Well it happened to me this morning, I was fishing in my usual spot this morning and happened to catch a nice little striper this morning which had sea lice on it, released it and and proceded to fish until the sun came up. A round 05:00 or so another fisherman appeared and proceded to fish on the opposite jetty as me, we struck up some small talk and he said he was looking for a nice fresh bluefish for dinner, he hooked up a few minutes later and had a nice blue. I took my next cast with a 2 oz crippled herring in a blue mackeral pattern and I'm tight. It turned out to be a nice bluefish, now I was just fishing in the morning before work, so I didn't want to keep it, So I said to the guy,"how about seconds" , and my question was answered with "no thanks!" "I can catch my own fish". so I unhooked it and released it, with my nose a little bent out of shape by the remark.

He wasn't rude or a beligerant about it, but it just struck me as odd.

Has this happened to anyone before, and I was just trying to be a nice guy, this ever happen to anyone else?


I guess I shoulda made the title "accept" and not complain

its all about the fight. never happened to me before but if i was on the receiving end as ure buddy was, i woulda said the same thing.

Someone near and dear to me loves to load my fridge with blues and was very put out when I asked him not to catch bluefish for me. That I'd prefer that he didn't kill them at all if he wasn't going to keep them. He looked at me like he was gutshot. When I tried to explain that if I wanted bluefish, I'd catch my own, it only made things worse. But I don't have a puddle of fishblood in the bottom of my fridge anymore.

I wouldn't complain but I also wouldn't accept it. I would like to think I would be polite though and not piss the guy or gal off who offered....

F that! If I was looking for a blue to for the table and someone offered one I would take it. Now a Striper is another story.

I agree that I want to catch the fish myself but if I was there on a meat hunt I would take it.

IMO the person who told you that is an ass.

I feel the same way. I wouldnt be rude about it or anything but I wouldnt accept it. For me I think its a pride thing. I would feel better about landing my own fish and bringing it to the dinner table. There have been a few times people have asked me if I wanted fish and I said no thanks but offered to fillet it for them incase they didnt know how. I figure this way the fish is less likely to go to waste in someones freezer simply because they dont know how to fillet or dont want to deal with it.

F that! If I was looking for a blue to for the table and someone offered one I would take it. Now a Striper is another story.

why is it another story if it was a Striper?

A couple of my buddies don't accept the offers as well. To them it is not just the eating, but the whole experience of catching it youself, cleaning, cooking and then eating. To each their own, I wouldn't take offense if i was turned down, just put her back and keep casting.

I usually only keep fish that I caught (unless you're talking cod and haddock).

THey guy was honest and it didn't cost you anything, I wouldn't sweat it. SB's 'Clammer' might be pissed there's another blue swimming around, but thats another story.

Yeah, good points from everyone,

I guess I can see it from the other point of view. thanks guys

excepting fish from someone is like shopping in a fish market . If I want one I will catch my own . but I would have just said no thanks .

The guy was probably just trying to be funny. Whatever his reasons were.

He wasnt complaining, just said no thanks, I would have said the same thing.

I love to fish, and eat the fish I catch, but I love to eat fish I don't catch as well.

Run the tackle shop, run charters all year, not alot of time for me to fish "normally" (knew it when I took the job!!) and only eat fish I catch.

Friend came in the other day, he had caught a few, knows my situation, and asked me if I wanted one - said yes and the Mrs and I ate well that night.

Granted fishing is an experience, but......

A couple of my buddies don't accept the offers as well. To them it is not just the eating, but the whole experience of catching it youself, cleaning, cooking and then eating. To each their own, I wouldn't take offense if i was turned down, just put her back and keep casting.

Thats exactly what I am saying. Good reasons from everyone either way. Tight lines.

If I wasn't catching then I would have taken it, but if I had caught a fish and was still fishing then I would have said no.

I wouldn't read too much into the situation....it is what it is....

like i said on thanks ...i,ll catch my own

If I wasn't catching then I would have taken it, but if I had caught a fish and was still fishing then I would have said no.

:uhuh:

I dont see the harm in accepting a fish from a fellow pier rat. Last summer, I spent my days, tossing 7 oz bank sinkers and cut squid offerings to stripers off Battery Park in Lower Manhattan (the currents around that Island are serious and were talkin 60 foot depths in casting range). Lots of schoolie stripers, but tons of eels, sea robins and dogfish. Some of the other fishermen, predominantly of Asian origin, delighted in the offer of a 3 foot eel or sea robin because they were fishing to eat. If your hungry, pride and sportsmanship aside, then what is the harm in accepting a fish from another? Now I don't fancy dogfish and eels (especially out of the Hudson River) with my grits, but if someone offered me keeper striped bass, I would gladly toss that sucka on the grill!!!!!

I think it depends on the person/situation.

My dad at 79 just can't fish anymore.I will certainly bring him filets when I can.Quite often my dad takes a ride down to Weaver's Cove boat ramp to sit for awhile and on several occasions has been offered fish to which he gladly excepts because he can't catch his own and store bought fish just ain't the same.I would certainly except fish when if were in my dad's place.