TU Article: At What Price Glory

[Stenonema]

I'm with you PennKev..

 

[JackM]

I want to say that I take pictures when I darned well feel like it. I kill less fish a year than any meat-hunter, and dag nabit, that's my right. I paid for my license just like they did. Why not try to reduce mortality? I'm down with it, but not at the expense of a couple grip 'n grins gosh darn it.

I see my times is up, thank you.

 

[tulenkot]

If we really cared about fish we wouldn't catch them. Just saying'...

 

[Stenonema]

What about competitive fishing?
I just want to say that I just now read the article. Funny how my prev. post tied in. I can't believe that the author actually wrote about running a marathon and putting your head under water for a min. or two. My favorite quote from the article was the part about (doing the right thing by the fish not your ego.)
I actually fished with a fellow who was so fixated on numbers that he wouldn't take the time to appreciate scenery or the fish themselves. I'm not exaggerating at all.

 

[BrookieChaser]

The one thing I do, that I have not seen mention of here, is when fishing small streams (freestones for brookies and lesser times browns) I return the fish to the lie in which I caught it.

I figure brook trout choose their lies through hierarchy, who am I to take that away from them.

 

[perrycountypappy]

It is most definitely up to the person, to each their own as they say. I have no problem with someone snapping some pictures or even catching and taking a few home for dinner.

But at the core we want to do the best we can to ensure the fish that we do want to catch and release will survive once released. I have taken pictures, we all have but as mentioned the handling of the fish is really important and being reminded to handle them better is great. We all have watched people mishandle their catch who had no intention of taking pictures or anything but just to get a fly back.

All the techy stuff is here to stay and there is nothing wrong with that helping to make our trips out doing what we love better, more enjoyable and definitely more memorable. And being reminded to be more purposeful in do the very best we can to try to make sure they survive is good.

But through the nature of catching them some, even when we do the best we can, are not going to make . Catch and kill to eat a few isn't wrong either. I love them with some onions, peppers and garlic, yes sir.

 

[phiendWMD]

I take pics of almost every fish I catch. I wasn't aware of how much their chance of survival decreases in just 30 seconds. Maybe I'll have to rethink that. FWIW though, like others have posted, I leave the fish in the water, in the net, until the camera is ready, then raise the net an inch or two above the water, snap, and release. I really just enjoy going back and looking through pics of trout I've caught.

 

[afishinado]

phiendWMD wrote:
I take pics of almost every fish I catch. I wasn't aware of how much their chance of survival decreases in just 30 seconds. Maybe I'll have to rethink that. FWIW though, like others have posted, I leave the fish in the water, in the net, until the camera is ready, then raise the net an inch or two above the water, snap, and release. I really just enjoy going back and looking through pics of trout I've caught.

Sounds like you do a good job of taking care of the fish. If taking a lot of fish pics gives you enjoyment, and you practice good C&R practices.....snap away.

 

[wildtrout2]

I take pics every time I go fishing, both stream pics and fish pics. I do this because some day I won't be able to get to these beautifully wild streams, and my memory won't be able to duplicate many of those trips the way photos can.

 

[pcray1231]

and my memory won't be able to duplicate many of those trips the way photos can.

See, for me, memory beats the photo's on it's own. If it's memory vs. photo, memory wins.

However, memory + photos is the best combination. They work together, not apart. You remember that after this happened, then you did this, and bam, there's the pic of it. And likewise, seeing a pic of that undercut bank where the brown came out of adds something, it makes the memory a little sharper. You can just re-live a trip.

A perfect set should tell the whole story of a day. Get a few of the walk in, scenery while fishing, a certain % of the fish, some specific lies and pools, etc. Can't be a billion pictures, but there should be no major parts of the day that aren't captured, either. Take the pics at relatively even intervals. If there is a fishless stretch, then there should be several "non-fish" pics for that part of the day. If you hit a stretch where it's one fish after another, then there should be lots of fish pics. Any particular memorable fish, well, get one of the fish, and also of the lie he came out of. Make sure you take a few of any fishing partners, as well.

 

[wildtrout2]

pcray1231 wrote:

and my memory won't be able to duplicate many of those trips the way photos can.

See, for me, memory beats the photo's on it's own. If it's memory vs. photo, memory wins.

That might be the case at this point in your life, it will be a different story when you're 75 or 80 though. Wait, you have to already know that. :lol: The mind can't reproduce anywhere near the detail/color of a good quality pic.

 

[Pghtrouthunter]

I take pics whenever I want. I personally think the article is a bit sanctimonious. Another poster put it best, the best thing for the trout would be not to fish for them.

That being said, I think common sense prevails. I wont take a picture of a fish that isnt exceptional. No reason to. Second, its actually hard for me to take a pic of a fish because I rarely play them to complete exhaustion and they typically have a lot of juice left. I dont undergear for the water/fish and try to catch Steelies on my 3 weight or big trout on a 2 weight. Overplaying a fish and then keeping it out of the water will of course kill fish. Youre an idiot to think otherwise.

If you are practicing catch and release then use the proper gear, play the fish properly, take your grip and grin if the fish isnt over played and release it safely. There is plenty of research that supports that this works and many people, even people here, have caught the same fish a year later, or even longer.

However, if you under gear because you want "a fighter", handle the fish poorly, take a pic of an exhausted fish thats already near death, and then release it then thats wanton waste and on you.

 

[tomitrout]

The mind can't reproduce anywhere near the detail/color of a good quality pic.

Now that's funny, guess you're not much into art are you?

 

[rrt]

Thank you, PghTrouthunter. I think what you said is right on the money, including the tone of the article (now that my copy of the magazine finally arrived and I could read it -- even squinting, I couldn't read the online version).

 

[wildtrout2]

tomitrout wrote:

The mind can't reproduce anywhere near the detail/color of a good quality pic.

Now that's funny, guess you're not much into art are you?

Glad you found it humorous, but where does art fit into this thread? :-?

 

[tomitrout]

Glad you found it humorous, but where does art fit into this thread?

Well, considering some of the amazing works of art I've seen over the years, I'm pretty sure 'the mind' can create many things that put a decent photo to shame.

 

[pwk5017]

I always appreciate these reminders about handling fish properly. However, the comparison between CnR guys potentially killing more than a creel guy is absurd, and I just dont like it. Write your article about properly handling fish, and warn people that CNR can be fatal sometimes. This article was over-dramatized in every imaginable way. Fakey fakerton staged photo on page one, upside down dead rainbow blown up on page two. I like the idea being presented, but execution was missed--badly.

 

[Gorosaurus]

I agree strongly, pwk

 

[csoult]

I find it very strange that people who fake something into eating feathers and string attached to hooks, that they then embed in the side of their faces, drag them around by it only to do the equivalent of holding a humans head under water, is so worried about taking picture of said thing. I am all for not killing the fish but come on... it all seems so hypocritical.

 

[Chaz]

You all exagerate the fragility of trout.