Releasing short fish...Are you a Catch and Release, or a Catch and Kill, kind of guy?

[DarkSkies]

I have a story to add to this, but for now I'll just lay it out and ask the question..

[DarkSkies]

Story....

Was fishing the outer bar the other day, action was hot and heavy. All of us were trying to get our casts out there and back asap if we didn't hook up. I understand that, if you want numbers you have to maximize the efficiency of your casts....

There was a guy to my left, about 2 minutes into him unhooking his fish, I was motivated to move toward him to see if I could help him. He had a bloody short bass in his hands. So much blood was streaming down the side of the bass you couldn't see the stripes...

By the time I got over to where he was, he finally had the fish untangled from the metal it had swallowed, it seemed to be stuck in its gills....
He had unceremoniously dropped the bloody and hemorraging fish in the water....








I approached him, choosing my words carefully....

Me:
"Hey I saw you struggling over here and was thinking you could use some help. I see you finally got it unhooked"

Him:
"Yeah it was hooked in the gills, little bit of a problem, bloody. "

Me:
"Well, I don't mean to say this in a bad way. You look like you know what you're doing, so I'm trying not to offend, but that fish was so bloody it could have used a little reviving...if it was me I would have revived it in the water a bit before I dropped it back....

Him:
"Well, I just wanted to get it back in the water asap. Hot bite, you know, and get back to fishing. "

Me:
"Dude, there's a time when catch and release becomes kill and release. Without reviving that fish, you know he's gonna end up dead on the beach in an hour"

Him:
He looked at me and shrugged his shoulders, as if to say "So What?"
At that point his friend joined him on the bar, they were 2 surfcasters in their late 20's, all the right clothes, gear, looked like they stepped out of the Orvis Catalog...
Herkyll and Jerkyll from the Orvis Catalog shall be their names from herein...

I could see Jerkyl relating the story to Herkyll...I'm pretty good at reading lips, it seemed Jerkyll had to tell his friend Herkyll he couldn't believe some guy was busting his balls so much for throwing back a short bass...




Of course, they didn't know I could figure out what they were saying...
my next response was..

"And you effing guys call yourselves sportsmen?!!! You jokers are idiots, can't even release a fish without killing it." ....I gave them the 1000 yard stare and thought about taking pics or giving them swimming lessons, as they thought this was pretty funny (until the 1000 yard stare, after which they moved slightly out of casting range...)














The point here is that if you are sophisticated enough to know and be able to gear up with the right stuff, then you should educate yourself as to how to release a bass....

And if you can't handle it, maybe you should take up golf, or needlepoint....

As I related here, this isn't just a rant on the internet. I did confront these guys, both of them...and would have no problems confronting someone doing the same thing in the future...
If a gentle reminder to be more careful doesn't work, I have no problem trading verbal jabs and chastizing these idiots.

I feel if more out there showed their disapproval, exactly when things like this happened (without getting into a fight) some of these people might see that their behavior is uncool, and could change...

Again, there is a certain group of anglers that just doesn't care, I know and understand that...you will never get through to that type of selfish idiot...but there are some out there who just aren't aware.....and could respond positively to carefully chosen words.





Thanks for reading, and please do your part to promote respect for our resource out there (without endangering yourself), instead of just ranting about it on the internet....

[surfstix1963]

Would the meaning of kill be taking fish for the table or arseholes that feel the need to rip hooks out of their mouths or keep everything they catch.In the 1st case I guess I'm an inbetweener I do like to eat fish the mercury does ya good LOL but I don't feel the need to take them everytime I catch them most go back I don't eat frozen fish so there is no sense in taking them.The other reason I would take them is if I knew for sure the fish is not going to make it in which case I will make every effort to get them to swim away then I will feel I gave it a 50/50 shot.So I really don't consider myself a killer just a guy who likes to eat fish once in awhile.

[DarkSkies]

Would the meaning of kill be ....arseholes that feel the need to rip hooks out of their mouths :

Naw, Surf, I got nothing against eating fish, I may be taking one for the table the next time I'm out. The coldwater bass, when they're not eating bunker, taste the best.


Just to be clear, this thread is about people who release their undersized fish, but end up killing a large % of them anyway....

Some don't know, and need to learn...
My beef here is with people who should know better by virtue of years of experience, and just don't care. The 2 tools I'm gonna lay down the story about, I'll call them Herkyl and Jerkyl from the Orvis Catalog... were both in their mid to late 20's, and each had about $2k worth of rods, reels, and gear.....


IMO guys like that SHOULD know better, if you spend $2k to outfit yourself for the surf, you should be aware of the basics of how to release a bass without it winding up dead on the beach an hour later....

[Monty]

So many people just are inconsiderate and just plain don't care, have zero respect for anything.
I was amazed this fall how few people I saw release fish with care. There were two times out this year where I was fishing in an area where there was a decent amount of people, not overcrowded at all, but others in the area and hooking up occasionally. One time the fish were hard to get, the people catching released fish with care. The other time mostly everyone caught 1-4 bass. A good amount of bass were kept and almost no care was shown by others releasing the fish. Was disturbing to see 20+ people not care one bit about the release.

[surfstix1963]

yeah I hear ya Monty kicking bluefish in because they can bite them throwing bass like they are footballs inconsiderate idiots I have zero patience for people like that.

[finchaser]

Kill them all so they don't have to starve from the lack of Bunker

[jonthepain]

if you spend $2k to outfit yourself for the surf, you should be aware of the basics of how to release a bass without it winding up dead on the beach an hour later....

yeah they should, but...

I have found the opposite to be true.

The oldtimer with an ancient fiberglass rod and ripped up canvas surf bag outfishes and outcares mr. perfect all day long.

[ledhead36]

The oldtimer with an ancient fiberglass rod and ripped up canvas surf bag outfishes and outcares mr. perfect all day long.

We have an old timer who fishes with us sometimes. He catches twice as many because he says he can feel the fish coming, always holding his rod. And in all the years I have seen him fishing I saw him accidentally kill 1 or 2 fish. He uses circles and never lets the fish swallow the hook. I keep a lot of fish but if I am throwing back I am pretty proud to say they all go back alive even if I have to wade in to make sure they are swimming straight before I let them go.

[surfwalker]

[B]My beef here is with people who should know better by virtue of years of experience, and just don't care.

.

The answer is in your post, they just don't care. The mentality of these people is broadcast openly, they just don't care. No matter what you say to educate such ignorance, it doesn't penetrate the selfish "me" people. The people that accept whatever they do as correct and anyone who disagrees is wrong. Hey, I'm not perfect, but there are a few things that drive me crazy. I've seen it with novice as well as experienced.

Why can't you place a Bass back into the water and not throw it, kick it or try to let the wash carry it back in? It only takes a second.

Why do some people back peddle 20 feet and then drag a short across that sand? Why not meet it at the wetline.

When releasing a spent fish, why not walk aways to see if it washes up, try to help it out some. Nothing knocks me more for a loop than seeing a short washed up on the beach, a fish that maybe needed a second more to revive.

Try to treat the species with respect and maybe it will flourish and return the enjoyment of catching for a long time. Each year the pressure will grow, more and more people will be appearing on the shoreline, casting everything at these Bass. Preserve what we have right now, it's the future.

[strikezone31]

it doesn't penetrate the selfish "me" people. The people that accept whatever they do as correct and anyone who disagrees is wrong. Why can't you place a Bass back into the water and not throw it, kick it or try to let the wash carry it back in? It only takes a second.

Why do some people back peddle 20 feet and then drag a short across that sand? Why not meet it at the wetline.

Try to treat the species with respect and maybe it will flourish and return the enjoyment of catching for a long time. Each year the pressure will grow, more and more people will be appearing on the shoreline, casting everything at these Bass. Preserve what we have right now, it's the future.

And at Montauk, when you are on the rocks, you can't very well back pedal and bring the fish up onto the beach. I wonder why guys do this in Jersey?

Well-said, surfwalker, good points. As you said, sometimes these points fall on deaf ears.