Catch & Release Info

[OCGeezer]

With all the talk of catching tons of wild native trout, I was assured by a fellow FNN poster that majority of you C&R the wild and undersized trout you catch.

According to my Ortho doc, who is an avid fresh water fisherman, almost 30% of the fish that are C&R'd die due to improper handling in the streams of CA. And...while in New Zealand last summer, he was told by several fishing guides that the population of trophy sized trout (5 lbs and over) is down almost 50% and that improper C&R techniques are a major contributor.

That said, I thought I would include a link that addresses C&R and the proper way to handle the fish.

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/pr.htm (http://www.catchphotorelease.com/cpr.htm)

Not trying to point a finger, I just want to make sure I get to catch that Bookie or Golden you C&R'd the day before. :Cool:

Tight lines.....

[tacklejunkie]

I was assured by a fellow FNN poster that majority of you C&R the wild and undersized trout you catch.Don't count on it! Only a handful of the anglers here really go by strict C&R rules and at best 95% of the time when possible.
Always assume just about everyone is catching and keeping until you tell them or see them do otherwise. Most everyone I see does!



According to my Ortho doc, who is an avid fresh water fisherman, almost 30% of the fish that are C&R'd die due to improper handling in the streams of CA.I have no idea how you guys could have come up with those numbers.
I think most of the fish around here are caught and kept. I see it often, wilds or not. Even when people do catch and release them, they stomp on the fish to stop it from wiggling in the dirt before letting it go. I see it all the time and it bugs me but I'm not going to ruin someone else's day (or possibly even my day) over it.

You can't seriously tell fisherman to C&R exactly how you want them to. They don't care and won't listen.

Although, props for trying! Most people just don't even care.

the only reason goldens and brookies are still in these waters is because most people are too lazy to hike in there, catch them and eat them! The laws and rangers sure don't stop anyone..

[bsp]

With all the talk of catching tons of wild native trout, I was assured by a fellow FNN poster that majority of you C&R the wild and undersized trout you catch.

According to my Ortho doc, who is an avid fresh water fisherman, almost 30% of the fish that are C&R'd die due to improper handling in the streams of CA. And...while in New Zealand last summer, he was told by several fishing guides that the population of trophy sized trout (5 lbs and over) is down almost 50% and that improper C&R techniques are a major contributor.

That said, I thought I would include a link that addresses C&R and the proper way to handle the fish.

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/cpr.htm

Not trying to point a finger, I just want to make sure I get to catch that Bookie or Golden you C&R'd the day before. :Cool:

Tight lines.....

That opinion piece isn't even correct on a few things. In an ideal world, the way you would release a trout is to leave it in the water and unhook, take a picture, and release it there. A wet towel still removes plenty of slime coat, and I can't believe he is suggesting it. If you need something to secure a trout, get a small lip gripper or a small very fine/rubber mesh net like the guy says, but never use any type of towel. Wet hands are fine as long as you aren't squeezing the trout or sticking your hand in its gills. Cradling it is perfect. Realistically, the best you can do if you want to take a trout out of the water is to get it with a lip grip, pull it up, get the weight fast, cradle it in your hands, get the picture, and let it go. The trout should spend less than a minute and a half out of water once perfected.

His idea about bringing up any fish from depth is wrong too. BASS did a bunch of studies on fizzing (puncturing the swim bladder) and they found that only a very small amount of fish die when they are fizzed. Also, plenty of studies on rockcod done by the DFG have disproved his opinion on "materials threaded through the jaw." A few did die, but again the vast majority did not.

Same points TJ made go for me too.

Thanks for trying to inform people though. Mammoth gives out a great brochure for the Million Dollar trout stock, and it addresses the completely correct way. Most people toss it in the trash, but hopefully the few guys this info reaches will be the ones who take it to heart.

[fly addict]

If you want to catch and release. Try a fly rod; use a single barbless hook and fish in the catch and release sections of water. Stay away from the planted sections of water. It will just piss you off watching the way some of those idiots release fish. If you catch bait fisherman poaching in the restricted waters with single hook barbless and no kill sections call the DFG and report the scum poachers.
If done right it does not take more than a few seconds to release a fish with a single barbless hook. If you must hold a fish to release it or take a photo wet your hands first before you handle the fish. And keep the fish in the water, even 15 seconds out of water after a fish has been giving you a battle on your line is enough to cause a fish to die later.

[tacklejunkie]

I've been trying to convince myself to go barbless lately but that's quite a tough commitment being as how I fish multiple species with tons of different offerings. I would think on the fly rod is where I would "need" the barb the most. That is where I have the least control of my rod and line slack all together.

Some people actually want to "catch" before they can release, and using a fly rod with a barbless hook isn't the easiest way to do so. You might go 10 trips with no fish like that. Not exactly the most attractive way to convince someone to C&R.

I never did like the idea of "fizzing" bass. That's crazy to be pokin the fish in their swim bladders and all that. I'm not for that one. I can't fish bass from the deep very good anyways. I always preferred fishin' shallow to 15-20 feet max. I still get those shallow solo wanderers in the winter once in a while.

I still can't decide if it's good or not for me to buy a boga grip for the halibut or just "tail" them on the the shore, unhook and release. I don't know how I feel about clamping devices on a fish I'm gonna release just yet.. but I'm sure I'll wish I had one if I ever hook and land a real halibut. For the spotties I kinda like how they tear up my thumb in return for the poking and prodding I put them through. lol I caught a good sized solid 2-3lb spottie once and didn't mind the chomping too much.

[Skyler]

I've been trying to convince myself to go barbless lately but that's quite a tough commitment being as how I fish multiple species with tons of different offerings. I would think on the fly rod is where I would "need" the barb the most. That is where I have the least control of my rod and line slack all together.

Agreed. It can be tough keeping a tight line on a fish with a fly rod. That brookie I lost up in the sierras was hooked on a barbless stimulator, and all it took was one misstep and a bit of slack to lose him. That barb helps more than ever when flicking flies. As for the downsides, I don't don't think the barb itself does too much more damage as opposed to a barbless setup. With the small hook sizes we are using, the barb only adds a couple of thousanths to the wound diameter. It's guys ripping it out at the wrong angle or holding the hook by the pliers and shaking the fish off that does most of the damage (or the "stomp and release" technique, lol). If you know how to remove a barbed fly properly the wound channel isn't any bigger than the hole caused by a barless hook of the same size. Plus it generally won't be nearly as stretched, as barbless hooks often force you to horse the fish in before it shakes the hook. You can play the fish a bit more with a barb. Deep hooking can be a problem, but at worst, when deep hooked, just cut off the fly at the lip and let 'em have it as a souvenier, lol. It will dissolve within a month.

[sansou]

I'm kinda surprised you guys strictly C&R the brooks up (I gather from this thread anything you guys deem "wild" is C&R) there in the Sierras. Usually they are the scourge everywhere else....which is why man invented a special fish to eat them up once they go through their stunting phase.

My understanding is that a bunch of the close and easy access lakes off 395 are "stocked lakes" anyhow. With the exception of maybe trying to promote holdover cutthroat, and maybe stream browns, I would think all else is fair game for the frying pan so long as they are legal.

[Sparky70]

Only keep what U can eat, unless they are gut hooked throw them back in where they came from...As far as Bass, throw them back, Carp throw them on the bank for the racoons to eat.........

[fly addict]

If you have to use a barb to catch a fish while Flyfishing then you need to keep more pressure on the fish. I practice C&R all the time including tournaments. Sure you might lose a few more fish with the barb pinched down, so what if you’re going to release them anyway. Everybody I know pinches down the barb while Flyfishing. It is much easier on the fish, releasing it to play another day, and it is the right thing to do for their survival. Get use to it and you will be fine and so will the fish!

[ezcompany]

barbless hooks really are key to the safest and quickest way to a successful release.