Un-knowingly killing fish

Amahnee · 03-12-2004, 06:02 PM

I watched a guy anchored in a pontoon boat on the Willy at Cedaroak today. He hooked a good fish, which I believe is any fish. Anyway he didn't drop out and float with this fish and ended up fighting it against the current almost 30 minutes before he jumped into a boat with another guy who netted it. It turned out to be a nate and they let it go. HERE IS MY QUESTION? Can a fish take a 30 minute battle and overcome exhaustion and continue upriver to spawn? or do you think it went to the bottom, and back down river with the current to feed the crawdads?. I didn't see these guy's spend alot of time reviving the fish. QUESTION #2 If the guy who caught the fish reads this post. Why didn't you float with the fish and get the battle over with in a timely manner and released? I'm not the fish police, I just feel that it wasn't the most respectful way to treat the situation. I don't think this guy even thought about this point. What are your thoughts? That's question #3.

Quasimodo the fish killer · 03-12-2004, 06:24 PM

I dont know what its like where you were fishing but I have seen chinook hold in a storng current and not even dream about being tired.

water rushing over their gills replentishes fish so in a decent current I believe you can fight a fish for a real long time and not even tire them much. slow water they suffocate real fast. it just depends on the situation if a long battel is bad for the fish or not in my opinion.

Quasi.

.

Amahnee · 03-12-2004, 06:29 PM

Thanks Quasi:

That's exactly what I'm looking for, opinions. It will help me to sleep better tonight.

Salmonator · 03-12-2004, 06:35 PM

Quasi, I think you are waaaaay off base with that reply. A fish holding in current compared to a fish putting a big bend in a rod are two completely different things....

FishBowl · 03-12-2004, 06:49 PM

Flame on Joe

Fshklr · 03-12-2004, 06:57 PM

Circle of life.

maybe the guy was inexperienced (it happens), maybe what seemed a half an hr was 12 or 15 mins?
I doubt the fish was harmed enough to die even with a lengthy battle...fatigued probably...and it would undoubtably head to a place to relax and regain its strength...procreate..and die

Quasimodo the fish killer · 03-12-2004, 07:15 PM

Salmonator I am sure that you know in a moving current fish do not have to work hard to breathe the water from the current rushing across their giill plates takes less energy then them pumping their gills trying to flush slack water thru.

there will be many opinions on this subject I am not saying anyone else is wrong I just stated my uneducated opinion.

I can say I have seen a fish hold in fast water and you cant budge it for the life of you but when you get it into slack water it dont take long to have it in the boat so that leads me to my beliefe that fish in faster water tire less then fish in slow water.

Quasi.

.

Amahnee · 03-12-2004, 07:17 PM

Fshklr: Maybe if it was 12 or 15 minutes I would have posted that! We in the line at 19 looked at our watches, and momma taught me how to tell time long ago. I assumed he was inexperienced as my post also read by the way he handled the fish as he was fighting it, obvious rookie! Maybe I could go sit in a chair and rest after such a battle. Fish can't sit and they don't have chairs. Maybe you haven't fought that many fish, that I can only assume. But I have fought fish hard for five or ten minutes and taken that long or more to revive them before they have tried to swim off, or I've felt comfortable enough to let them go in order to survive. They un-hooked this one and back it went.

Fshklr · 03-12-2004, 07:41 PM

Amahee..

[img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

fish will move to eddies, behind rocks, and ledges and hold in the current to regain strength and OXYGEN.
Man I wish I had YOUR experience.

You asked for opinions,,I wasn't there and gave an opinion. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

B-run · 03-12-2004, 07:43 PM

Not sure of this "fast water-slow water thing"
My experience with chinook, they croak quickly, and need sufficient time to revive.As with any fish, get it in as quickly as possible in order for it to revive. Again, this is just my experience, and from others I have known, chinook seem to tire quicker than steelhead, and are harder to revive, and can't be just dumped from the net after a long battle. Hopefully the fish made it, but I have seen MANY fish float down stream from anglers above me, belly up.

This all falls under that "educate anglers" thing

[ 03-12-2004, 08:44 PM: Message edited by: B-run ]

Amahnee · 03-12-2004, 07:45 PM

Thanks B-run, maybe fshklr was on the pontoon boat?

Amahnee · 03-12-2004, 07:51 PM

Thanks B-run, maybe fshklr was on the pontoon boat? I have respect for the fish I catch.

Time to go get some

[ 03-12-2004, 08:55 PM: Message edited by: crabbait ]

crabbait · 03-12-2004, 07:53 PM

Guys...guys...guys! There is simply not enough information to give an informed opinion. We don't know how much pressure the fisherman was putting on the fish or any of a bunch of other circumstances that may have influenced his decision to fight on anchor and the ultimate fate of the fish.

It is generally better to fight fish quickly and release them in as good a condition as possible.

Any other opinion is conjecture. Let it go.

ZaQ · 03-12-2004, 07:53 PM

You say he was in a pontoon boat. Did he have a motor? If not, maybe he couldn't row back up to his anchor, thus the no break away.

Salmonator · 03-12-2004, 07:53 PM

Quasi, not really flaming but think of the variables. You might be fishing in heavy current but as soon as you throw the hook you are fighting fish in "slack" water. Another scenario: we can run for only so long even in the most oxygenated atmosphere. Eventually the muscles will fatigue. I'm sure some of our in house biologists can chime in, but lactic acid build up in the muscles might not relate directly to the oxygen in the water.
As far as the fish fighting harder and longer due to more oxygen rushing through the gills. Reel in a bag of potatoes in slack water then try it in heavy current then realize potatoes don't have gills.

[ 03-12-2004, 09:04 PM: Message edited by: Salmonator ]

Fshklr · 03-12-2004, 07:56 PM

Bankie here through and through...I don't agree with the actions you saw and it is a shame how (he and the boater) rendering assistance acted poorly and unwisely in the release of that nate.

Spring water temps (cooler) and flows have alot to do with survival and I believe that fish will be fine...treated poorly but fine, had it been August or Sept it would be belly up just around the bend.

Amahnee · 03-12-2004, 08:04 PM

He had an electric. Like I said I'm not the fish police, hence the topic title. Un-knowingly killing fish. B-Run said it right too, EDUCATION is the purpose. Respect these fish is all I ask. It comes down to personal ethics, some of us have them, others could care less or don't know what they are doing. I think fshklr got personal with me about EXPERIENCE. He doesn't know me from Adam. THe sorry thing is is I was silly enough to let his comment get to me and react to it. I was looking for opinions from those out there that know about what kind of stress a fish can handle and those guy's aren't online this evening so far. I don't know everything and and am willing to let all of you guy's know that. I think that fish expend all of there lifeforce trying to accomplish their mission. The least we can do is get the fish to the net as quick as possible and if it is native, do your very best to see that its life mission can be accomplished.

B-run · 03-12-2004, 08:20 PM

If you are going to fish from a floating device, then be ready to float with it. These fish deserve the best we can give them. Kudos for the dude that took him in his boat to end the deal, take the time to make sure the fish is ready to leave and live. Hold it until it gives you a shower in the face. Just because you were "fighting it" in current, does'nt mean that it is geting enough O2.

Spending the life out of a fish in any situation on line is detrimental, we all know that. The plunkers use 60+ line, no reason for a fish to die, unless it is clpped and headin for the smoker.
Between trolling herring or bobbering for falls, I make a point to land fish within less than 5.
Over that, it's goin on the wall.
Gonna

Lotsa monster nates to catch in the am

[ 03-12-2004, 09:33 PM: Message edited by: crabbait ]

KingFisher85 · 03-12-2004, 08:28 PM

Fshklr in a pontoon boat

Fshklr · 03-12-2004, 08:37 PM

Ya mike..I can see it now

Quote:

Originally posted by Amahnee:
Fshklr: Maybe I could go sit in a chair and rest after such a battle. Fish can't sit and they don't have chairs. Maybe you haven't fought that many fish, that I can only assume.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">If I am reading correctly your the one questioning experience...

Later...this is pointless

.

Crabbait..well said!

[ 03-12-2004, 09:39 PM: Message edited by: Fshklr ]

crabbait · 03-12-2004, 08:45 PM