It’s a good idea, but a Washington rule not Oregon.

 

Sorry, but in 3 foot wind waves, with a treble hooked into the net, I'm not leaning over the side to get a hook out of any fish. That fish is coming over the gunnel for unhooking and will then be released.

 

This is why most coho die that are released in the ocean.

 

This is what is in WA pamphlet...

In Areas 5-13, it is illegal to bring a wild salmon
or a species of salmon aboard a vessel if it is un-
lawful to retain those salmon. "Aboard a vessel"
is defined as inside the gunwale. Also see special
Handling Rule for Area 2-2 east of the buoy 13 line.>>>>>no reference to ocean areas 1-4.

This is what I found in ODFw pamphlet...

"All undersized, oversized, or unwanted fish
or shellfish should not be removed from the
water and must be immediately released
unharmed."

And this...
"Removing Hooks:
• Land fish as carefully as possible.
• Avoid removing fish from the water, but if you must,
use a cotton or rubber net — not nylon.
• Keep your hands wet when handling fish.
• If taking a photo, cradle the fish at water level and
quickly take the picture.
• Remove the hook quickly and gently while keeping
the fish under water.
• Use long-nosed pliers or hemostats to back out the hook.
• If a fish is hooked deeply, cut the line near the hook,
which will dissolve."

So seems ok in WA ocean areas. In Oregon seems more unclear to legality.

 

I use common sense for the safety of myself and crew, if I can release without netting or bringing a native fish aboard I will. Wind chop, weather conditions, and how many seals and/or sea lions are in the area will make my decisions, crew will always come first.

 

Every charter boat in the country must be breaking the law/rules----------pretty sure they are not reaching down 6-8 feet to release a fish in the water.

 

During the time when there were rules against landing wild fish in the boat to release them (there still might be but I don't recall seeing them more recently), there was an exception for boats above (I believe) 30' in length. Whatever the length was, it was implemented specifically because it's definitely hard to release fish on those bigger boats without bringing them aboard. It's even more of a challenge to ID them as wilds when you are 8' from the fish instead of 3'.

 

We are like many, we really try and unhook our fish at the boat in the water. Every now and then it is tough to do and a fish is brought into the boat to examine or to get the hook out. From what has been posted concerning the rules or law it doesn't seem to be of any concern if you remove the fish from the water or not. Just make sure on a select day that the wild, native fish is returned back to the water swimming up right. How I feel or see it is that your video should be returned to the thread as long as you show care in returning the fish to the water.

 

If you were in Oregon it looks like the administrator may owe you an apology.

 

Use soft knotless netting in a catch and release style net. Keep the fish and net in the water and you will do no damage to the fish. It helps you control the fish and land it quicker so you can get it back in the water with more energy. A good example of this is a Loki Salmon and Steelhead net. This type is used by hatcheries and researchers and does not damage the fish.

 

I think the question here is not one of conservation, but of legality. I am not aware of anything in the marine waters of Washington or Oregon that legally prohibits bringing a fish in the boat to un-hook it. - *Edited to say open ocean waters, not referring to specific marine areas in Washington.

I'm not going to tell anyone that they are handling a fish wrong in the ocean. I have to trust that the people who go out will do their best to release a wild fish. Their best might be my worst. And my best might be someone else's worst. But, as long as you're trying to give that fish the best chance you are capable of based on conditions, experience, and knowledge, I think that's enough.

 

I think the question here is not one of conservation, but of legality. I am not aware of anything in the marine waters of Washington or Oregon that legally prohibits bringing a fish in the boat to un-hook it.

I'm not going to tell anyone that they are handling a fish wrong in the ocean. I have to trust that the people who go out will do their best to release a wild fish. Their best might be my worst. And my best might be someone else's worst. But, as long as you're trying to give that fish the best chance you are capable of based on conditions, experience, and knowledge, I think that's enough.

Not sure about Oregon. In Washington it is illegal depending on location. With exceptions in a few areas with a lot of sea lions I presume.

 

I think the conversation is oregon based and Newport specifically.

I personally will do what's safe for me and my passengers on releasing fish. If its rough we will make a judgement call on what to do at that time. Obviously the preferred method is leaving a fush in the water. I would not begrudge a guy for his or her decision on how they handle a fish. I am guessing most are respectful. Their are slots in all sports I dont suspect Steve would ever do anything wrong intellectually.

 

I think the conversation is oregon based and Newport specifically.

I personally will do what's safe for me and my passengers on releasing fish. If its rough we will make a judgement call on what to do at that time. Obviously the preferred method is leaving a fush in the water. I would not begrudge a guy for his or her decision on how they handle a fish. I am guessing most are respectful. Their are slots in all sports I dont suspect Steve would ever do anything wrong intellectually.

We think.. maybe.. but Steve doesn’t care to elaborate. I don’t think he knows laws change based on state or location. He’s known for not knowing the laws lol

 

Oregon law says should not remove, but it is not must not. So in Oregon, it is not illegal to remove. But don’t be the guy who releases a dead fish.

 

Come see me at the OCEAN demonstrations booth at the SSS and I’ll give you a nice long handle dehooker. Still not perfect, but a big step in the right direction.

 

So I posted a video salmon fishing today, something I don't normally do is bring an illegal (native) salmon on board and usually release it in the water asap. So in this video we netted a native salmon and released it asap. One of the administrators of ifish removed the video stating " Ifish has a rule prohibiting illegal activities and bringing a wild coho into the boat outside of non select season"

If this is true I apologies if this is the case, I have seen many anglers do just the same so shame on me if i errored.
What is your understanding of the "law" or rules?

Steve

Seems a little paranoid , nothing new on this site , political opinions are supposed to be off limits on this site and yet they are here all the time. And they are not taken down.

 

Adverse opinions aren't always political but the administrators get to remove what they want without rebuttal or discussion on the matter. The 1st amendment doesn't apply in Ifish. I'm not saying I agree/disagree, I'm just saying that's the rules we all have to live by them.
As far as his right to delete a post goes, first of all it's probably not a good thing to put the video on Ifish. It is widely known native/unmarked fish are not supposed to be brought aboard. It's not legal to keep them and if abiding "by the letter of law" they are supposed to be released w/o netting or bringing them into the boat. I too believe safety is paramount so fish aren't always released as per the letter of the law on our boat but we don't post pictures of it.
To go further; If mortality is that big of an issue as to how coho are released, the fix (as they did for Chinook) is to say bag the first fish you catch. Adhering to the letter of WA or OR law is typical folly designed for ticket writers/money for the agency. There's worth while laws and then there's "these nit picky kind" of laws. We could debate all day on barbless hooks and releasing hooked fish but in the end (just like speeding) we push the limits hoping not to get caught. Don't post illegal stuff is the answer.