Poor Fish Handling *RANT*

[Wes_G]

I hope the other person who was part of this story is a member on this board, but unfortunately probably not.


So last night on my way out to Brooks I decide to stop at Rolling Hills for an hour of fishing before dark. As a pull up there is a family fishing directly across from me. The group consists of a man, woman and 2 children. The woman hooks a fish and reels it to shore while the man yells to the Kids "moms caught a pike" When she gets it to shore she drags it up the rocks and through the dirt over to the truck. I go on fishing not really noticing what is happening untill at least 5 minutes later I see they still have this fish out of water and are holding it up while trying to take pics. For some reason the camera doesn't work so it gets held it up for another few minutes while trying to get the camera to work and getting the pictures taken. After this has all happened. Probably almost 10 minutes at this point he man walks back down to the water and tries to release the fish. I yell over to him "you think that fish is going to swim after having it out of the water for the last 10 minutes?" He replies "its a pike MAN, these fish are as tough as hell, you can have them out of the water for an hour and they will still swim away" I reply. "yeah alright (obvisouly is a sarcastic tone), just becasue a fish swims away doesnt mean it will live". he replies "well its legal size anyway" He continues trying to revive the fish for the next few minutes while it is obviously not going to swim away, trying to hide whats actually happening by turning his back to me. I then hear him murmur to his whife "well looks like this ones going to be dinner".

They packed up and drove away very quickly after. If this fish was even legal at all, it was just barely.

So I would just like to take this opportunity to say, Show the fish a little respect next time and learn how to release it properly. It took me no longer then 10 seconds to get the hook out of the fish that I caught and have it swim away while you were messing around with yours for 10 minutes. You are a pretty pathetic excuse for a sportsmen.

[npauls]

I was always told when I was younger to put myself in the fishes position. My grandpa said one time to hold my breath the whole time the fish is out of water and that is what the fish is going through plus having a hook in its face while being mauled big something way bigger then itself.

I don't know why but that has always stuck with me and if I feel that I am handling fish to long I hold my breath while handling a fish to see how I am doing. It sure opens your eyes to what is going on during the critical time.

[TyreeUM]

if you want to see a fish handled well, take a look at red's post from the rainbow he caught out of the bow today. he didn't even take it out of the water for the pic.

[Whiskey]

if you want to see a fish handled well, take a look at red's post from the rainbow he caught out of the bow today. he didn't even take it out of the water for the pic.


Hell, he never even had to go to the river for the pic. Haha

[TyreeUM]

Hell, he never even had to go to the river for the pic. Haha

HAHA Classic

[Dust1n]

I hope the other person who was part of this story is a member on this board, but unfortunately probably not.


So last night on my way out to Brooks I decide to stop at Rolling Hills for an hour of fishing before dark. As a pull up there is a family fishing directly across from me. The group consists of a man, woman and 2 children. The woman hooks a fish and reels it to shore while the man yells to the Kids "moms caught a pike" When she gets it to shore she drags it up the rocks and through the dirt over to the truck. I go on fishing not really noticing what is happening untill at least 5 minutes later I see they still have this fish out of water and are holding it up while trying to take pics. For some reason the camera doesn't work so it gets held it up for another few minutes while trying to get the camera to work and getting the pictures taken. After this has all happened. Probably almost 10 minutes at this point he man walks back down to the water and tries to release the fish. I yell over to him "you think that fish is going to swim after having it out of the water for the last 10 minutes?" He replies "its a pike MAN, these fish are as tough as hell, you can have them out of the water for an hour and they will still swim away" I reply. "yeah alright (obvisouly is a sarcastic tone), just becasue a fish swims away doesnt mean it will live". he replies "well its legal size anyway" He continues trying to revive the fish for the next few minutes while it is obviously not going to swim away, trying to hide whats actually happening by turning his back to me. I then hear him murmur to his whife "well looks like this ones going to be dinner".

They packed up and drove away very quickly after. If this fish was even legal at all, it was just barely.

So I would just like to take this opportunity to say, Show the fish a little respect next time and learn how to release it properly. It took me no longer then 10 seconds to get the hook out of the fish that I caught and have it swim away while you were messing around with yours for 10 minutes. You are a pretty pathetic excuse for a sportsmen.

Alot of people that fish arnt sportsman at all. they keep to catch and catch to keep.
and they could care less about our fisheries.

[grind stone]

Alot of people that fish arnt sportsman at all. they keep to catch and catch to keep.
and they could care less about our fisheries.This is kind of funny {they keep to catch and catch to keep} So i am guessing catching a legal fish to eat is wrong that makes a person not a sportsman.:confused:

[TyreeUM]

This is kind of funny {they keep to catch and catch to keep} So i am guessing catching a legal fish to eat is wrong that makes a person not a sportsman.:confused:

I don't think that is what he meant, I think he is referring to the people that go out and keep every single fish that comes in on the line...which would also be fine if all regs were obeyed - but I know one guy that fishes this way and he wastes fish all the time that get lost in his freezer of death. Well maybe they aren't wasted, as he feeds them to his dog...

Anyhow, this kind of fishing is more like commercial fishing by a single individual, it kind of takes the sport out of it in my opinion. I am a fish keeper by the way, just ate some smoked splake last night.

[Dust1n]

I don't think that is what he meant, I think he is referring to the people that go out and keep every single fish that comes in on the line...which would also be fine if all regs were obeyed - but I know one guy that fishes this way and he wastes fish all the time that get lost in his freezer of death. Well maybe they aren't wasted, as he feeds them to his dog...

Anyhow, this kind of fishing is more like commercial fishing by a single individual, it kind of takes the sport out of it in my opinion. I am a fish keeper by the way, just ate some smoked splake last night.

exactly

[Bhflyfisher]

Alot of people that fish arnt sportsman at all. they keep to catch and catch to keep.
and they could care less about our fisheries.

Or the people that fish for browns at 19th ave in the fall. :argue2:

[blackpheasant]

Hang em high I say!!!.....:sad0147:

[kidd]

On a lighter note on the weekend the kids reeled in about a dozen undersized pike and four walleye while I drove the boat and released the fish. I didnt touch a single fish except for the pike that we landed and it flipped off the hook and into the boat instead of into the water and the boy made sure he supervised my measurment very closely lol. The jig was up when he saw it was keeper size and he made me keep that one for supper! Good times.
kidd

[Gust]

Or the people that fish for browns at 19th ave in the fall. :argue2:

But FH7 is venturing in on July 12th:confused:

Too the original poster,,, it's an odd territory having to confront a whole family. I think some people were raised and perpetuate "The World is my oyster and I will do with it's creatures as I feel",,, bonk it and eat it if that's the best handling expertise,, I don't like torture.

[Granrey]

In this world, there are all kind of people.

Eating fish from the store is probably ok for all of us here (rather than the pond) until you find a vegetarian freak.

So, it makes you wonder if OP is mad for the family failing to follow the regs or the unmoral handle of a living thing or both.

I respect and admire the courage of actually trying to defend the fish by facing the oblivious family. However, in my case I would not have said anything as I know people have different views on fish. Nevertheless, I hate many things that are legal regarding fishing.

[Dust1n]

Or the people that fish for browns at 19th ave in the fall. :argue2:

But FH7 is venturing in on July 12th:confused:

Too the original poster,,, it's an odd territory having to confront a whole family. I think some people were raised and perpetuate "The World is my oyster and I will do with it's creatures as I feel",,, bonk it and eat it if that's the best handling expertise,, I don't like torture.

Im fishing with Dace tommrow.down south

[Wes_G]

In this world, there are all kind of people.

Eating fish from the store is probably ok for all of us here (rather than the pond) until you find a vegetarian freak.

So, it makes you wonder if OP is mad for the family failing to follow the regs or the unmoral handle of a living thing or both.

I respect and admire the courage of actually trying to defend the fish by facing the oblivious family. However, in my case I would not have said anything as I know people have different views on fish. Nevertheless, I hate many things that are legal regarding fishing.

I have nothing wrong with keeping fish, In fact I have 2 tags for Newell I am going to try to fill this winter.

What bugged me about it was the way the fish was handled for so long and kept out of water, while the guys intention the whole time was to release it. If he does this with every fish he catches then I would say the vast majority die. Kind of defeats the purpose of catch and release if thats what his intention really was. Like I said, it can take no longer then 10 seconds to get a fish off and even less then that of holding it out of the water for a picture. There is no need to drag it over the rocks and through the dirt, keep it out of the water for 10 minutes then expect it to swim away unharmed. Show your quarry a little respect.

[bearbuster]

Honestly, some people just don't get it. The same of the folks that catch a 20lb'er and hang it by the gills for the trophy pics. IMHO they just don't know any better. The fella with his kids, I will bet he felt the fish would honestly make it.
Fishing is one of those things that folks of all sorts do and enjoy. In the "old days" thats how things were, keep all that you caught and throw (literally) any that you didn't want back

[Bhflyfisher]

But FH7 is venturing in on July 12th:confused:

Too the original poster,,, it's an odd territory having to confront a whole family. I think some people were raised and perpetuate "The World is my oyster and I will do with it's creatures as I feel",,, bonk it and eat it if that's the best handling expertise,, I don't like torture.

He fishes in the fall and talks about catching big browns on rapalas where they are schooling up to spawn in the bow. But right now the browns arent concentrated up there at this time of year like they are in late sept,oct,nov.

[Dust1n]

He fishes in the fall and talks about catching big browns on rapalas where they are schooling up to spawn in the bow. But right now the browns arent concentrated up there at this time of year like they are in late sept,oct,nov.

they do have closers there but im not too sure when ill half to look it up when im at the bow again.

[Bhflyfisher]

I know there are closures, but when they're schooling up there 1-2 weeks before the closures they're still trying to do their thing. Just unethical. But then again the argument can be made about salmon fishing and the list goes on.