Some call it irresponsible. What do you think?

[fndaway66]

On one hand, maybe they were not breaking the law as far as limits, but from my personal experience that’s an awful lot of fish for two people to eat in the backcountry. And then to go on and make this statement: “But the forces of fresh meat prevailed and we headed home some what lighter and anemic”. How much more "fresh meat" do they need?
Also, I just hope that they didn't release the ones after laying them on the grass, granite rock and after sticking their fingers in their gills.

The Fresh Meat line is a description of the mosquitos feasting on them and going home with less blood (lighter) and anemic (iron deficiency).

[fndaway66]

Guys he was out there for 9 days, Rode a horse for 4 hours, Fished multiple lakes, ate 10 fish out of 100's they caught to supplement the food. You burn so many calories hiking at that altitude with 30-50 packs. Those fish are pure protein and some fat = energy. As he said those fish grow in cycles then die off. For those of you who know Kirman it's the same way. The guy didn't put a dent in those fish. If the DFG is planting cutts the will plant goldens also. The fish that do spawn in the feeder creeks will replenish the lake. Put it on your bucket list guys cuz most of us will never see that part of the country.

[Viejo]

Interesting mix of reactions. Be curious to see how sierra_smitty might weigh in on this?

[Stormcrow]

I see we have some wildlife biologists on here. Just how loooong is loooong? Could it be that they're about to eat themselves out of a job? Maybe culling out some of the toads is beneficial. Just sayin...unless you're a biologist that has studied that body of water. Jealousy is a nasty emotion.

Actually...I AM a biologist. Although I have only read of the bodies of water here and not studied them directly, I think it is safe to say that if even 30% of fisherman entertained catches such as these consistently, this water would be nearly devoid of this age/stage category of species within the that ecosystem. You dont need to be a scientist to see that. You can get a idea of what I mean by looking at the nearly extinct numbers of record giant atlantic bluefin tuna, black marlin, and sturgeon.

Primary reason: OVERFISHING.

Go figure.

[STEVE IN SOCAL]

Iwas not there, I have no idea the numbers of fish they were seeing. Hard to judge if they overfished it.

I do have 2 criticisms, though:
Not cool to jam their fingers into the gills for a photo opp (unless those were the ones they kept)

Posting it on the internet...not a good idea. My first thought was "I'm going there"...multiply that many times over and it could spell the kind of disaster stormcrow is talking about. Not sure why that area doesn't have tackle and slot restrictions...?

[teejay]

The Fresh Meat line is a description of the mosquitos feasting on them and going home with less blood (lighter) and anemic (iron deficiency).

You certainly are right. I made that quote out of context. My mistake.

[simijab]

His pics made me want to punch him in the face

[GotBass?]

Jealousy is a nasty emotion.

^^ Well said

[GotBass?]

Posting it on the internet...not a good idea. My first thought was "I'm going there"...multiply that many times over and it could spell the kind of disaster stormcrow is talking about. Not sure why that area doesn't have tackle and slot restrictions...?

He didnt give any info on where he was other then Mt. Whitney zone. Unless you've been in that EXACT area you'd probably never know where to go. The area around there alone has countless lakes and is demanding terrain which limits the amount of people who access the waters. Even as one of the easiest passes over the eastern crest they still took a pack train over...

The area they were in is not far or hard to get to, the exact spot was never given out. Although that basin is one of the most stunning in the sierras and off a main route over the eastern crest it rarely if ever sees enough pressure to ruin a fishery that great.

Has anyone considered that maybe by catching those fish and elminating them from the food chain in that lake, the fishery may only get stronger in the following years? (Similar to eliminating older stags to strengthen a herd)

Jealousy is a beotch, keep that in mind.

[Viejo]

Jealousy is certainly not a word that comes to mind when viewing the photos. I'm not jealous of those who can fish for Tarpon or Bonefish or Taipan in faraway places. I also don't see lots of gilled fish in the trip reports from those places.

I happen to know the pack outfit...the pass they rode up to and where they were headed. The pack outfit has already had a number of inquiries about going to "that lake with giant Goldens". You are right...It's not that far and not that hard to get to. One look at the shape of the "Captain" and that's pretty apparent. The location was given out in very early posts but removed.

Question...would you have the same opinion if those were fifteen 5-10lb female bass they were holding and eating each day for 8 days taken out of a small lake?

I realize that you have expressed the desire to beat the US Golden Trout record in lakes near here and hope you do it. I also know that you practice C&R on 99% of your back country fish and would never have a post with pictures like that.