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some people keep them alive in a live well when they bring them in. but transporting a live fish is illegal, i think.i've caught many pin fish, weighed them, took a pic (when i had a camera) and let them go. i can care less about a stupid pin.burp
is there a way to get a pin for yer nice catch without having to kill it ? im confused how they can right catch and release in one statement and then mention the pin (kill) program and say you get a nice fish you must keep and kill for a button ? worse than that<the weights of qualifying fish make most breeder fish that we NEED to keep alive. i have always hated that program becuz of the killing of all of those quality fish. its 15 lbs. fer carp and that puts the fish at 15 yrs old !!! why kill such a magnificent fish just for a button ? it doesnt send the right message to the kids. or adults. just look at the qualifying weights and think of all the fish that have killed for this rediculous program. thanx fer listening. good fishin ! be safe !!!!
I think its only illegal if you plan on relocating the fish to another body of water or if crossing state lines. I agree, they should do ways with the award program. The weight and a clear pic should be acceptable with witnessed. None the less it does promote unsustainable fishing
last years largemouth was a nice one. Im all about perserving the LMB populations and hate to kill this particular species. Last year I caught a pretty good one so I decided to harvest it to try for a gold pin. Unfortunately it was less then 6 ounces shy the 2012 gold pin, out of a tiny hole in Templeton , MA. After the close call and despite being a beauty, I wished I had thrown it back and seriously lost a little sleep over it, although the mount is epic. I promised myself I wouldnt keep another no matter how big. I hope this State Program goes through.....
When I head out on trips I keep a large towel like a bath towel and I use black bag-em cull bags. If I catch a big fish to weigh in but it will not get mounted, I wrap the fish in a wet towel and place it in the bag. The black bag keeps them calm and helps them stay fresh for release. I have run into an epo several times while releasing the fish afterwards and have never once been questioned, ticketed, or in any way bothered about releasing the fish after weigh in.Most states have a C&R program, MA will soon. But until then, this is what I do for every pin fish that does not eventually get mounted.I personally only have one pin to my credit. It was a gold pin pickerel, that I kept to eat anyway. After looking at my records, last year Charter The Berkshires sent in paperwork for 73 pins, most in the panfish and pickerel categories. Other than the Gold Pin Pike which was mounted by my customer, 25 fish that were bass, pickerel, pike were live released after weigh in, the remaining fish were bluegill which were filetted and eaten.
You may not have been questioned, but what you are doing is certainly illegal. Just because you know your local game warden doesn't make it legal and other people reading this should understand that so they don't get themselves in to a pickle. I also have to wonder what an hour or two out of the water (even wrapped in a bag) is doing for a species such as trout or even bass. It certainly can't be good for them particularly in sub-freezing temps.It kind of interesting that you should respond to this question because I PMed you just last week informing you that you can get a hand scale certified and do your weigh in right on the ice. That is 73 fish that would not have had to be illegally trucked around out of water. If getting your clients pins is that important (and I do think it is a cool thing to do) then you should make the small investment in a certifiable scale and the nominal fee for to get it certified. Not only would it be better for the fishses, but it would also prevent you from breaking fish and game laws and possibly putting a fish in a stressful situation. It would also save you a lot of work hauling fish around.
If you wrap a fish in the wet towel do you also fill the bag with water or does the wet towel itself keep them alive??
Capt.... Thank you for your genuine concern for my business. noted.I did not respond, because you were wrong and I did not feel like getting into an argument and it was just easier to let you be right.I invite you to call the IGFA. Boca Grip scales may be Certified by the IGFA to weigh in fish WITH THE IGFA. No state or local department of weights and measures recognizes some organization from florida as a governing source. A fish caught in massachusetts to be weighed in for a Massachusetts state pin, must be weighed on a scale that has been certified by the Massachusetts department of weights and measures, or any town office in lieu of the state agency. Actually somebody else posted the exact wording just a few posts ago.Not saying that you shouldn't be able to do it, but unfortunately you cannot. Any scale that has been certified by the state must be labeled by the agency or agent that inspected the scale. I hole is punched in the display placard to indicate the month and year of certification. Once the scale is certified, it must remain at the physical location where it was certified. Alteration of the label or location invalidates the certification.SO by mass law, any scale that is portable by nature, could not officially be recognized for the pin program.Also if you read my original post, I did not weigh in a single trout.this is my business, it is in my best interest to know these things. Y'all are welcome to your opinion.
Are there certain digital scales that can be certified or can any digital scale be certified if you bring them to the sealer of weights and measurement in your town?
I am very dedicated to weighing pin fish so I bought and had certified a high quality scale last year, a Reuben Heaton. I
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Topic: "catch and release" pin program ? (Read 3733 times)
