Do you put back fish that have gill injuries

[slayerofthesea]

Just wondering  everyones thoughts on throwing back gill hooked fish ? Do you keep them? Seems like it would be a waiste to throw them back.

[_TONY_]

What species are we talking about here, and is it legal to retain the mortally wounded fish?

[bowhunterwa87]

Only ethical choice 

[_TONY_]

Let's say for instance it's a wild steelhead, that may not be retained, you would have to let it go... Bleeding and all.

If the fish species is open for retention, or is hatchery born (all hatchery fish must die), then it would get the wood shampoo...

Tony

[snowpack]

if not legal to keep, it goes back for sure.  Don't want to get caught with one of those, then you get to deal with bigtex and his silver bracelets.     Maybe not that bad, but you get a ticket and fine.  If you get three in ten years, you lose your license for a couple years.  If they go back dying, I think of it as that fish is now dinner for an otter or seal so another fish gets a pass.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Let's say for instance it's a wild steelhead, that may not be retained, you would have to let it go... Bleeding and all.

If the fish species is open for retention, or is hatchery born (all hatchery fish must die), then it would get the wood shampoo...

Tony

Sounds like you understand the regs well .... 

[KFhunter]

fishing BC waters this really sucks, you could only retain hatchery fish - so in order to get your limit of hatchery fish you'd kill a dozen intact fish (err I mean release).

I never could wrap my head around that one.

[Houndhunter]

Almost every steelhead in grays harbor has net marks on it

[kenzmad]

Yep. You have to sometimes. Happens all day long at Sekiu, weeding through the wilds looking for the hatchery fish. There have been days in years past where i know 20 wilds were released to keep 4 hatchery fish. Not all of the wild ones were bleeding but they had all been caught and suffered that stress and the increased mortality that goes along with it. My issue is the rule that says you cant bring a salmon in the boat to unhook it. I know it can take longer to release one if its in the net over the rail than if it is laying on my deck. I cant leave the fish in the water and unhook it. Rails are too high. We do use a dehooker when possible but it is not always possible.

[hogslayer]

Ya you gotta do it.  I have had eagles come and grab them right behind me before.  Best way to get a clean release is buy a 3 foot gaff hook and run it down your leader and pick the fish up with it and give it a shake and it comes right off.  It is a lot cleaner then having to dig around in its mouth to grab the hoons out. 

[jeepster]

Fillet and release

[FC]

My issue is the rule that says you cant bring a salmon in the boat to unhook it. I know it can take longer to release one if its in the net over the rail than if it is laying on my deck. I cant leave the fish in the water and unhook it. Rails are too high. We do use a dehooker when possible but it is not always possible.

This pisses me off too, I always release fish as quickly as I can to avoid injuring them. If they are severely tired and are unable to do anything other than feed eagles I will try and hold them upright in the water for a few minutes to give them a chance.

Requiring that the fish not be taken from the water just opens people up for all kinds of injury etc. and is a pita that usually takes 5x as long to get the job done!

I may catch some flak for this one but if it's rough the fish is coming aboard briefly, if I can quickly turn the hook out I do! I try not to use a net at all if I am not keeping the fish!

Hatchery bleeders hooked from the gill plate forward are coming home with me for dinner, SOP on my boat. 

[Hunterman]

I was brought up that if the fish was bleeding from the gills you kept it, native or not. Anymore with the way this state is I will pull the hooks no matter were they are at. If I pull gills oh well..

Hunterman(Tony)

[slayerofthesea]

Let's say for instance it's a wild steelhead, that may not be retained, you would have to let it go... Bleeding and all.

If the fish species is open for retention, or is hatchery born (all hatchery fish must die), then it would get the wood shampoo...

Tony

Why do all the hatchery fish have to die?  Not being a hippy, Just wondering why.

[deltaops]

DO I do it? Yes I have to or face a fine. I do not like it. The Regs contradict themselves in more ways than one but this is one that really stands out to me when it comes to fishing. one can not waste any game but we have to release it if it is illegal to keep regardless of the condition of the fish. 

Some people might say it is not waste cause other animals will feed on it. Well that could be the same for all game then.

Either way I will continue to follow the law and watch these fish go belly up to rot. Really gets under my skin but until something changes, nothing I can do but try to stay out of trouble.

[jackmaster]

Its a friggin shame that its come down to that, but with the fines a fella cant take a chance, many fish die in sekiu and yeah bay, salmon and deep dwelling bottom fish, the seaguls eat better than the sportsman

[LndShrk]

Just wondering  everyones thoughts on throwing back gill hooked fish ? Do you keep them? Seems like it would be a waiste to throw them back.

Yup..
Had to turn this gal back even though a seal had punctured through her gills 


She swam off but was leaving a blood trail behind. 

[wafisherman]

for salmon and steelhead, I'm mainly fishing jigs or flies and rarely do more than lip hook them.  So easy to release and let them continue on their way.  My other favorite method is spoons and spinners - again, rarely lethal hook set.

I only like to fish bait when targeting stocker trout or panfish for the most part...

[Dhoey07]

Fishing for Steelhead with a lil cleo this year, and set the hook on a fish that gave a couple headshakes and then went to dead weight.  Reeled it the rest of the way in and turned out to be a cutthroat that was DOA.  Thought about keeping it, but not worth the possible fine for a 13" trout

[wafisherman]

Fishing for Steelhead with a lil cleo this year, and set the hook on a fish that gave a couple headshakes and then went to dead weight.  Reeled it the rest of the way in and turned out to be a cutthroat that was DOA.  Thought about keeping it, but not worth the possible fine for a 13" trout

Yeah, there will always be some mortality.  But if they die, they won't go to waste.  The ecosystem will appreciate the extra nutrients.  If it is not legal, it goes back.

On the flip side, if legal, even if it is not the size or species I wanted to catch, it comes home.  Too many guys do 'grading' at places like fish lake, where they use bait, gut hook trout after trout, only keeping the 16+ inchers and letting the others become food for the eagles and osprey.  And that is a violation as well...

[_TONY_]

Let's say for instance it's a wild steelhead, that may not be retained, you would have to let it go... Bleeding and all.

If the fish species is open for retention, or is hatchery born (all hatchery fish must die), then it would get the wood shampoo...

Tony

Why do all the hatchery fish have to die?  Not being a hippy, Just wondering why.

No worries! Becasue that is why they are planted in the first place... to harvest.

no CnR for hatchery fish.... ever.

[wildmanoutdoors]

Let's say for instance it's a wild steelhead, that may not be retained, you would have to let it go... Bleeding and all.

If the fish species is open for retention, or is hatchery born (all hatchery fish must die), then it would get the wood shampoo...

Tony

Why do all the hatchery fish have to die?  Not being a hippy, Just wondering why.

First, Hatchery fish have nearly no chance of sucessfully spawning in the wild no matter. Their genes are to shallow to successfully do this. This term comes about from the "chance" a native tries to spawn a hatchery fishes eggs or vice versa. It also comes from the Solduc's Snyder fish program. Some feel it takes the native Brood stock fish and by penning it lessens its genetics. So instead of releasing the fish, kill it if its left ventral is clipped.

Secondly, if a native fish is bleeding bad from the gill chances are it may die. But you wont know unless you put it back as a fish has more of a chance in the water. The fish is designed to be in water, not out. Bleeding stops faster and better if the fish is in the water period.

Third, imagine how many tards would intenionally wound fish if you could keep them if mortally wounded? And look back to my second paragraph. Who qualifies any of us to make the decision just based on a bleeding gill?
Chances are its not going to be dead when you reel it in.

[RB]

Fishing for Steelhead with a lil cleo this year, and set the hook on a fish that gave a couple headshakes and then went to dead weight.  Reeled it the rest of the way in and turned out to be a cutthroat that was DOA.  Thought about keeping it, but not worth the possible fine for a 13" trout

Have had that happen with undersized Blackmouth before, hit the squid or spoon and stuff it through the roof of their mouth killing them instantly. What would be a good eating fish gets tossed back to nature because that is the law

[Dhoey07]

It would be like catching a native steelhead in a gill net while netting for chums, they get tossed right back into the drink....right? 

[Button Nubbs]

The fish stands a better chance of living if let go (even if bleeding) than it does on your plate. Easy decision, no fish is worth a poaching ticket.

[h2ofowlr]

A fish bleeding from the gills is a dead fish.  A judgement call on that one.  If caught by a Leo, definate ticket.

[TheHunt]

I let them go no matter what.  It is too much of a risk.

[singleshot12]

It's cheaper to feed the scavengers than get a ticket of coarse

 I've always wondered what the average mortality rate is with C&R fishing. I bet it's higher than most people think.

[snowpack]

It's cheaper to feed the scavengers than get a ticket of coarse

 I've always wondered what the average mortality rate is with C&R fishing. I bet it's higher than most people think.

I've seen articles that have a range for mortality from 5% to 50% for fish like steelhead and trout, and even seen up to the high 90%s for things like rockfish.

[jackmaster]

It's cheaper to feed the scavengers than get a ticket of coarse

 I've always wondered what the average mortality rate is with C&R fishing. I bet it's higher than most people think.

I've seen articles that have a range for mortality from 5% to 50% for fish like steelhead and trout, and even seen up to the high 90%s for things like rockfish.

:yeah:the rock fish is a fish that it seems wouldnot be allowed to be turned out, anyone who has done some bottom fishn knows what happens when you yard one of them up off the sea floor, guts and stuff comin out their butt, bleeding and we still gotta let them go, its a shame, i know under certain depths you dont have that problem, i think thats why they have fathom limits in some places but not sure. they could make it the first few fish caught is your limit, like they do with razor clams, but some rockfish take forever to get to leagal size, like sea bass, i aint sure but i think they are one of the slowest growing fish around 

[wildmanoutdoors]

Rockfish and such take 15 or so years to get to full size. However, there is no minimum size restriction on rockfish when harvestable.

[jackmaster]

Rockfish and such take 15 or so years to get to full size. However, there is no minimum size restriction on rockfish when harvestable.

no, i understand that, but like when i am fishn for butts and true cod, often you will reel up a canary fish or i think they are yellow eye, probably all canary, but sometimes their guts and stuff can be coming out both ends, i think all of them die, when you fish seabass do you turn any of them lose? i will normally turn the real big ones loose, i try to keep the mid size seabass, the last time i was fishn wadda island and had a seal take 3 seabass before i could get one to the boat 

[kenzmad]

I have one rod on the boat that is dedicated to the fish decending device. Send the fish back down to the depth you caught it at and then release it. They say it improve survival just trying to do my part.

[jackmaster]

never even hear of that kenzmad, cool idea, i have hear you can poke a hole in the bladder and send them back, i havent ever tried it though

[singleshot12]

It's cheaper to feed the scavengers than get a ticket of coarse

 I've always wondered what the average mortality rate is with C&R fishing. I bet it's higher than most people think.

I've seen articles that have a range for mortality from 5% to 50% for fish like steelhead and trout, and even seen up to the high 90%s for things like rockfish.

Oh I'm sure with the 90% rock fish mortality. I'm mainly thinking like protected native kings and sturgeon being released tired out and exhausted only to be easy pray for the awaiting seal or sea lion

Also since spending a lot of time fishing on the water more people than not do NOT know how to properly handle fish for release.

[plugger]

If I have a fish that's hooked deep and I don't want to or cant keep it, I cut the leader as close as I can. Figure it has a better chance of living than yanking the hook out.

[ouchfoss]

If I have a fish that's hooked deep and I don't want to or cant keep it, I cut the leader as close as I can. Figure it has a better chance of living than yanking the hook out.

That's what I've always done for deeply hooked fish that I cant keep or don't want to keep. Had a guy tell me about doing that years ago and he said that you would be surprised how quickly that the acids in the fish will eat away the hook. Even more so in sea water. Don't know how much truth there is to that but sounds reasonable and I've gone by that method for years.

[wildweeds]

My uncle is a 35 year service  fish bio in S. E. alaska,he knows everything there is to know about fish,he told me a steel finewire hook like the old mustad 9263's are gone in about 24-30 hours,the combo of the salt water and the enzymes in the fish cause rapid decay of the metal through electrolisis,depending on the salinity of the water.Even stainless hooks will get ate into as well with time and it aint much time either as the hooks are of 304 high carbon content stainless.

If this state makes the commercials throw dead or dying by catch purse seined  non target salmon over the side,your going to have a hard time talking yourself out of a ticket.My  commercial fisherman buddy was totally ticked off at the states cockamamie rule on that last august when they got a big school of 20-40 pound kings in the bag with a couple thousand pounds of pinks.They have a recovery box on board but he said the bigger fish do not respond well to it and almost always end up going back over the side dead.Total waste that could be used to feed the less fortunate and down on their luck.