20# plus Steely--what would you do??

[WildHawg]

I guess this is a poll of sorts. Search your soul, be honest with yourself, and tell me:
If you were to catch a 20# plus Steely in an area where you were allowed to retain it, would you whack or release?
I have had the pleasure of catching 2 over 20 myself (biggest 22.9 on December 7 1985, Lower Nestucca), and had 2 others to the boat with clients. I admit, I have done both, and would weigh the situation again if I were in the position.
How 'bout you?
Now be nice :rolleyes:

[Firedog]

If it is a native, I put it back. I have also had the fourtune of catching a few (4) Steelhead of 20 or 20+ and they have all gone back. The natives are much more valuable in the gene pool than in a freezer or on a wall.

[crabbait]

Native? Back he goes everytime. I can take some very quick measurements/pictures and have a wall mount done while he goes on to do his very important business. :wink:

Hatchery? BONK! :dance:

[lost_sailor]

Fin-clipped fish is known as "dinner."

[Stew]

No question about it....if it's wild release it! Hope to get a decent picture and get a replica mount but the main thing is to relaese it unharmed.
A big hatchery fish? Wher's my fish club :grin:

[ 02-22-2003, 01:29 PM: Message edited by: Stew ]

[dampainter]

if it`s legal it`s dinner.

[Elkhunter]

I'd Smoke it! :cheers:

[The Fishing Geek]

Just means that I can invite more people over for dinner, as long as it's a hatcher fish naturally.

[pearl]

If it's native ......Release, Release, Release. Picture if possible.

If it's hatchery. release if there is fish in the freezer at home. If the freezer is empty BBQ or smoke.

One other option that I frequently do is give it to an adult assisted living center that is near by. Those poeple love fresh fish.

[Bankbound]

I like ugly greens Idea!!!!!

[rob allen]

If he's wild let him go..if he's hatchery kill it and eat it:)

[ 02-22-2003, 11:09 AM: Message edited by: rob allen ]

[Wild Chrome]

Wild...released after a few photos. Bright hatchery...dinner, dark hatchery, back in, maybe he'll get used at the hatchery.

[blacktail]

Wild fish = carefully landed and released fish

Mike

[drift fishing fool]

if its a native id put it back, but i dont see why its such a big deal if its in an area where you are allowed to keep natives. i doubt most people think twice about whacking a big native fall chinook. just something to think about

[RichH]

Wild or hatchery, all of my biggest steelhead swam off to fight another day.

[FishBowl]

Wildhawg if it was me I would probably faint and release it with my Loomis in tow :laugh:
Tim

[Flatfish]

I would try to cracker the fish off long before I ever tired it out. That way I am never faced with tough decisions like this.

Only little weenie fish for me thanks

Mark and the couch commando.

[Da Bank Maggot]

The way my year has been going, the minute I got my +20# ironhead to the bank, I'd wake up and realize I was only dreaming

Da Mag'

( Who'd be out on the Kalama or the Trask right now, if he didn't have this lousy cold. ) :sick:

[AnglersRental]

Ive caught 4 wild fish that probably were over 20 pounds, all went back in a hurry. One was on Lake creek, 2 were on the Salmonberry (Nehalem) system, and one was a B-rum summer fish on the Columbia.

My persoanl goal for the last couple year(s) was to catch a hatchery or broodstock fish over 20 lbs, bonk it and have it mounted.

I was under the mis-impression that the taxidermist needed the fish for the mount. I have found out recently that the replica mounts last longer and if you go to the right place, they actually look better than the skin mounts. For this you need pictures, pictures, pictures, and a quick length and girth measurement.

It wont be exact, but it will be very very close. One guy i spoke with has about 50 different head molds for steelhead in his shop, and if none of those would work he can order hit choice of any of another 250 or so that are avalible. I am told that a skin mount would probably not be as close as a good replica mount. The price of a replica mount can go from 9 bucks an inch on the cheap end to 40 bucks an inch on the expensive end.

Had I known all this before, I would probably have had one of those past fish mounted. Or maybe not, bringing home one over twenty is a big challange. This year I have gotton 3 fish over 18 lbs (all hatchery). Last year I got 4 fish over 18 lbs, 2 hatchery and 2 wild. Every big fish has been on large whole sandshrimp, if you want to hunt the big steelhead throw shrimp.

Biggest summer brat.... not quite 20 lbs

http://www.ifish.net/uploads/175008322.jpg

Anyhow, to awnser your question Wildhawg.

Hatchery fish get bonked, wild fish get set free.

You say an area "where you were allowed to retain it", thats the tricky part.

A wild fish over 20 lb on one of the rivers where its lawful to keep one wild fish per day, 5 per year would honestly be a tough temptation. In that situation I don't know. If I did keep one in that situation I probably wouldn't be posting it here.

UG

[ 02-23-2003, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: Uglygreen ]

[Barviewrocks]

I release all steelhead for the last 15 years. I once killed a 20 lb one and after thinking about this magnificant fish, considered that they should live to reproduce and enhance the gene pool at the large end. Now, I limit my catch to 3 springers and 2 bright fall salmon per year.

[AnglersRental]

I thought killing hatchery steelhead was good for the gene pool?

UG

[TheRogue]

20lb plus nate on the Rogue River?? I'd probably keep it, show it off, and then have a good load of smoked steelie. On the rest of the small south coast streams, I wouldn't, unless it was a really bad bleeder.

TR

[tipndwater]

Hatchery, bonk bonk!
native, swim forest swim.
tip

[David Johnson]

I'd keep a hatchery but release a nate, even if you can keep nates in the area. That would be the boat rules.

[Mad Mikey]

>>i doubt most people think twice about whacking a big native fall chinook. <<

I do. Years ago the Wilson put out huge fish, some in the 80-90 lb range but that was a tad before my time.
If I were to catch one of those beasts now it would go back in a heartbeat, hopefully I would get a picture but I'd always have the memory. I don't like eating Fallies anyhow, even the ocean bright ones don't stack up to a fresh steelhead or Springer IMO.
Years of selectively harvesting the BIG ones has taken it's toll, albeit there are other factors to consider too but that's another debate.
Look what is happening on the Kenai, although I don't think it is really the sportsmans fault, rather commercial harvesters but it all has taken a toll, the big fish are disappearing.
I'm hoping AKFW is taking steps from lessons learned down in the lower 48 before it's too late.
I have caught two native steelhead 20+ on the Wilson and had one to the boat on the Sandy two years ago on a hotshot that was scarily big, sorry we couldn't tape it because we did not want to net it or put it in the boat, just lifted it up for a quick photo, revived it and let it go. That fish was easily bigger than the two Wilson fish, took both hands to even barely get a grip around the base of it's tail and it had the girth of a chinook. I've caught hundreds of steelhead and would conservatively estimate that one in the mid 20lb range. The photo came out crappy because the flash did not go and the camera was wet but you can still see how big the beast was. Maybe I'll dig it up and post it if anyone is interested.
Personally I like the little 8-10lb Summer fish that start coming in during the Spring time, hottest fish there are when they are that fresh.

[DanS]

That's a good point, Mikey. Seletively removing the large fish genes from the system won't do the gene pool any good.

[edsr]

On the east coast some years ago Atlantic Salmon were regularly fished and taken with dry and skating flies. Over the course of time fewer fish and fewer were caught on surface presentations and no one seemed to know why. Remember the gene pool? Was rising to a surface presentation genetic? They wised-up.

Do you know what the aerage size of a Tillamook Salmon was 30 years ago and what it is currently? Keep killing all the hogs and we '[ll be left with piglets.
edsr

[tailchaser]

If it's a hatchery fish, then it's on the bad end of the stick but I wouldn't even hesitate on a native. With the abilities of taxidermists today, a quick pic, a couple measurements and it's swimming again and you have your trophy for the wall. Then you have the best of both worlds.

tc

[FEAR NO FISH!]

We bonked 4 hatchery Steelies 20+ or better this last season and released 1, 20+ Native. James Wu (Fishing is life) accounted for 2 of those Hatchery hogs the same night! :cheers:

[onstep]

Honestly, if it were a hen I'd bonk it. To good for springer eggs to throw back. A buck unless it was chrome would go back. Any hatchery fish gets bonked regardless.

[WildHawg]

Onstep,
WHEN you finally nut up and catch that 20# fish with me on the N. Umpqua, YOU WILL NOT KILL IT FOR EGGS OR MEAT graemlins/berry.gif !!!!
That's INCONCEIVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anything other than a trophy mount, and I will suddenly take up smoking cigarettes and torch your line :laugh: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will then give you a jar of my chinook candy and we'll call it good :wink: .
In a river with a very healthy native component, it is easy to justify taking one or two (as we both know from the Ump). I do think, however, there is a real value to the system when you release the biggest and strongest 3, or even 4 salt fish to do their last round.
I'd probably let it go since I have my mount-- but sometimes I think it would be nice to have another to replace my 18 year old!! :shrug:
Maybe you'll be the one to find out!
See ya buddy.

[Nanook]

Many 20 and over "wild" steelhead released below Bonneville. Most beautiful creatures alive. Let all the 20 plus hatchery go by for Steve and pals to kill up
river. :tongue: :tongue:

[ 02-24-2003, 06:45 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[FEAR NO FISH!]

******,
If you're nice I will make you some of my special Fettuccine Alfredo with smoked steelhead. We eat it once a week, every week!I also make killer steelhead dip every week, that we put on toasted bagels! Mmmmmm! Thank you for letting those fish go by you. :grin:

[Nanook]

And you some of my smoked salmon chowder my friend. :wink:

[Barviewrocks]

Here's my personal feeling on wild genes verses hatchery genes:

Before the broodstock program when fish from other river systems were raised in hatcheries and stocked in various rivers, I view these as planted for fisherpersons to harvest. If allowed to spawn with or compete with native fish for spawing habitat, this would dillute the gene pool of the local river. And, statistically because there are multiple interbreeding generations of the original brood, I feel this does not enhance the diversity of genes that evolution theory suggests contribute to the evolution of the strongest strain of genes.

I believe the more recent changes in hatchery proceedures with broodstock are a different story with regard to its effect on the gene pool. As I understand it, native fish are spawned as broodstock by the hatcheries. I view this as supplimenting the wild gene pool survival and compensating for loss of spawing habitat brought about by many influences such as silt, erosion, water diversion, flood, etc When these broodstock return, I believe a portion have adipose fins clipped ( for harvest) while another portion have adipose fins intact and which will return to the hatchery for spawning. These fish are only one generation removed from the native stock and if large, I believe I can use my own influence in letting them spawn and contribute to a future with larger fish. That being said, it is also important to get a diverse pool of genes with smaller fish as well. This is the way in which evolution can overcome minor disasters - eg through diverse genes and evolution of the species.

To sum it up, I would want everyone to catch a 20+ lb steelhead in the future as welll as a rocket 12 pounder. By releasing the 20 lb ones, I am hoping they spawn and produce larger fish for the kids of tomorrow. It's only my personal practice to let them go. I am glad for others that keep some as well as others that also release them. I guarantee that if EVERYONE kept them, the run would get smaller in size over the long run and the larger gene stock for specific rivers would be lost over time.

[WildHawg]

Well said Barview.
You ever do any jetty fishing?

[onstep]

Hawg,

I distinctly remeber you, as of last thursday, explaining the benefits of big stealhead skiens done up in a springer cure. Do I detect that you the fish hog of fish hog's have a soft side for a legally harvestable fish? My god all this liberal education you have recieved has gone to your head. Oh wait your a stinking beaver not a duck anymore. :rolleyes: Wanna fish on Thursday???

[ 02-25-2003, 08:49 AM: Message edited by: onstep ]

[id. painter]

My very first steelhead, Clearwater river 1979 , 42" native buck. I didnt even consider live release. I killed him and ate him that night. Ive landed many since that day and not one has been 39" or more. Oh well, life is learning..... id. p.