Catch and release trip.

[THE DARKHORSE]

My plan was to get some video of a catch and release trip, with a new helmet cam from an unofficial sponsor. I had plenty of fresh Yellowtail from days prior, and decided to give every fish a "get out of jail free" before I left the house. Again, do as you wish, but I get an awesome feeling when I let big Yellowtail swim off, I know selfish right?

The helmet cam battery wasn't charged, so I had to rely on genorous anglers, who were willing to donate their own fishing time, thanks again. This was the first Yellowtail of the day, that put up a serious fight, and was rewarded with his freedom seconds after this photo was taken, stoked! I believe in fish karma 100%, as I've seen proof in numbers over the years. It's almost as if my bait puts off a vibe that makes the Yellowtail know it's not lethal, try and see. The helmet cam would of come in handy as my second Yellowtail was signifigantly larger, put up an extended battle with heavy drag, and nobody in site (I hate summer crowds).

Yellowtail number three wasn't so lucky, as he was hooked in a gill raker close to the heart, and was bleeding as I was trying to get the hook out (very rare hook placement as I always engage the hook as soon as I'm bit). I made a difficult decision, to harvest this fish against my wish. Since I decided to only C and R this day, this was kind of painful for me, not to mention ending my trip early, in a day when I could of easily caught more. I've caught many fish with horrible scars on the body, that proved Yellowtail are much tougher than most people think, but the fact that the injury was sustained directly to a heavy blood source, I did what I felt was right. I do everything I can to not feed the Sealions, and the thought of Knothead throwing this guy around, made the decision much easier.

[linghunter]

[gary sullivan]

Josh, you never cease to amaze me. It's not your bait that throws off those vibes but your innate ability. I think you were born to fish. Once you get the video cam dialed in you should consider making a "how to catch a yellowtail" CD, revealing some of your secrets, seriously. To take it a step farther how about a video game where the object is to C&R as many fish as possible. Thanks for sharing your catches as it inspires me to kept hacking away out there. Gary

[dorado50]

A+ as usual!!!!

[esdees]

I hate it when I get an injured fish that I would have released otherwise. Congrats on another good day of catching.

[Matt]

Thanks for leaving some for me bro!!!! (And yes I seriously mean that)

[Rusty]

That's cool Josh. Nice work. Do yellows ever go crazy when you pull 'em out of the water and pick them up like that?

[reddog]

nice report

[THE DARKHORSE]

Originally Posted by Rusty

That's cool Josh. Nice work. Do yellows ever go crazy when you pull 'em out of the water and pick them up like that?

The original intent of the helmet camera isn't what most people think. It's not some high-tech form of self glorification, more "seeing is believing" for most people, and I would rather use actual footage, than having to type a novel that gives people an opportunity to call . Some people love to read the "play by play" while at work, or during that first cup of coffee in the morning (This Guy). The helmet cam will offer the best of both worlds, and allow those that "need to see proof" everything they need at the click of a button.

The process of releasing big fish is a perfect example. I can tell people how calm Yellowtail are, while being carefully placed on deck, but the fear of the unknown tends to rule out personal judgement in most cases. If handled properly, with good intentions in your heart (they can feel it, just like your dog at home knows when your about to leave), Yellowtail are completely calm, not moving a muscle and allowing you to safely remove the hook 99.9% of the time. I think way more trophy fish would be released if people knew just how easy it is, and sadly gaffing and clipping seems the only option for most anglers. Like anything else, you can write a book with a 1,ooo tips that will make the release process go smoothly, but I will save that for the "how to release a trophy post" (with video ).