GIVE and TAKE

[Bill L]

I try to scale my tackle and technique towards larger fish. Acres of blitzing schoolies to me usually means a bunch of them will be floating belly up due to puncture wounds and deep hookings as a result of people "padding their numbers". Sure, you can use barbless singles and the like, but I prefer to just leave them be. Same thing goes for over wintering fish too. I leave them alone.

This stinks of hypocrisy. You've killed ten 30# fish just to get a "slip" in case somebody doesn't believe you, not to mention the potential mortality of the 100's of keepers, some of which may have had an eel hook in the gullet.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by toonoc

This stinks of hypocrisy. You've killed ten 30# fish just to get a "slip" in case somebody doesn't believe you, not to mention the potential mortality of the 100's of keepers, some of which may have had an eel hook in the gullet.

The 30# thing was used as an example. As for the slips, they're for me, not anyone else and I don't apologize for taking a few fish. I've documented my big fish catches since day 1.
For clarification, the fish are consumed by my self/family/friends. They're not thrown away or killed just for a slip, which would be a travesty no doubt.
Regardless of the fish's size, you must no doubt assume some will not make it after releasing them. In my experience though, I've seen more floaters when it comes to small fish. Many of the bigger fish come on eels, but many on rubber too.
In my earlier days, I would have taken the 2 fish a day or whatever was legal to posess.
Keeping in line with Chris's question here, I release practically everything I catch.