Respect the Ladies

[City Dad]

It's been said that you can tell a lot about a guy by the way he treats his mother and I think that's true. Following that reasoning I'd go on to say that you can also tell a lot about a guy by the way he treats all mothers (and by extention all ladies and all people, etc., etc. but that's a whole 'nother ball of wax...)

Anyhow, it's now winter in the Southern California surf and this means that a guy (or gal) has a very good chance at meeting up with a bunch of mothers down at the the local beaches... mother barred perch that is.

NOW, I CAN ALREADY HEAR THE HACKLES RAISING OUT THERE, BUT TRUST ME, THIS IS NOT AN AMBUSH. I personally find perch delicious... more specifically, I find male perch delicious and occaisonally take a few home. I'm not trying to mount a soap box here - just hoping to share information - and I'm gonna assume that every one here (except the evil Sansou:Evil: my new mortal enemy) understands how "reproduction" works, so if there is anyone still in the dark about this, PM me and I will direct you to any one of several other sites which can better illistrate and describe the science and mechanics behind the miracle of birth.

so, here's a picture of a bared perch in which I can see no distinct characteristic identifying it as male, so, I assume that it is a female...
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb225/timmeinhart/CIMG2141.jpg

and here's a picture of a male barred perch
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb225/timmeinhart/CIMG2138.jpg

You will notice that the male bears two distinctions which can be used to ID him as such. The most obvious I will not discuss (again there are other sites for that type of stuff) the less obvious is the NOTCHED AREA IN HIS ANAL FIN. Can you see it? (If not lemme know and I can Photoshop in an arrow.)

Now look again at the anal fin of the female. See the difference? AND PLEASE, ANYONE, IF I AM WRONG ABOUT THE NOTCHED FIN THING, BY ALL MEANS LET ME KNOW - THE POINT HERE IS TO HELP FOLKS ID THEIR FISH. Later in the year females can more easily be distinguished frome males as they are clearly pregnant (once more I will assume a certain level of understanding among memebers here as to what pregnancy in organisims looks like.)

Barred perch are live bearers, meaning they don't lay eggs - they squeeze them pups out already a squirmin'. Often times, the stress of being hooked and landed can cause a pregnant perch to begin dropping her young and I'm no biologist, but it's my belief that leaving those little perch up on the sand to dry out is probably bad for them, so... common sense will probably go a long way in ensuring that an angler/mama perch encounter goes as well as possible for all organisims involved.

In summary: I know some members here a gonna think that I'm a total **** suckin' ******* who should just go **** my **** and die in a festering pool of **** and **** for what I'm about to write... but I'm still gonna make the suggestion: When catching barred perch, at the very least, let the mammas go. It will help sustain this fishery and will make you much, much more manly and years down the road when you and your own pups are able to go down to the beach and catch a bunch of slab perch, well, you might just change your opinion of ol' City Dad to nothing more than a **** ****ing son of a ****.

Have a nice day... unless you have other plans.:Big Grin:

[ghetto dad]

CD, you're a total **** suckin' ******* who should just go **** your**** and die in a festering pool of **** and **** for what you wrote!!!...

lol...nice report, and nice suggestions....i have always released every BSP i have caught....i USED to fish them quite a bit.....anyways, thanks man

GD

[DarkShadow]

I always catch and release with the ladies. (once in a while, i'll get a nice one and throw her in the live well, for you know, pictures, but then it'll go back eventually)

[k3vin_kim]

the evil sansou... lol.

He's just misunderstood.

Right Rich?

[DavidE]

haha .... he said anal

[troutdog]

Nice post with an authentic CD touch, one of the females I caught a few seasons back started kicking out babies....pretty wild stuff. That fish was quickly released as I always try to treat the ladies with respect! :Wink:

Photoshop that arrow when you get a chance, thanks!


TD

[deanhall32]

LOL @ DavidE!!!!!

[Wingnut]

Thanks for posting this up Tim... right in time for the Perch spawning season. :Cool:

Now, can you help me identify a female Halibut from a male?!? :LOL: :Wink: :Envious:

[City Dad]

Thanks for posting this up Tim... right in time for the Perch spawning season. :Cool:

Now, can you help me identify a female Halibut from a male?!? :LOL: :Wink: :Envious:

lipstick?

but seriously, what's a halibut?

[BassEngineer]

Too much caffeine?

I agree.....but for LMB!

[City Dad]

Nice post with an authentic CD touch, one of the females I caught a few seasons back started kicking out babies....pretty wild stuff. That fish was quickly released as i always try to treat the ladies with respect! :Wink:

Photoshop that arrow when you get a chance, thanks!


TD

m'kay here another illustration of what I'm talking abouthttp://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb225/timmeinhart/man_girl.jpg

the above fish I assume is a female the bottom fish looks like a male to me.

AGAIN, I AM NOT A BIOLOGIST - IF I AM WRONG PLEASE LET ME KNOW but I have observed that all the pregnant fish I've ever caught have had an evenly curving anal fin and all of the fish I have caught which were leaking milt have had a sort of "notched" anal fin.

[Nessie Hunter]

Good stuff..Also a good read and well illustrated.. ..

So many, many LMB anglers (and others) have been trying to get this point across for a very long time.... Thanks...

[Liteliner]

Thanks for the great read. Funny and informative. I learned something new today. Thanks again.

[fishon714]

Now, can you help me identify a female Halibut from a male?!? :LOL: :Wink: :Envious:

Well, this is one way....
Usually the female halibuts have very reddish tails on the edges. This is from burying their eggs in the sand so the bad fish don't eat them. Most of the WFO halibut postings from the surf are females that are breeding in that area.


fishon714

[PUDD MASTER BAITER]

Right on cd. Ive never figured out the hunter gather mentallity. Personally not to offend any one . The majority of us would not even think twice about keeping a lmb,for table fare. But when im fishing i see people keeping any thing they catch at the coast.it personnally upsets me when i see a nice bass,halibut kept,that was caught from our local waters. I grew up fishing the 72nd jetty for 50 yrs(it was my dads favorite place to fish)since i was 5 yrs old. We use to catch perch, bass, and halibut constintly while fishing . Never did we not catch a crap load .my father once caught a big yellow tail at the end. Now your lucky to get a hit from a bass, or halibut. Yea we catch a ton of smelt lately, but where are the exotics. Its an exsample of not using catch, and release. Crap theose local fish have such high levels of toxens ,why even eat them. Its differant, when you go buy fish at the market there caught mostly in open water. I plead with my fellow sportsmen to take a freaking camra, and measuring tape. This way you have something to show off without killing a fish that we can catch another day. If we took that practice , as is done with large mouth bass,our kids, and grand kids would have a future of actully enjoying ,the experances us older generation enjoyed as youths. ...hope i didnt offend anyone ,and hope i didnt tread to much on cd,s thread .... God bless ,and peace out.... Mike the pmb....

[tama16]

Right on cd. Ive never figured out the hunter gather mentallity. Personally not to offend any one . The majority of us would not even think twice about keeping a lmb,for table fare. But when im fishing i see people keeping any thing they catch at the coast.it personnally upsets me when i see a nice bass,halibut kept,that was caught from our local waters. I grew up fishing the 72nd jetty for 50 yrs(it was my dads favorite place to fish)since i was 5 yrs old. We use to catch perch, bass, and halibut constintly while fishing . Never did we not catch a crap load .my father once caught a big yellow tail at the end. Now your lucky to get a hit from a bass, or halibut. Yea we catch a ton of smelt lately, but where are the exotics. Its an exsample of not using catch, and release. Crap theose local fish have such high levels of toxens ,why even eat them. Its differant, when you go buy fish at the market there caught mostly in open water. I plead with my fellow sportsmen to take a freaking camra, and measuring tape. This way you have something to show off without killing a fish that we can catch another day. If we took that practice , as is done with large mouth bass,our kids, and grand kids would have a future of actully enjoying ,the experances us older generation enjoyed as youths. ...hope i didnt offend anyone ,and hope i didnt tread to much on cd,s thread .... God bless ,and peace out.... Mike the pmb....


very well put PMB.. "show off with out killing a fish that we can catch another day" i know i'm going to start a whole lot of crap with this one....

PMB have you seen the thread by seng90806 my 2008 catch. no disrespect for his fishing skills.... but does he really have to kill and keep such a large stringer of gills... my 2 sence!!!

[PUDD MASTER BAITER]

Sorry cd for trancing the thread, but i see the same locals at the pudd every spring ,catch baskets full of nice red ears,and crappies every day till they fish it out ,and you dont see seem any more. They have the balls to complain because after a couple of weeks at the piers ,they cant catch cra, but small pan fish .go figure it.

[SQUIRREL]

what is the limit on perch. I was told to buy peas.

ANDY

[City Dad]

what is the limit on perch. I was told to buy peas.

ANDY

Two. each a male, under four inches ;) Regs are on-line.

My point is this THINK!!! Why are more permits issued for Bucks than Doe? Same logic can be applied to fisheries.

and I agree fully with PMB - There are much better ways of convincing people that your **** isn't small than by posting up pics of a pile of dead fish.

[DarkShadow]

Hey CD,

Can you PM me some recipes to cook female barred surf perch?

I hear when they have a belly full of youngins is when they are just perfect for the Dixie Fry and deep fryer.

[City Dad]

Hey CD,

Can you PM me some recipes to cook female barred surf perch?

I hear when they have a belly full of youngins is when they are just perfect for the Dixie Fry and deep fryer.

m'kay, DS you are now going on my **** list right under Sansou.

Reap the whirlwind...

[DarkShadow]

m'kay, DS you are now going on my **** list right under Sansou.

Reap the whirlwind...

Whaaat?

I heard when properly cooked, the little ones explode from the mamma perch, serving as a delectable appetizer before you consume the main course.

Kinda like finger foods, you know?

I hear the dish is called "Perch Surprise," which was a take on an ole favorite, "Snake Suprise."

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/1indy-tod-snake.jpg

[fish_sauce]

nice read and informative! perhaps this post could be made a sticky or moved to the "articles" section for future reference by those new to surf fishing.

[SOSO]

Great info City Dad...

Btw, How do you guys prepare BSP? Pan fry, Bake, BBQ, etc..? What kind of seasonings?

[one_leg]

Do you mean to say that I cannot take home a stringer full of perch? How about if I catch them from a pier and put them all in a 5 gallon bucket? Then there is no limit, right? No license required either, right? BTW, I release all surf perch that I catch.

[City Dad]

Great info City Dad...

Btw, How do you guys prepare BSP? Pan fry, Bake, BBQ, etc..? What kind of seasonings?

When we do take a few, gut/gill-hooked, bleeders... we enjoy them lightly breaded and quickly fried. City girl likes ketchup,I dig a ketchup/vinegar combo - malt vinegar is good and so is chili/rice vinegar - but the key is not to over cook the filets. They are smallish and get mushy if fried too long...

I try to teach my kids to resepect all life and the way to respect an animal that you kill and eat is to ensure that the animal's kin and kind are allowed to flourish.

[bergie berg]

thanks for the info, and props for encouraging people to practice catch and release!!!

[BingJr]

Fantastic and informative post. It is educational while still allowing and promoting a responsible harvest of our fishes. Honestly in Todays day and age, all species deserve a responsible harvest.

[flopps1]

Great post and information!!! Really glad to see there are responsible anglers out there!

[PUDD MASTER BAITER]

Does anyone know a good recipe for garibaldi fillets?????????

[crappiemike]

Sorry cd for trancing the thread, but i see the same locals at the pudd every spring ,catch baskets full of nice red ears,and crappies every day till they fish it out ,and you dont see seem any more. They have the balls to complain because after a couple of weeks at the piers ,they cant catch cra, but small pan fish .go figure it.

your dead on with that....

cm