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Posts: 129
| People,
I seem to ache myself when I see pictures of fish that are being stretched out by improper holds on fish. Why doesn't MF set an example like Essox Angler does on no fish pictures that are verticle holds. God knows I did it in the past, but now you would never catch me doing it, mortality of the fish goes way down with those holds (because of strss). i want to hear what you folks think?? I am totally against it, and think the only way to deter it is to ban it on forums and magazines like this.
Musk. |
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Posts: 202
Location: Angola, IN | I completely agree. People don't learn unless you give them a reason not to. Next time "Johnny" catches a huge musky and he wants to show everyone (by submitting it to Esox Angler or by posting it on MuskieFirst), he won't be able to. Sucks for him, but he'll learn a valuable lesson.
I guarantee the next time he catches a decent fish, he'll hold it correctly so he can publish his catch. It's a great "carrot" to teach people the correct way to hold a musky.
We all have made handling mistakes, but to have a contest that could potentially advertise improper musky holds is a mistake in my opinion.
So I guess if a proper hold is required for a photo contest......photos from basements, driveways, etc. should also be banned as well. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | We are happy to promote good handling. Promoting good handling is an important part of education, and education to be successful IMHO needs to be positive, and that is how MuskieFIRST will handle photos now and into the future.
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Posts: 188
Location: Madison, WI | I was just going to keep my yap shut but...
What if a muskie was caught, netted, measured, put in the livewell, pulled out of the livewell, measured again, put in another livewell, pulled out and released? Would we support that sort of behavior?
I can understand the whole vertical hold issue and certainly the folks that run the websites and magazines have the right to not publish them but every fishery biologist that I've spoken with tells me that the more a muskie is handled the more likely that it will be harmed in the process.
If we are going to encourage individuals to protect the resource by handling the fish properly, shouldn't we also do the same with the tournament organizers?
I'm not against tournaments, in fact I'm all in favor of them so long as they do their best to protect the resource.
Craig |
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| I think the original conversation was about a photo contest. Drifting off subject, badly. |
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Posts: 188
Location: Madison, WI | What?,
From the original message... "mortality of the fish goes way down with those holds"
How is my message off the subject?
Craig
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| When you say vertical, I take it as holding the fish by the jaw only. Is it bad for the fish to hold it by the jaw as well as the belly, with the belly held out farther away from the body, thus somewhat supported? I know this is a pretty common way to hold fish, but is it bad as well? |
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Posts: 129
| Jake,
the belly hold is considered the 'safe' method of holding. It disperses the weight and takes pressure off points that are dangerous to the fish. Holding it by the jaw puts major stress as the weight is all in one area, and there is potential of breaking the fishes jaw. I agree the less handling the better, the less time out of the water the better. I got a 52x22 this weekend and measured it and a quick photo, with the fish held by the belly, and she never flopped or moved until she touched the water again. Now am I sure she will survive.....no, but I would like to think that she has a better chance than if I stretched her out by her gills. I just want to promote better conservation and help the resource, on your side of the pond and mine 
Musk. |
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| Are you talking about a "belly hold" like the one in sworral's picture? Or the one in Craig's photo, or both? |
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Posts: 129
| curious, not sure on those photos, but hand under the belly and the other either under the head or holding the head from the gill plate (with little pressure).
Musk. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The hold I use takes all the pressure off the fish's spine very nicely without removing much, if any, slime coat, and equalizes the weight distribution from one end of the fish to the other.It also doesn't get the fish held out at arm's length, which distorts the field of view. I've been using that hold for years, and have recaptured several of the larger fish that were released after CPR.
Simply put, don't hold the fish by it's jaw ONLY. Might hurt the fish, might not, but it certainly increases the chance of unintended injury to the Muskie. |
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| I wasn't bashing anything. I was just wondering if maybe it was better to hold the other hand aginst more of the side of the fish (sworral) or straight up through toward the bottom of the belly (Craig). Maybe one or the other would spread the pressure around more. Heading to Canada in 8 days and hope I get to use one of the holds! |
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| I was asking about the hold Steve Worrell uses in his pictures. The fish is still mostly vertical, but the belly is supported thus taking a lot of the weight off the jaw. |
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