Catch and Release?

[Murdoc]

I wanted to ask opinions on the C&R on Taney. Before anyone gets bent lets be nice and NO name calling. PLEASE

I don't have any problem with people keeping some fish to eat. But keep the smaller fish. Big fish are for the most part are not very good eating. I've fished on Taney for quite a while and I've seen lots of big fish caught and turned loose and to be able to see this done makes me feel so good for the person and for the fish. But if some day I catch a huge Brown like Rick's Hog. I will have to make a hard decision. And I have to be honest I don't know what I would do.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Hi Murdoc.

I saw the fish. Camera's and tape measures are great for preserving memories and the brood stock of big fish. I have pictures of my biggest trophies. 29" female rainbow, 27" male brown and a 24" female cutthroat. I quit bringing the camera a few years ago When I realized I catch them for my own gratification.

The pics are on the wall around my fireplace in matching frames that my wife did up. I also have some beautiful pictures of the area's I fish at first light and so on. It makes a wonderful setting in my hearth room.

My fishing friends are all C and R. But people who don't fish always make the best comments. "You let that go??!!!!" I feel better about that, than killing it. I know two guys that have large trout mounted that are in closets or somewhere, what a waste. I've never seen a mount that did the fish justice when it was alive anyway. My 2 cents.

Snagged in Outlet 3.

[Tightline]

Yesterday at about 11:00 am close to # 1 outlet a gentleman caught the biggest trout I have ever seen up close. It ran almost up to wire at the dam and then back down twice as far,it probably took 15-20 minutes to get the big male in. Another fisherman and I helped him all we could. He finally got it to the bank, I hate to even speculate how big it was,when fish get over 8-10 lbs and are longer than 24-26 inchs I'm NOT very good at guessing but the 3 of us guessed it was longer than 30in and probably weighed 18-20 lbs. I took pictures for him and the big fish wasn't out of the water more than a minute,and he tried his best to revive the fish but the fight was just to much for it. He decided to take it home rather than just waste it. I am hopeful the man was a OAF member or guest user so we can find out how big it really was and maybe see the pic's I took. I was so excited at the time I couldn't remember later if it was a Brown or a Rainbow! I'm pretty sure it was a Brown. I know now you don't have to fish at night to catch those biguns! If a person wants to keep what he catchs thats his business as long as its legal!!! TL.

[Greg]

Snagged and Murdoc

I agree with you both almost completely. When I was younger I kept almost all of the fish I caught. As I've gotten older I think I've come to realize that our rivers and lakes are precious. And also come to a knowledge level of what it took for that bow, brown, bass (or whatever) to get to 20". Personally I just can't imagine keeping a big trout or bass. I have no negative feelings at all about someone keeping the smaller fish. But when I see a big fish caught I can't help but be sad that no one else will enjoy that particular fish. It doesn't mean I would resort to calling that person names or confronting him or her. It's just a feeling and an opinion.

Funny story that relates to this: Last year at Taneycomo I was having a great day at the rocking chair area. A group of younger people were sight seeing (not fishing) and stopped to watch me for a while. They watched as I caught fish after fish and gently released them all. Several of them were pretty good sized as well. After a bit one of the young women (she was late teens to early twenties) came up to me and said "why do you let them all go?". I explained that I just liked to catch them not keep them. She then said "What's the point then?" I then tried to explain to her that catching them was the point. That when people golf or play tennis or whatever - they don't take a trophy home or even anything to eat. I tried to explain that the activity itself was its own reward for me. She smiled but I don't think she got it at all.

Greg

[Phil Lilley]

I've killed my share of trophy trout... and bass.

I cringe when I see someone kill a trophy but I have to remind myself... relationships should be more important than small opinions. Life is way too short to get upset about a fish and then let that come between me and another person.

[Tightline]

Its really odd to me that some of the same people who promote C&R of Bass and Trout will go down to Beaver creek,Swan or the Pothole and keep every big female White Bass and Walleye they catch.Every one knows the Whites have been in trouble the last few years on BS so why not release some of those big sows back. I released almost all female Whites last year and yes I also released a 26 inch Walleye that was squirting eggs because I had 3 other good size males to take home. When the fishing is good and your filling your stringer think about next year and the years after! TL PS. Someone tell me how to make space for paragraphs on these posts. Thanks

[Terry Beeson]

Trophy:

1. anything taken in war, hunting, competition, etc., esp. when preserved as a memento; spoil, prize, or award.

2. anything serving as a token or evidence of victory, valor, skill, etc.

3. a carving, painting, or other representation of objects associated with or symbolic of victory or achievement.

4. any memento or memorial.

5. a memorial erected by certain ancient peoples, esp. the Greeks and Romans, in commemoration of a victory in war and consisting of arms or other spoils taken from the enemy and hung upon a tree, pillar, or the like.

This is one of those "ethics" decisions that we all have to make. And it certainly a matter of opinion as to whether it is ethical to keep a big fish. And the question then becomes, where is the line drawn?

There is certainly no "law" that says you can't keep a big fish. And if the fish has fought the good fight, is landed, and all attempts to revive him fail, then I'm all for taking him home... DON'T waste him.

I am and advocate of catch and release. I have no problem whatsoever with those who choose to catch their limit of trout and take them home for the frying pan. But, as SIO3 said, a tape measure and camera are great for preserving memories. And if you have to have a mount, take the picture and measurements to a taxidermist. They can produce VERY realistic mounts today... and you can even "fudge" on the numbers if you wish... I have friends who are strictly C&R who have mounts of huge fish they have caught... and none of those fish died... the mounts are "faux"...

I have to say that I have killed only one trophy fish, a bass, in my life. I was very young (14-15) and uneducated from that standpoint. I caught a very nice 8 lb bass and decided I wanted to have it mounted. Well, finally after many years in the freezer, my mom threw it out...

But I learned long ago that hunting and fishing are not about trophies. We put WAY too much emphasis on the trophy aspect of hunting and fishing. I suppose this comes from the emphasis on football, baseball, basketball, etc. They mean nothing. It is the good time we have with friends... The therapy of solo fly fishing... Watching the sunrise from a duck blind... The anticipation of an approaching 10 point... The gooble answering your early morning hen call... Watching your grandson take one of his first squirrels... THAT'S what matters...

Yes, I like to catch big fish. Yes, I kill deer, turkey, ducks, squirrel, etc. Yes, I like to eat fish (just show me where the Crappie are...) But more than that, I love to FISH... and I love to HUNT... the kill in hunting is a BONUS... not a goal or trophy... and as for fishing, the strike and landing is a BONUS... In my opinion, a deer, duck, fish, etc. should NEVER be considered a trophy. It should be considered a BLESSING!

Last night, I hooked a "monster" and fought him for a couple of minutes. I was frustrated when he spit the fly back at me, but I was excited with a racing heart and a big grin on my face. I raised my eyes to thank God for the opportunity to just feel that big momma (or daddy) on the end of my line... and if I HAD landed him... After a couple of pictures, he would have gone back in the water... no doubts about that.

Just my opinion for what it's worth... and that ain't much...

[Phil Lilley]

Tightline- can you knowingly make that statement? Do you know these people who promote catch and release and do they keep every female full of eggs?

[Terry Beeson]

Its really odd to me that some of the same people who promote C&R of Bass and Trout will go down to Beaver creek,Swan or the Pothole and keep every big female White Bass and Walleye they catch.

I'm certainly not one of those you speak of. And I agree with Phil...

PS. Someone tell me how to make space for paragraphs on these posts. Thanks

What do you mean "make space for paragraphs?" Do you mean quoting another post? Hit the "quote" button below the post you want to quote.

Otherwise, I'm not sure what you mean... But we'll try to help.

[jOrOb]

Many of my favorite memories are of fish being released. When I was about 14, my father caught and released a big female bass in front of a crowd. That was great.

The fish, a 5-6LBS female largemouth, hit a topwater right at the feet of 3 or 4 bank fishermen standing on a ledge about 4 ft from the water. They were amazed to see the fish hit. They were even more amazed when dad held up that beautiful lady for them to admire. But when he gently laid her back in the water without even hesitating, I thought they would jump in after it. Dad just smiled and said "your turn."

I have always believed that putting a fish back, big or small, means that you and I will have another opportunity to catch that fish later when it is bigger. But I also realize that big fish are also old fish. They don't live forever. Anybody ever seen a big fish dead on the water?? I figure that we should all be advocates of catch and release. If we really think ourselves sportsmen and conservationists then we have to be. But we all have to accept that fish die. So if a fish gets killed by a fisherman, that is how it works.