Bear Lake - poor fish handling

[not-a-purist]

Yesterday, myself and a couple friends fished Bear Lake. We had a good time and enjoyed targeting fish with preferred tactics.

We witnessed some very poor fish handling skills by other boaters (I won't name names) out there. Much to our surprise we saw one of the more accomplished fisherman over there drop (several) fish onto the bottom of the boat so hard we heard it from almost a hundred yards away, hold the fish by the gills vertically and have it out of the water for several minutes and then release the fish ( which by all standards was a trophy fish). We thought for sure they were going to keep the fish by the way it was handled, but to our surprise once pictures were through, it, and most of the fish through the day were tossed from shoulder height back into the water.

I don't want to cause any debates or sore feelings, but Bear Lake is the best it has been in decades and I don't want to lose fish due to poor handling techniques.

Remember, NO fingers in the gills. No need for further explanation

Support the fish HORIZONTALLY. If the fish is large enough, the weight of the fish can actually separate the spine from the skull. They may swim away, but will likely die shortly after.

The fish can't hold its breath any longer than you can, I try to keep this in mind when I take one out of the water for pictures. Otherwise I try to not even take them out of the water.

Don't toss them back into the water. Jump off a chair flat to your back and see how you feel, its probably the same way the fish feel when they hit the water. The surface tension on the water is harder than you think.

We all have our favorite species and fisheries. Lets please be sure to handle fish (all game fish species) correctly so we have the fishery in the future.

Any feed back is welcome.

Thanks.
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[pezvela]

Great advice and something we should all keep in mind every time we are on the water. Poor handling prior to the release results in the same outcome as throwing this wonderful resource in the garbage bin.

Thanks for reminding us of our responsibility as anglers to treat the fish we catch with respect. If we are releasing them, do it rapidly using the proper techniques listed above.

On the salt water we don't pull the fish into the boat, unless it is a tuna or some other specie that we are keeping to eat. The wireman or the mate brings the fish along side to boat, the hook is removed and the fish is released. Pictures are of the fish swimming along side of the boat. Giant marlin in the 1,000 pound range and other pelagic species are released routinely. Todays anglers recognize the importance of these giants to the fishery and elect to release them over a picture of a dead fish on the dock to demonstrate their prowess with rod and reel. That mentality should be considered in freshwater as well.

If we are keeping the fish for the table...Dispatch them immediately, remove the entrails and get them cooled or iced as soon as possible. They will be much better table fare than if they lay on the bottom of the boat or attached to a stringer floating in lake water.

I have been a fisherman for over 60 years and much of that time I have been a professional fisherman. I have, and my clients and guests, caught thousand and thousands of fish. Many died after release and many ended up freezer burned and discarded. Times and attitudes are changing. Replaca mounts are now equal or better than skin mounts if you want something for the wall. Many organizations like PETA are against sport fishing and the release of fish. Fishing for food is acceptable to them......sportfishing is not.

If we want this great outdoor activity to survive in a changing world, we need to heed the advice of not-a-purist and treat the fish we catch with respect.

[Springbuck]

Handling of dead fish you keep is important, too. I keep a ton of fish and there is no reason they can't be kept a long time I the freezer and still be good quality. Learn how to do it right, then keep only what you want or need.
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[albinotrout]

Always good info, thanks! I understand being caught up in the moment things happen and people forget. But as practice makes perfect all these recommendations can and will become second nature to all who want it to.[cool]
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[cuthroat_guy]

Interesting you bring this up...

I was out Saturday as well, but do to certain circumstances I avoid the heavily populated areas ( rock pile ) durring the busier times of year, yesterday being one.

A couple years back, I had a commercial fisherman (trolling boat) snag my anchor line, severel boats had to make sharp turns, to avoid hitting my boat, a little to close for comfort for me on a little rock pile.
It's interesting to watch from the road, how many boats are trolling in such a small area.

As well as fowl language , disgusting humor, or the typical squabble from other boaters has led me to find areas where there are not so many boats around,

I do enjoy the more popular areas of bear lake, but only when a few other boaters are out......
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[kochanut]

It's reasons as stated above I drink in vass quantities and play with loaded firearms while I fish. Though not safe it is really enjoyable and the faces on gaiters around he us price less, I tend to rush out if a boat with very few others around new.






















This entire post was made in jest, never drink and handkerchief a fire arm, I'm actually I had to type thus part out but due to the state of our country it had to be done
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[kochanut]

Handkerchief meant handle... I am on my iPad and my auto correct is out of control
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[CoyoteSpinner]

Thanks for explaining, thought it was the "vass quantities" speaking perhaps.


to hear of poor handling. but who really wants to keep a laker over 10 lbs for table fare anyway? I hear the bigger, the mushier, and taste about as good as a slough carp on a hot day. No personal experience, just hearsay, and theirsay. I'm just saying.

[dubob]

[quote CoyoteSpinner]who really wants to keep a laker over 10 lbs for table fare anyway?[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]Folks in Michigan have been using larger lake trout in fish boils since the 1800's. I've eaten 20 pounders cooked fish boil style that were delicious. But back to Bear Lake; I've not caught any over 8 lbs and I've kept every one of those for the pot. On the 1 to 2 trips I intend to make up there every year, I think I'll continue to keep the ones I catch just for the pot - fish boil pot that is. After all, I am a life member of Hook & Cook.

PS: The above post is meant to be humor, NOT dissin' other folk's philosophy on fishing.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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[albinotrout]

For some reason why can I actually envision this? Lol[]
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[not-a-purist]

For the record it looked to be a cutthroat, not a laker, in the trophy class range that received the worst fish handling of the day, and then released to die. Just plain SAD.

I didn't want to bring up the encroachment issue, but since it was discussed I will.

I would say easily in the range if 15-20 times we had boats so close I could have hit them with an orange, and I can't throw well with a torn shoulder. A few times I literally could have spit on them.

There seems to be a loss of ethics and character. When it gets to the point that it looks like bumper cars, move out! Especially if someone is anchored, give plenty of space. I believe the only reason there wasn't anchor ropes weren't caught was because of all the I-pilot bow motors. The trollers were that close to anyone that was jigging. I can guarantee that if I were to troll within fifty feet of another troller, there would be words and maybe fists flying. Give everyone adequate space.

I hope those trolling close are reading this, and you know who you are.
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[wormandbobber]

Let's be clear here….good handling of fish will certainly maximize the number of released fish that survive and live to be caught again. I am totally in favor of being careful in handling fish and safely releasing them. BUT, threads like this drive me crazy…fishing is a blood sport and regardless of how nicely a fish is handled, it may still die upon release. The assumption that the fish described in the original post is dead or died may or may not be true….we don't know. What we do know based on what the original poster said is that the fisherman did NOT break any laws or rules. This thread is about personal ethics which are always difficult to push on to other people…

….I have seen trout handled much more rough in electrofishing, gill net, and stocking ventures than what was described above. We must remember that fisheries are managed and stocked with the idea in mind that fish are going to die both by harvest and by handling. Again, fishing is a blood sport. And, though, we want released fish to survive and we should maximize that possibility by careful handling, some harvested fish simply will not live regardless of how well they are handled!
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[dubob]

[quote not-a-purist]I can guarantee that if I were to troll within fifty feet of another troller, there would be words and maybe fists flying.[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I just had to laugh at that comment NAP. And trust me, I mean no disrespect. But I come from Michigan and have made many trips out on Lake Michigan to pursue combat fishing at its finest. You see, back there, there can be 30 to 50 boats in any given area looking for kings and cohos and most of them are charters with up to 12 lines off the back and boards. And most of the boats pass one another well within 50 feet and almost nary a word is spoken other than how you doin' and how many have you caught so far and on what.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]And while I don't see that kind of congestion here in Utah, I learned from fishing back there that it is far more important to be aware of how the other boat is trolling their lines (surface or downriggers) and where their line of travel will take them with respect to my line of travel. I guess its a whole different culture back there than what we have here.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I don't get nearly as upset with another boat passing me at 50 feet as I do with a boat that cuts across behind me closer than 150 feet. That's an accident waiting to happen; very rude and disrespectful.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Again, NAP, I meant no disrespect; and I'm not asking you to change your personal philosophy about what is, or is not, too close. I'm just offering a comparison of differing attitudes from different parts of the country. I totally respect your space requirements.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Tight lines to all.[/#800000][/font]
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[Ktrout]

I didn't want to bring up the encroachment issue, but since it was discussed I will.

I would say easily in the range if 15-20 times we had boats so close I could have hit them with an orange, and I can't throw well with a torn shoulder. A few times I literally could have spit on them.

I am not saying the people trolling were in the right, but I am also not sure if someone anchored on a certain spot has the "ethical" right to that spot. What if the person trolling was the first on the water and hit the rockpile first. Then you came along later in the day and anchored on the rockpile. The troller can't put a sign up that they were there first. And you being in said spot doesn't mean you have more right to that spot than said troller even though you are stating this as fact.

When you are fishing a small area that is well known to everyone on that lake, it is hard to have too much sympathy for someone trolling close by you. Not calling you out, just my two cents.

I do agree that poor fish handling should be avoided. Oh and I have never open water fished BL nor do I really troll, so I am not trying to justify anything I have done.

[line_dangler]

[#000000][font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Big lakers are excellent eating especially if they are nice and fat and you dont need to add any oil or butter or anything. Since Lake Trout really are a freshwater Char fish (the Char are a saltwater fishes mostly) they have great taste as w[/size][/font][/#000000][#000000][font "Times New Roman"][size 3]ell as all the Char fishes. I tell you what you can even grill them and make a nice big fish stake out of 'em baked, fried, or grilled. Catch a big one and take it home ant try. [fishin][]
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[not-a-purist]

When I said 50 feet or less, that was on all sides, transom and including the bow where anchors are tied. A couple times it was more like twenty or thirty. I was shocked that we didn't tie up on a few occasions.

For the record, I was the first boat on the entire west side of the lake. I don't own any piece of the lake, no question, but if someone is in a spot I want, I move on and find fish somewhere else. It is a courtesy thing. If I wanted it bad enough, I would have been there earlier.

No laws were broken, no doubt. But if an "experienced" angler that fishes the body of water A LOT, there are a lot of dead fish as a result. This also sets a bad example of us as anglers, and as stewards of nature.

I try not to even take a fish out of water unless I want a picture. And this can be done while trolling. It's not that difficult. Throwing fish from shoulder high is completely ridiculous. Just leave the fish in the net and put the net back into the water and let it swim out.
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[wormandbobber]

[quote not-a-purist]
No laws were broken, no doubt. But if an "experienced" angler that fishes the body of water A LOT, there are a lot of dead fish as a result. This also sets a bad example of us as anglers, and as stewards of nature.

I try not to even take a fish out of water unless I want a picture. And this can be done while trolling. It's not that difficult. Throwing fish from shoulder high is completely ridiculous. Just leave the fish in the net and put the net back into the water and let it swim out.[/quote]

How do you know there are a lot of dead fish as a result? You think that this angler set a bad example because he doesn't practice the same ethical releasing standards as you do…but that doesn't mean his fish died or that he handled them poorly. I have watched fish thrown from much higher distances than shoulder heights and do just fine…in fact, some are stocked from airplanes! I have seen fish electroshocked, thrown into a chemical, measured, weighed, have their stomachs pumped, tagged in their cheeks, and then thrown over the shoulder only to have them rechecked the following year. I am sorry, but I would bet money these fish were handled much more harshly than those you describe…

…it is good that your ethics follow the higher standard and err on the cautious side, but don't think that the one glove should fit all! An experienced angler can toss fish back without killing them!
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[not-a-purist]

Just for fun, look up the mortality rates on fish stocked from an airplane and truck. You'll be surprised. There is a surprising number that don't make it.

There are proven methods for how to handle and release fish. Why not use them? If it increases survival rates if only by 5 or 10%, without question it is worth it.
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[MasterDaad]

I think there are many anglers who don't know what proper fish handling is or the differences between the fragility of fish species.

I learned to fish from my father. I learned what he knew. And what he did was toss the stuff he didn't want back in the water -- after sticking his fingers in the gills and generally pounding the fish around.

To be fair, until recently he hasn't caught enough fish on trips in the past to worry about releasing many anyway.

It's only recently that I learned a whole lot more -- largely thanks to this site and YouTube.

Now we are a lot better at handling and releasing particularly Cutthroat trout that populate many of the lakes we like to fish.

And its a good thing because we catch and release dozens each trip.
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[Pharticus]

[quote line_dangler][#000000][font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Catch a big one and take it home ant try. [fishin][]
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Have you seen Coyote's fish? His trophy catches aren't even big enough to tempt a Lake Trout into snacking! []
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