Would you buy a License if?

[Carver_OR]

Seems like most anglers that post here are okay with letting fish go, catch and release.

Would you still purchase a license if it was state wide catch and release?

To me it's the skill and luck it takes to make a fish bite and then getting it to the bank or boat that keeps me interested in the sport. I don't need to take one home.

Pat R
Catching is a small part of it.
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<A HREF="http://www.holdzit.com
Catching" TARGET=_blank>http://www.holdzit.com
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[This message has been edited by Carver_OR (edited 12-17-2000).]

[Salmonator]

I might but wouldn't be real happy about it. Fish is a huge part of the diet in our house. I feel better about going out and dragging a fish around with a hook knowing that I have an intent to eat any quality fish that I or my kids have landed. If it's an extremely skinny sturgeon or a ghost rider salmon (O.Mykiss, how long has it been since you've heard that term?) then I would have no problem with releasing knowing that there is no eating quality, or quantity to justify taking home. No, I don't have to kill fish to keep my family from starving, but there is almost something religious to it... Sal

[WaterDog]

I will ditto what Sal said! Fish is a large part our diet too. However over the last few years, I know how many fish we can eat in a year. After catching that magic number I start releasing.

[thefishnfool]

I agree about taking fish home............as long as they are of hatchery origin. NO wild steelhead included. I am the first one to yell if I see someone bonkin a nate and the first one to bonk a brat myself.

Tim

[Deleted User]

Hi Pat. Have you been injecting any sandshrimp with codliver oil and dunking 'em lately? http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif ... If there are sufficient numbers of harvestable fish, which the taking of won't harm recovery of native runs, I believe we should be given an appropriate allotment. But when that is no longer the case, yes, I would buy a license to enjoy C&R fishing salmon and steelhead on our beautiful rivers. To compensate for lack of fish brought home from the river to eat, we would buy farmed salmon, other fish species, and drink down 1 T. of Flax Seed oil every other day - it's very rich in omega-3 oils, the same ones that are health beneficial from salmon consumption. I already do this except on days I eat any fish species with omega-3's. Also, it would be easy to compensate for lack of salmon eggs with barbless hooks and longtime productive methods such as sandshrimp, cured prawns, plugs, corky and yarn with scent, and spinners/spoons, and more recently using very effective sardine wrapped Kwikfish for 'Nooks and shrimptail tipped jigs for steelhead. .....

As a matter of fact, I'll go ya one step further Pat. I personally would prefer to see that revolutionary step be taken now; not at all a popular stand to most fishermen or guides. Since my reason is self-serving I wouldn't advocate it though. My reason is that since a significant percent of fishermen have taking fish to show and eat as their primary objective, that likely would significantly reduce the amount of fishing pressure; leaving it to the fishers that have the fun of fishing and enjoying the outdoors and friends as their primary objective, on less crowded rivers. Let me repeat though: I wouldn't advocate that under the present conditions because it would be unfair self-interest. - RT




[This message has been edited by RT (edited 12-17-2000).]

[Trout,myster]

Pat-

For me, I would still buy the license. I love to fish and I do it for the challenge and sport, not the meat. I just don't happen to care that much for fish. I usually keep 2 or 3 steelhead and salmon a year for barbeques, smoking, whatever and admittedly, a couple of them will be females for some eggs.

The rest of the fish I catch I release as I was brought up to never kill anything unless you plan to eat it. I also figure by my releasing a fish, it offers someone else who DOES like to eat them the opportunity to keep one to do so. May just be my lobsided thinking, but it makes me feel good so I keep doing it. I would not give up the catching part one way or the other.

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Troutmyster

[fishhead5]

I would still buy a license, but a lot of people wouldn't. So now we have hit them in the pocket book, so where do they hit us? By shutting down the hatcheries. They don't trim the fat, they hurt us. They know we will do just about anything to keep fishing and that means we will pay.
We pay in more ways than one.
Fishhead5

[Phish_on]

I would still fish, and therefore buy a license to avoid legal $acntion$ - but I would make a HUGE stink about it. It would never happen, C&R is appropriate for some waters but absurd for others. State-wide C&R would be STUPID.

They can close the hatcheries if they blow up all the dams - that seems fair... I'm not holding my breath, eh?

[tadpolly]

Without a doubt!We moved to central Or. about 2-1/2 yrs. ago. I have killed 3 trout since then.A couple hatchery metalheads on the D, and enough smallies for a shorelunch.Thats it for 3 years.The Deschutes gets hit pretty hard for redsides and you can kill a couple a day there.If you do prepare to get some ugly stares(glares)from others.This fishery is strong due to feed and C-N-R.Now before you paint a picture of me as a fly only diehard,think again.Never caught a steelie on fly gear and still use conventional tackle most of the time.It is too effective to ignore.The John Day smallies would actually benefit from a heavy kill for several seasons.Thats why you can catch 100 plus fish per day in the summer,but few will exceed 1-1/4 pounds.Most will be smaller than that.Not enough food for all of them.The steelhead run there is fantastic.Nates only with no hatchery losers to taint the gene pool.We fish there several times per season full well knowing that a keeper will not happen.But a bighorn may step out into view.A friend from the valley makes it an annual trek.8-10 hour roundtrip for solitude,unless you count the wildlife.The whole experience makes the trip.The fishing is only a part of it.If you would rather bonk 'em then stay away from here...and B.Cs island...and the 'tucker in april.Or your favorite place to get away from the crowds and still enjoy fine angeling.Anyone ever fight a hog sturg?Why would you want to kill that beast when you can let it go and catch it next year when it weighs 50 or 60 pounds more!!So go ahead and whack lockjaws but if you love something set it free.Mark

[Steve]

I would put C&R right there with Gun Registration, PETA would have one foot in the door...fishing is cruel to the fish..then the bleeding hearts could file an initiative buy signiture gatherers to get the state to vote,,,since Multnomah, Washington and Lane Counties control the state elections. They could concentrate their efforts there and win.....remember hunting with hounds for bears and cougars? ONCE you've lost it...it's gone. I was taught in the old school..you work hard for a fish, you take it home...not too happy at releasing wild/non-finclip but will do it.

[Salmonator]

I wish I could find a link to an applause wav file. I'd put it right here http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Shannon]

If that were to become then we would need to just shut it down for a few years. Nice theoretical thought, but this would relevently never occur. The State needs money to give pay raises to hatchery employees as well as growth and other programs. The guides and tackle stores would not have the income that the state loves to tax.

[FishinBob]

Why would you even ask this? http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I fish for fun not subsistence, therefore I would buy a license, but I am a little scared to eat most of
the fish out of the Willamette or lower columbia so I mostly catch and release anyway. I talk to many
people who go with a guide and use the store price per pound of the fish they catch to offset the
price of the ride and guide service. So what if there was only catch and release. Then there would be
no money to stock fish or pay for the fish cops and soon there would be only wild fish to catch and
release with nobody to control the fishermen. That would also take away commercial fishing because
I don't think the commercial fishers are out there for the fun of it. I wont even talk about the native
american fishing group and their rights. So I would buy my license and go down to the river and fish
by myself and catch a bunch of fish and not have to clean any.