7th grader gets citation outside of Naptown
 

took my son, reeltor and his twin boys fishing today. It was a slow day but Pauls son landed a 44" 38lb (weighed in at Anglers)..

Fish came on a white umbrella out 75' with 16 oz. Trailer baits was a 6/3oz tandem and the fish hit the 3oz with a 6" shad (lead had a 9")

You didn't release it? How's it going to spawn in the Spring?

I kept it because I wanted to and the opportunity was afforded to me by the managment regulations. It was a fish of a lifetime for a 12 year old boy and he, his family and my family are celebrating the catch and the long standing traditions of sport fishing with the enjoyment of eating our catch.. :)

Greg, I like your response. I probably would have just left it at "I kept it because I wanted to", but that's just me :rolleyes: I'm sure Paul's son was thrilled. Nice fish!

Perfect response Greg.

I thought about releasing the fish but one look at my son's face told me that releasing it was not a good idea. He was/is thrilled to be able to show it off to his mom, brother at home and friends. My twins are now hooked on fishing and that is the best result of the day.

Paul, If you released that fish, you would have been a....a..............well, I'll leave it at that! If I was 12 and caught a fish like that and my Dad threw it back and I had a twin and another little buddy with me.....Dad would go with the fish:D Congrats to your Son and many will enjoy eating that fish.........Gary

Greg does not release any fish :D:D:D:D Nice fish:D:D:D Also greg you own a pilothouse boat made for this time of year, PLEASE take off the antartica suit you have on it looks ridiculous. It wasn't that cold on saturday.

Naahh I never release any fish.. especially during the preseason :rolleyes: :D

Jeff, you know me...Always too wordy:o

Paul, I was a pleasure fishing with your guys! I am glad they are getting hooked on fishing. No better way to spend quality time with your kids. I know my passion for fishing with my dad kept me out of a lot of trouble growing up (it is tough to go out late at night causing trouble when the boat leaves so early :p)..Anyhow, hopefully that is the first of many big fish they land on the BF.

Here is a shot of paul with his son and me with the kids who made up the team for the day
http://www.classicparker.com/phpBB3/...e.php?id=10723
http://www.classicparker.com/phpBB3/...e.php?id=10724

Good on you for keeping it. You are allowed to keep it, so why should you have to release it because it is 40"? The smile on that boy and his dad's face, and the memories they will share are worth more than any big fish!

If you notice, all the fellas that preach "release all the 40"+ fish" magically only catch 39" fish. At least that's what they post when bragging on this and the other board. They are also the same people who fish all summer and keep 2 fish per person multiple times per week. All those fish will spawn also. So the few 40+ inch fish they catch per year, will not spawn near as much as the hundreds of 18-28" fish they catch and kill. Too many dumb, fat rednecks on a soapbox with an agenda so they come across as conservationists. Problem is, they are only that way when it benefits them..

Thank you for the post and congratulations to the young man for his beautiful fish!

Awesome smiles!!! Thanks for teaching your kids to fish.:D

Jigstix..You been doing any fishing?

Sorry, I forgot to respond to your BM. Im in fl till April but I'll shoot you a msg back. But yes just not for rockfish.

Hey Paul, you sold me the rods that dont catch fish and kept the ones that do for yourself....not fair!!

Thats funny Tim:)
The fish hit a deep, weighted umbrella. My son could not gain ground with the Penn 330 GTI so I ended up doing much of the work pumping the fish to get it closer to the boat. If we had the Tekota on board I think he could have done the job by himself. You'll see what I mean one of these days:D

So lets start a conversation on this thread on Catch and Release since MIKIE is concerned. (unless my sarcasim detector is not reading correctly)

My question:

Is it ever wise to release a big fish that has just been towed behind the boat, winched in on a broom stick, and then picked up out of the water and measured?

If someone answers YES, Please explain to me and all the other readers how much delayed mortality is involved and how you calculate it.

For the record: When I troll I want meat.:D (no pun intended)

Trolling with heavier gear reduces the fight and stress time on the fish, therefore it is lively upon release. Most my rods are 20-30lb class gear (with 30lb mono line and a reel that maxes out at 16lbs of drag - 330gti) and my fights tend to be relatively short. Most boats troll at less than 3 knots and then cut back the throttle with a fish on. Many boats drifting on a windy day can move through the water as fast as one trolling. Trollers also use artificial lures and dont "drop back" the lure, therefore deep hook sets are rare. Releasing fish, should that be the choice of the angler, while trolling should not be any more harmful to fish than if it were caught fishing in another manor.

Yes it is, b/c the fish has a better chance of living in the water than in your fish box.

Obviously you have the facts on "delayed mortality" (which by the way we're all subject to) so pleasse share. Even if its 99%, that 1% of fish deserves a chance to live.

C&R has obviously worked for the billfish population. Those fish go thru a lot more fighting than a rock pulled in w/ a broomstick.

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