Addition to Wild fish posts

[steelheadslayer]

This got me to thinking after Salmonberry Jeffs' wild fish post. I personally choose not to mention the river where I'm catching a lot of fish, hatchery or wild. My reasons for this are; a lot of the smaller rivers get pounded and pounded day in and day out, Ok when the hatchery fish are in good but not good when the nates arrive.

Another is because of what I saw today. I fish a few holes and lose two fish, then decide to explore some new water and hike downstream quite aways. I see another angler working a hole upstream towards me. He hooks a fish and plays it, he drags it about four feet out of the water flopping on the ground, rocks and sand. He unhooks it, picks it up by the tail and carries back to the water where he drops it in shallow water and it manages to swim off.

I will not post river names due to these two issues. Is it because I want the river all to myself, NO. It's because I don't want to see the nates handled in this manner and all the garbage that crowds bring with them. I have fished next to guys from Vancouver, Portland, Aberdeen, Tacoma, Puyallup and Seattle and a group from California.

So, the way I see it is the river I fish gets a lot of pressure and I don't think it can take much more. But it will get more, I just won't publicize it. I have taken other Ifishers there on occasion and they've had a good time.

Please don't email me with dislikable replies, you will see them here. I feel you should be Ifisher enough to make any and all comments public.

Didn't see much dislikable about that at all.I've seen some appalling ways native salmon and steelhead are handled and it just makes your blood boil. My favorite river gets a huge amount of pressure, especially the lower end so my fishing partner and I have explored elsewhere and that's where we fish now. I have one place on another river that only three of us know about...I think. We won't take anyone there because it's a very small area and usually good for a fish or two anytime we fish it. It's mostly natives there but there have been a hatchery fish or two taken. It wouldn't be able to handle the pressure.
So sslayer you won't hear me complaints about what you said in your post.

[B-run]

I agree. But yet...
I have been burned very very badly by one un-named individual where I had taken him to not one, but two slots.
The later a spot where 10-20 fish days are not uncommon. Only to find after I gave up on him due to attitude and lack of friendship that he was back again at a later date with several of HIS buddies.
You don't read of Scott,Chris, Dave or Grant or any others posting where their day was.By the most part, those of us with experience know where they are due to time on the waters.
But.. all I can hope for is that the ones that have no concern for proper fish handling and release could be educated.
I know,I know I have talked to them before.
Maybe I am wrong, but I can only hope that if I show someone a better way to fish and they have a better time at feeling consistant, he/she will appreciate the sport more and have more respect of it, not that I will give it all away, they will learn if they have the desire, in turn helping us in the long run. Yes there will always be bank draggers.And NO I will not tell you where I catch 20 steelhead in a day, my trust has to be earned first, or you'll have to shell out a buck fifty some day years from now when I'm old and gray and guide you after I retire.

[Born to be Wild]

It's called catch & release Earl!

I would just as soon see a modest harvest of wild steelhead on your zipperlip river.
It might be just a matter of time before the December brat's are non-financed.

And some folks "preach" C&R on wild steelhead and that they would never consider killing one.

Well this bimbo that you saw was not very positive to this particullar steelhead's future!

Another prime example of those that "preach" C&R on winter steelhead and condemn those that "preach" balanced harvest on wild steelhead is wrong and unethical, are wrong in my opinion!

Dano

[ 02-18-2004, 11:37 AM: Message edited by: Born to be Wild ]

[skybuster]

There's nothing wrong with keepin some spots secret. Especially if you yourself have worked hard to cultivate them. I believe it is possible to share valuable information without giving up the exact "honey hole".

Of course if you all want to start posting the gps coordinates of your catches on this site, I wouldn't be against that either.

[crabbait]

Sounds good to me. So why don't you just keep the fact that you are keeping your go to spots a secret.....a secret?

[DanS]

Well this bimbo that you saw was not very positive to this particullar steelhead's future!

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Suuure..........now tell us how well it would be doing with a stick whacked up against its head.

[reeldick]

Why even post about it? You are just asking for controversy.

Keep a zipped lip and enjoy your spot.

[Born to be Wild]

Suuure..........now tell us how well it would be doing with a stick whacked up against its head.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Probably better!
At least it wouldn't die a slow death.

I edited my post and realize this post wasn't really about C&R mortality but it did come to mind after Earl pointed out the other guy.
I know Earl and he wouldn't treat a released fish in that manner and that is why he pointed it out I imagine.

I was just tying to point out to those that preach C&R on steelhead and say they would never kill one, that some are killed whether you are responsible or not.
This particular fishermen did not handle this fish properly or responsibly.

I might point out to some as far as I am concerned they don't need to pose with a wild fish out of water for my sake.
I know what they look like and I'll take their word for it if they just simply say or describe the wild fish they released.

To me it doesn't make sense to stress out the fish and then hold him out of water for 30 seconds, a minute or whatever to take the pic.

I've been seeing a lot of wild fish pic's on ifish lately.

Dan