Hands Off Fish

[silverfox]

geeze guys. why do some of you even fish? its nonsense for me to catch a fish and not pick it up(with wet hands of course). maybe some of you need to just start starring at fish while they swim around. and leave the rods at home. you can tell your wives " im going to go stare a fish in their natural habitat" instead of CATCHING them.

I’m pretty good with a rod, but I need three more years before I can think like a fish. 😏

 

[Kyle]

I do that all the time.

that would bore the hell out of me. rather watch paint dry. when im fishing. im fishing to catch. and release of course. what happens next, is up to nature. that fish " no one handled, or touched" will soon be eaten by a mink, otter, or raccoon. its called nature for a reason. nothing goes to waste. maybe we all need to watch the lion king lol. the circle of life.

 

[caddisflyer]

that would bore the hell out of me. rather watch paint dry. when im fishing. im fishing to catch. and release of course. what happens next, is up to nature. that fish " no one handled, or touched" will soon be eaten by a mink, otter, or raccoon. its called nature for a reason. nothing goes to waste. maybe we all need to watch the lion king lol. the circle of life.

 

[Kyle]

i dont spin fish. i catch and release. wet my hands. remove the hook. and move on. im not gonna loose sleep over a fish i touched.

 

[AgFox]

I don’t think we’ll see much surface activity until Grannoms. Gonna have to go down and dirty with lots of shot to get a bite.

 

[ryansheehan]

I'm sure a lot of the posts on this subject tongue in cheek but I have to make a serious comment. I could fill pages on the horrifying episodes I have witnessed over the last 31 years of fly fishing of folks landing fish. I fish catch and release waters 99.7% of the time. I use barbless hooks and a net, currently a wooden frame with a rubber net. I attempt to land the fish ASAP. I probably lose lot this way, but it is catch and release. I lose a lot too due to the barbless hooks. Once in the net, I leave the net in the water. I NEVER take the fish out of the net and out of the water. I rarely handle the fish. Most of the time, with the barbless hooks, the fish frees itself. I'll use forceps if needed or will cut the tippet if necessary. I've been tying my own flies for thirty years so it's not a big deal to lose a fly. With the hook out, I turn the net over and release the fish. They briskly swim away. With the thousands of fish I have caught, I only have about four pictures. These were taken very quickly or with the fish in the net in the water. I usually fish by myself or even when with a friend, we fish apart, so there is no one near to snap a picture. A picture is not that important to me. I have seen, mostly younger fisherman in their twenties and thirties, land a fish with a net, pick the fish up with their hand, fumble with forceps to remove the hook, show it to their buddy and then release the fish. I saw a twenty something kid on the Delayed harvest section of the Loyalhanna catch a fish from the bank. He lifted the fish out of the water. I was walking up the trail about forty feet from him. He still had the fish in his hand when I got near him. When I called him on it, he was very rude and said he knew what he was doing even though I had forty years on him. We saw a trio of twenty something fishers land a twenty inch plus brown on Yellow Creek, Bedford County, fly fishing section. It was landed in a net, then carried in the net out of the water ten feet to the bank. Five minutes or more must have passed between the time the fish was landed and released. Unfortunately, I have seen older fishermen do these thigs too. I read an article years ago in Fly Fisherman that said the one thing that hurts the fish the most is the loss of pressure on the fish when taken out of the water. Even leaving the fish partially submerged is a big help. I'm not a biologist so I don't not what the truth is. However, based on my personal observations, I see too many folks unnecessarily taking a fish out of the water. Even in videos on TV or YouTube, I find myself yelling "get that fish in the water!".

There is alot to unpack here however the thing I can't get over is you saying"When I called him on it, he was very rude and said he knew what he was doing even though I had forty years on him." Some of the most $hitty things I've had folks do on the river has been people much older than me. Being a jerk on the river knows no age limit.

 

[FarmerDave]

I think fish handling in the last 30 years has come a LONG way. So the idea that we can remind people or just have a conversation about it especially on a flyfishing site seems perfectly fine to me. I believe catch and release was most likely started by flyfishermen and has now spread to many other species. Musky fishermen have become very receptive to it. I would guess that study cited by PETA may very well be true but you would have to look at the specifics of the study,

If you limit it to trout anglers, I'd agree. But I think as a general rule, you should be thanking bass anglers for making C&R so popular. 😉

 

[FarmerDave]

that would bore the hell out of me. rather watch paint dry. when im fishing. im fishing to catch. and release of course. what happens next, is up to nature. that fish " no one handled, or touched" will soon be eaten by a mink, otter, or raccoon. its called nature for a reason. nothing goes to waste. maybe we all need to watch the lion king lol. the circle of life.

Well, I think a lot of periods went to waste in that post.

BTW, I've been known to scout streams without taking a rod with me. For me, it isn't all about catching fish. Catching fish is a welcome bonus though. 😉

 

[Paul Barci]

It really bothers me when I see people land a fish and then feel the need to pick it up and take a picture just so they can show it off to their friends. If you have a small rod holder and a net on your back you can simply net the fish…place your rod in the rod holder…..de-hook the fish and leave them in the net in the water so they can get their strength back and release. I want to start a movement called Hand off Fish…just not sure how to get my messag out their….plea feel free to comment….I forgot one big thing…it should illegal to use barbed hooks on catch and release streams…

I prefer barbless hooks. They don't seem to effect loosing more fish and most of the fish unhook themselves in the net. I do on occasion take a photo with my phone and all fish are in the net. Lucky for me that my phone is waterproof and can even take pictures underwater.

 

[GeneBeam]

Well, I think a lot of periods went to waste in that post.

I with you Dave there are more periods in that post then in an all-girls school.

 

[BradFromPotter]

I take it you're not a Flyers fan.

No, but I understand!

 

[BradFromPotter]

do stick your hand in the water & swish it around then pull it out then put it back in the water to grab the fish?

 

[csoult]

My wife just told me to delete my reply to this and I did. I’ll just say that I enjoy fish pictures and don’t mind the shame that comes with them.