25 Lb. Brown....

[Snowflake]

I tell you what boys....If I would have caught that fish, I would have water skied on his back all the way back to Phil's.

[shawncat]

I would have sold him to bass pro for a case of powerbait.......and would still be sitting there today.

[Dumb to fishing]

HA HA HA HA here we go again

[Phil Lilley]

You guys are funny....

Just saw the fish for the first time on the "closed thread". Thanks Dano for helping us out.

Don't know if it was mentioned but a large brown caught, except on big line and brought in quickly, will suffer enough stress to kill it regardless of how it's treated before released. If a big brown is handled at all, esp out of the water, most likely he will die. Even if you release a brown like this and he swims away, chances are he will go lay on the bottom and die.

Browns don't do stress well. If you get lucky enough to catch one of these and you want to release it and let it live, don't take pics, don't measure it, unhook it and let it go. otherwise, stick a knife in it and put it out of it's misery.

As for replica educaton- our fault. We are in the process of adding this inof to our room books. But in this case, I don't think it would have done any good.

If the brown is dumb enough to eat power bait after living without being lured for 15-20 years, then he may deserve to die.

Dan- you may hvae to close this one too

I'll reprot on AK later... got to get some sleep. But did go out with Sean Guffy (waterman) today on his skif. Caught salmon using his nets- cool!!! Didn't find any hallibut.

[Trav]

I agree with Phil,

I get alot of grief about not showing pics of my big brownies, but it is true. If you want it to live you have to release it instantly. I cant tell you how many times while fishing alone I wished I had someone with a camera next to me. My average brownie might only be 8 pounds or so, but even at that size I am concerned enough to hurry it back into the water.

Bass on the other hand, I will plop into a livewell for a minute to get the pic. But after that even they go back in the drink.

Browns, as well as big rainbows, are way to sensitive to temps and handling. Sure, they may swim off, but they will die if you pull them out of the water for more than a few minutes. Especially if they are over 3 pounds.

[Chief Grey Bear]

If the brown is dumb enough to eat power bait after living without being lured for 15-20 years, then he may deserve to die.

Can't the same be said for any number of presentations, not just powerbait? It sounds as if this fish has a lesser IQ and should be taken out of the gene pool.

[patfish]

If the brown is dumb enough to eat power bait after living without being lured for 15-20 years, then he may deserve to die.

Note to self: Never eat powerbait when Phil may be lurking around.

[shawncat]

Okay,back to topic.Im going to be down tonight setting trot lines....oh I mean trout lines.One hook yellow,one hook orange,one hook yellow..............I'll be the one with the power bait water wings wrapped around my arms.

[Guest kevinkirk]

I would not have kept it but dont blame the guy who did. Its fishing and thats what fish are for. That is what they are raised for. Plus those browns are so aggresive they eat a lot of other fish. I have just gone past killing them for some reason. My son laughs at me. But its a factor of age and having caught so many fish. Kinda like duck hunting. I like to decoy them but dont need to kill my limit. Two is plenty and even then not as fun as it used to be. When they dcoy in, I know I can make the shot so whats the challenge at that point.

Has anyone else gone thru these emotions? I think its age related too. Not sure. Saw my dad go thru that and was amazed then. Now its me. hahahh

[bigredbirdfan]

Tremendous acheivement. These browns are near the end of their life cycle. Better his wall then the turtles.