elnaco said:
FishingAggie said:
The fly fishermen are hands down the most conservative. The rest kill them all. Big, little all of them. I've watched it for years.
The truth is a lot of the trout you try and release will die. They are hooked deep and it just happens. I wish they would outlaw treble hooks on the coast.
Redfish will survive much better. Any guide who lets you catch and releas trout should have his license pulled.
I'm sorry but that statement is just incorrect. Have a read of this
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233331888_Catch-and-Release_Mortality_of_Spotted_Seatrout_in_Texas
That paper talks about angling skill affecting mortality rate some which definitely plays into it bc yeah, if a croaker soaking googan is gut hooking fish, then spends 5 minutes trying to pull the hook out while he's holding the fish with a towel in 100 degree heat, it'll probably die. However, if you use good handling practices and don't gut hook the fish bc you have a smidgen of skill and can detect a bite and set the hook before the fish swallows it, they have a very good survival rate. I'll have to try and dig up a different paper that talked about gut hooked fish and showed that even when gut hooked, if you just cut the line and release the fish they have a very high survival rate. Water temp also affects bc of oxygen content but overall just correctly handle the fish and they'll probably be alright.
The only reason why treble hooks may play into killing the fish is they're harder to get out so you probably end up handling the fish more, thus keeping it out of the water longer and rubbing off more of the protective slime on it and ultimately killing it.
I don't care what that study says. Just like economics. You can find the numbers you want, just get another economists to run them.
I've fished on the coast my whole life. Hardly ever fish freshwater.
So according to you, with some angling skill the fish are unharmed. I agree with that to some extent.
Here's the flaw..... how many times does the average person fish on the coast? 2-3 times a year? Does that make a person skilled? No it doesn't.
The average person doesn't have the skill to keep from gut hooking fish. Especially with shrimp. Why do you think most guides never let you fish for trout once you get your limit? It's to protect their livelihood. Ask one.
Small trout will eat anything. They swallow it deep way too many times. If you actually believe whatever's in that study, you haven't caught many trout.
As for keeping fish. That's your choice. I love fish. Keep what you'll eat or want to. It's a personal thing that no one should feel uncomfortable either way as long as it's legal