Makes Me Mad

[troutfiend1985]

Maybe I'm just being overly critical, but every time I see a person in a photo with their fingers inside the gill plate of a trout it makes me want to vomit. Why do this? It makes no sense and you know that it can't be good for the trout. It really is poor form, and cradling the fish is much easier to do than inserting your hand into the darn fishes gills. It just screams bloody ignorance, and there is a person on here who has every picture with his or his clients hand in the trout’s mouth, and a lot of these fish are trophy worthy. Maybe I'm too critical, but I thought that this practice went out of style a while ago.

[Hotdawg Guide Service]

Maybe I'm just being overly critical, but every time I see a person in a photo with their fingers inside the gill plate of a trout it makes me want to vomit. Why do this? It makes no sense and you know that it can't be good for the trout. It really is poor form, and cradling the fish is much easier to do than inserting your hand into the darn fishes gills. It just screams bloody ignorance, and there is a person on here who has every picture with his or his clients hand in the trout’s mouth, and a lot of these fish are trophy worthy. Maybe I'm too critical, but I thought that this practice went out of style a while ago.

[Hotdawg Guide Service]

When properly done with wet hands and in the gap between the plate and the gills their is no harm done to the fish at all and it sure beats throwing it in the livewell and definitely killing the fish! Most customers understand that with a picture you can have a artificial mount made and the fish can live to fight another day.

[troutfiend1985]

When properly done with wet hands and in the gap between the plate and the gills their is no harm done to the fish at all and it sure beats throwing it in the livewell and definitely killing the fish! Most customers understand that with a picture you can have a artificial mount made and the fish can live to fight another day.

No. That is simply not true.

"Equally important and potentially life-threatening to the fish is putting your finger(s) in their gills. A fish's gills are among their most fragile and crucial organs. Evolution has provided them protective gill plates to prevent anything from entering or piercing this fragile area. But unknowing anglers will routinely use this gill plate to hold their catch and although this is fine when you intend to keep the fish, it's a bad deal if a release is planned."

http://www.mgfalaska.com/catch-release.html

"Never hold a fish by the gill plate! Trout are used to having their body weight supported by the neutral weight of their water environment. A vertical hold on a large trout will put pressure on all of the internal organs and can do permanent damage that the angler may never suspect."

http://www.trophytroutguide.com/articles/cpr.htm

"Gills are another sensitive area. The gills supply oxygen from the water. Never grab a fish by the gill plates or gills unless you plan on killing it."

http://www.rainlandflycasters.com/Catch-n-release-ethics.pdf

I'm sorry hotdawg, I'm sure you're a great guy and mean no harm but how you handle trout is very important. You catch a lot of very nice trout on the white, but with that you also have to be careful not to harm these fish.

[Gavin]

Usually dont stick my fingers there...but if I want to eat one...it gets gilled and bled out...before it hits the stringer.

[exiledguide]

Doesn't the wildlife code say something about the fish shall be released immediately?

[duckydoty]

I talked to the folks that use to operate Rainbow Run hatchery, or pay per trout thingy. They use to allow you to pay $20.00 to catch and release with barbless hooks for 1 hour. I would take kids in there to teach them how to fight big fish on the fly rod. Anyways, while talking to the guy that raises the fish, he told me that over all, trout are really pretty tough fish. The only thing that will kill them is putting your fingers in thier gills and holding them up by thier jaws to be weighed with a tool such as a boga grip.

[Hotdawg Guide Service]

I talked to the folks that use to operate Rainbow Run hatchery, or pay per trout thingy. They use to allow you to pay $20.00 to catch and release with barbless hooks for 1 hour. I would take kids in there to teach them how to fight big fish on the fly rod. Anyways, while talking to the guy that raises the fish, he told me that over all, trout are really pretty tough fish. The only thing that will kill them is putting your fingers in thier gills and holding them up by thier jaws to be weighed with a tool such as a boga grip.

I can remember on the White when nothing went back and the biggest fish you could catch was the ones you cleaned as their was not a no culling rule and that we would put knives to 3-5 pound rainbows and even larger fish commonly. I wouldn't even think of doing that now. In a perfect world I would like the whole river to be catch and release but it is a put and take river and the ones of us making our living out there are doing our best to keep it great. I have caught some big fish repeatedly over several months time took their picture released them and then seen them go home with some lucky fisherman that kept them. Everyone has a right to their opinions but again in the river is better than in the skillet!

[duckydoty]

I can remember on the White when nothing went back and the biggest fish you could catch was the ones you cleaned as their was not a no culling rule and that we would put knives to 3-5 pound rainbows and even larger fish commonly. I wouldn't even think of doing that now. In a perfect world I would like the whole river to be catch and release but it is a put and take river and the ones of us making our living out there are doing our best to keep it great. I have caught some big fish repeatedly over several months time took their picture released them and then seen them go home with some lucky fisherman that kept them. Everyone has a right to their opinions but again in the river is better than in the skillet!

I dont often state opinions on here, but it is of my opinion that you are a mighty fine fisherman and that you also do your best to try and protect the fishery that brings great memories to not only you, but your clients as well. Your living depends on it.

[DaveMac]

+1 duckydoty!

I've fished with Hotdawg (a long time ago out of Bull Shoals Boat Dock- I won't he pretend he'd remember me, but I remember him!) and can tell you that he, like most guides on the White, release fish more quickly and properly than most of the clients, especially if they're hooked deeply. As for holding fish up for photos, again I'd prefer the experienced guide hold the fish than the client because they know how to do it as quickly as necessary to get the shot. They also encourage clients to release large fish, especially browns, rather than take them home, which is definitely a good thing. Otherwise, I couldn't agree more with troutfiend1985 that the fish that is handled least has the best chance of survival.