What do you tell the "Hunter"

[Syppy]

So the other night I was telling my soon to be Brother-in-law about the good fishing I've had this last little bit, and showing some of the video I captured.  His question to me was... "Which ones did you keep?"

He looked at me like I had two heads when I explained to him that I let them all go.  That I was doing catch and release out there on the lake. I struggled to explain that I didn't have the need to keep them as I wasn't planning on eating them, and that it was for the sport of it all.

Anyone else have any experiences with explaining to people the whole catch-and-release concept?

[fourbizz]

Ask him why there arent any big deer running around virginia.

[Catt]

As a hunter he should understand Selective Harvesting, which is what we should all be doing.

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

I tell people I love the sport of bass fishing for ther  puzzle of figuring what can make them bite not for the meat.

[Grey Wolf]

You really don't have to explain your actions to some one else , especially to someone that was raised to kill animals for food. Nothing wrong with your way or your future brother in laws way of looking at it.

You are both entitled to your opinions as long as neither tries to force their idea's on each other.

[roadwarrior]

As a hunter he should understand Selective Harvesting, which is what we should all be doing.

[FishingBuds]

Because fishing is a perfect sport IMHO.

But there is division amongst us on why we can.

so IMHO you got meat hunters and theres trophy hunters.

A good animal meat hunter kills to eat, A trophy animal hunter kills to brag.

Meat Hunter usually has a unwasted carcass, Trophy Hunter may or may not waste a carcass. they claim to donate the meat, but the three trophy hunters I know personally have never donated, they only claim it when a subject like this comes up, but first hand I have witnessed 4 years in a row they never donated. I to this day do not hunt with any Trophy hunters.

IMHO a trophy hunter can help build up a herd do to selection, so they may tend to throw more fish back

IMHO a meat hunter will tend to keep fish for food, and can OVER harvest

If ya take a animal or fish it should be for food period, getting a big one is just a blessing along with it. TO harvest it for bragging rights only is wrong. This gives us a black eye

Welp sounds like a dam if ya do or dam if ya don't situation ;D

[lynyrdsky1]

I think its different between what a hunter does and what a fisherman does.

When i hunt what ever i kill being it duck, deer, rabbit, turkey, etc i do not waste one bit of the meat.

When i fish i am selective on what i keep to eat and what  i throw back. I throw back trophy size fish because i dont want the lake that im fishing at to lose any of its patential. If i catch a fish thats not good size but is of legal limit i keep it and eat it but i only keep what is legal.

I wish i could teach my dad this on the fishing part cause he has tendency to keep what ever he catches( only legal size tho)

[Fishes in trees]

I've given it up on trying to explain catch & release.  These days, should anyone ask, I just say that generally at the end of the day I know I'm going to be tired and I don't want to mess with getting dirty cleaning the fish, so I just throw them back.

Then on they way home I stop somewhere and have BBQ or Chinese or steak.  Should anyone press the subject further, I explain that it really isn't anyone else's business whether I keep a fish or not and leave it at that.

[grimlin]

I've given it up on trying to explain catch & release. These days, should anyone ask, I just say that generally at the end of the day I know I'm going to be tired and I don't want to mess with getting dirty cleaning the fish, so I just throw them back.

Then on they way home I stop somewhere and have BBQ or Chinese or steak. Should anyone press the subject further, I explain that it really isn't anyone else's business whether I keep a fish or not and leave it at that.

Same here...  :-/  I fish along side a lot of shore anglers and i can tell you 75% of them are meat hunters.Even had a few get mad at me when they see me releasing a good size bass.Then i get bugged by them to give them my next catch.

[boneil]

I've given it up on trying to explain catch & release. These days, should anyone ask, I just say that generally at the end of the day I know I'm going to be tired and I don't want to mess with getting dirty cleaning the fish, so I just throw them back.

Then on they way home I stop somewhere and have BBQ or Chinese or steak. Should anyone press the subject further, I explain that it really isn't anyone else's business whether I keep a fish or not and leave it at that.

Same here... :-/ I fish along side a lot of shore anglers and i can tell you 75% of them are meat hunters.Even had a few get mad at me when they see me releasing a good size bass.Then i get bugged by them to give them my next catch.

I love releasing catfish in front of meat hunters.  they get so mad and give me dirty looks.  I just like to fish, thats all that needs to be said. 

[kyle317289]

As a hunter he should understand Selective Harvesting, which is what we should all be doing.

yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

[Scorcher214]

Same here... :-/ I fish along side a lot of shore anglers and i can tell you 75% of them are meat hunters.Even had a few get mad at me when they see me releasing a good size bass.Then i get bugged by them to give them my next catch.

Yep has happened to me, where i used to fish there were always people keepin everything they catch. (I would never eat anything that is in that water though, it's very polluted). I throw it back and then i get a guy coming up to me "Why'd ya throw that fish back? don't ya eat em?"

I answer him saying that i dont eat them, he asks if he can have my next fish, i say no.

[bilgerat]

I've given it up on trying to explain catch & release. These days, should anyone ask, I just say that generally at the end of the day I know I'm going to be tired and I don't want to mess with getting dirty cleaning the fish, so I just throw them back.

Then on they way home I stop somewhere and have BBQ or Chinese or steak. Should anyone press the subject further, I explain that it really isn't anyone else's business whether I keep a fish or not and leave it at that.

Same here... :-/ I fish along side a lot of shore anglers and i can tell you 75% of them are meat hunters.Even had a few get mad at me when they see me releasing a good size bass.Then i get bugged by them to give them my next catch.

I like the dirty looks from the ones that don't even have a fishing license. That takes huge balls to ask for another man's catch when you don't have a license.

[Fishing Rhino]

I've been asked the question, but never by someone with the attitude, "then what's the point".  They are just curious.

My pat answer is that I could eat them, once.  But I and others could catch them many times if they are released.

[Syppy]

You really don't have to explain your actions to some one else , especially to someone that was raised to kill animals for food. Nothing wrong with your way or your future brother in laws way of looking at it.

You are both entitled to your opinions as long as neither tries to force their idea's on each other.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not asking because I felt the need to justify, or to change his outlook on the whole subject.  It just kind of puzzled me that someone wouldn't get the general idea behind sport fishing.  Esp. someone who's an avid outdoors man.

Then I started thinking about what the best way would be to explain it to someone who didn't know about it.

[Big Fish Rice]

You really don't have to explain your actions to some one else , especially to someone that was raised to kill animals for food. Nothing wrong with your way or your future brother in laws way of looking at it.

You are both entitled to your opinions as long as neither tries to force their idea's on each other.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not asking because I felt the need to justify, or to change his outlook on the whole subject. It just kind of puzzled me that someone wouldn't get the general idea behind sport fishing. Esp. someone who's an avid outdoors man.

Then I started thinking about what the best way would be to explain it to someone who didn't know about it.

I'd tell him that everyone hunts and fishes for different reasons; some anglers keep and others don't depending on your intention. It comes down to food vs sport.

Personally, I get the same interest from friends of mine. I enjoy getting out and being outdoors, and learning new techniques and presentations to catch fish. Most of all, I like catching bass because I truly admire the species; the tug on the other end of the line is what it's all about for me. I don't need to eat them to feel "satisfied".

[Raul]

I gave away hunting a long time ago, you hunt for food, for trophy or both, any way, for me fishing is different from this aspect, in hunting you kill the animal, the fun is gone once you kill it, you simply can 't kill it again, it 's dead, you want another ? ---> you 'll have to kill another one; you fish for food, for trophy, both or as a hobby, in fishing you catch the animal, but since it 's not dead yet you have a couple of choices, to kill it for food or let it go, there 's still a lot of fun to squeeze out of the animal, unlike hunting, you can catch it over and over again.

[MrWrinkle]

A few weeks ago I was telling a friend of ours about my recent fishing trip outing. She asked if I keep them. "No", I said, "I throw them back.". Her brow furrowed for a minute before she replied: "Oh. Well do they sink to the bottom, or just float on top?"

:o "Wait, what? They swim away!", I reply.

"Really?", she says. "You mean they're not dead when you throw them back?"

I was horrified! Now every time I go out on my boat, I have a mental image of this trail of dead bass floating behind my boat as I release them!

I set her straight, of course, but it's something I hear fairly often. People assume that we must eat the fish because catching them must kill them. I find that kinda sad. I haven't (knowingly) accidentally or intentionally killed a fish in years and I think that is also true for many of the folks that post on here.

[paangler3117]

I release 99% of the bass I catch, but I do eat whatever I keep. I tell Hunters it's just like nailing a buck, then he can get up and make more deer. Some people do have that gotta kill it mind set, I don't tell them anything :-)

Jim

[BigMoneyGrip]

I release EVERYTHING that I catch. I'd hurl if I had to clean them. I don't have the stomach for it.

Several years ago, we were putting in as some older men were loading up. We started with small talk when one of the stated "A few years ago, you could come here and catch 200 crappie a day, now you can't catch any". I asked him how long could a lake support that?

I still don't think he ever got it.

[NorcalBassin]

Out here in CA I just tell them that there's more mercury in the bass than a thermometer and I'm not eating them unless I'm starving.

[CAdeltaLipRipper]

Usually just to friends moms and stuff lol

[CAdeltaLipRipper]

Out here in CA I just tell them that there's more mercury in the bass than a thermometer and I'm not eating them unless I'm starving.

Hahaha thats just in clear lake isnt it?And i wouldnt eat a fish out of the delta either cause its pretty freakin gross water lol

[Skeet22]

Just ask them whens the last time they seen a football player eat a football????