|
|
Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | ..Your conclusions and rebuttals are very confusing.
With all the new anglers on site it is also crucial to educate, yet not give the impression that 'regular' anglers scrutinize every move of other less experienced anglers. Not one single angler on here did everything right when they caught their first musky by themselves, nor do any of them not encounter problems with a fish inhaling a bait or other circumstances that make a release more challenging. So this viewpoint that is portrayed by some of the regulars that they are the almighty authority on releasing muskies is a joke.
Some of you act like the death of a fish is the end of the musky species as we know it. 50inch, you say you found some dead fish but do you know how they died exactly? What other assortment of factors could have played a role in the death of a fish besides 'mis-handling'? How about capture myopathy? What were the water temps when you found these fish? How deep was the water these fish were pulled out of? How old were these fish? Did they have any other underlying diseases/sicknesses that you the average fisherman could not diagnose? With the huge amount of factors out there that could kill a fish, I really find it extremely hard to fathom why we are making such a gigantic deal about how someone removes a fish from a net. How exactly did that fish get into the net? Perhaps you shoud all employ the 'see and release' method. I know for a fact that it worked great for Sorno and I this summer. As soon as a fish was seen chasing our bait we would work our baits in order to scare off the attacking musky for fear that it would impale itself on the hooks of our baits and then we would have to worry about how to pull it out of the net. Now that I think of it, perhaps scaring the fish killed them, maybe a heart attack?
To the new anglers, go out there and rip those hooks through the fish jaws, net them, pull them out of the net, get a picture and measurement, put the fish back, smile and dont worry about some of the jokers on this site that scrutinize everything. Fishing is fun, not something to become critical on every aspect of.
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 2024
| What needs to happen is communication between biologists and fishermen regarding beneficial handling practices. Rod's article in Esox Angler was a great way to reach out to the masses, and in my opinion should have been an article that was reprinted in multiple magazines. Now, a lot of people may consider the discussion of proper handling practices "preaching to the choir." I may be in agreeance to a certain extent; current handling practices used by most muskie anglers likely, in my opinion, severely reduces delayed mortality.
So then if what we are doing is good already, this begs the question WHO DO WE NEED TO TALK TO? My reply would be youth, small general fishing clubs and sport shows, IN ADDITION to muskie-focused clubs and sport shows. Often, however, hearsay is not enough to convince someone to change their behavior. Direct scientific evidence that supports (or refutes) something is often what can persuade an individual to change their behavior. After all, handling practices are a form of behavior related to how you interact with a fish. Some forms of behavior such as in-water measurements, hook cutting, little to no air exposure, etc. are good and minimize stress imposed on the fish. Other types of behavior such as netting a fish and lifting it into the boat, holding it up for 10 photos in four different positions, dropping the fish back into the water without a resuscitation period, etc. may be detrimental to the fish's health and thus should warrant a change in that behavior.
My point is, angler behavior can either be beneficial or detrimental to a fish's health. Obvious, right? OK, but then what do we do to change the detrimental behavior? Massive public outreach and extensive communication efforts? Scientific studies? I think the answer is a combination of the last two things. We love this fish, some more than others. It is both an economically valuable and ecologically important species (and one that is found in relatively low densities). These factors combined warrant necessary concern, and efforts to address those concerns are vital.
Food for thought. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 39
| I have mixed emotions about starting this thread because although I have gathered some useful info in here I am also confused as to the direction the discussion has taken. I prefer the posts in this forum that don't feature people dropping bombs on one another but maybe that is too much to expect (after all its 2009 and this is the web.) My theory is that if your contrubution to the conversation is to say "this discussion isnt even worth having" then maybe you shouldnt have it.
I agree Grinch and John and anyone who thinks this is an important topic worth going into detail about. I will wear the "confused hair-splitter/nit-picker" label with pride ... I may even make some T-shirts... 
Believer
PS I have taken fish out of the net with 2 hands |
|
| |
|
Posts: 221
| PP-you're not hearing what I'm saying. When a fish dies we sometimes don't know how it happened. So elimitating factors to reduce it is nessasary. Yes, it's pretty tough to get a huge fish out of the net in a high sided boat without it going vertical for a second.....yes, it probably isn't killing them. The initial post was about an EXTENDED period after removing the fish from the net. ....I've seen Bob do this on his show basically walking around with the fish vertical. IMO, not the best thing.
One of the big reasons I get involved in these disscussions is for the beginner. Would we be in such good shape CPR wise if initial information provided was to take a relaxed attitude toward it?
One of the fish I spoke of was a 51 that was caught by a newbee. He was misiformed about a cradle being good for landing muskies. Needless to say the fish was in the boat for 3+ minutes. She swam away from him, went down, but was discovered later. The newbee's day was ruined. He wasn't excited about catching his second 50 and didn't want to rehash the story at camp. Nothing a few beers couldn't cure, but still, not a good memory.
Killing fish sucks. It puts a damper on the day and takes away from the catch. If you don't care when you see a dead 50....so be it.
Darcy Cox
PS- Stop making the comparion that we should stop catching muskies if we're so concerned about them. IT HOLDS ZERO RELEVANCE!
Edited by 50inchGrinch 11/19/2008 11:32 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 3907
| "As mentioned above, it's pretty easy to lift a fish with two hands out of the net, and many anglers, including those on TV do just that. Grab a fish by the jaw, and use the other hand to lift on the body. Simple."
And there you have it.
|
|
| |
|
Location: Twin Cities | Yep it's winter.
RE: Boga Grip's. They work great, except when the fish swim off with them. I have two boga grips that I found this summer, firmly attached to the lower lip of dead floating-belly-up muskies. One was a 43 and the other was 49.5.
C'mon people, don't let scheit like that happen. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | muskellunged - 11/19/2008 12:59 PM
ESOX Maniac - 11/18/2008 10:06 PM There's really no driving need other than EGO to photo any fish out of the water-my PB muskie was caught in 1997. Al Al, I suspect there is more to work than ego. True, when I take a photo holding a musky, I am documenting a success. True, I get a warm feeling inside when I show some buddies a photo of me holding a big musky. But the true reason I enjoy taking pics of most of the muskies I catch is nostalgia. Every musky photo takes me back to a moment in time and tells a story. I like to recall who I was with and the circumstances in which I caught the fish. You go on to say that you will only take a photo if it's a PB. You ego-maniac!! LOL While I treasure the health of the fish, I also treasure the memory. A picture re-stirs a memory like nothing else and that is the driving force behind the photos I take. esox50 - 11/19/2008 12:12 PM A "water release" in the context of muskie fishing would/should be typically to net the fish, unhook them in the net, dip the net down and allow the fish to swim away. The only exception might be smaller fish that you could subdue next to the boat and pop hooks out quickly. The goal of a water release, at least my interpretation, is to eliminate air exposure. Right on Sean! Mike Witowski
Mike- thanks.... I guess ego was a poor choice, i.e, sometime we need something to re-stir the memory banks. You are right, but I did say brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........ meaning my next PB will probably be a water release photo - Larry Ramsell style. Out of the water fish photo's are a personnal choice, i.e., they are not illegal. It's your right to choose.
Have fun!
Al |
|
| |
|
Location: Illinois | Al, You're more evolved than I! Here's hoping you nab you biggest yet in June rather than November then!! Best of luck! Mike Witowski
|
|
| |
