Catch and Release Stories or Fact

[silver bullet on my line]

I have been fishing oregons big rivers from a boat since I was little. However, since I moved to Eastern Oregon I have started to fish from he bank as a bait-caster. I am also a firm believer in catch and release. I have caught a number of steelhead here, however, I am always asked how big the fish was from my friends in the valley. How do you really know how big the fish is if you dont want to take it out of the water. Here, we tell you how big the fish is in inches, However, my friends want to know the pounds. Thus, the fish stories begin. How can I know how much the fish weighs if I want to catch and release the fish without harming it?

[reeldick]

Mark your rod so you can estimate the length. Use a piece of mono or yarn and mark the circumference of the fish. There is a calculation of the two that will give you a fairly accurate weight and the fish never has to come out of the water. Calculation here on the board somewhere.

If it flops and gets away before measurements, it was automatically an eighteen pounder.

[JohnB]

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] Hats off to you.
No fish should be caught only once!

[ 02-05-2004, 04:33 PM: Message edited by: JohnB ]

[Riverkeeper]

I dont think size necessarily has to be measured in inches or pounds. The subjective units of measurement are more fun. In order of increasing size:

"It was big"
"It was Huge!
"WOW that fish was a monster!!!!"
"HOLY CRAP DID YOU SEE THAT THING!!!!"

[husker]

try this next time u want to guess how much your fish weighs

fish calc

enjoy

[pijondon]

The formula for steelhead is 5 lbs for the first 25 inches and 1 lb per each additional inch. adjust for scrawnny and fat fish and I agree, if it breaks off, it must've been a monster. I broke off a smallmouth in a bass tournament once and told my partner it felt like a 4-5 pounder. The second day fishing the same rockpile he caught a 1 pounder with the exact same hook and plastic bait that I was using the day before. What a coincidence! Somebody else using the same hook and plastic as me broke off a smaller fish.

[TillamookChinook]

The beauty of catch and release is that the fish is still alive and growing, probably growing really fast after the excitement of being caught. By the time you tell people about your fish it can be as big as your want it to be.

TC

[Silver Hilton]

Reagrdless of how big it was, it's two lbs bigger by Monday.

[seasel]

The measuring mark on the rod is the best way to go to estimate length, and from that you can estimate weight. Or you can just say it was small, average, or large. Some folks have caught enough fish to accurately estimate weight by looking at them.

You land a steelie, salmon, or bass, have a great time doing it, and then you get to see it swim off. I'm not sure how knowing its precise weight or length makes the experience any better.

I've taught my kids to say, "Go make babies" when we release fish. We don't take them out of the water. Most often, I grab the hook and pop it out without ever touching the fish

Some folks believe they can hang the fish by its gills from a scale, or net it and hold it up for a picture or two, and then measure it, and then release it unharmed. A fish really doesn't care what a fisherman believes. It'll die from mishandling whether a fisherman believes it will or not. Why not just pop the hook out and say it was big or it was average or it was small?

By the way, I'm pretty sure that every steelhead I've ever released was under 35 pounds.

Seasel

[Grantspastor]

What I do is estimate the weight...then add ten more pounds just to be safe!

GP,
How does that work with half pounders?

[Grantspastor]

Keta...as you can imagine...reportedly I catch some pretty nice "half-pounders" :smile:

[silver bullet on my line]

Thanks everyone! Useful Info.