Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeBass
I don't have anything against spear fishing. I would guess most are responsible people. But i have to say as a fly fisherman I don't think I've ever killed one of the dozens of stripers I've hooked and landed. I think it's similar to plugs in that you almost always get them at the edge of the mouth. I've never gut hooked a striper on the fly. Maybe if you were fishing too light tackle and exhausted them you could kill them.
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You don't
think you have killed any, but I would wager any amount of money that at least a few of them have perished. It is not always about visible damage. There are other stresses on their body that can lead to death as being hooked, fought, handled and released is not a natrually occurring event for a fish. I forget the numbers exactly, but in several studies I was reading not too long ago on S-B release mortalty the average rate is somewhere between 10% and 30% even under the best of situations. The studies covered J-hooks, circle hooks, lures, etc... and brokes the findings down as such. Eitehr way, some fish died.
I am not trying to be a jerk or pick on anyone, I just want to show that no matter what we do, there are going to be a few dead fish left over. The only way to avoid it is to stop fishing all together. End of story.
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