People Who Mis-Handle Fish!

[SeaWolf]

Originally Posted by piemma

So I haven't posted in a couple of weeks but this topic got me.
I had an incident last year in So Co where I was down the beach from this guy who was catching schoolies and KICKING them back in the water. Ever see this? It Pi$$es me off to no end. Let me try to understand this. You have no problem, casting, hooking and dragging a fish up on the beach. You use your pliers to unhook the fish but then you KICK the fish down the beach to the water. What? Are you afraid to gently pick the fish up and release it in a humane manner? Anyway, we had words and ended up leaving before I go myself in serious trouble with this f&^%^$# idiot.
I am curious as to whether it's just me or what.

going on what piemma, and a couple others have said, i have seen "fishermen" catch a school striped bass on the beach, drag it up the sand about 15', step on it, and try to remove 1 or 2 sets of hooks in the fish, and then kick it back into the water. first question, why are you throwing a lure w/ 3 sets of trebles at a school of fish you know is all under 10#'s? next, why are you dragging the fish up the sand? put some rain gear/waders on and get wet or else be prepared to hear a mouthful. and third, kick a fish back in the water because you are too lazy to put some effort into reviving it or at least putting it in deep enough water for it to swim back into the surf. i have then seen these same anglers watch as that fish washes back up on the beach next to them while they continue casting. or, they kick it again back into the surf. i have started nicely into caring for those fish treated like that and have more than once approached the "angler" to tell them to care for the fish if they choose to fish here. i see it every year.

let's go further. how many will catch a bluefish and step on it, rip the hooks out of their mouths, or kick it back in the surf only because it is a bluefish or because it has teeth? that's plain poor judgement. it's very easy to grab a blue behind the head above the gills and remove the hooks nicely. i've also seen these same anglers step on a blue or even a bass w/ korkers on. why?

too many fishermen cant wait to make that next cast and worry little about caring for the fish at hand first.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by SeaWolf

going on what piemma, and a couple others have said, i have seen "fishermen" catch a school striped bass on the beach, drag it up the sand about 15', step on it, and try to remove 1 or 2 sets of hooks in the fish, and then kick it back into the water. first question, why are you throwing a lure w/ 3 sets of trebles at a school of fish you know is all under 10#'s? next, why are you dragging the fish up the sand? put some rain gear/waders on and get wet or else be prepared to hear a mouthful. and third, kick a fish back in the water because you are too lazy to put some effort into reviving it or at least putting it in deep enough water for it to swim back into the surf. i have then seen these same anglers watch as that fish washes back up on the beach next to them while they continue casting. or, they kick it again back into the surf. i have started nicely into caring for those fish treated like that and have more than once approached the "angler" to tell them to care for the fish if they choose to fish here. i see it every year.

Even worse, last year I saw some idiot, wearing waders, catching schoolies while standing in the surf, back out of the water to unhook the fish while pinning it under his foot, kick the fish in all the way back down the beach, then get back in the water & repeat. This is the idiot I approached and then didn't push it.

[kippy]

I would tear that guy a new one if I saw that. Those people are not fisherman..just a-holes!

[Bass Babe]

For some reason, whenever I'm out fishing, I don't usually see anybody else catching fish (besides RRC).

[RIROCKHOUND]

SeaWolf;
Maybe I'm biased since I grew up catching bluefish in the harbor (when we had big pogies) and offshore of newport during the lean years of bass fishing, but handling bluefish isnt rocket science... grab em firmly behind the head, if its a decent fish I'll pin its tail under my arm and unhook with my left hand...

As far as schoolies being mis-handled; there is a reason I dont fish or support fishing certain spots, especially where you have to haul a schoolie straight up 10ft then drop it back into the water... most soco people know the spot I'm thinking of you can roll out of your car walk 2ft and cast....