Quote:
Originally Posted by Flaptail
Very light tackle may be exciting but the lengthy fight puts fish under tremendous physiological strain. Enzymes build up in thier blood from over exertion and enter the bloodstream that feeds the muscles. No matter how long you spend reviving the fish and its swims away half heartedly, chances are overwhelming that it will not recover and die within hours or days from the damage to the muscle mass.
I fish ten pound braid for bass from my skiff on the flats and have taken a quite a few large fish over the years with no problems and usually in short order without the aid of motor etc. Anything under ten pound is really irresponsible in terms of catch and release and resource protection. Cheap thrills at the fish's cost for record or notoriety only. If you have no qualms killling for the thrill of it than 2,4,6 and 8 pound tackle is the way to go.
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I always start with super light but will switch up to heavier tackle once I have my dinner in the boat. There is nothing better than a nice long battle with a fish, even if you have to chase it down which in my opinion is even better. Thats why I fish. I always have a selection to choose from and when I am tossing them back i try to get them in asap. For the table I take my time and enjoy, I also don't think you'll loose them if you do it that way.
I agree that fishing 6lb test and whaling fish all day is bad practice.