Solo double header on Gopro

[casper5280]

Hope you were able to harvest some of that fish.

Why it was still a wild coho. Thing was the other 2 guys never had a clue what happened. I knew right a way and began swearing and they thought I was mad because it was a wild one and not a hatch. Killed the kicker instantly and still had 4 lines out and they were all tangled by the time it was all over. You would think that all you would have to do is fire up the kicker and put it in gear and bye-bye coho, but no just jammed it more. Tried pulling it out with the gaff, no go. Ended up having to climb out on the swim grid and cut it out in about 6-7 pieces. Buddy holding on to me by the belt the whole time in case I went for a swim. Then put it in gear and fixed. Then spent another half hour untangling gear. In the end the coho payed us back for catching him.

 

[Fishtank]

Whoa poacher!! I'm calling the hotline!!!shame on you!!boat should be in neutral when releasing salmon!!!your un ethical!!!thrill kill!!opps!! Funny picture!!

 

[firelight]

OK I am going to throw myself to the wolves here. I just had a trip to Ucluelet and caught and played a very nice size coho. I had 2 guys with me that weren't very good at identifying fish so made a point that no fish came in the boat,net, or gaff without me checking it first. Anyway the coho turned out to be wild and was hooked in the lip with a single hook that was on a 6" spoon. Very easy release you would think. I put the rod down, grab the leader with one hand and the gaff with the other. Popped the hook out no problem coho swims off and BOMB kicker stops. Point is, not every fish is going to make it no matter what you do. You try to do the best you can with the experience you have and hope for the best.

I have a good ground salmon burger recipe if you want, I usually wait till I'm home to grind em up though.

 

[Lipripper]

 

[calmsea]

I use the term "bait" broadly. Whatever lure im using artificial or brined anchovie i call bait.

So your idea of slide the head and cut the hook works for anchovies, a hootchie or even a buzz bomb etc. but when a salmon swallows a 6inch spoon or other similar "bait" surgery is the only option unless you can get some wire cutters down its throat and cut the welded or split ring. Nobody's doing that.

So in the case of a 6inch spoon down the throat your options for releasing the fish are very limited like I said leaving the fish in the water doesn't seem to work for me. I always end up holding the fish vertical beside the boat to access the hook then when I slip it free the fish sometimes sinks belly up. If I'm fast a jab with the rod tip often wakes them up and they take off but they sink fast I've actually tried desperately to snag a sinking belly up spring hoping my lure hitting it would wake it up or if I hook it again I can revive it beside the boat. Netting and taking care of all this onboard then releasing the fish when its ready might be better but everyone thinks that's so wrong.

Who knows what happens to these belly up fish maybe a dogfish bumps em and they wake up. Maybe they hit bottom and wake up. Maybe they are eaten before they recover or maybe they are just screwed and die on their own. I keep the bleeders these are not bleeders these are fish fought to exhaustion so I can get a deep hook out without touching the fish or bringing it onboad as I'm told that's best for the fish. When I'm on my own I can't hold the fish and the pliers at the same time so once the hook is free if the fish sinks its gone I can't help it much at all. This is not usually a problem for lip hooked fish which are far easier to shake.

The point is no release method is fool proof so guys that complain about other people's release techniques need to keep quite. Anyone who thinks they can release all the fish they hook unharmed obviously doesn't catch very many fish. Some tactics are certainly better then others but no method works 100% of the time and I can think of a few fish this year I wish I netted and dealt with onboard instead of shaking it in the water to watch in horror as a 20 pounder who was fiesty moments before sank belly up just out of arms reach.

It shows that you have yet to learn a bunch. A good fishermen does not only hook a lot of fish but he is also aware of his surroundings and a master of the techniques. And that includes release skills and smart decisions. If you have your limit or plan on catch and release please use gear that is easiest for you to remove from the fish with little harm. NO ONE EVER DEMANDED 100% and we all have caused a mortality here or there but it is another thing to brag about unethical stuff in public in form of videos or reports of several floaters in a day. At the very least I would expect anyone who killed or damaged unnecessary to feel bad and be prepared to try better next time and not to publish it to make it look as if that's the best sportfishermen can do. I can't say that I have seen many deeply swallowed spoons in many many years of salmon fishing but if you, GDW, feel that you kill too many of the ones you try to release, maybe it is time to switch up gear that you can handle easier or stop fishing altogether when you got your limit or have what you need.

This is not meant to insult anyone and I am fully aware that the older generation like myself have done our part of damage in the past without thinking too much of it. But fish stocks are much more fragile now than back then and I sincerely hope that the younger generations can be smarter and learn from the mistakes in the past and be much better fishermen these days and moving forward. And I know they can because it only takes a little more effort and thought about the consequences. We want to be good stewards of this resource and be regarded as such. So please be smart about it how you represent our sector out there.

 

[GDW]

No bragging just stating what happened when trying to do my best. You can bet I learned from it and the solution is smaller hooks, heavier leader and taking more people out when its on fire. I'll also boat the fish and release when I feel its best for the fish. Releasing isnt a one size fits all process we are all learning better ways through trial and error the only method available. Also prior to this summer I only released one high teens chinook how is anyone supposed to know how to do it best when it's rare to catch more then your limit for your average angler?

You feel free to pack up after your limit I usually do but some days are just too nice to head in early!

Now, please re post the video with a disclaimer that people who have an issue with nets should not watch!

 

[Statler]

bloody prop guards. Murphy must have been onboard. lol