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| I tryto explain to my friends just how crazy some of the muskie folks are when it comes to catch and release...So give me an idea of the ultimate situation where you would keep a fish...Such as you had to choose between your child and the fish...your wife or the fish....you hand was hooked really bad and the fish was thrashing...would you kill it to save our hand a bit of damage...What is your limit to Catch and Release...Ben
Edited by BenR 12/14/2005 8:29 PM
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | It' a fish, not a child and my wife kicks my but all the time, so.... I do all I can to make sure I get a good release but if it comes down to me or the fish, the fish loses.   |
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Posts: 1270
| To me the limit is when you want to keep one. While I don't keep muskys, or many other fish, but I believe that it is ones right to keep one if they want to. |
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| I let one go that cost me basically around 10K, looking back at it...It was a bad decision...but I really don't lose sleep over it. I thought perhaps the different senarios where one would keep one would be pretty interesting...wasn't really serious about the wife or child...Ben |
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Location: Des Moines IA | Only 1 I will keep, would be about 65 X 38. Definite world record. That one gets "Bonked"!!! Other than that big girl I do my best to release ALL muskies. |
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Posts: 4266
| The last one I kept was a 40"er that swallowed a 6" Bobbie Bait from behind. I set the hooks and literally ripped her gills out.
I made chowder. It was delicious.
If I'm hooked through the hand and the fish is thrashing, I'll beat it to death with the other hand.
I don't plan on ever keeping another muskie, but the best laid plans..............
Beav |
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Posts: 2024
| I have always said that I'm a 99.99999999% catch and release fisherman. That one in a trillion chance that I catch one which is undoubtedly the world record is getting thumped. Period.
BUT, it HAS to be without a shadow of a doubt. |
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Posts: 207
Location: Mpls, MN | I have no desire to keep one to chow down or mount. Just not interested in a mount at all. Replica or skin.
But if I'm going to get messed up and do exactly what Beaver said - pound the snot out of the fish or pull the blade out and make like Edward Scissors hands on it's arse.  After all it's just a fish. |
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| You're kidding right? It's a #*^@ fish. My hand, my wife and my kids and even my dog all out rank the fish by a ton. No hesitation - bonk. bonK. boNK. bONK. BONK.
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Posts: 1438
| I'm with Beav here. Don't ever plan on keeping one but... the best laid plans.
Scott |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Since us folks farther south are gettin a reputation, I guess the expected answer would be: "Around dinner time".
I don't really plan on consuming one, but if she won't release and the size is legal, well, 'them muskies is some mighty good eatin'.
m |
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Posts: 224
Location: Madison | BenR - 12/14/2005 9:06 PM
I let one go that cost me basically around 10K,
Story? |
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| Waldo: Ben R had a premature release during a tournament that would have been a new ILL State Record, this Premature release was witnessed by a few other boats, I'll let Ben tell you the whole story
Get A Big One: John |
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Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | At this point, the only fish I would not release would be one that was somehow fatally injured during fight or unhooking. About 9 years ago, I had a 34 incher's lower jaw break when I went to grab it under the gills. It thrashed in just the right manner and off it came.
Ended up pickling it, which was not bad.
Definitely NOT what I wanted to have happen.
Steve |
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | I release all of them. Its a really easy concept for me, they have reproductions, I like to catch them, and I might be the only guide in Northern Wisconsin that can't stand the taste of any fish. It's been easy for me to release them all from the get go.
They are just fish though. If one is connected to me via hooks, I take priority. That goes for anyone else that may be in such a predicament in my boat. I haven't had to keep one for many many years, but if I do find myself in a predicament where one doesn't make it on release, it won't be the end all! |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | I know a great taxidermist here in SE Wis. If I get one that obviously won't swim away and live, why toss it back to be a floater? There's plenty of other things for Seagulls to pick at other than a bloated gator. |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI |
As others have said..It is just a fish! My own safety or my kids would dump the fish immediatly.
I have never kept one yet. Someday I think I will keep one. It will have to be a beauty. I don't want to open up the ugly debate over skin vs replica here but I personally just like the looks of a skin mount better. Also it would mean more to me that it was "the" actual fish that I caught. So far however I have never been tempted to keep one. I hope to catch them all again someday.
cpr is working great, keep up the hard work guys! |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | I guess I'm an idiot
Edited by MikeHulbert 12/15/2005 3:34 PM
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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | I guess I agree with Fishwater on this one, to me it's a fish, nothing more. I wouldn't put a single thing of value to me over a stinkin fish, even a world record version. That being said tho, I do release nearly all fish because I so enjoy catching them!
When you work in the business that I do (as a biologist) you learn to see thousands of fish die, particularly with research. In my business it is often said, "they either die now or they die later".
jed v.
BBC
Edited by RiverMan 12/15/2005 9:16 AM
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Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Ben- been there done that on a Canadian flyin, and that's why I fish barbless today- the fish (+5lb smallie) died from my putting my full weight on it with my knee to keep it from thrashing, and I subsequently ate the beast, yummy!
So far I've released every muskie I've ever caught, but one of those WR class big girls on lake X & lake Y in W. Ontario may not be so lucky- bonk!
Al |
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Posts: 2037
Location: lansing, il | having to choose between the safety of someone in my boat and the fish, the fish is gonna die! with that said, this fall i had a 47 inhale a glide bait so far in, that the whole bait was engulfed in its mouth, to the point that the only thing hanging out was my flouro leader. we had a tough time trying ot unhook, cut hooks etc etc. finally i realized the only way to release the fish was to get cut up and get my hands all the way into the fishes mouth. few minutes later the fish was swimming away, but we had to call it a day because a half hour later i was still bleeding pretty bad. |
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| I've never kept a fish and don't want to, maybe if it was a WR. That being said, the day my boat or especially a friend becomes more important than a fish is the day I am embarassed to be a human being. |
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | With the incredible graphite mounts available through Fittante, among others, I would see no need to kill one.
The "if it was a world record" situation is so remote from reality that it isn't worth discussing.
I have never even come close to keeping one in over 22 years. I don't see things changing now.
If the fish was dying or likely to die, I would keep it without hesitation. |
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Posts: 127
Location: NW burbs of Chicago | Dang, Mike... I'm glad I'm not your girlfriend or boat. |
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Posts: 8781
| Hulbert
That's fricken crazy man
We all love them and we all do everything we can to make sure they get back to the water safely, but I gotta admit that's fricken crazy. Putting a fish before someone you love?
I'd put a 60" fish back without thinking, but if I'm hooked, and I'm looking at the potential for permanent injury?
*WHONK!*
no regrets
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Location: Duluth, MN - Superior, WI | I have always said if I were hooked with a lure that was attached to a muskie, I would kill it no question. 2years ago I was put in that situation. I was trolling and caught a 35”er and choose to hand land the fish. Big Mistake!!! The two front hooks of the Jake push home in my arm. I was glad I had my Leatherman on my belt. As I grabbed the Leatherman, I thought it would be easer to unhook it then try killing the fish without having it trashing more.
I think the hardest and more stupid decision was removing the hooks out of my arm next. That $h*t hurts!!!
-Corey
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Posts: 1080
| For me...personal safety will always come first and foremost. In my line of work...I rely on my hands heavily to do my job. I don't want to loose the use of my hands to a hook that's embedded in my hand with a fish still attached and thrashing about. Hence the need for good release tools and ones that are long enough to do the job if necessary.
We as individuals can donate money to stocking programs to grow more fish...we as individuals can not grow another hand. |
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Posts: 20218
Location: oswego, il | I keep every one so for me it is not an issue. If you freeze them, they make great baseball bats for about a 1/2 hour. |
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Posts: 3867
| I would kill the fish if necessary. But that would likely not be necessary because I keep a set of mini-bolts velcroed in a central location, ALWAYS within immediate reach and a one-handed tug releases them. I put these in place just after an upper 30"s put a Jackpot hook deep in my hand; I had to go an ER to get the hook out and was lucky to have not gimped my paw.
A word to the wise - don't wait 'till too late to find that heavy duty side cutters WILL NOT cut a many heavy duty muskie hooks. Get good mini-bolts and keep them where you can quickly grab them if you get hooked to a fish. (And it seems to me that getting hooked is an eventual certainty for folks who chase muskies all the time.)
ps - I use Lindy gloves, too, and love them. Except one is now in tatters and maybe the folks at Lindy will let me trade it in. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | ToddM,
THAT is funny!!!
The 34"ers would be a close representative to a Mickey Mantle, I think. |
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Posts: 280
Location: Pewaukee WI | Hand landing a mid 30" fish and it did a 180 and sunk a heavy gauge 4/0 in the bottom of my wrist. The hook went though my skin and came out with the barb hanging out the other side while the other hook was still in the fish. My dad helped me pin the fish against the floor. Unhooked the fish, released it, fish was fine.
I then tried ripping the hook out. It sounds crazy but we were far from the ER and my adrenaline was flowing(Prolly from the topwater strike) I pulled as hard with pliers in my right hand and it still wouldn't budge cause the barb was sticking. Told my dad to grab another pair of pliers as well. Counted to three and we both pulled on her and she finally ripped out. Bled a lot but it didn't hurt as bad as you would think. Kept fishing. Got some good scars where it went in and then out as well.
Luckily it wasnt a 50lber. |
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Posts: 1335
Location: Chicago, Beverly | Can't emphasize more, Knipex Bolt Cutters very important to have in the boat... "side cutters" or Diagonal Cutters do work, and there are a few situations where they are better then the knipex... but the knipex bolts get the most use normally.. If I was hooked and it was a matter of my hand being severly injured or the fish getting killed? Todd would have a new bat to use.he even kept a softshell turtle this year to use as homeplate...but thing keeps crawling away when it thaws out.... |
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| I've had to kill 2 in the past 31 years of musky fishing. Sometimes there is no choice--even with proper tools I have had 2 that totally englfed the lure and did extensive damage to their gills. Still tried but with no success at recovery I kept them and Baked them up--tasted pretty good. catch and release is the method but $#*T Happens. |
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Posts: 1316
Location: Madison, WI | I've hooked my self while bass fishing, certainly glad it wasn't a muskie bait.. But i couldn't get the hook out for the life of me, pulled so hard tought i was gonna tear my thumb off. Once those barbs get stuck they're not moving... Unless you can push the hook through and cut it, in my case i couldn't. I have a pic some where let me see if can find it.
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Where to draw the line...