Help Me Understand Why........

[stone9-7=2]

Wow great fish. Way 2 go. No problem here with him keeping it.

I just don't understand why catching it on powerbait or a fly has anything to do with it.

Fishing is fishing.

I guess only sportsman fly fish.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Now Chief- this was not intended to be an ethical debate,

Yes it was.

Help me understand why the joy and excitement of catching that monster is not enough- why would you want to kill it and then not even eat it?

Does it really take freezing the fish and getting your name in a few books to close the deal?

Just seems to me like a waste of a hell of a fish-

- - bad luck for mr. fishy

but as for the respect card.. seems a little extreme to me.... I I really don't care either way I just thought it was a a real nice fish that seemed to go to total waste.

By your own words and the very title of this thread, I can't see it any other way. But that is just me.

[ness]

Ness, where's the big crappie pics? I know you do... Shawnee? Or do you fish for them?

KC

KC -- I love to fish for crappie, and eat them, but I haven't done it in several years. Just one of those things that gets pushed aside by the daily grind.

[denjac]

But I'll save my respect for the guy who catches a 2 pounder the sportsman's way.

And how would that be? What is the sportmans way? Some fly guys are percieved by spin guys as arrogant and upity ,and talk like that just reenforces that opinion.

[patfish]

Since Trav has been abducted by aliens....

[ness]

And to me. Respect? C'mon. He was drifting Powerbait. Sure, he had a functional drag and was patient enough not to horse the fish and break off, so I'll give him credit for that. But it's not as if he took the thing on a personally tied fly and 6x tippet.

It's a great fish. It's a state record. There was nothing wrong with the way he caught it and there was nothing wrong with keeping it. But I'll save my respect for the guy who catches a 2 pounder the sportsman's way.

Awe, come on man -- that wasn't nice. It smells of tackle snobbery, which just rubs a lot of people the wrong way and helps give fly fishermen a bad name. He's a guy out fishing, following the rules and caught a helluva fish. What difference does it make what tackle he was using? Would he be more of a sportsman if he was drifting a glo-ball with a Winston / Abel setup?

[Geoff]

i woulda let it go. however...i HATE how fish taste. So for me, i let everything go. doesnt matter what it is haha. Fish just arent very tasty ( to me ). I would have taken his picture, gotten some measurments, if someone had a scale on them, good for me, but back into the water he woulda went. And off to the taxidermist i would go to get a fiberglass replica. Fish mounts just dont hold up well over time, IMO.

[Micheal Kyle]

Well I have no Idea what to say except I agree with Lilley what a LOW BLOW!!!!!!!

I am a fly fisherman as you all know and that is the only way I fish from salt to fresh, and this is one argument that I have never understood why people get so disemboweled about how and what fish are caught on. Who cares as long as he did it legal and he did.

As I stated back when the news broke about the new State Record CONGRATS WHAT A FISH Scott

All I have to say is Scott I hope you read this if you are on here look at the Jealousy that has come from others on here.

I fish for records for the IGFA Line Class with a Fly rod since I started doing so about 3 years ago I have had the pleasure of catching one, and their is one person on here that can back the story up. I researched the records and found one that was obtainable that spring. I did it, but believe me it was a Meir accident and was luck. I hope to break a few more this spring

Again Scott CONGRATS I would rather be lucky than good any day of the week. Looks like to me if you want to catch a record fish you need to stay at Lilleys

I also have question since we are on the subject of ethics What is the difference in shuffling on Taney and some one waiting for the right hatch lets say the HEX hatch up in Michigan where you can pretty much scoop the Hex off of the water.

Again who cares what you catch fish on as long as you do it legal, and ethical you are the only one that has to look at your self every morning. Basically if you lie about a fish and how you caught you are only lying to yourself.

[ColdWaterFshr]

And to me. Respect? C'mon. He was drifting Powerbait. Sure, he had a functional drag and was patient enough not to horse the fish and break off, so I'll give him credit for that. But it's not as if he took the thing on a personally tied fly and 6x tippet.

It's a great fish. It's a state record. There was nothing wrong with the way he caught it and there was nothing wrong with keeping it. But I'll save my respect for the guy who catches a 2 pounder the sportsman's way.

I've got dandruff, and SOME OF IT ITCHES.

Pay no attention to that clicking noise, just adjusting my drag.

[eric1978]

That's a very cheap shot.

I just don't understand why catching it on powerbait or a fly has anything to do with it.

Fishing is fishing.

I guess only sportsman fly fish.

And how would that be? What is the sportmans way? Some fly guys are percieved by spin guys as arrogant and upity ,and talk like that just reenforces that opinion.

Awe, come on man -- that wasn't nice. It smells of tackle snobbery, which just rubs a lot of people the wrong way and helps give fly fishermen a bad name. He's a guy out fishing, following the rules and caught a helluva fish. What difference does it make what tackle he was using? Would he be more of a sportsman if he was drifting a glo-ball with a Winston / Abel setup?

Well I have no Idea what to say except I agree with Lilley what a LOW BLOW!!!!!!!

Well I clearly ruffled some feathers so let me try to clarify.

It was a spectacular fish, and I said, there was nothing wrong with how he took it, and there was nothing wrong with him keeping it. If I were to meet the man I'd shake his hand and tell him congrats. He caught that fish legally and fair and square. No doubt about that.

But then someone mentioned how we owe him respect.

I don't agree with that. I'm not a tackle snob...I do use spinning gear. But you can't sit there and deny there isn't a difference between fishing with lures and fishing with bait. He's got the state record, no one is going to deny that. But I'm allowed to have the opinion he caught it in a way that is unsportsmanlike. Sorry, that's my opinion. Am I not allowed to say what I think? I'm not being mean about it, just realistic. If he would have taken it on a Rapala, or any LURE for that matter, he would have my respect, just the same as if he had caught it on a fly. Personally, I'd rather not catch a game fish than catch a game fish on bait.

Do you respect someone who wins the lottery? No, you're happy for them, but respect is not part of it. I respect someone who builds a business from the ground up and becomes wealthy out of hard work. And I respect the sportsman who doesn't take the easy way out because the fish aren't biting...he finds another angle. That's the difference between a sportsman and a fisherman, for those of you who asked.