Hybrids have been fun

[Smalliebigs]

I have been really concentrating on Temperates since last Fall and have had the normal success. A guy in a boat on the river yelled at me while I was releasing this one that they all die once you release them and I should just keep them. He was pretty pissed I was releasing a nice Hybrid. So am I being dumb by releasing the Hybrids I catch?? I personally think they are very fun and a tad unusual in their behaviors but, very cool.  

 

[Dutch]

23 minutes ago, Smalliebigs said:

I have been really concentrating on Temperates since last Fall and have had the normal success. A guy in a boat on the river yelled at me while I was releasing this one that they all die once you release them and I should just keep them. He was pretty pissed I was releasing a nice Hybrid. So am I being dumb by releasing the Hybrids I catch?? I personally think they are very fun and a tad unusual in their behaviors but, very cool.  

 

It’s none of his business whether or not you release fish.  If he caught one like that he’d probably head somewhere to shoe it off and brag.

[Johnsfolly]

25 minutes ago, Smalliebigs said:

A guy in a boat on the river yelled at me while I was releasing this one that they all die once you release them and I should just keep them. He was pretty pissed I was releasing a nice Hybrid

I don't see why they would not survive being released. Sounds like a perpetuated misconception on his part. If you kept it that fish, it would no longer be recaught. So to that guys concerns, whether you kept it or it died after being released that would not have resulted in any change to hybrids being available for other fishermen. Still think that he is incorrect, but if not the crayfish need to eat as well. 

[bfishn]

https://www.monmouth.edu/uci/documents/2018/10/best-practices-striped-bass-catch-and-release-report.pdf/

[BilletHead]

 The darned things fight so hard and it takes it's toll. Released many. Sometimes I have worked for 30 minutes to revive. It can be futile. Then they get eaten. 

[fishinwrench]

The WB/Hybrid mutts I catch likely all die.  Some (many) go belly-up within sight of the boat.  Obviously I only see the ones that float to the top. Others are undoubtedly dieing and sinking to the bottom.   You can tell by the way they spaz-out when handling them that something is wrong with them.    This is the main reason why it bothers me so much that they exist.  

They are far less hearty than pure White bass, and introducing those weak genes into the native White bass population is NOT a good move IMO. 

[Ryan Miloshewski]

Not sure where you guys are catching them but where I fish in KS we have caught and released many fish that seem to be just fine. We have caught the same fish twice in a day, too. My buddy guides out there and he has never mentioned it being an issue. Maybe it's the colder water when we do catch them. It's usually winter or fall when the water is below 50 degrees.

[nomolites]

1 hour ago, Ryan Miloshewski said:

Not sure where you guys are catching them but where I fish in KS we have caught and released many fish that seem to be just fine. We have caught the same fish twice in a day, too. My buddy guides out there and he has never mentioned it being an issue. Maybe it's the colder water when we do catch them. It's usually winter or fall when the water is below 50 degrees.

Have caught and released many in LOZ all different times of the year….have never had a floater.  I know they won’t live in a live well very long and if your going to keep them might as well toss them on ice.

Mike

[bfishn]

3 hours ago, BilletHead said:

 The darned things fight so hard and it takes it's toll. Released many. Sometimes I have worked for 30 minutes to revive. It can be futile. Then they get eaten. 

That's been my experience with stripers, especially the bigger ones (>15lb). I found a pattern where I could catch them from the bank in the fall when the creek arm temps were 48-52. Did it for 10 years straight. At the time, I rarely caught one under 12-13lbs. I always horsed them in, as having one zooming back and forth in the skinny water they were in spooked the others, and that was it for the evening. The bigger ones just wouldn't be horsed though, and despite my best efforts it was often a 3-5 minute fight. Those fish were wore out when landed, so much so that I'd put them on a long cord stringer to see if they'd come around. A few did, and headed for the next county when released, but many of them went belly up in 20-30 minutes. These fish weren't gut or gill hooked either, they'd just given their all. The study I linked above noted the buildup of lactic acid during prolonged fights, sometimes fatal. I believe it.

My feeling now is that if you hang one that spools you a time or two, it's unlikely to live if released.

[BilletHead]

29 minutes ago, bfishn said:

That's been my experience with stripers, especially the bigger ones (>15lb). I found a pattern where I could catch them from the bank in the fall when the creek arm temps were 48-52. Did it for 10 years straight. At the time, I rarely caught one under 12-13lbs. I always horsed them in, as having one zooming back and forth in the skinny water they were in spooked the others, and that was it for the evening. The bigger ones just wouldn't be horsed though, and despite my best efforts it was often a 3-5 minute fight. Those fish were wore out when landed, so much so that I'd put them on a long cord stringer to see if they'd come around. A few did, and headed for the next county when released, but many of them went belly up in 20-30 minutes. These fish weren't gut or gill hooked either, they'd just given their all. The study I linked above noted the buildup of lactic acid during prolonged fights, sometimes fatal. I believe it.

My feeling now is that if you hang one that spools you a time or two, it's unlikely to live if released.

              Yep take an ice chest and let them feed you and yours. We should not feel bad. They were planted for us to utilize. Those fish have a shelf life. Some sooner than others. Good eats IMO.