Catch & Release ... WHO & WHY?

[Whopper Stopper]

I spend a lot of hours in my dark/spear house every year.

Most days I don't even bring the spear, for me it's the enjoyment of watching the fish. Almost every year I see fish in the 20# class come to my decoy and eventually leave, it never gets old.

                    WS

[stuckinohio]

And I'm good with frozen fish. The secret? 2 dont's...over rinse too long after cleaning and NEVER soak in salt water. Zip lock freezer bags 3/4 full of water...burp the air...into the freezer. Re-rinse a little after thawing. Good for about a year. Never had a complaint from those I gave to or fixed for.

Same here. Never had an issue.

[stuckinohio]

A guy from Colorado sends me this picture of about 13 trout between 10-14”. He tells me that is was his buddy out there and his buddy sent him a picture, and he was sharing this picture with everyone??? Thoughts? So... I explained to him that it’s always fortunate for the one guy who’s knows all the rules for them not to apply to him.

In my opinion, if your going to catch it to eat it, play by the rules. Yes it is annoying when your having a great day on the water, but conservation and not over harvesting a lake it just as important. CO has the worst influx of people and the reservoirs are suffering big time from all of these people, not playing by the rules.

Just my opinion on catch and release

I have to put my faith in harvest numbers being set by the biologist in charge of the bodies of water, as to over harvest. When people are not following those regulations then they are breaking a law and thats not anything that I am endorsing.

[stuckinohio]

I spend a lot of hours in my dark/spear house every year.

Most days I don't even bring the spear, for me it's the enjoyment of watching the fish. Almost every year I see fish in the 20# class come to my decoy and eventually leave, it never gets old.

                    WS

Never done this BUT... I could see why you do that. It does sound cool

[zcm_82]

I spend a lot of hours in my dark/spear house every year.

Most days I don't even bring the spear, for me it's the enjoyment of watching the fish. Almost every year I see fish in the 20# class come to my decoy and eventually leave, it never gets old.

                    WS

Makes me really miss fishing from a spear house. I never speared much, but angling from one was always a good time... like watching an aquarium.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Yes spearing is great.although ive never seen a huge northern in the hole I decided when i first started to pass on all the trophies and spear the eaters.

[Kourcha]

I catch and release most my fish typically, I really only eat fish during the hard water season,  we cook our fish generally right as it comes out of the hole. My daughter enjoys eating fish more than I, for her its about catching a fish to eat she hates going home empty handed!

[eriksat1]

A limit of panfish does not go a long way in this household.i got to fight the heathens off to get a few fish in my belly!!lol when my kid was younger i could get by with 15 fish but now the wife and kid love fish and we eat a limit of fish for dinner easily.

We eat a lot of fish also. add in 3 of my kids and 4 grand children and a limit doesn't go far. everyone like to come over when I mention I am making fish. I also do a lot of selective harvest only keep certain size fish along with rotating lakes so not to over pressure fish in any one lake.
Anyone who says they don't like to eat fish has never tasted my crappies breaded with shore lunch or Andy's Cajon and deep fryed in peanut oil.

[uncleshorty]

I know guys who fill their freezers with stocked trout every spring.  Then a week before deer season they throw out all the trout to "make room for venison".

A week before trout season they throw out all the venison to "make room for trout".

I don't fish or hunt with idiots like that...

[Gunflint]

I know guys who fill their freezers with stocked trout every spring.  Then a week before deer season they throw out all the trout to "make room for venison".

A week before trout season they throw out all the venison to "make room for trout".

I don't fish or hunt with idiots like that...

Sounds like an enormous waste. Perhaps they give it to friends/relatives or at least a food program.

[DrummerManDrew]

Drummer, I couldn’t agree with you more. This is a definite violation of the regulations, (unless there were several others fishing with him), and should be addressed. It’s people like that who take more than they’re entitled to, and deplete the resources. I hate hearing that!

For me... What dude, shows other dudes, pictures of fish he buddy dude caught?... Has it really come down to this?

[stuckinohio]

I know guys who fill their freezers with stocked trout every spring.  Then a week before deer season they throw out all the trout to "make room for venison".

A week before trout season they throw out all the venison to "make room for trout".

I love deer hunting and could shoot a dozen if I wanted to but we can only eat 4 a year, so thats all we shoot.
Fish? .... I can eat everything we catch in one day, any day. We stop fishing when we catch a limit or catch enough to eat + 2 meals in the freezer.

I don't fish or hunt with idiots like that...[/b]

Dont blame you.

[stuckinohio]

Sounds like an enormous waste. Perhaps they give it to friends/relatives or at least a food program.

Agreed whole heatedly.

[xiaolu]

I can understand releasing fish.  Especially if you fish a lot.  But, I only fish 2 or 3 times a week.  We only eat fish once or twice a week.  However, even if I limit out when I go, I'm not going to throw the fish back. 

So if I understand you correctly, you are hereby openly admitting that you are taking home more fish than you are allowed (more than your legal limit)?

[DrummerManDrew]

So if I understand you correctly, you are hereby openly admitting that you are taking home more fish than you are allowed (more than your legal limit)?

I went back to read the original post, the whole post and nothing but the post, and that's what it came across as... SNITCH..... are you saying that if you catch your limit - youll continue to keep fish because you give them to other people who don't fish?  what are you sayin!!!!!!?

[Sylvanboat]

I don’t find fish that has been frozen to taste nearly as good as fresh fish. So I only keep what I can eat that or next day, subject to limits rules. All the rest are released.

[stuckinohio]

I went back to read the original post, the whole post and nothing but the post, and that's what it came across as... SNITCH..... are you saying that if you catch your limit - youll continue to keep fish because you give them to other people who don't fish?  what are you sayin!!!!!!?

Funny...
I read the post (the whole post) and didnt see that he was saying that at all.
Maybe I am wrong but I always understand that (when reading) a persons mind interprets what is said to that persons state of mind at the time.

[beast]

Here's my take:

For the most part those folks fish ALOT. AND often they catch fish. I know the "fill the freezer" mentality. Usta be there. Then, sure enough, every coupla years I'd find some freezer burned hunk(s) of fish jammed in back or the bottom not fit for human consumption so it would get pitched. Can't feed it to the pets, good as I am, they don't know how to look out for any stray bones. My new personal rules became if I've got two meals in the freezer it's C&R unless I'm eating that catch fresh in the next 24 hours. Just me.

Additionally, there are possession limits. That's the total amount of fish you can have in your possession at any given time. In WI it's one daily bag limit plus that same amount in your fridge, freezer, cooler. where ever. That means if the daily bag limit for walleyes is 5, I can catch 5 walleyes and take 'em home. I can do that again tomorrow too. BUT if I put 'em all in the freezer and I go fishing again I would be violating to keep any of my walleye catch.
This.

Back to the celebrity anglers: Since they have reputations to maintain how would that look if they not only catch fish but a ticket for violating whatever at where ever? Not so hot. So C&R is really necessary for lots of those folks. Of course they promote C&R as well and yep, it's sound silly to folks like us that have time where we struggle to catch fish with any regularity. But we're not them.

I got hollered at for keeping a 22" walleye during the spawning run one year. "You're killing millions of walleyes!" It was the only fish we caught all weekend and we only made the one trip that year. Sure, I was the bad guy but it was ONE FISH. C&R is a slippery slope both for folks that do or don't. Usually I just try and mind my own business. If someone doesn't like it I consider that their problem.

[badbrad2186]

I watch a lot of ice fishing videos on Youtube and I see a LOT of catch and release videos.
Jen and I are always sitting there asking each other why. I mean... It wouldn't even occur to us, unless they were not keepers or were breeders.

But all the time, we are seeing eaters being tossed all day long and none kept too many time.
We just dont get it.

Anyone here that can explain this to me, I would listen with an open mind but I honestly just dont get it.

I'll never understand it I fish so I can eat them a whole lot cheaper than buying fish.

[eriksat1]

I'll never understand it I fish so I can eat them a whole lot cheaper than buying fish.

Now that is very debatable.

[Gunflint]

Now that is very debatable.

In fact, cheap fish is a VERY tough sell, even with ice fishing. Add softwater and $50,000 boats and the fish at the supermarket becomes a very good deal.

Then, there is the cost of a pound of venison to consider, fully amortized...on second thought, let's not.

[Wapiti406]

Now that is very debatable.

That's the same logic I use on my wife for why I have to hunt so much.  "We're saving so much money by killing our own food!"  We just don't talk about the gear/ gas/ time involved...

[badbrad2186]

In fact, cheap fish is a VERY tough sell, even with ice fishing. Add softwater and $50,000 boats and the fish at the supermarket becomes a very good deal.

Then, there is the cost of a pound of venison to consider, fully amortized...on second thought, let's not.

I own a $600 boat I bought 3 years ago. I have maybe $1000 in ice fishing gear. I fish 5-7 days a week during the winter. I try to limit everytime and I take kids out as well so I'm the end I think fishing and hunting is alot cheaper then buying fish at the store or beef. Not to mention the look my my kids faces when we are crushing the fish PRICELESS

[FishDoktor]

I saw possession limits mentioned a few times. They do vary widely by state so make sure you check it. Not just in what the number is but what actually applies to the limit. In some states, fish you have at your home in your freezer count towards that limit. In others, its only fish you have with you in the field or in transport and fish in your freezer at home do not count. Idaho is that way for example. We have a 3X the daily limit for possession but fish at home in your freezer on your property do not apply to that limit.

I catch and release exclusively during the spring-summer-fall. I am mostly fly fishing and hiking up and down a river or up to a mountain lake so I just don't bother with it. When ice fishing, I used to always keep limits of trout and kokanee and would keep every decent sized fish of crappie, perch, bluegill, etc. But after having some long nights of cleaning, and struggling to get it all eaten in a decent time frame, I have scaled back a bit. I don't keep limits of trout anymore but will keep a few here and there depending on the quality of the fish and what I have at home (I also raise rainbow trout for a living so I can get a box of fillets pretty much anytime). I have gotten more selective on the panfish only keeping certain size fish and imposing self limits on numbers. I just enjoy fishing a lot so while being able to keep some fish is nice, its not the be all end all for me.

[jethro]

You want to know what is real madness? Using smelt for bait. I will bet you ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS you will never catch anything using smelt that will taste better than the smelt itself. MADNESS I TELL YOU!

[filetandrelease]

 X2

[stuckinohio]

In fact, cheap fish is a VERY tough sell, even with ice fishing. Add softwater and $50,000 boats and the fish at the supermarket becomes a very good deal.

Then, there is the cost of a pound of venison to consider, fully amortized...on second thought, let's not.

LOL!

[DucksAndDogs]

I have to put my faith in harvest numbers being set by the biologist in charge of the bodies of water, as to over harvest. When people are not following those regulations then they are breaking a law and thats not anything that I am endorsing.

The Atlantic Cod fishery did, too.

The same people who say this are out badmouthing them for lowering deer numbers and the same folks that are complaining about how the fishing isn’t as good as it used to be.

I’m not objecting to keeping fish, just saying that keeping everything you catch and being admittedly clueless to the purpose of C&R is a problem in and of itself.

[FishDoktor]

In fact, cheap fish is a VERY tough sell, even with ice fishing. Add softwater and $50,000 boats and the fish at the supermarket becomes a very good deal.

Then, there is the cost of a pound of venison to consider, fully amortized...on second thought, let's not.

On my first trip out this year I had a guy with me that spent the money on 2 jigging jaw jacker set ups. Jigger, jaw jacker, new rods, etc. He bought them last year and barely used them and didnt catch anything. He finally managed to catch a perch on one this year and myself and another guy with us both referred to that 9" perch as the $150 perch the rest of the day. He took his lumps. I also gave him a ration for sitting there jigging in one hole with a normal jigging rod. He had bought a new ICE 45 the previous season and it was just sitting next to him not being used. Asked him why he spend $400 on a paper weight. He started using it after that (he bought the 45 because he liked my 35 and he had to try to one up me....I still out fish him every year.

[TKfishing]

I'm a believer that our lakes are more pressured than ever, and toss in recent advances in gear (just in the last 10 years), it's not going to take much to deplete a resource. The C&R movement is aimed at allowing for the increased fishing pressure so everyone can enjoying reeling a fish in, whatever species it may be.

I'm not that old, but can remember when I was a young lad and seeing the same guys re-drilling the same holes day after day throughout the winter and filling a bucket with panfish (not too long ago WI limits were 50 panfish). Those were the same guys that would say "the bites really slowed down the last couple days"... when asked how they were doing, almost like there was no acknowledgment to the 250+ panfish they'd already pulled out of the same area and as if it was an endless resource. Luckily this doesn't happen as often anymore, as like I said with the increased pressure we'd see a lot of lakes in some real trouble now.

Responsible catch and keep is possible, but requires everyone to self regulate, and that is hard for some people. As a whole the fishing community respects the variety of freshwater fishing resources we have in our country, and want to continue to pass that opportunity down to the next generation of fisherman and women. Usually for a meal of panfish, my wife and I will keep five or six fish and fry them up that night. Rarely do we put fish in the freezer anymore, as it's more fun to have to go and and catch it fresh if that's what we want for a meal.

I respect anyone's right to keep what they're going to eat, but will never agree with the crowd that hordes and stockpiles freezers of fish where most will burn and go to waste.