Release or keep large fish ?

[Raider Ronnie]

I may have allready had this question answered (by Fisherwoman, I think ? ) over the vhf but,
Yesterday I got a good size bass (32#)
I wanted to bring it in for an official weigh in and also wanted to release it to live another day and grow to be a 40# fish!!!
I put it in my live well to stay alive for a while and asked Van over the vhf if that is leagal to keep in the live well. I can't imaging too many boats that have a live well big enough to keep a 32# fish in , but I do!!!
I think it was Fisherwoman who came over the vhf and said it was NOT legal to keep in live well.
Is this true ? would most even bother ?
Just trying to do my small part in conservation so there will be fish for future fishermen/women! :

Ron

[TheSpecialist]

It is rue Ron. It is illeagal, admirable but illeagal.

[Mike P]

Yup---the powers that be at Marine Fisheries consider a live bass in a well (or on a stringer) presumptive evidence of your intent to "hi-grade".

What you can do if you want an official weight is to send a qualifying hand scale (Manley, Chatillion and BogaGrip the leading 3) to IGFA, and they'll certify it if it's accurate within their limits.

[Raider Ronnie]

Originally posted by Mike P
Yup---the powers that be at Marine Fisheries consider a live bass in a well (or on a stringer) presumptive evidence of your intent to "hi-grade".

What you can do if you want an official weight is to send a qualifying hand scale (Manley, Chatillion and BogaGrip the leading 3) to IGFA, and they'll certify it if it's accurate within their limits.

How does that work out?
Is someone going to just take you're word for it (on the size) as long as you have you're scale certified
Would you have to send a picture with the reading on the scale?
Ron

[MakoMike]

Just be aware that if you weigh the fish in the classic head up position, studies have show that, more likely than not, it will die after release. The fish's internal organs can't take that kind of strain. Boga grips have probably killed more fish than eels

[jugstah]

Originally posted by MakoMike
Just be aware that if you weigh the fish in the classic head up position, studies have show that, more likely than not, it will die after release. The fish's internal organs can't take that kind of strain. Boga grips have probably killed more fish than eels

Is there scientific facts proven on this?

There are many fishermen I've met who've picked up Stripers by their lip to remove the hook, and then release them just fine back into the ocean to live another day.

I remember an earlier posting by Rappin' Mike exploding on this one.

[179]

Carry a digital camera. You should be able to weigh the fish and snap a photo in 30-40 seconds then release the fish unharmed

[spence]

I don't see how you can weigh a fish and not increase the risk of death. I try to never grab in the gills or hang from the lip. A specific weight isn't all that important, at least to me.

-spence

[fishweewee]

If you want to weigh a fish in a boat and just get a rough measure, weigh it while it's still in the net, and then subtract the weight of the net. You can release it without worring about the damage you might cause by lip weighing it.

[BrianS]

I keep every keeper I catch regardless of size

Granted, Ive caught all of 10 keepers in my entire life and 3 in the last two years.. and none over 25lbs

So when I get one, its momentus, and I need to restock my meat.

[Mr. Sandman]

1) MM: I would like to see those studies, I do not believe it. Please post these articles. IMO this type of talk and so called "studies" are being brought on by the comm fisherman with an agenda. The striped bass is a HEARTY fish and can live just fine being picked up by the jaw for a moment and weighed. That mention of this matter in SWS was lame and not scientific at all. I have seen bass with a huge bite taken out of them and it healed and they were living fine.
If this was a problem we would have heard about this YEARS ago. There have been real studies that have looked at the total mortalitiy of fish caught and released. The figures is something like 6-8% mortality. Most of these fish were weighed. If this was a problem (internal organs falling apart upon weighing) the total mortality would be a lot higher.


2) The problem with an IGFA portable scale is that you can NOT take a valid IGFA measurement ON A BOAT!! You have to be ON LAND. The reason is a boat floats and is subject to accelerations due to wave action and bouyancy and will effect any reading.

3) IMO (which is *not* the law) I don't have a problem with high grading...IF you have a proper live well. Since most don't the law makes sense I guess. I doubt you will get a fine for this....It is probably treated the same as using a 9" scup for bass bait....no one has ever got a fine for this but I bet dollars to doughnuts that nearly every single bass nut out there using scup for bait has a few under 10" in there well.
BTW, why can you keep a scup alive in a well and not a bass? I guess it is legal to high grade scup? they have limits too...different but similar regulations.

[Raider Ronnie]

Originally posted by Mr. Sandman
1) MM: I would like to see those studies, I do not believe it. Please post these articles. IMO this type of talk and so called "studies" are being brought on by the comm fisherman with an agenda. The striped bass is a HEARTY fish and can live just fine being picked up by the jaw for a moment and weighed. That mention of this matter in SWS was lame and not scientific at all. I have seen bass with a huge bite taken out of them and it healed and they were living fine.
If this was a problem we would have heard about this YEARS ago. There have been real studies that have looked at the total mortalitiy of fish caught and released. The figures is something like 6-8% mortality. Most of these fish were weighed. If this was a problem (internal organs falling apart upon weighing) the total mortality would be a lot higher.


2) The problem with an IGFA portable scale is that you can NOT take a valid IGFA measurement ON A BOAT!! You have to be ON LAND. The reason is a boat floats and is subject to accelerations due to wave action and bouyancy and will effect any reading.

3) IMO (which is *not* the law) I don't have a problem with high grading...IF you have a proper live well. Since most don't the law makes sense I guess. I doubt you will get a fine for this....It is probably treated the same as using a 9" scup for bass bait....no one has ever got a fine for this but I bet dollars to doughnuts that nearly every single bass nut out there using scup for bait has a few under 10" in there well.
BTW, why can you keep a scup alive in a well and not a bass? I guess it is legal to high grade scup? they have limits too...different but similar regulations.

Answer # 3 is just the reason I asked the question!
I can't imagine too many boats are equiped
with a live well large enough to keep a fish this size alive and have enough water flow through them.
I have a live well more than large enough to fit more than1 fish this size and pumps 3800 gph (or 63.3 gpm) through 1 1/2 hose inlets and 2 over flows the same size hose !

Ron

[spence]

Originally posted by Raider Ron
I can't imagine too many boats are equiped
with a live well large enough to keep a fish this size alive and have enough water flow through them.

I would also add that alive doesn't mean living. A striper could be kicking about and be 1/2 brain dead. I think they are pretty tough fish, but when you take them into an unnatural environment who know how they really react.

-spence

[Crafty Angler]

I keep fish for the table too but prefer to keep the smaller ones (meaning 10-25 lbs.) - less toxins in the meat.

As for releasing any of them I always do the same things to try and insure their survival after the fight. A small bass has a great chance of survival if you handle it right - keep your fingers out of the gills, wet your hands before you touch them so as not to remove the protective slime, if you can, place a wet towel over their eyes to calm 'em if they're a little bigger and thrashing.

Get 'em back in the water ASAP with a gentle release, no whirlybird toss because you're pissed it wasn't bigger. Swim 'em a little if you have to to get water moving over the gills. If you're lipping them, let go when you feel 'em press down on your thumb. They're tellin' ya let go, I'm ready.

Most of you guys already do this stuff anyway, but there may be a coupla guys who aren't as sure about it.

If you plan to release a large fish, the best way to do so is don't even take 'em out of the water at all, as we've all been told. Gravity out of the water will damage internal organs. And if you've ever been around a real large bass being landed, they will sometimes make an unpleasant cracking sound - I always assumed it was the vertabrae cracking.

Jeez, another question for my esteemed friend, Professor O'Nitis, the famous Irish marine biologist.

I'll ask him if I get to take that cruise he promised on the MRV Chaffee soon - and if I remember it.

[Slipknot]

If you want to release a fish and want to know the weight then just take careful measurements with a tape. length x girth x girth divided by 800 equals weight in pounds.

example 43.5 x 24.5 x 24.5 divided by 800 = 32.6 lbs.

[Mr. Sandman]

Originally posted by Raider Ron
I have a live well more than large enough to fit more than1 fish this size and pumps 3800 gph (or 63.3 gpm) through 1 1/2 hose inlets and 2 over flows the same size hose !

Ron

63 gal/min?!!! Thats not a live well.....its a jacuzzi!