Keep or release?

[osprey]

I fish for Cutthroat on the Couer D'Alene river and it is catch and release only. Barbless hooks, of course.

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If you were really serious about the survivability of those fish, you would switch to a single siwash hook in place of the treble and not take the fish out of the water. Not judging just trying to provide some feedback for successful catch and release technique. Nice Cutt!

 

[No_Regerts]

I fish for bass 90% of the time and its all c&r. I only use artificial lures and nothing gets hooked very deep because of it. The other 10% is for walleyes and perch. I keep those and eat em.

If I do any trout fishing at all, its with lures using single point barbless hooks. Mostly flies or jigs. I don't kill many, but those I do kill I use for crab bait.

 

[solv3nt]

They don't like me releasing them after pulling the spear out.

 

[Martini_Up]

Mostly eat, sometimes release, where and when is the determining factor

 

[Otter]

I do both depending on what I'm fishing for and how I'm fishing. Trout caught on Powerbait with a treble hook and you better be keeping what you catch cause 90% of the time they die even if you cut off the hook. Trolling for trout we release all fish unharmed unless they Ginger Lynn it.

Bass are all released unharmed except a few we might eat, like on the John Day. Bass in the Willamette are released...I have no desire to grow a tail or glow in the dark. We fish for crappie on the Owyhee and release all of them due to the mercury advisory.

Ocean fish I always keep provided it is legal to do so. Nothing better than bottom fish and a freshly caught Coho or Chinook.

 

[Flymph]

I usually do C&R, but I'll keep a big hatchery fish, or I'll fry up some pan fish. Anything caught in the ocean gets eaten as well, assuming it's legal and safe to eat.

Most release deaths are due to improper handling, so it's important to know what you're doing.

 

[bbbass]

I am sure many are going to argue my position and feel free to do so as this is my one and only post on the subject.

PETA.

I agree, I believe it damages as many if not more fish than it saves.

PETA

I fish for bass 90% of the time and its all c&r. I only use artificial lures and nothing gets hooked very deep because of it. The other 10% is for walleyes and perch. I keep those and eat em.

It used to be 90% bass for me too... back in the days when I had both a driftboat for Umpqua, John Day, etc, and a bass boat for Brownlee, Phillips, etc. Later it was my buddy's 12' boat and trout fishing. Now it's bank fishing, if at all.

Perch... they all go back, taste great, less filling, too bony!!
Bass... I'll keep one once in awhile, we don't need very many. Certainly not as many as we catch, especially when river fishing for smallies. But bass is my favorite fish to eat!!!
Catfish... I used to keep the smaller ones to eat. A lot of time I'd put them in the bathtub to keep for awhile, but with all the chlorine now that would just be cruel.
Bluegill... same as perch
Crappie... same as perch unless they are biguns.
Trout... we catch a lot of trout on flies and lure, used to keep one or two, or catch a bunch on Powerbait and smoke, but wife doesn't like trout anymore so I don't keep em.
Salmon... I keep all legal fish except for the ones that are too dark.
Kokanee... can't seem to catch one. I tried once but didn't know what I was supposed to do. Last year I was supposed to go with Argonaut, but we all know how that turned out.
Steelhead... I rarely catch a steelhead, but when I do usually have to release it because it's a native. I used to keep a hatchery fish once in awhile but like I said, the wife doesn't like troutids. So I'm not going to stand out in the blowing snow in the middle of a river any more.

I do both depending on what I'm fishing for and how I'm fishing. Trout caught on Powerbait with a treble hook and you better be keeping what you catch cause 90% of the time they die even if you cut off the hook. Trolling for trout we release all fish unharmed unless they Ginger Lynn it.

Bass are all released unharmed except a few we might eat, like on the John Day. Bass in the Willamette are released...I have no desire to grow a tail or glow in the dark. We fish for crappie on the Owyhee and release all of them due to the mercury advisory.

Ocean fish I always keep provided it is legal to do so. Nothing better than bottom fish and a freshly caught Coho or Chinook.

^^^This^^^

Ginger Lynn... You dog!!!

I usually do C&R, but I'll keep a big hatchery fish, or I'll fry up some pan fish. Anything caught in the ocean gets eaten as well, assuming it's legal and safe to eat.

Most release deaths are due to improper handling, so it's important to know what you're doing.

^^^This^^^

 

[nwwoodsman]

Catch and release makes about as much sense as shooting a deer and hoping it runs off and lives. I have no problems killing animals for food, but it is done as humanely as possible. Running a hook through a critters mouth and yanking it through the water only to release it with a gaping wound just doesn't seem very humane.

 

[Otter]

bbbass - I appreciate you caught the reference!

 

[clearconscience]

I don't fish often ( as often as i want to) but if I do it's the same as hunting.

I only hunt/fish to eat.
I don't like the thought of hurting animals for my pleasure.
So if I do fish or hunt it's never for trophies or bragging rights, it's to put food on the table.

Having said that, by all means I don't look down on those that do.
To each their own.

Only people I hate is poachers, and those who hunt and leave meat to waste.

All others do what makes you happy. Life is short, spend time doing what you love

 

[Mikej]

If the damn DFW would actually manage the fisheries properly, we wouldnt be having this discussion! Instead, they follow State paid biologist, and the Amy corps of Engineers, and the comercial fishermen, and WE the PEOPLE get royally screwed!

Don't forget the likes of NSF (Native Fish Society) and other assorted non profits that believe fish are for our entertainment and not for sustenance. And (I) have a feeling that other countries, and even Alaskan fishers, take fish destined for waters in the lower 48 in much larger numbers that they did 20-30 years ago. And of course THAT sort of thing isn't important enough for anyone to do something about as long as people keep paying for those salmon tags.

 

[pharmseller]

Black rockfish, I'll keep a couple, but mainly c&r. Salmon go into the box unless they have too many fins. Ling over 22" go into the box. Trout mainly c&r, I use barbless hooks when I do that. Steelhead hatchery fish get the wood shampoo.

It's a good day when I get to high grade crab, so that's sorta c&r.




P

 

[Mica]

I enjoy fishing, but rarely keep them to eat.

The exception are Kokanee, which are simply delicious. In fact, it's likely because Kokanee are so good that regular trout just don't appeal to me anymore. If I could find a decent place to catch Perch, I would love to fillet those, bread and fry them up...

Curious as to if others do mostly catch and release or keep and eat.

I hear ya on the perch. Used to have a couple really good crappie holes around here.
Unless I have something specific in mind. I toss em back. Like smoking up a bunch of trout. My favorite fish to eat are crappie perch pike and the like.

 

[bbbass]

Catch and release makes about as much sense as shooting a deer and hoping it runs off and lives. I have no problems killing animals for food, but it is done as humanely as possible. Running a hook through a critters mouth and yanking it through the water only to release it with a gaping wound just doesn't seem very humane.

PETA agrees with you.

 

[PNWguy]

PETA agrees with you.

So many great memes out there about PETA...

Must. Resist. Another. Warning...

 

[DirectDrive]

Summer steelhead is my game and I release most of them.
The wife is a dyed-in-the-wool catch and kill person.

I like to eat salmon though, so they are in trouble if I hook one of those up.

 

[bbbass]

bbbass - I appreciate you caught the reference!

A mis-spent youth. Uh, mostly, Well...

Don't forget the likes of NSF (Native Fish Society) and other assorted non profits that believe fish are for our entertainment and not for sustenance.

My wife would say that God put the critters here for our use. He did not specify how to use them. That aside, they exist, period. Same as all the other fish and game. We pay license fees, we get to chase deer, slaughter fowl, or feel a tug on a line. Maybe we keep what we hook for eating, maybe we just enjoy the fight and release them 99.9% unharmed. I've never overplayed a fish I didn't keep, released a fish with damaged gills, created gaping holes, or even seen a fish go belly up after proper play and release.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Nobody can tell me that hunting is strictly for the meat. It's cheaper to buy meat at the store. So when "meat" hunters won't admit that they enjoy the hunt as well as eating the meat, there is something smelly in Bangkok!

 

[bbbass]

 

[bbbass]

 

[pharmseller]

Catch and release makes about as much sense as shooting a deer and hoping it runs off and lives. I have no problems killing animals for food, but it is done as humanely as possible. Running a hook through a critters mouth and yanking it through the water only to release it with a gaping wound just doesn't seem very humane.

I use little bitty hooks so the wounds aren't gaping, but I do speak sternly to the fish before I release them.

It feeds my inhumanity and keeps me from listening to the voices.





P