Releasing Fish

[Bamboozle]

I think this has been mentioned before, but I’d like to think of holding a fish out of water as how long I can hold my breath, although I try to hold it out for 10 secs or so...

How do you know a fish can hold it's breath as long as you without being adversely effected...?

 

[TheBluegillMaster]

That’s like the upper limit. 99 percent of the time I dip it into the water every 10 seconds, I never had to do that for trout only sunfish and such in ponds.

 

[silverfox]

From witnessing a whole lot of people fish, what I seem to see is that attitude impacts fish handling more than anything. If your attitude is "I can't let this fish get away" (for photos, your tally for the day, or the frying pan), then you're going to over-handle the fish. A lot of new fly-fishers seem to suffer from this. The older you get and the more fish you've handled, the less you care whether you land the fish or not.

 

[wildtrout2]

People and their phones and hero photos! It's almost as if the photo is the whole reason for fishing. I used to take photos and now I don't bother.

So, when you "used to take photos" it was acceptable. Now, since you "don't bother" everyone's a "joker" who does?

 

[troutbert]

The cyclic rate on brookie fishing 😂😂😂

We must maximize our eFishency!!!

 

[caddisflyer]

As I’ve gotten older a lot of the people I fished with as I grew up (my father’s friends) were great mentors to me. They also made being at fish camp very enjoyable. Most are gone. We didn’t take many pictures back then but the ones I do have are cherished.

Similarly my friends are now beginning to pass and having pictures of those folks that I find stashed here or there have been uplifting to me. It brings me back to a good time and place.

I once was told that initially the fish or game was the reason the photo was taken, but as time passes it is the people in the photo is what is most cherished. That rings true for me.

You got that right. I have hardly any photos of my grandfather who got me started. Have some of my boys fishing and hunting with me. We just didn't carry cameras back then. Now I mostly fish alone. And it is so easy to photo and even video everything and I realize I don't want to. As Ram Dass says " Be Here Now". A photo of a dink trout in my always wet hand is the last thing I care about.

 

[Shawn Joseph]

I enjoy the part where you fight the fish(I don’t make it any longer than it needs to be). Doe this make me a bad fly fisherman?

 

[wildtrout2]

I enjoy the part where you fight the fish(I don’t make it any longer than it needs to be). Doe this make me a bad fly fisherman?

Not at all. When I hook a trout that I know is bigger than usual, I'll baby it somewhat, to help in not losing it. This requires playing it a tad longer than a much smaller trout, but not to the point of doing it harm.

 

[jifigz]

The excitement and thrill of fighting different fish in different scenarios is one of the best parts of fishing. When you set the hook and then realize it's a big one, boy what a rush

 

[caddisflyer]

I enjoy the part where you fight the fish(I don’t make it any longer than it needs to be). Doe this make me a bad fly fisherman?

Thats one of the best parts. Good for you getting them to the net in a decent amount of time. I think some people are afraid to apply pressure because they are afraid to snap the line. 5x and 6x are stronger than people think. Landing the fish is great too but I don't get too upset if one gets off because a photo session is not a necessity for the experience. My social media presence won't be damaged by one less hero shot.

 

[Shawn Joseph]

The excitement and thrill of fighting different fish in different scenarios is one of the best parts of fishing. When you set the hook and then realize it's a big one, boy what a rush

The first trout I caught on a fly rod 23 years ago is what got me hooked! The fight was different than a spinning rod. I loved it! A couple years later I bought a 9 wt. got into crazy bluefish blitz in Watch Hill, Rhode Island from the surf. F’ing crazy. Caught multiple 20lb blues that ripped me into my backing at 3 in the morning.

 

[Shawn Joseph]

Thats one of the best parts. Good for you getting them to the net in a decent amount of time. I think some people are afraid to apply pressure because they are afraid to snap the line. 5x and 6x are stronger than people think. Landing the fish is great too but I don't get too upset if one gets off because a photo session is not a necessity for the experience. My social media presence won't be damaged by one less hero shot.

I agree with that. I like taking pictures to be honest. But not at the fish’s expense. I’ll skip the picture if I think the fish needs to be immediately released. And most times the picture is taken in the net still in water.

 

[wildtrout2]

I agree with that. I like taking pictures to be honest.

And there's nothing wrong with that, regardless of those who frown upon it. Pictures preserve memories.

 

[Silent Ocelot]

1) Take None, best option for the fish, but the memory gets fuzzy in a hurry.

3) If no one is with you, laying the fish on the bank hoping it doesn’t flop too much has some real pluses and a big minus. You get a pretty good idea of size and the coloration is usually very accurate. However if the fish flops at all there is a good chance of brain damage.
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1). My memory is pretty decent (for now) as I am still relatively young. I just keep accurate handwritten logs that I can reflect on. Writing down a highly detailed log helps reinforce the memory. I type pretty detailed reports and my friends are impressed by what I can recall. I can even recall what was said during a particular fishing trip.

2). Like a fine single malt scotch, a fish should never be put on the rocks as that will result in damage as stated by the very person I am quoting. I was guilty of this last year on the only steelie I took on a streamer (well, the streamer ended up being stuck in the fish's head above the mouth). I hope the fish wasn't harmed after I released it. The release was pretty quick as they typically are with me and no photo was taken.