I had my day of fishing yesterday. We started out at 6 am, came home at 830 pm. We fished all day in non-stop fish action with multiple double and triple headers. We hooked and release so many fish below and above the upper slot limit. All fish were kept wet in the process even during measuring, most were just eyeball measured and released fast. We held one in the water in a rubberized net for control as it was so close to the upper size limit but was over at 85cm. Just 5 cm too big and a hatchery fish to boot. It was a gorgeous chrome purple hewed fish. Out of all that and because of the DFO Idiocracy with the upper slot size limit we handled far too many fish to get one that we caught and killed and kept late into the trip, that was in the high 70 cm range.
As soon as the hook hits the fishes lips, it's damaged, then we have to take extra time to try and figure out if we can keep it or not. DFO Idiocracy is disgusting and more harmful to the fish that they say they are trying to save than if they said you can have one. Plain and utter stupidity. To top it off, this upper slot limit has us all fishing on a single age class...I wonder what will happen and what their excuse will be when all of a sudden certain year fish don't show up?! Hmmm.
The fish in this pic was a hatchery chinook 85cm, It was kept wet and only lift out for a quick pic, placed back in the water to ensure she was swimming then released. This was the only fish netted on our trip all others were wet release.
DFO should be ashamed and considered criminal for developing such regulations that are imposed in the name of conservation, yet are potentially harming or killing more fish than they are trying to save. Shut us all down immediately or open it to one(1) fish no slot.
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