Off Topic Fact or Fiction

[GPS]

I look in their throats, if the air bladder is visible, in the box it goes, if not back into the water.

They race for the bottom, so I figure they should survive.

That’s the way I check. If the throat is pushing outwards then it gets its throat cut and put on ice

 

[Derkd9]

yes and people fish all 26000 square kms and certainly nothing would be missed

Didn’t say nothing would be missed!!!
Just said that most likely the dead body’s don’t just end up in the middle of the lake never to be seen again
I’m guessing they would be showing up in Burwell or long point

 

[Derkd9]

funny eh and possibly it's a waste during some months of the year, you can never be perfect with regs, science is always trying to figure out what's best and we will never get anything perfect... but just just off the data, if you're fishing deep, you're likely killing a couple fish.. this is all im trying to say and I'm just trying to spread info and have a civil conversation.

Yah really funny super hilarious
If it’s possible people are killing fish by tossing them back they shouldn’t have that slot size then should they
And if there’s lots of studies done to prove this then what’s the hold up in changing the regs
And if it’s a big deal that people might kill a couple fish tossing them back then maybe they should address all the tiny one that get killed in the nets and get wasted. All I’m saying
Trying to raise awareness and have a civil conversation about it.

 

[Fishermanpaul]

Yah really funny super hilarious
If it’s possible people are killing fish by tossing them back they shouldn’t have that slot size then should they
And if there’s lots of studies done to prove this then what’s the hold up in changing the regs
And if it’s a big deal that people might kill a couple fish tossing them back then maybe they should address all the tiny one that get killed in the nets and get wasted. All I’m saying
Trying to raise awareness and have a civil conversation about it.

it's a trade off, don't have a reg and everyone that's a savage will keep 12 inch fish.. like I said it can't be perfect

Also agree with the nets, we impact the population a fraction of what they will

 

[Fishermanpaul]

Didn’t say nothing would be missed!!!
Just said that most likely the dead body’s don’t just end up in the middle of the lake never to be seen again
I’m guessing they would be showing up in Burwell or long point

seagulls probably help out with that one

 

[Derkd9]

seagulls probably help out with that one

For sure and that would make the floaters even more noticeable? Go back in the many fishing reports by the members of this forum there’s hundreds if not thousand or so tiny ones reported tossed back im curtain if the kill rate was high we would have seen visual evidence of it
I never said that some don’t die
It’s such a small percentage personally I’m not concerned about tossing them back
But I will keep if there is obvious signs of the bladder protruding the mouth

 

[Fishermanpaul]

For sure and that would make the floaters even more noticeable? Go back in the many fishing reports by the members of this forum there’s hundreds if not thousand or so tiny ones reported tossed back im curtain if the kill rate was high we would have seen visual evidence of it
I never said that some don’t die
It’s such a small percentage personally I’m not concerned about tossing them back
But I will keep if there is obvious signs of the bladder protruding the mouth

one poke from a gull and the floater doesn't float though

I mean who really knows the percentage, but can you say for certain that they swim away and live... no, can you say for certain that they die.. no

We could argue forever on this, lets agree to disagree ahaha

 

[Derkd9]

one poke from a gull and the floater doesn't float though

I mean who really knows the percentage, but can you say for certain that they swim away and live... no, can you say for certain that they die.. no

We could argue forever on this, lets agree to disagree ahaha

So you’re telling me you keep every tiny fish you catch?

 

[DaveJ]

From the Lake Erie Walleye Task Group 2005
http://www.glfc.org/pubs/lake_committees/erie/WTG_docs/annual_reports/WTG_report_2019.pdf

'The current SCAA model assumes that instantaneous natural morality is 0.32 or 27% annually. "

If there are approx 90 million walleye in the lake this year, then around 25 million die naturally.
I dont like to waste any fish, but putting back the smalls wont impact anything...and if you dont put them back, their chance of survival is for sure zero. '

 

[Outdorman]

just food for other fish or birds, circle of life.

 

[Derkd9]

Yah and I’d rather not have to eat 12 fish in one meal
Seems a waste itself
Considering I usually eat 1 fillet per meal of an eater sized walleye. 12 fish should feed me 24 meals

 

[Ticker]

Simple solution.
Don't put hooks on you lures , just watch the rods bounce

 

[rcfire77]

as someone with a masters in psychology…let’s end this discussion NOW!!

 

[hvyhaul]

as someone with a masters in psychology…let’s end this discussion NOW!!

What does that have to do with fishing? LoL

Great question asked @EOR seriously.

 

[Derkd9]

Simple solution.
Don't put hooks on you lures , just watch the rods bounce

That only scratches half the itch!

 

[jammer]

Putting them in the cooler is 0% survival rate...

 

[Ticker]

That’s only scratches half the itch!

This debate comes up once in a while , never seen a solution presented in the past
Maybe some humor will put it to rest or not
I got out once this year on Erie for walleye so if I kept the first 12 fish we would of ended the fishing trip on the water in 20 minutes and 4 hours drive and come home with 1 5 pound fish and 11 1/2 pound fish
Most fish came 30- 35 feet down and some on the slider guessing 20 feet down
The 6 years I been fishing on Erie I seen maybe 6 floaters
Anyway of tomorrow morning to a small inland lake for walleye and smallmouth action
Ligth spinning gear , jigs , ned rig , dropshot
Will be fishing 10 - 25 fow and practice catch and release
Got my meat from Erie so no need to keep

 

[Cleithrum]

If you're serious about the issue then rig up something on your downrigger that gets the fish down quick to 40ft (back to safe pressure they came from) and then with a tug on the line or your contraption or increased trolling speed, releases the fish off the release clip.
I've done it with big donkeys i didn't want to eat and didn't want to see die... it works

 

[Bandwagon]

I know Ross Robertson from Bigwater fishing has mentioned that releasing fish in the summer due to deeper fishing and warmer water is typically a no-go for him, he's a very reliable source... Personally as someone who has a Masters in Biology I would agree with ross saying that the data points to a high mortality rate of catch and release during the months with warm temps, especially if youre pulling them out of deep water (really anything below 30 is probably a death certificate), and of course they will swim away but a large number of them will still die... but I agree look for the air bladder down throat, buldging butthole, eyes, etc. and if you see any of this I would forsure keep the fish... over where Ross fishes they have a size limit so he has to throw back anything under 15 inches anyway

I would agree, from a SM Bass perspective if you don't fizz those fish it's a death sentence for them. 20FOW or more the fish will look fine but if it rides on its side in your livewell during a tournament or when you release it you will notice it cannot get back down.

 

[Caseys Dream]

Here is my take. I am no biologist, nor do I play one on TV but lets use just last week as an example.
Caught my 2 man limit in about 3 hours with first 2 fish coming as soon as we set lines, all fish went into live well. Now my livewell may actually be where Spock came back to life in a movie once because after 3 hours of trolling and livewell being pumped from warm surface water into well at 72F...those damn fish were all pretty damn lively at the end of my day.

It wasn't until we had all lines back in and lunch eaten when I converted the livewell into a deathwell and ceremoniously slit gills whist doing a count to make sure we were legal.

Now the trauma of coming up from 35-40 feet down in say 55F water to the top (yes...some were even dragged for miles on the surface), landing in my warmish livewell surely must of killed them all - small ones, large ones, ones that had nicer color than others and even the pale ones. But then...when I opened the livewell later on they we are alive. Weird. Spock was on to something.

So, these biologists with their labcoats and pencils need to watch Star Trek III - Search for Spock. It's in my livewell and I understand totally why this doesn't happen in the real world and the bottom is littered with dead little fish.

BTW - when a seagull pokes a floating fish...it does not intentionally try to sink it nor does it sink it which would end their meal.. They ain't stupid. Evolution is on their side.