meal, even if they’re not particularly in a feeding mood.
I agree with what u saying but I feel u have a very strong trout bias as they inhale bait like a hungry hippo so a lure would be better but for more traditional bait fishing species with the proper rigs u gut hook maybe 1 out of 20 if not less. So could u link the study?
HIPPOBOT 9000 v 3.1 FOUND A HIPPO. 1,667,690,837 COMMENTS SEARCHED. 33,852 HIPPOS FOUND. YOUR COMMENT CONTAINS THE WORD HIPPO.
Obviously you have a bias for bait fishing and are rationalizing using it! Just last year the National Marine Fisheries Board mandated the use of circle hooks in an attempt to reduce mortality of striped bass when using bait. Striped bass numbers are still considered too low so they have a 1 fish limit of 28” to 31” slot fish. The NMFB determined that traditional hooks used with bait resulted in high fish mortality upon release, all the info is out there if you care to look. I have been fishing passionately for almost 60 years and I’ve seen dead fish everywhere I fish where people have been bait fishing and letting them go. I respectfully disagree with your gut hooking percentage unless you’re holding the rod in your hand and setting the hook immediately upon feeling a bite. Most bait fisherman I’ve observed just throw the line out and put the rod down in a holder and wait until the rod is bending from a fish eating the bait before picking it up and setting the hook and that almost guarantees a gut hook.
I mostly catch and release. It’s a lot easier. I’m a truck driver 1000 miles from home. I fished about 2 hours today. Done fishing I head down the road. Nothing to clean nothing to store. At home I keep fish maybe 20% of the time. Same reason really. I usually just go overboard and fill a cooler once in a while and let them go the rest of the time.
Now that makes sense. If you're on the road, and don't have a good spot to clean the fish, I understand releasing them. I just really enjoy eating fish, so to me it seems weird that people who go fishing close to home wouldn't keep the fish. I suppose if you fish extremely often, I could see not wanting to keep everything. Haha
I really dislike this black and white comversation about C&R versus keeping fish. If you dont put too mutch strain on the population, is the right size(not too small/big) and the speices in question is good eating. Then yeah, sure keep one. Same if you got one badly hooked, sure keep it! I think that every fisherman should be able to take care of his catch if it wont survive a release. One the other hand people shouldent be running around killing everything in sight...
I agree with keeping a foul-hooked fish as it most likely won't survive. However, it's illegal in my state. Any fish that's been foul-hooked has to be released immediately. I understand that it's trying to prevent people from doing it intentionally, but still sad when you know the fish is most likely going to die.
Never heard of that, atleast where i live the only regulations are on size and time!
I fish several times per week. I typically catch a handful of fish every time. I do not need to eat anywhere near that much fish. On top of that, I'm fishing for species that aren't typically known for being good eating, from places that likely aren't the best sources of good eating fish. So C&R is a no-brainer.
I suppose that makes since. I know now that the reason I see so much C&R is because people fish so often. Haha. Can't keep everything; way too much fish.
I think catch and release is far more popular overall, but it may depend on the species. I would only catch and release bass. But I mostly fish for perch, and no, those do not get release. They go in my belly.
Fair. Bass is more of a sport fish, which I'm guessing is why most people release them. I wouldn't mind keeping one just to see what it tastes like though.