Time for Fish Care

[Bill Babler]

With MDC placing large numbers of fish in the lower end of the lake up thru Money Island there is a propensity now to just go out and catch and catch.  We had that yesterday.  It did not take me very long to adjust my fishing methods.  With the uncertainty of how many fish we are going to see stocked in 2016 it is a very good time now to start practicing the best fish care methods.  I will outline several here and I hope this helps.

We all want to catch fish.  For cripes sakes that's one of the main reasons we are here. But, how many we catch and how many we cause to die are in direct relationship.  Hope this helps.

Yesterday on my guide trip it took me exactly 1 pass of about 3 city blocks to see I had to change methods really quickly.  We were on a catch and release trip and could have had a 4 man limit in about 45 minutes.  We were using 1 gulp egg on a drift rig and the fish were just inhaling it.  We immediately switched to an Egg Pattern Fly and they bit just as well, but don't swallow the presentation.  We have all sizes of fish in the river and the extremely small fish will get that gulp egg past the point of no return about 90% of the time.

1st. if you are fishing gulp or powerbait, and wish to return a fish to the water, if it is hooked beyond the lip, either in the gill, gut or back roof of the mouth, cut your hook off and let it remain with the fish.  As long as this fish does not bleed a huge amount, it will most likely survive.  If you try and remove the hook by any method it will die.

2nd. If you are catch and release, please try artificial in the non-restricted zone as these fish are in abundance and will take it.  Jigs, Egg pattern flies, scud patterns, micro-jigs and trout magnets are all working extremely well.  When releasing fish, please do not use a towel or cloth of any kind to handle the fish.  Simply wet your hand letting the fish dangle from the line and grasp it firmly with the wet hand to unhook it or grab the hook shank while the fish is in the water with forcepts and retract the hook.  If possible use a 1/2 inch gap rubber net. This net is by far gentler on the fish and does not remove the scales and body slime as a rope or nylon net does.

3rd, If you are keeping fish for consumption, you are allowed 4 in possession per day, 8 after the second day.  That does not mean you can keep 3 one day and 5 the next.  It is 4 PER-DAY-PERIOD.  If you catch a fish that has swallowed the bait and is bleeding profusely, keep that fish.  if it is hooked deep, and not bleeding cut the line, do not try and remove the hook.  Once you catch your limit on bait, PLEASE switch to artificial.

4. Taneycomo has a no Cull law, and a no Party Fishing law.  What is this?  No cull.  Once you put a fish in your livewell, basket or stringer, it is your fish.  You are not allowed to remove that fish and replace it with a bigger fish.  You must include it in your daily limit.  NO Party fishing.  All fish must be kept in a separate compartment or the fish must be able to be identified by the fishermen that catches the fish.  Your limit is your limit.  It is not one that you caught for another person in your party or one that another person in your party caught for you.  If you only have 1 compartment you can combine the fish by several different methods.  Best way is to just snip the tail or fin with your knife, to identify it as belonging to you and giving it a tattoo or brand, showing it to be owned by a person in the party.  Again, if its in your livewell it cannot be culled.

With our current water event and really not knowing the future, lets all practice very green management of our fishery.  We can have just as much fun caring for the fish and handling them in the safest way possible.

Good Luck

  

[Ham]

Hey Bill,

I really wish ALL the guides on my section of the White River cared about the resource that they use to make money. I'd like to tattoo your post on their brain so that they would behave likewise.

Most of the fly fishing guides are on board with being good stewarts of the resource and sell the experience/ memories rather than a catch and kill package deal. Other guides use corn and natural baits and have their entire party fish that way all day. Killing untold thousands of trout every year in addition to the ones that they legally harvest. Its a bummer.

I'm all onboard with folks selectively harvesting trout, but to continue to gut hook fish all day after you have your 5 to take home seems awfully irresponsible to me ESPECIALLY if you are a guide that plans on guiding in the future.

 

[Bill Babler]

Very well said Ham.  I would really also like to see a special order placed here just like we have in Alaska.  MDC knows what the harvest is and what the stocking rate is per any given month of the year.  I would like to see a harvest rate or a special order of 2 fish per day per licenses put into effect immediately.  I'm going to say that fully 50% of the people that I guide on Taneycomo that want to keep fish, never eat those fish.  Most give them away as gifts. "We don't eat them, but He or She or Mom and Dad or someone down the bock likes fish.  I want to give them some."

Let's rethink this for a time.  A special order just like we have for Kings in Alaska, in which you also need a stamp, can limit the harvest yet still let anyone that wishes have a wonderful trout dinner if he or she pleases.  2 trout is more than plenty per person for a fantastic dinner. 

I encourage anyone that reads this to keep that in mind and in fact put it into play.  I will encourage my clients that want to keep fish to harvest only a couple as that is more than enough to enjoy your dinner and to help this wonderful fishery when it needs it the most.

[duckydoty]

It is going to be fun catching out there for a week or so,  but if we dont take care of those fish, it could be a long dry spell before we get generous stockings again.  Out west, they put special mandates on rivers when the water quality drops.  Things such as  no fishing after 10 a.m., or completely close the rivers down  to fishing until the water quality improves.  Tough to deal  with now, but better for everyone in the long run.

[Johnsfolly]

Bill,

I agree with everything you've said except for the 2 fish per day per license suggestion. That would work well if there are multiple members of my family fishing with me. However, two fish would not be enough for myself to bring home to serve to my family of four (or five if my oldest is home from school). At Taney I prefer to fish the trophy area and would only be tempted to keep fish below the slot limit and two sub 12" inch definitely would not serve as a meal in my house. I do support your encouragement for your clients to harvest fewer than the legal limits. If fishing with my family (2 to 5 fisherpersons) I would likely only want to harvest four to six fish total depending upon their size instead of the 8 to 20 that we could legally harvest in MO.

[Greasy B]

2 hours ago, Ham said:

Hey Bill,

I really wish ALL the guides on my section of the White River cared about the resource that they use to make money. I'd like to tattoo your post on their brain so that they would behave likewise.

 

Thanks for speaking up Bill even if your preaching to the choir. Unfortunately Ham speaks from experience, things have improved but the old catch em at any cost culture is slow to change. Both fisheries suffer terribly from having so little artificials only water and both could use some help from management professionals to have a little grow in between the put and the take. 

[Bill Babler]

John, thanks for the input, and it very much goes back to my fish give-a-way post.  This fishery really has never been designed as a feed your family type of fishery.   I do know however that folks enjoy a trout dinner.  I am one of them.  The truth be told however, each person needs to catch the fish they wish to consume and not catch fish for others to consume.  I'm not saying this as something permanent but with all this river section has had to put up with starting last March, I believe it needs some help.

This has been an on-going problem the entire season, it really did not just start the past few weeks.  Fishermen and Guides alike have had to work very hard for fish most of the year, due to just extremely poor water conditions.

Really just a temporary revaluation of the current situation to bring the lake into a better balance is what would be nice.  Nothing goes without change.  We have had the current regulations I believe since the early 90's.  That is close to 25 yrs.  That is a very long time.  With the continued increase in usage and the unstable quality of the water, it might be time for MDC to amend some of their policies and limits, either on a temporary basis or if need be on a permanent basis.

There is another possibility and we won't like it but it is instituted throughout the country and that is a total catch and keep fishery.   Yes you can keep your 4 or really increase it to 5 but as soon as the 5th. fish hits the boat your done.  No throwing fish back, you catch it you keep it when you have a limit your done. This would save the lives of thousands of trout that are being deep hooked and released after fishermen have their limits and continue to fish.

We could go to a total artificial fishery or move the line down to Branson where the trout stamp is not needed below the 65 bridge.   This would challenge  the upper end resorts, but would make an astounding improvement to the fishery.

Really best yet, just implement regulations like the western states and Alaska in regards to limits as the fishery allows.

Good Luck

 

[Fly_Guy]

Two cents from someone who used to drift power eggs often - a barbless hook won't lose many if any fish, and makes for very easy release while fish is still in water.  Slightly deeper hooks come out quickly and easily if barbless as well.  I like the owner Mosquito hooks, barbs pinched.  

[Gatorjet]

When taking someone with me that hasn't fished much for trout, dragging bait is the method I most often use. I found to both help them catch fish, and help keep fish from swallowing the hook, using a size 6, or even 4 circle hook works great. Most of the time the fish hook themselves without the fisherman needing to make that instinctive "hook set". Also most often those self hooked fish have the hook imbedded in the corner of their mouth for easy removal.