Bloody angling

[Blade]

Hi guys,this is a very controversial topic. Since we have this forum im starting a discussion on catch and release, measuring instead of weighing and gaffing etc. Lets create an active forum for advancement of the preservation of marine life etc. How many of you up for it.

Ye Maybe you will release the 15 cm shad next time, and not put it your cooler box making everyone think you using live bait. Theres a move to stop weighing and instead measure and use a table to ascertain weight.

Remember very large fish dont taste good, unless you want to show the entire family, grandfather and get an ego boost. CMon guys a few quick snaps and let it go for the next fisherman

Anyone knows how the tag and release instrument works, costs and where it can be accessed

What the feeling out there anglers

 

[Nivi4Zn]

Hi Blade, a very good topic and im sure we will have valuable comments and opinions.

I also believe in tag and release. Or snap a photo and let the fish fight another day. The gaffing of fish is a delicate process and deadly as well. An in-experienced person can easliy gaff a fish/shark and injure it very badly,leading to its death. Guys try and not use a gaff. try and work the fish to a flat spot or beach or any formation that you might be able to land it.

For the tag and release program one can contact the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) or visit there site www.ori.org.za All the info one needs is there. They also have the new 2006/2007 table to weigh fish by using the measuring technique. Again if you are unclear, the ORI guys are more than willing to help out. I myself am joining the tag and release program. Once i have more info ill defn share it with you all.

Tight Lines

Nivi

 

 

 

[The master assasin]

Excellent point blade..this is definately gonna cause a stir amongst the edible anglers where sometimes u find a culprit who would take anything for the pot or try to impress the wife with their caveman hunting skills!..lol! Its scary to see the amount off fisher man still targetin shad despite the closed season!the arrive at the beach at approx 4am an hide the fish till they leave...its madness!

 

[Jonah]

 Hi Guys ! Firstly I'd like to thank Blade for choosing this topic for discussion. A controversial topic indeed...

For many of us, angling is a sport, but to others it is a livelyhood. A trip to "benchies" at night would prove that many anglers don't give a damn when it comes to ban season, size or even bag limits. To many it is a matter of "if it fits in the pan, it'll fit in the bag..." (Well this is mainly with the edible species)

I firmly believe that it is important to adhere to the the regulations that are in place. We all can make the difference in our own little way by practising this ourselves as well as educating fellow anglers, bearing in mind that it is hard to teach old dogs new tricks.

All in all thats my opinion & I agree that tag & release should be practised in order to preserve marine life.

Cheers !

Jonah.

 

 

 

 

 

[Blade]

THanks guys,lets try to share specialised info on these topics, so everyone will benefit. Can anyone explain the correct manner when reviving a fish and its release etc

 

[Nivi4Zn]

Hi Blade

From what i have seen and done, you have to get the water flowing through the fish's gills. this will get his gills pumping water in and out, thus enabling him to breath. But on the same token, sometimes when the hook is set deep, trying to revive sadly doesnt work.

I released a 5kg kingie in durban harbour, had to pull him back and fourth to get him breathing again. In a flash he gained momentem and swam away. I have also seen on many videos, and books that this is the correct way to revive fish.From my personal experience, this method works

I might be wrong though. So will the other experts shed some light???

Hope this helps

Nivi

 

[Jonah]

 Hi Guys !

From what I hear there is also a technique known as "bottom fish release."  Anyone familiar with this ?

Regards,

Jonah

 

[Jonah]

 Hi Guys !

With regards to "Bottom fish release technique"

A loop of line is attached to the hook on the curved section, a bundle of sinkers is attached to the eye of the hook using 50cm of line. The hook is inserted, upside down through the upper lip of the fish. Normal fishing line is attached to the loop on the curved section of the hook and the fish is dropped overboard. Once on the bottom, a firm tug on the line releases the fish and recovers the sinkers...

Regards,

Jonah

 

[Nivi4Zn]

Hi Jonah

Thank you for the explanation on the "bottom fish release technique" very interesteing read. One question, the method sounds like it can only work if one is fishing of a boat. Is that correct?

Can this method be used on the surf? From what i read i take it that it is purely for boat fishermen. I might be wrong though.

Im sure you can correct me if im wrong

Cheers

Nivi4ZN

 

[Dinesh]

Hi Guys

Jonah has explained the method correctly.....yes it is used on boats. Sometimes when you winch a fish up, tthe air bladder pops out of the fish's mouth.

In this case we prick the bladder with a sharp point of the hook prior to the release. This allows the fish settle at the higher pressures at the bottom

 

D

 

[Guest]

Hi Guys

Good topic but i know many guys that have a bad attitude when it comes to releasing fish i have heard many comments eg. ''it ate my bait so i am going to eat him'' and ''one mans poison is another mans meat'' these have been the comments that i have heard from ignorant fisherman I believe that we need to inform them about conservation thier lack of knowlegde or ignorance is damaging our sealife. so guys please can you give us as much info on the catch and relase as possible, i am not very clued up but i do know that when you are relaesing a fish one must allow water/surf to flow through it gills and once it is gained its strenght back then you relase it also a very important note that i picked up on esa a tv program try not to touch the fish with your hands try to use a towel because when one handels a fish thier scales peel off and this can have an affect on the fish with regards to swimming also thier lateral line gets damaged so guys keep up the good attitude and our sealife will be around for many more generations to come

 

[Blade]

Hi guys, regarding the bladder refered above, I know of the fish having a swim bladder. Dont know if its the same thing.After a long fight from the deep, this sometimes happens, i may be incorrect, but what i know is that when the swim bladder burst the fish will die. That is why fish whos swim bladder burst, are taken by fisherman. Any expert knowledge

 

[Guest]

Hi Guys

i do have some knowledge not expert when my father inlaw went deep sea fishing he caught a 6kg rockcod and the airbag popped through its mouth, i am not sure about it being a bladder but this was the airbag and if the airbag comes up then the fish cannot survive

 

[Patrick]

Excellent topic, and good to see a few like minded people who also believe in conserving our marine life.

Its ironic, because these very same people that slaughter the shad, and other species by the dozen, are also the ones who never buy fishing permits and are the 1st to say that the fishing isnt what it used to be. I make a habit of shaming them on the pier or wherever i happen to see these likes. Do they really need to take home 40 shad/stumpnose, of which I bet most are thrown out?

Dinesh, just some quick feedback on the pricking of a fishes' bladder to deflate it, I have read and heard that this should never be done. The fish will die from this. Rather the fish must be released/lowered as is and let nature take its course, whereby the bladder will deflate and pull back in on its own. Nice to see that you are still releasing tho. 

For releasing fish in the surf, it should just be held upright in the water until the water starts to flow through the gills, and the fish will swim off slowly.

Happy fishing and releasing.

Patrick

 

 

[Blade]

Well guys, a wealth of info here. If the bladder bursts, you rather take the fish home, if its expanded only, its likely to survive,depends on how serious, and how long it was played.

 

[Dinesh]

Hi Patrick

 

With regards to pricking the bladder, this is only done to deflate it.....its no use releasing it at the bottom and the fish is going to float right up again..... I learnt this trick from one of the big commercial fishermen in KZN......

With regards to smaller size fish....we try and avoid catching them. We use bigger hooks on our bottom traces as not to hook the smaller ones.....

Dinesh

 

[Guest]

Hi Guys

i have some interesting news with regards to catch and release on the south coast a project was started in1984 colled the ORI and the reports have been interesting  the total no of paticipants up to June 2006 is 4243 and 7445 fish have beeb tagged in 2005 and 467 were recaptures. In June 2001 researchers tagged a bronze bream of 370mm. This fish was recaptured off Treasure beach in June 2005 four years later, it had travelled 799km, this is a new record for this resident fish. Another fish that was recaptured four years later is a gaint sand shark, it was tagged at Umhlanga Rocks and weighed 10kg, the sandie was recaptured recently in Inyoni Rocks Toti weighing 43,3kg the sandie grew by 840mm in lenghth, gained 32,2kg and moved 56km. these are some interesting facts on cacth and realese.

 

[Nivi4Zn]

Hi Guys

Very interesting info On Dad. Great to see a fish mature over time and live to fight another day. Emperor has posted a great post under the Fish Preservation & Conservation section. well worth the read.

Cheers

Nivi4ZN

 

[Skollie]

Hi Patrick

Could you possibly give the general attitude towards "releasing" fish, by surfski anglers.

It is probably a lot more difficult to "photograph" your catches whilst out at sea, how do you guys do it ?

 

 

[Ronald]

Hi Guys.

Nice topic. Controversial I don't know.

But I think I should add my two cents worth as well.

I fish often, and I fish among many Shad fishermen. Ultimately the most often poached fish is the shad. Afterall it is the most commonly caught fish on the East Coast.

Well, my comment is on the actual anglers. It is true that many anglers use this sport as an income generating one. It is sad that people have to resort to this, but it is understandable, and quite personally I do not really have any beef with them.

But every now and then you come across a competitive angler, some one with all the bells and whistles when it comes to Tackle. He is generally a braggert who has fishing stories that go on for days.

These guys are the first ones to condem and criticise anglers that exceed bag limits, and ban season fishing, but on numerous occassions I have seen these very same fisherman doing exactly what they criticise.

This pisses me off. I fished in Blue Lagoon yesterday, and no doubt I had the unfortunate opportunity of fishing with one of these braggerts. He sat there telling me about ban season and how he only targets big fish etc etc etc, blah blah blah. later that afternoon, the shad came on the bite, guess what...yep you guessed right, he takes out a smaller rod, and rigs up a shad trace.

I had no words for this guys, who I even shared my live mullets with.

Well, for all those guys that criticise the poachers, I hope you can stand guilt free. I know I have done it a few times, when fishing for other fish you hook into a shad. But I generally just use it for live bait. I'm not a fish eater, I just love the sport, so shad in a pan does not appeal to me.

Tight Lines guys

Ronald.