My Amends (if fish could read)

[rtwvumtneer6]

I've killed 3 bass this summer.  For me, that's 3 too many.  And, I'll admit that at least one of them probably could have been avoided.  Negligence/in a hurry on my part.  I know it happens, but it does make me feel bad and it's not my intention to harvest my catches.  

 

Just needed to get that out there.  

 

So if fish could read, my sincerest apologies.

[Bird]

We think alike as I'm always devastated when a fish dies on me.

[papajoe222]

Don't beat yourself up too much, it happens and I don't believe anyone does it intentionally.  If you were gut or gill hooking fish on a regular basis, I'd recommend doing something about it. I've been fishing plastic worms for over 40yrs. and, although it's a rare occasion, it does happen.  Since learning how to safely unhook a fish that has taken the bait too deep, I've all but eliminated that as a cause.

Fish expiring in the live well is a whole different story. Again, here there are also steps than can be taken, but there were times a fish didn't make it to weigh-in despite doing everything I could.

If there is an upside to this, it's that there are an abundance of fish in even the most pressured water and nature has a way of insuring that the species not only survives, but continues to replenish itself.

[geo g]

Fishing a long time we all know it will happen once in a while.  I also feel terrible when it does, and I do everything I can to not let it happen.  But it's all part of the game, and that fish will go a long way to feed other living things in the environment.  It will not go to waste.  You have just made a catfish, turtle, or gator's day!  

[rtwvumtneer6]

3 hours ago, geo g said:

You have just made a catfish, turtle, or gator's day!  

Catfish, yes.  Turtles, absolutely.  But our Gators are small and furry and we call them muskrats lol.  

[schplurg]

I feel bad too, I really do, but at the same time I think maybe I'm a bit of a hypocrite.

 

I'm using a sharp hook to stab and catch a fish I don't even intend to eat, over and over all day long. Sometimes it's in their eye, or close. Sometimes their gut, or all the way through their face. Then I may photograph it, weigh it, accidentally drop it on the ground...

 

I mean what the heck do we expect will happen? "Aww gee didn't expect I could actually kill one!" Bull. We terrorize the fish, period. I think we're fooling ourselves a little when we cry over a fish dying, but I also tend to think too much  

 

I love fishing but I can look at it for what it is too. It doesn't bother me nearly enough to stop.

 

I wonder if people would sport fish if bass could cry in pain like a dog. On that note, I'd be perfectly okay fishing for cats.  Now that would be something to see!

[Hammer 4]

Not to belittle you, or offend, but in my mind 3 during a 2 month period is more than should have happened. Maybe a couple of things to check.

 

Do you have constant contact with your line.? Do you watch your line all the time..? And lastly, could you be waiting to long to set the hook.?

 

Most of these questions would apply if, your fishing plastic on the bottom, whacky rig fishing, and jig fishing. Could apply to other presentations as well.

 

The reason I think that 3 is to many, is in the zillion years I've fished, I gut hooked 1 bass, and was lucky to know how to get her unhooked, let her go, and never saw her again, so hopefully she survived. I stay focused when fishing the above always..As others have said, it's gonna happen, all you can do is try your best to keep it to a minimum ..

 

[A-Jay]

6 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Not to belittle you, or offend, but in my mind 3 during a 2 month period is more than should have happened. Maybe a couple of things to check.

 

Do you have constant contact with your line.? Do you watch your line all the time..? And lastly, could you be waiting to long to set the hook.?

 

Most of these questions would apply if, your fishing plastic on the bottom, whacky rig fishing, and jig fishing. Could apply to other presentations as well.

 

The reason I think that 3 is to many, is in the zillion years I've fished, I gut hooked 1 bass, and was lucky to know how to get her unhooked, let her go, and never saw her again, so hopefully she survived. I stay focused when fishing the above always..As others have said, it's gonna happen, all you can do is try your best to keep it to a minimum ..

 

Or

A PA angler is legally allowed to keep SIX bass a day in 2020.

In a summer's time, even if one fished 3 days a week say for the 10 weeks of summer,

and managed to only catch half a limit each day, that's 90 bass in the frying pan. 

So the unfortunate and untended loss of 3 right here, pales in comparison. 

A-Jay

 

[GreenPig]

My guilt is killing me.

[rtwvumtneer6]

11 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Not to belittle you, or offend

No worries.  I think we can all agree those are reasonable questions to ask.

[TnRiver46]

Wait, fish can’t read?? No wonder they won’t eat my spinnerbait like the magazine said they would 

[garroyo130]

My only suggestion is to read up on the hook removal articles here as they will help immensely. In fact i hooked one fairly deep today but by going in through the gills I was able to get the fish back in the water rather quickly with minimum of damage.

[The Bassman]

Gut hooks just happen some time even with quick reaction. The one thing that I'm occasionally guilty of is pushing with my hemostats to pop a hook loose and accidentally replanting it deeper. Stuff happens. Our mindset on this subject is actually remarkable when you look at old photos of well known fisherman with their huge stringers of fish.

[OkobojiEagle]

FLM...

[rtwvumtneer6]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Wait, fish can’t read??

Suppose it's better that way, or this forum would accomplish the exact opposite of what it was intended for ?

[Hammer 4]

8 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Or

A PA angler is legally allowed to keep SIX bass a day in 2020.

In a summer's time, even if one fished 3 days a week say for the 10 weeks of summer,

and managed to only catch half a limit each day, that's 90 bass in the frying pan. 

So the unfortunate and untended loss of 3 right here, pales in comparison. 

A-Jay

 

True. But I was addressing the OP's possible reason for gut hooking the fish. To me, it didn't sound like he was intending on keeping them, which would be legal.

[Koz]

I don't mean to sound flippant or callous, but nature can be cruel and we are a part of nature. It's not like you were intentionally cruel or careless and on a positive note another one of God's creatures received an easy meal.

[slonezp]

People can't read and you're worried about fish? It's a fish. If fish were intelligent life, fish would be catching us. Get over it. 

[TnRiver46]

29 minutes ago, slonezp said:

People can't read and you're worried about fish? It's a fish. If fish were intelligent life, fish would be catching us. Get over it. 

catch and release? 

[BassNJake]

On 7/22/2020 at 4:58 PM, rtwvumtneer6 said:

I've killed 3 bass this summer.  For me, that's 3 too many.  And, I'll admit that at least one of them probably could have been avoided.  Negligence/in a hurry on my part.  I know it happens, but it does make me feel bad and it's not my intention to harvest my catches.  

 

Just needed to get that out there.  

 

So if fish could read, my sincerest apologies.

I have a pair of pretty good wire cutters.(knipex)

I dont even mess with the going thru the gill trick, just reach down and cut the hook past the barb.

Release the fish without the hook and then I have to retie.

 

 

 

[Craig P]

On 7/23/2020 at 9:28 AM, GreenPig said:

My guilt is killing me.

Anyone else jealous of Greenpig’s filleting skills.

 

My buddy and I caught some nice crappie yesterday and we kept 4 from 11” to 14”. We’ve never kept a crappie or even ate one so we wanted to know because we’ve heard our whole lives how good they are to eat. Needless to say, our filets looked umm...butchered. Lol.

 

I’ll admit, they did live up to their reputation, they were really good. I’m not much of a fish eater, I keep one striper and one flounder a year for my son and I. Maybe Crappie will become a once a year tradition now as well.