gonefishin

Now that sounds like a whole lot of fun!! Wasnt there a story about an giant who ground bones or some such? I'd watch it if I was you. J/K Good luck and I hope it works out for you.

Ya kno how it is with fishing,,, The early bird gets the worm....or in this case the choice spot.

I use a snap stringer and whenever I go fishing I keep a cooler with blue ice in it in my car to put the fish in to keep them fresh. In my earlier post I used the term as the state does when they say 'creel limit' that however may be giving away my age as I think they now use the terms daily limit and possesion limit.

WOW flyfishBDS... When was it you swalered that dictionary?? Heh heh Just kidding. Good read. Especially the last sentence. Fishing (not just fly fishing) is a personal experience and there is room for all. As long as a person is fishing legal then ethics is a personal choice and should be practiced as a person see's best fit.

Any place north of the Mason Dixon line is a good place to be from.

I dont recall all of the souces Terry. I did an online search for some, emailed the MDC and got some from various fishing magazines. The numbers are really hard to pin down because the mortality rate depends on the species of fish, the size of the fish, the time of the fight, other stress factors such as low DO levels, how the fish is handled, how fast the fish is returned to the water and whether one is using live bait or lures. Theere are a couple of things they all agree on which are that live bait fishermen tend to kill more fish than lure fishermen and that even with lure fishermen who practice strict catch and release there is a percentage of fish that die.

Heh heh See what I mean LMW I told you it could get stirred up. Seriously it is not that big of an issue to me except when someone trys to force their practices on me. For me fishing is a personal experience. Some like C&R, some like to keep a limit, some like to fish for big fish and some like to fish for numbers. More power to them as long as they are doing it legal. Like I said I am mostly a C&R fisherman but if bring in a fish that is mortally hooked I will keep it rather than let it go to die and if I want to I keep a few for me and my family to eat. If during the day I catch a limit of fish that are mortally hooked I figure the fish are telling me its time to give them a break so, I go home or better yet fish for something else. I know I could just chuck dying fish back, forget it and keep on fishing but for me that isn't right. This is just my personal ethics and I never try to force my beliefs on others. LOL Yeah. I have to admit that is true.

LMW: There have been some heated discussions on here about C&R fishermen vs catch and keep fishermen. Personally I release a lot more fish than I keep however, I will keep some once in a while because I like to eat fish and fresh fish is much better than store bought frozen fish. Also unless it is an illegal fish I never return a dying fish to the water. I put it in my creel. If I meet my limit I give it up for the day and I don't compete for the biggest number of fish caught in a day. I have met a lot of strict C&R fishermen who are very vocal about how everyone should be catch and release fishermen and that a fish should never be kept. They take a very elitist (see your definition) attitude about it and believe they have the moral high ground. They tend to think they are real sportsmen and that catch and take fisherman are killers. They also tend to believe, because they practice C&R that they never kill a fish. There is a problem belief. Say we have a fisherman who catches 15 fish per hour. What is the mortality rate of those fish? There is no doubt the stress of being caught is going to kill some fish. Lactic acid builds up in the fish during the fight to which the fish later succumbs. The bigger the fish the longer the fight hence the worse the problem. What is the percentage? That is a matter of opinion but depending on who one talks to it is somewhere between 2% and 15%. Back to the 15 fish per hour for an 8 hour day the C&R fisherman kills somewhere between 2.4 and 18 fish per 8 hour day. My argument is and has been that numbers fishermen kill just as many if not more fish than a catch and keep fisherman who catches and keeps his/her limit of 4 fish to eat. This belief has gotten me beat up on here more than once.

Cool. I have tried to say the same thing many times but have never been able to put words to pen so well as you did. Great job. Mind if I quote it from time to time?

I know what you mean Terry. I remember when I was in a wheelchair. I had been in an accident and broke both legs. Anyway I went to visit some friends and family for Sunday dinner. When I got there I wheeled up in my chair with a ham in one hand and a cake in the other and rang the door bell. Some of them are still trying to figure out how I rang the door bell.

I agree completly with the above statement. I believe there is no freedom we possess that is so dear as the right to defend ourselves personally and as a country from any enemy up to and including our own government. As long as we retain this right we will always be a nation of free people. If we give this right up well then.......anyway, there is only one problem with the statement, I am probably being DUH but, who is OF?

If you get any extras send em my way. Have a good one, good luck and be safe.

Me too Phill. I would like to get into some of those big winter stripers. Thats gotta be a blast.

Hey Terry jump in here anywhere and let us know your opinion. You been way to quiet. I mean comeon quit holding back and let us know what you really think.

Sounds to me like you was a buyer. ?? To tell the truth I need a new rod and reel so I am willing to give away a tip that is guarenteed to improve your catch. Anyone who is interested just send $5 dollars for shipping and handling and I will remit this fantastic tip via USPO. But wait! Act now and I will include a second tip absolutley free. Thats right you get the first amazing tip and a second tip both for free. The only cost is a very reasonable shipping and handling fee of $5.00 All people who order within the next 7 days will receive a free taiwan made fly that is guarenteed to catch a fish if you throw it enough times to dumb enough fish. So what are you watiing for. You cant beat a deal like this and like I said I need a new rod and reel so please order now.

Looks right to me brittsandbirds.

Exactly. Most people do not live on a river, stream or tailwater. A lot of people only make it fishing a few times a year whereas those of us who live close can make it most anytime we want. Why should we look down on the guy who dont for wanting to catch a lot of fish or take home a limit to eat.

I dont know anything about fly fishing there but a few years back I read some articles in a fly fishing publication about fly fishing in Hawaii. Seems to me like it would be a good place to go after bikini fish.

You are right. Sometimes the truth hurts. I have made the same argument a few times but it seems a good way to get in a fist fight so I quit making it.

I agree Ron. Mother nature gave people two ears, two eyes but only one mouth for a reason. It seems obvious that mother nature meant for people to hear and see a lot more than talk. Unfortunatly the talkers dont seem to understand this and they need to learn and understand what they are talking about before running off at the mouth.

MMMMmmm.........Bacon Its own food group.

Sorry.

Speaking of conservation issues.....Other than the fact that hollywood and the press prefer one party over the other what is the actual difference between a Republican and Democrat? Who was the first republican? Was Teddy Roosevelt Republican or Democrat? Which president made the first national park and what was his party affiliation? Just curious.

I dont know but I think it is probably because they have always been told that 2" is 8" so they are amazed that there is actually a rod true to advertised size and action.

I dont know how I would like to live in Alaska but I would sure love to go fishing, sight seeing, fishing, hunting, fishing, exploring and fishing there.