Hey Sullivan, I’m calling you out!
 

I hope you don’t mind Gary but I found your statement thought provoking. I don’t release the big three myself, but then again, I don’t put in the time you do. In all that time on the water, do you ever think about catch and release? Personally, I do fish a lot of bass and know that by letting most of them go I will have more to catch in my next session. And I know YT grow fast and travel far etc... but still common sense tells us the more you return the more you catch. Your primary reason for being out there is to catch fish right?

Again, I don’t ever see myself releasing a meat fish, but then I don’t invest hugh blocks of my life on the water fishing for them either - like you do.

Where's the popcorn :questionmark: :questionmark: :questionmark: :eating:

I'm an omnivore on the water, not a sportsman. I enjoy bringing home fresh fish and serving to my family much more than actually catching the fish, and believe it is better for the larger ecosystem then buying fish at a market, which I still do also. I get no enjoyment from catching and releasing fish, I think it should be called "injure and release". Not flaming, just representing another point of view.

That other thread has been _so_ entertaining! lol

What's with the drama lately? :)

Remembering that other post and before someone gets some wild ideas and starts "tooling" Gery, I'd just like to say that Mr. Sullivan is one of the nicest (if not the nicest) guy I got to meet on the water. :)

Though it always seems entertaining to discuss this on the boards, I feel catching and/or releasing is another one of those personal decision things we all ought to make ourselves. The law is there to obey, and then we build up our own "style" from there. I don't see how often the one gets to fish relates to releasing practice...

Personally, I'm a big fan of releasing most bass, and all barracuda and bonito. :) I mostly release 5 to 10# class / 1 to 2 season old yellows I happen to catch in the summer. The "great emptiness" in the fridge may influence my decisions.

Slay Rider, I'm glad you found MY QUOTE from ANOTHER kayak fisherman thought provoking. I do practice catch and release on occasion, but that depends on how much fish I have in the freezer. I missed the last two bites by one day this year so when I pulled up a 4 lb. calico this morning it went home with me. :D

I'll fish for yellowtail knowing that I'll release any I catch (already have enough at home), but white seabass are another thing. I have no real information to back it up, but it just doesn't seem like they would survive very well after being released. They're always so lifeless when they get to the surface. It's hard, but I'll paddle away from a good WSB bite if I don't want to keep (another) one.

Conversation/debate/ discussion is all good as long nobody is a prick about it.
The internet is a good source of information and entertainment.

I do have a problem with the fisherman who practices catch and release and believes that he is a better sportsman..........I also have a problem with guys who fish and say they don't like to eat fish:confused:

You can make the decision to allow an animal to live... but if you were just going to let it go, why did you torture it in the first place?

Damn it... now I'm thinking about it too much.

Well, couldn't you say that about most BSB, too?
As long as you're not holding it out of water, or on deck unsupported by water, you can easily revive it ala a BSB. But who would do that?:evil:

:o. How bout if they trade fish for beer?

BTW Gary, who is that prick you quoted?

:D

Personally, I'm all for CnR.

Except for calicos. Every one of those bait stealing trash fish deserve to die!

Is it time for a GWS thread yet?

Gary - As your friends pointed out, I sensed a genuine sincerity and niceness to your original reply so I‘m a little disappointed that you could not offer up a more inspiring reason for having pursued a single fish for four-hundred hours - except to eat it. Perhaps I selfishly hoped that like a mountain climber you had labored your way to the top of the mountain for the pure joy of the view and were willing to consider leaving it as you had found it for the next climber to experience. Then again, there are ten lurking for every one posting so maybe it is to them that I speak.

Thank you Gary and all of the WCW’s for taking the time to reply and for having informed and entertained us all so much over the years.

John I think the main point in Gary's reply was to inform you that he was quoting ANOTHER fisherman, not himself.......being passionate is a good thing.
I like hearing varying opinions on issues as long as I am not being force fed them.

This is a brotherhood.............we don't always have to agree on everything.

So now that that has been put out in the open.... Andy, I really don't like to eat fish all that much... ;)

White Sea Bass - Catch and Release
 

A note on WSB mortality. I researched this some. We put acoustic tags in about 30 white sea bass. We didn't tag fish that were bleeding or "looked like they would die", so this sample only represents fish that appeared healthy. We did recover the fish in a huge live well, but they had the disadvantage of a tag being surgically implanted in their abdominal cavity. Our data indicated "good" survival rates, over 75%.

Regarding my opinion, I have seen some c and r that I have thought to be very impactive (I've seen people catching and releasing rockfish and steelhead in great numbers, and the fish didn't look like they would stand a chance). I think that in a lot of cases it is less impactive to go kill the one or two fish you want and be done with it rather than catch and release lots of fish. But, I agree with an earlier comment about staying within the law and using our own judgment. I wouldn't pass judgment on this...except maybe for the one guy I saw injuring a very large number of wild steelhead on a consistent basis...