In the Event of

[teaser]

Guys,

I agree with all that is said here about releasing a fish that is gut hooked by trying to free the fish of the hook without killing it or totally mangling it so it has no chance to live, but I do not waste a fish if it does not have a chance whether it be food for crabs or something else.

But just to set the record straight for myself here, I have never gut hooked a Striper. I only pitch eels at them, no other way do I fish for them and so far lucky maybe but never a gut hook.

The fish I refer to (and the only species I have ever gut hooked) is Rock Bass, and only because they are voracious like Bluefish. I catch them by accident sometimes when fishing for Fluke using squid, and I do by all means try to save them too but if the inevitable is at hand then they are in the pan.

I love fishing for Stripers, believe me. But I hate trolling, I don't use plastics on them, that's a good way to gut hook them, and if I'm throwing plugs at anything I use a single hook on the back of the plug, no belly hooks at all.

I know I didn't make it clear before as to how I fish or what I fish for or what species I was refering to but I hope I did now. I didn't mean to come across as I'll take it no matter what, that wasn't my intention and by no means do I agree with the taking of shorts and as it was stated in another response ... yes, the EPA is drastically understaffed and that is the reason so many people get away with taking illegal fish.

Again, I hope I didn't step on any toes here and I made my point of view a little clearer by defining my methods and species of fish of which I was refering to.