Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
So, at the risk of ruffling some feathers, I thought I’d bring something to the table for discussion purposes.
I'm hearing about all these big spring numbers, all this high-hooking going on, people "weeding" through fish, presumably trying to get something bigger
(a move the commies commonly refer to as "high-grading") One recent post mentioned a 30 fish day....wow...
So we've all been in a position where there's a pile of fish around and all you have to do is drop the gear in the water and boom, one more notch in your belt in the numbers game....
But the question is-----how are these guys turning all these weeder fish loose, all those puny 12-15 lb springs that stand between them and their dream tyee.....??
A few days ago, in the Bamfield thread, I was quietly applauding Fog Ducker, who in response to yet one more stellar fishing report, felt he had to post the following:
QUOTE
...."So , Salmon definately leveled off , still Good , not Hot like 2 weeks ago , we moved around alot , tried ta get out of the 10-12lb cookie cutter fish , just not that easy ta do ,
so , rather than send the bleeders away , we bonked our fish responsibly ,moved on ,Its just what the Sound has right now , there are a few larger fish , BUT , not that many , whack em and stack em , get out !! m2b ( i seen 2 smaller floater injured springs get jacked by the eagles at Kirby ) , love the guys that net em , wrestle with them for 3-5 minutes , release them ??? )
UNQUOTE
Fog Ducker was absolutely right---the responsible move is to give a legal fish the wood shampoo and then move on to bigger and better things once you've limited out. That would be the responsible thing to do, even though there's no reg that says you have to do that.
But if you can't tear yourself away from all that hot action, the secondary responsible move you can consider is to PUT THE FREAKING NET AWAY.
Felix's description of guys netting a fish, wresting it on the deck for 3 to 5 minutes, then flipping it over the side is a move I see waaaaaay too often in the June/July fishery in Bamfield
I also saw that way too often with coho last fall, both in Uke and Pt Hardy---netting a freaking coho then throwing it back over after the guy on the rod concluded it was wild because he only saw the fin after the fish was flopping on his deck--- What’s up with that?
I think it should be mandatory for sport boats to carry gaffs, and it should be common practice for fishermen to shake fish they have no intention of keeping while they're still in the water. It’s easy as pie:
1)) Grasp the leader (a glove helps so you don’t get cut by the line)
2)) Slip the bend of the gaff into the curve of the hook
3)) While holding the leader taut, pull upwards with the gaff to dislodge the hook so the fish NEVER LEAVES THE WATER
It's a quick efficient way of sending a fish on its way, and no way does it beat up the fish like putting them in a net, especially the old-style knotted twisted poly braid that is just about the No. 1 way to cause scale-loss on a spring.
I generally fish alone. When I do a destination fishery like Uke or Bamfield for 4 to 5 days, it's pretty hard not to high-grade fish, or at least release fish early in the trip and just keep them on the last two days for freshness purposes.
But if and when I bust a catch and release move, it's with a gaff---THE NET STAYS IN THE ROCKET-LAUNCHER UNLESS I PLAN ON KILLING A SPRING.
PERIOD.
....."Man, this jerk sounds like he own the fish. What's up with all that attitude?...."
Well, funny you should say that. A lot of those fin-clipped fish, those dip-ins to Barkley Sound that you guys are pounding....I indirectly did pay for those fish (with my fishing license, punch-card and recreational parking permit). So I guess that does make me a concerned stake-holder
But that's besides the point. It's just respect for the resource and using common sense when practicing our sport
Not trying to offend anyone here--- I just have seen way too much of the net thing and pretty much zero of the gaff thing when people are into fish hot and heavy in that neighborhood.
Thanks for indirectly starting this thread, Felix.
Sorry I dragged you into it but I had to bring this up to see how right or wrong I am with my assumptions and observations about how all this high-grading is being conducted out on the water
I'm hearing about all these big spring numbers, all this high-hooking going on, people "weeding" through fish, presumably trying to get something bigger
(a move the commies commonly refer to as "high-grading") One recent post mentioned a 30 fish day....wow...
So we've all been in a position where there's a pile of fish around and all you have to do is drop the gear in the water and boom, one more notch in your belt in the numbers game....
But the question is-----how are these guys turning all these weeder fish loose, all those puny 12-15 lb springs that stand between them and their dream tyee.....??
A few days ago, in the Bamfield thread, I was quietly applauding Fog Ducker, who in response to yet one more stellar fishing report, felt he had to post the following:
QUOTE
...."So , Salmon definately leveled off , still Good , not Hot like 2 weeks ago , we moved around alot , tried ta get out of the 10-12lb cookie cutter fish , just not that easy ta do ,
so , rather than send the bleeders away , we bonked our fish responsibly ,moved on ,Its just what the Sound has right now , there are a few larger fish , BUT , not that many , whack em and stack em , get out !! m2b ( i seen 2 smaller floater injured springs get jacked by the eagles at Kirby ) , love the guys that net em , wrestle with them for 3-5 minutes , release them ??? )
UNQUOTE
Fog Ducker was absolutely right---the responsible move is to give a legal fish the wood shampoo and then move on to bigger and better things once you've limited out. That would be the responsible thing to do, even though there's no reg that says you have to do that.
But if you can't tear yourself away from all that hot action, the secondary responsible move you can consider is to PUT THE FREAKING NET AWAY.
Felix's description of guys netting a fish, wresting it on the deck for 3 to 5 minutes, then flipping it over the side is a move I see waaaaaay too often in the June/July fishery in Bamfield
I also saw that way too often with coho last fall, both in Uke and Pt Hardy---netting a freaking coho then throwing it back over after the guy on the rod concluded it was wild because he only saw the fin after the fish was flopping on his deck--- What’s up with that?
I think it should be mandatory for sport boats to carry gaffs, and it should be common practice for fishermen to shake fish they have no intention of keeping while they're still in the water. It’s easy as pie:
1)) Grasp the leader (a glove helps so you don’t get cut by the line)
2)) Slip the bend of the gaff into the curve of the hook
3)) While holding the leader taut, pull upwards with the gaff to dislodge the hook so the fish NEVER LEAVES THE WATER
It's a quick efficient way of sending a fish on its way, and no way does it beat up the fish like putting them in a net, especially the old-style knotted twisted poly braid that is just about the No. 1 way to cause scale-loss on a spring.
I generally fish alone. When I do a destination fishery like Uke or Bamfield for 4 to 5 days, it's pretty hard not to high-grade fish, or at least release fish early in the trip and just keep them on the last two days for freshness purposes.
But if and when I bust a catch and release move, it's with a gaff---THE NET STAYS IN THE ROCKET-LAUNCHER UNLESS I PLAN ON KILLING A SPRING.
PERIOD.
....."Man, this jerk sounds like he own the fish. What's up with all that attitude?...."
Well, funny you should say that. A lot of those fin-clipped fish, those dip-ins to Barkley Sound that you guys are pounding....I indirectly did pay for those fish (with my fishing license, punch-card and recreational parking permit). So I guess that does make me a concerned stake-holder
But that's besides the point. It's just respect for the resource and using common sense when practicing our sport
Not trying to offend anyone here--- I just have seen way too much of the net thing and pretty much zero of the gaff thing when people are into fish hot and heavy in that neighborhood.
Thanks for indirectly starting this thread, Felix.
Sorry I dragged you into it but I had to bring this up to see how right or wrong I am with my assumptions and observations about how all this high-grading is being conducted out on the water
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. Kind of funny, used to think a gaff was a bit overkill, until I got comfortable using it as a release tool. Net is only for panic situation (net it myself w/rookies on board, or something i can't "one arm" over the side.) Net has stayed dry for quite some time ! (unfortunately)
