Thanks, Bryan! :kewl:


Simply put, I can't imagine there being any valid argument that lifting 25+ lbs. of Bass by its jaw, can't but hurt it's chances of survival! :hs:


Besides, despite what Bill & his Mentor say about "all fisherman..." Why weigh any Bass but what you're keeping/ killing?

I know I for one can eyeball any Striper to be released, even in- water mostly, in the deep night... & give you an accurate weight estimate within 2- 3 lbs. (max error on a bigger fish!) And I'll be closer to 1 lb. + or - most times I assure! (Forget what I've seen or not lifetime: my PB boated is 49 lbs.!)

Yes, my friends have tested this ability of mine-- & lost beers betting against me here! :gu:

Bogas aren't necessary to either land... nor control big Bass-- nor to tell you what one to be released weighs! Experience & your eyes will do that for you fine! :eek5: (OR: if you must: weigh them in a large net... hooking up only the net- frame to the scale... still not as advisable as no weighing if releasing... but light- years more friendly to the Bass, than lip- weighing is!)

(Save the Bogas for pesky Blues if you must carry them! :heybaby: Better than grabbing them by the eyes or hard around the gills as I see many do! :rolleyes: )

Tarpon end up in the Newport Fish traps every year; along with weird jacks, cobia, spanish and king mack's etc.. so anything is possible.

Steve;
good post!

Many many years ago when I worked the head boats out of Gloucester, we would get both red and black drum in the thirty pound class a few times per season. I am also aware that every once in a while a commerical cod dragger will catch a school of reds...Stellwaggen is the place.

As for Boga's I've carried one for years. It's come in handy many times when I've been flying solo and simply had a hard time landing a fish due to waves/terrain/etc.... It seems that there are obviously people on this site that have a hard time with other people on the site. We or atleast myself and the guys that I fish with do it because we love it. It's a release from all the B.S. of everyday life. If people want to judge then judge. If you want to learn then learn. It's far too easy to gripe about something then it is to ignore it(as long as it's not causing harm to anyone). I always see the same guys trolling on here. I've met some incredibly genuine guys on here both electronically and in person. Cripes, who cares if you catch a 10lber or a 50lber.... For me it's personal. What makes a person a "sharpie"? Who cares? If someone has knowledge that has helped them and they are willing to share it so be it. Case in point. Plugfest, met some incredibly talented gents there that were more then willing to share because at the end of the day, we are all in it for the same reasons.... to get away from the daily grind. Let's not lose site of that next time you want to flame someone for a post. We all started somewhere and life is too short to jump down someone's virtual throat over nothing.

-Chris

***

Better yet, how many passes do you make?:bshake:

Excellant answer............:buds:

Great Post!!
I agree with all you have said but the problem remains that most guys only think they have see/caught a 30 # bass. I have seen guys with 25# fish that have bet me that it was 40#. They lost.
I also can eyeball within a couple of pounds but it takes years of experience to do that.
When Bryan and I were in the surf togther we would guess the weight of every fish we kept and were always within a pound or 2.

The boga is for the new firshermen who can't estimate yet. (Now the disclaimer so I don't get my a$$ in a sling)
Not that being a newbie is a bad thing or that using a Boga is a bad thing or asking a bunch of questions is a bad thing. There I think I covered myself.

So hooking a fish through it's mouth and pulling it through the water agianst it's will while it's pulling back as hard as it can, is more harmful than using a boga? I only use the boga for fish I keep and bluefish, but it's a helpful tool for tag and release guys as well. That way they can get accurate weights instead of estimates. There are plenty of people who use bogas who are not new fisherman.

I usually carry a boga to verify the guesses. This is how you know if you are close with the guess. It's easy to tell a 23# from a 28# but when the fish get to picture taking size you can be surprised more than you think. And yes it is a 60# boga. I like to know what I am talking about rather than just saying I know or guessing.

lol on a side note regarding bogas... I've seen plenty of old timers gill rape fish while landing them only to release them and watch the fish wallow in the surf... this is better then a boga?

Not many like i said 1 ply :rotf3: At least I'm not like Howard Stern he has to go through a undercarrige wash and a look in the mirror. imagine a mirror in your toilet:tm: scarry thought just ask Maco Joe
he has night vision:p
LINK
ps its not even friday
wait till 2morrow

Never once gone anywhere near a Bass' gills during landing and/ or releasing any! Yes I see too many still do... but I've known since childhood that's wrong if releasing! (Basic fish Biology!). Not only that... Bass have no teeth worth fearing! I can get a lip- grip or if not cradle the fish in shallow water easily enough!


SD, point is simply: verify w/ your Boga all weights of Bass you'd like-- among the ones you're keeping! (You're weighing your Large kept Bass I'm guessing on that Boga?)

Bass to be released: better to be off 1- 4 lbs. or so on the exact weight in your estimate if need be... just let the big girls go as gently & with as great odds of survival as possible! If you're releasing them anyway... & would like a shot at catching that fish again 20 lbs. heavier... that's only logical, right? :zup:

"Show me the slips" I know! Yes guys exaggerate their Bass' size I know often!... but that's about their kept Bass-- not released! No one listens to or cares about how big someone else's released fish are-- unless it's a very credible friend! When C & R'ing, you're only looking to impress yourself with your catch-- your toughest critic! :uhuh: -- no one else!

I know of a boat- guy who landed a Bass obviously close to 60 lbs. last year in NJ... and DIDN'T weigh it/ didn't want to get the exact weight to brag with... BECAUSE his choice was to release it! :btu:

Very sensible, indeed, LeCounts.
:claps: :claps: :claps: :claps:

I don't own a boga.I'm too cheap.I can see where they would be helpful to steady a fish for hook removal.Especially when in the water..
Not everyone has vise grip hand strenght..There are times,in order to protect my own safety.The subsequent health of the fish becomes secondary..
On another note..I never use pliers.
Ask NIB was WAY better...:D

:huh: . .. I don't get it, if y'all are SO worried about hurting the fish, you may want to think about giving up fishing, .....you will definately hurt less fish that way.



NIB - I'll bite, was WAY better?

[QUOTE=bloocrab;572163]:huh: . .. I don't get it, if y'all are SO worried about hurting the fish, you may want to think about giving up fishing, .....you will definately hurt less fish that way.
QUOTE]


EXACTLY my point everytime the catch and release fish mortality question arises. Many claim not to kill fish because they catch and release but at some point they ARE killing at least some. If you are against killing fish....DONT FISH!!!

Do Carrots scream when you pull them out of the ground? :)

If hair and finger-nails grow, why dont' they hurt when you get them cut??

no nerve endings on the part that's being cut................
whack the cuticle too close ~now that's a
horse of a different color :smash: :smash:.




anyone heard from Skitterpops, lately? :spin: :spin:
starting to miss his version of the "voice of reason".


Mike, ya out there?
could really go for sum of yer
tacks and gybes, buddy!:wavey:

thanks for the Redfish info

[QUOTE=Jenn;572175]AGREED, Jenn, there is the ocassional fatally foul hooked, gut hooked,
or improperly released mortality factor to the C&R equation.

For me, it's not an aversion to killing fish. i advocate C&R in an effort to not kill every fish one lands within the fishery management regs. because even if we did stay within the 2 per day max, imo, that would negatively impact our beloved prey as more and more of us answer the call of the surf. so, i choose to release far more keepers than i keep. and, there is also the pcb's and mercury factor to consider. i absolutely WON'T kill what i won't eat ~for me and my family.

also the more COWS we kill, ie. all that one can within fm guidelines, where will the Trophies for our children, thier children, and thier children's children come from?

don't get me wrong.............to each his own,
within the fisheries mgmt numbers, just my view about


"to kill, or not to kill? that is the ? whether tis nobler.............",
with thanks to Ye Olde Willy. :gu: :gu: :gu:

Catching fish to eat is one thing. What gets me is the dude thats gota bring home 2 fish night after night after night, why? Even if your a wine maker don't you have consceince? Thats where farmers bury their fish gutts...at the foot of the vine. Make the limit 4 or take your 8yr old fishing so you can take home 4, they don't think twice about it. Selfish pigs.

WHERE DOES A FART START?

Can't speak re. farts... BUT:


Bloo & Jen... :wave: Here's MY belief:

Striper Catch & Release done MY way (plugging 98+% of the time): 98.5% survival rate minimally... for the competant & caring Caster! :humpty:

C & R the gill- grabbin... Boga- (or lip- ) scale- weighing... long picture- taking session... and/ or the clam- baiting/ chumming ways... etc: 40% mortality rate or less... :(


Again: just MY confident belief about this... others here too I'm sure!


But your point IS: IF fishing... & releasing... you might as well accept & use 40% Mortality rate techniques & inconsiderate Bass- handling? NOT upgrade & strive for that 98% (potential) rate? :huh:


Nib... let the less nimble use a Boga to control Bass safely during landing all they want... advisable! Esp. if like you, they demand multiple trebles on most every plug they throw! :) All I'M saying, IS don't lift any Bass bigger than maybe 10 lbs. by the lip completely out of water! By Boga or otherwise-- don't support a (big) Bass's weight that you're releasing, by its lip!

in the stomach . its a build up of gases from your digestive juices and rippened food . as your digested food travels through the crap tunnel it pushes against the stopper ( a bunch of fart material ) and as it wants to escape , it pushes said fart material ( gases ) out through your exit ( the last stopper ) . it then goes through the air foe a short distance till it splashes down into the drink . its like a serious night of rot gut alcohol . be very careful exchanging air with your butt it be nothing but condensation and lots of it . call it a colonic if you like .


at least thats how I think my bowels work .

Well said, GOOSE!
:claps: :uhuh: :claps:





Ginger or Mary Anne? :wave::wave:

retracted my last statement.Not in the mood for this %$%$%$%$ today.

I just finally came across this thread and to make the entire Boga discussion pointless, it should be noted most people carry them just to deal with schoolies and blues with a face full of trebles quickly and safely. In the event a bigger fish gets Boga'd it usually doesn't even get lifted out of the water, just safely controlled. For most it's not something to measure fish with.

--

De-badging my wetsuit lest I be judged and hanging up my almost 15 year old Boga in order to be cool and politically correct, even though I fish mostly at night and mostly in areas no one else fishes where nobody sees me anyways, ;)

Pete G.

I need a 30# boga.. I fish out in the water ,, and fish slimy skin plug ... I have plyers but never use them either ..Big fish are easy to handle .. little fish are dangerous .. come in full of life. small mouth and tough to handle ..
better to burp and taste it than fart and waste it .. :read: