Makes Me Mad

[troutfiend1985]

Do your best to handle your fish as gently as you can.I respectfully disagree with some of the posts here.I have turned back lots of fish ,99% swim off to live another day.I think the key to a good release is controlling the fish once you have it in your grasp. What is worse,gilling a trout or dropping it in your boat?Some people will squeeze that fish a little harder when it wiggles.Cant be good.Lip that bass,get the hooks out before he hooks you[see other thread].Most small fish are allowed to unhook themselves at the boat with a little slack line.This has worked for me for almost 50 years now,trout,bass,walleye,pike,muskie,cats,reds,crappie,and a few saltwater species over the years.Dont worry about my fish,they'll be OK.

Yes, controlling the fish is a must. But I have never, ever heard of a person defend gilling a fish. Nor that gilling fish consistently is an acceptable manner to handle fish. I have to respectfully disagree and get "Outside Bend" on you guys, find some proof that says inserting your fingers into the gill plate is an acceptable manner to handle a fish, in that it is safe for the fish.

And how is it so hard to not hold a trout in this manner. I cradle large trout, never have I ever been hooked in the process, they also make nets for this purpose of securing trout.

Let me just put it this way, if your kid started out trying hold trout in this manner, would you say something? Probably, why? Because there is a better manner of holding trout than by gilling them, cradling or using a net puts less stress on the trout and that means that there is a better chance for this fish to fight again.

[flytyer57]

Flytyer, I mean by lipping the fish.

I wouldn't think that holding a bass vertical would have as much of a strain on the fish as holding the fish horizontally. Maybe I'm wrong?

Whatever. Vertical is up and down, and horizontal is across like this -------.

It's best to hold ALL fish in a horizontal postition.

It's also best not to hold a fish by the lip without belly support.

[Al Agnew]

When you're by yourself, you can't cradle a trout with both hands and get a problematic hook out. You need a hand to do that, whether using fingers or forceps. Cradling with one hand is hit or miss, usually the trout flops and you either drop it or squeeze it, and as somebody else said, squeezing ain't good for it and neither is dropping it. Sure, most of the time I can get a barbless fly out of the fish without lifting it from the water, and that's great, but not all the time. The key is to control the fish long enough and securely enough to get the hook out. You can do so by gripping the gill COVER, keeping your fingers away from the gills themselves. Not the ideal solution, either, but doable, and better than dropping it or squeezing it.

As for bass, I've caught and re-caught them countless times out of my pond, always holding them by the lower jaw, vertical, while getting the hooks out. I'm pretty sure few if any of those bass suffered from it, since I've caught a lot of them multiple times. What you don't want to do is what the tournament anglers do at the weigh-in holding them up horizontally and unsupported. That IS likely to damage their lower jaws (not necessarily break them, but more of a sprain or tear of whatever passes for ligaments in the jaw). And don't get me started about hoisting them into the boat with the rod and letting them flop around on the carpet until you corral them!

[Phil Lilley]

Yes, controlling the fish is a must. But I have never, ever heard of a person defend gilling a fish. Nor that gilling fish consistently is an acceptable manner to handle fish. I have to respectfully disagree and get "Outside Bend" on you guys, find some proof that says inserting your fingers into the gill plate is an acceptable manner to handle a fish, in that it is safe for the fish.

And how is it so hard to not hold a trout in this manner. I cradle large trout, never have I ever been hooked in the process, they also make nets for this purpose of securing trout.

Let me just put it this way, if your kid started out trying hold trout in this manner, would you say something? Probably, why? Because there is a better manner of holding trout than by gilling them, cradling or using a net puts less stress on the trout and that means that there is a better chance for this fish to fight again.

In a perfect world, you're probably right. But it's not perfect and there will be situations when gilling a fish may have to be done to control the fish. May be the action won't be premeditated. . . but what gilling the fish may keep it from could be worse.

Gilling a fish is not a death sentence. It certainly isn't good for it and could easily kill it but it's not automatic. I wouldn't do it on purpose and wouldn't do it unless it was a big fish and circumstances warranted it.

[redbud]

Troutfiend,worry about your fish.Dont stress to much about all the other fish that millions of fishermen return to the water everyday,all around the world.You are not going to change the way people handle fish.All the proof you need is out there still swimming .Nobody on this forum would condone abusing a fish for recreational purposes.I appreciate a man who is concerned about our natural resource,but it seems like you would better spend your energy on a different cause.This is a tough crowd here,with many excellent fishermen posting.You seem to have hit a nerve here,telling people they have been wrong all these years.Anybody fishing with me has the greatest respect for the fish we catch,or they are not fishing out of my boat again.Chill out,enjoy nature when you are on the river and mind your own business.At the end of your fishing day are you relaxed and content with your efforts for the day,or are you angry,mad that someone didnt listen to you,driving home pissed off?Life is to short for that.

ok, let me have it.

[exiledguide]

So who do we call the next time we feel someone's ringtone is intrusive on our experience?

I guess it a generation gap thing. I would eliminate the problem, if I couldn' do that, I'd leave or just try to ignore it.

[Outside Bend]

However you can get the job done while minimizing the stress to the fish is the best way to do it.

I try to keep them in the water as much as possible, and when I need to grasp them, I'll either cradle them by their stomach or grasp them by the wrist of their tail. If you remain calm and make your movement deliberate, typically the fish won't freak out. That said, they're wild animals, and they're unpredictable. Accidents and mishandling are going to happen, no matter how experienced or careful you are. But most often I look at it as an extension of the fight- with some patience, thought, and foresight, you can usually wind up making the fish do what you want it to.

I don't go behind the gill plate- in my experience it causes the fish to wig out even more (I imagine it's a sensitive area, in my mind it's like sticking your finger down your throat). Plus it's awfully close to the eyes- in my experience fish don't like random shapes darting through their field of view. It's probably of no benefit to the fish, and photos of big fish at uncomfortable angles and fingers behind the gill plate do nothing for the image of anglers as stewards of the resource. But is it worse than someone who can't handle a fish otherwise, and strips its slimecoat or drops it on the rocks? To me, the best way is whatever's least injurious to the fish.

I will say this: I'd rather more folks handle fish like Troutfiend than the other end of the spectrum...

[Zach Bearden]

Flytyer, which way would you rather see someone hold a bass? Horizontally, or vertically?

[FishinCricket]

I guess it a generation gap thing. I would eliminate the problem...

So (avoiding the "generation gap" jab), how would you go about "eliminating the problem"? Tackle the guy and smash his cell phone?

Nobody on this forum would condone abusing a fish for recreational purposes..

If you knew what Gene Simmons could do with a live salmon and a bottle of petroleum jelly you might change your mind.. I wouldn't, but you might.. lol

[redbud]

I thought it was Led Zep and a mud shark?red snapper maybe.Not sure about that Gene Simmons thing.