Keep it or Release it? POLL Recordbook fish

[MLBowhunting]

Keep it.  good meal there

[Button Nubbs]

It really depends. Big fish breed big fish and I like big fish. Most of the time, I would release even if the fish was bleeding pretty bad because they still stand a better chance for survival than they do on the dinner plate. Ive heard of venting the fish but don't know to what extent it works. If I knew more about the venting process I would vote. If this fish didn't stand much of a chance even when vented it is what it is.

[h2ofowlr]

Keep it.  good meal there

I wonder how good a 200 year old fish would taste.  My guess it would require a lot of tarter, brown sugar and other things.  The toxin levels would probably be at a historic high.   

[floatinghat]

release, when fishing in deep water we have used a clip or hooked a fin lightly dropped them to 30-50 ft and rarely got a floater. One of the schools did a study and the survival rate was very high.

[lostbackpacker]

I would of kept the fish. 

[TONTO]

 You do not want to "let the air out of it", the only way that fish is going to live is if it is released at depth. Either by hooking it in the lower lip with an upside down rigged barbless hook and a big ass wieght, or a wieghted trap with a release. The fish must be lowered atleast two atmospheres before being released, then it may still not survive, but it stands alot better chance. Poking a hole in the fish and deflating will help get the fish down, but the fish will surely die from either infection or from not having a working swim bladder to stabilize it.
  As far as the original question yes I would keep it if legal to do so, it appears that it may be a Vermillion Rock fish so yeah I'ld keep. If it is/were a canary then it would not be legal to keep where I fish, or if halibut fishing it would not be legal, so I would try to release it at depth knowing it still has a 50/50 of living/not anyhow.
  I know if I kept that fish I would defenatly be keeping the ear bones out of that sucker with 200 rings+/- they'ld be coaster sized

[BOWHUNTER45]

He would of most likely would of died ...Club it in the head and feed it to the cats  Be like chewing leather 

[woodman]

To start I would have kept it because I think it would have died anyway.

I am gonna go out on a limb here and say that I bet that he was fishing probably with a charter or someone that  took him out that ten miles to fish a spot that the captain of the boat knew about. He probably used the gear that was recommended to use and how deep to fish. He happened to hook this fish by chance and brought it up. It probably surprised him but he did not know what he had exactly at that moment. He just knew that he had a large fish.

I would equate it to guys that dream of getting a big elk or deer while they wait for the season to open. Then they go out and stumble onto an extra large bull or buck. Do they pass and say that it is an old boy and just let it walk, I think not.

[xd2005]

You do not want to "let the air out of it", the only way that fish is going to live is if it is released at depth. Either by hooking it in the lower lip with an upside down rigged barbless hook and a big ass wieght, or a wieghted trap with a release. The fish must be lowered atleast two atmospheres before being released, then it may still not survive, but it stands alot better chance. Poking a hole in the fish and deflating will help get the fish down, but the fish will surely die from either infection or from not having a working swim bladder to stabilize it.
  As far as the original question yes I would keep it if legal to do so, it appears that it may be a Vermillion Rock fish so yeah I'ld keep. If it is/were a canary then it would not be legal to keep where I fish, or if halibut fishing it would not be legal, so I would try to release it at depth knowing it still has a 50/50 of living/not anyhow.
  I know if I kept that fish I would defenatly be keeping the ear bones out of that sucker with 200 rings+/- they'ld be coaster sized

 

Towards the back of the fishing regs it talks about this...but who reads those anyways? 

[jackmaster]

That fish never lives if released. 

. In order for it to live you have to puncture something in the fish and even then the chances are real slim at best...

[Alan K]

I'm not a huge fisherman, just go along when invited.  I'd certainly have kept it, and actually probably wouldn't have realized what I had caught (in terms of record size).

[TONTO]

 Oh and never stab the bag hanging out of it's mouth, this is not the swim bladder, it is it's stomach inside out, to "vent" a fish you come in from the side behind the pectral fin with a needle, but still not a good idea. The fis will go down, but most likely will not survive.

[woodman]

I wish that the poll had a line that allowed a vote to keep it without the mention of the record book. That part makes it sound a little arrogant.

[MtnMuley]

Who would want a replicated record?  I'd prefer a skin mount of the record if I was the lucky angler, but I only like skin mounts anyways.

[xd2005]

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/rockfish/protect_rockfish.pdf

Figured it might be helpful for some to read on how to release them the correct way