When is a Skunk Really a Skunk?

[Bug Guy]

Originally Posted by B-Faithful

...Questions I have are:

• is it a skunk if you dont catch the fish you are targeting but catch another kind. (ie. catch a croaker when you were black drum fishing, sea robins while fishing for flounder, bluefish while fishing for stripers)?
• Is it a skunk if you only catch trash fish like rays, spiney dogfish, sea robins, toadfish?
• is it a skunk if you dont catch a keeper-sized fish even if you dont keep them? (do undersize fish count)

...

In my opinion, it is perfectly reasonable to jig up a white perch from 60ft of water to avoid a skunk on a cold November day.

[Skip]

Look at all the days there as one trip - then it is not a skunk

If you do a one day trip and come back empty - it's a skunk.
Go on a 2-4 day trip - as long as you catch on one of the days - it was worth it.

[Wild Bill]

Originally Posted by Skip

Look at all the days there as one trip - then it is not a skunk

If you do a one day trip and come back empty - it's a skunk.
Go on a 2-4 day trip - as long as you catch on one of the days - it was worth it.

I agree with that. We went on Sunday which was a transition day after a big blow. We had no good info because no one fished on Sat. One of the top OI captains who helps us out was not out and he got skunked on Sunday also. Having an off the charts day to wind up the trip made it a great overall experience.

If you are not willing to go when all things are not perfect, you are going to miss some great fishing. There are just too many variables.

[paxfish]

Not having any experience with such things, I feel woefully inadequate to comment on the definition of a skunk.

I will however welcome you in to the upper 1/3 of all internet fishermen who distinguish themselves by spelling LODE properly.

: )

[Wild Bill]

Originally Posted by paxfish

Not having any experience with such things, I feel woefully inadequate to comment on the definition of a skunk.

I will however welcome you in to the upper 1/3 of all internet fishermen who distinguish themselves by spelling LODE properly.

: )

[Conjuror]

It depends primarily where you are. If you are offshore for tuna and don't catch tuna, that is a skunk no matter what you catch. On the Bay, it is not as strict, so a spot or croaker could save your day potentially....unless you have a tendency to post about catching 8-10 fish over 40" each trip....then a skunk is a skunk.

[Night Nurse]

If you did not put a line in the water then you did not fish says DNR. so in light of that no SKUNK.
just blowing gas. I would have put in the lines, risked the skunk and caught the only fish the FF did not show up

TED

[goinsfishin]

It's only a skunk if you were actually trying to catch fish.....since you didn't put any lines in the water then it's not a skunk......just a boat ride.

Unless you were hoping they'd just JUMP in the boat.....then it's a skunk.

[Wild Bill]

Do we have any psychologists on board?

Maybe they could explain why a silly thread about a skunk or not a skunk gets more views and replies than a legitimate fishing report, at a time when fishing reports are scarce.

I have noticed a similar thing on another board when a member posts about how "whipped" he is, large numbers of guys want to read and comment on it.

[Conjuror]

Originally Posted by Wild Bill

Do we have any psychologists on board?

Maybe they could explain why a silly thread about a skunk or not a skunk gets more views and replies than a legitimate fishing report, at a time when fishing reports are scarce.

I have noticed a similar thing on another board when a member posts about how "whipped" he is, large numbers of guys want to read and comment on it.

Not a psychologist (did stay at a holiday inn express last night though)...I think it's like discussing shanks in golf....deep down it is our deepest and most primal fear; threatens our manhood and in the case of guys like B'Faithful, the very essence of our being; and that perhaps by discussing it we hope it won't happen this year......um...not that it ever happened to me last year you understand..