If 54" muskie are allowed to be kept (not that anyone would) then the last bunch of year of catch and release should mean we start seeing more and bigger muskie or bass. but from the reports 54" seem to be very rare.
So that leads me to this poll.
Is catch and release working for bigger fish.
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Geos
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Is catch and release working for bigger fish.
Last edited by Geos on Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
C&R does work.
There is debate that larger fish keep other fish off the spawing beds due to being territorial.
Regardless, releasing fish is a good idea.
Most, not all fish will grow if released.
Case in point some lakes produce large walleye in the 10-12 lb range.
Therefore you don't have to run out to Quinte for a big walleye.
Sure they are there, but it isn't "Ye must fish Quinte for yonder large walleye"
There is debate that larger fish keep other fish off the spawing beds due to being territorial.
Regardless, releasing fish is a good idea.
Most, not all fish will grow if released.
Case in point some lakes produce large walleye in the 10-12 lb range.
Therefore you don't have to run out to Quinte for a big walleye.
Sure they are there, but it isn't "Ye must fish Quinte for yonder large walleye"
No but leaving more big fish in the water to be caught another day = more big fish in the water!
Its like a case of beer...the less you drink the more you have.
I agree that bigger fish does not = bigger fish from spawning.
We need to start putting bait fish in lakes and rivers and not just gamefish.
I bet that should we dump a few hundred to a few thousand perch in some local waters you'd see drastic results in the size of game fish.
So long as they are released.
Its like a case of beer...the less you drink the more you have.
I agree that bigger fish does not = bigger fish from spawning.
We need to start putting bait fish in lakes and rivers and not just gamefish.
I bet that should we dump a few hundred to a few thousand perch in some local waters you'd see drastic results in the size of game fish.
So long as they are released.
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Geos
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Last edited by Geos on Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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troutnmuskiehunter
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another thing to keep in mind is that big fish get big for a reason. they are smart. you can only fool them a few times, most of the time you really only get 1 shot at them.
there was this one lake we fished, and we got totally destroyed by this one largemouth. we couldnt stop it. we have been back serveral times, but have yet to see this fish again.
there was this one lake we fished, and we got totally destroyed by this one largemouth. we couldnt stop it. we have been back serveral times, but have yet to see this fish again.
.: Half Man Half Amazing :.
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Trophymuskie
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The main reason that the Ottawa River is one of the best places to fish for muskies is because of C&R. Many of us have released hundreads of 50+ inch fish even long before the new size limit.
That said I started to see a difference almost right away with more fish from 50-54 inches. You have to remember that the ultimate size for muskies in the Ottawa River is 54 inches and not many of them get longer then that.
Before the new limit a lot of fish in the 48-52 inch size were killed and now all have to be released.
It is also noted that in muskies that big fish make big fish it's in their genes just like large humans make large babies. As well the bigger fish make more eggs too.
That said I started to see a difference almost right away with more fish from 50-54 inches. You have to remember that the ultimate size for muskies in the Ottawa River is 54 inches and not many of them get longer then that.
Before the new limit a lot of fish in the 48-52 inch size were killed and now all have to be released.
It is also noted that in muskies that big fish make big fish it's in their genes just like large humans make large babies. As well the bigger fish make more eggs too.
Catch and release them all
Richard Collin
Richard Collin
Do fish stop growing at a certain length? The Ottawa seems to be healthy as it produces some large fish so should a 54" muskie C&R grow to 55" the next year?
Seems logical... guess it depends on muskie growth rates. But it makes sense that if a 54" muskie is released that one day some one would catch it again but a bigger size.
Seems logical... guess it depends on muskie growth rates. But it makes sense that if a 54" muskie is released that one day some one would catch it again but a bigger size.
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Yannick Loranger
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Just like humans stop growing at one point, fish do too. That's why genetics are important in a body of water because not all fish are capable of growing to monstrous proportions. So a 54" muskie might be done growing and be 54" next year with maybe a little extra girth. I believe C&R is important more for genetics than it is for catching the same big fish numerous times.
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marc Thorpe
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interesting topic,
C&R is a great tool but its not faultless
When considering C&R you must equate post mortal release,currently we stand an average of 15% give or take which includes regular anglers and occasional anglers no matter what the species
Lets say you have 500 individuals that are captured every year on a yearly basis,with 15% post mortal release,we are loosing 75 fish per year.
Now spawning survivability (lets take muskie),now our 500 muskies have 5000 eggs that are viable and fertilized (Key here is fertilized/Not all eggs get fertilized as they are free swimming spawner's and in most areas fractional spawner's)) on average 20% survive to hatch(1000 fish) ,from that amount 20% survive to fingerling(200 fish) ,from there 20% make it to 30 to 36 inches (40 fish), from that 20% make it to 40 inches(8 fish) which leaves only 2% (1,6 fish)that have the potential to attain 50 inches
Granted prime spawner's are between 36 and 48 inches when they are in their teens (Best survivability,adequate spawner's,prime of their lives)
Its does not take much math to figure out that C&R can hamper overall sustainment of a natural reproducing population
If I look back from the late 80's through the nineties to today
I'd say C&R and some harvesting has had an impact on the populations of large fish
In some case certain species are getting larger but are not as plentiful
It might not be all angler induced,other factors are instrumental also,weather,water conditions and the basic essential.... Forage
I'd go as far to say with some species C&R post mortal release exceeds harvest
Limiting out of water experiences for for most C&R'ed fish is the next step and increasing survivability
It is proven that the most traumatic and stressful period for species is being taken out of the water not under its own power
Those that possibly think that fish can hold their breaths like humans,well fish have no lung capacity,they deplete oxygen levels in their blood thus adding to the overall weakness of the fish
C&R is a conservation and preservation tool which will continue to evolve in the betterment of survivability of the targeted species
something to think about
C&R is a great tool but its not faultless
When considering C&R you must equate post mortal release,currently we stand an average of 15% give or take which includes regular anglers and occasional anglers no matter what the species
Lets say you have 500 individuals that are captured every year on a yearly basis,with 15% post mortal release,we are loosing 75 fish per year.
Now spawning survivability (lets take muskie),now our 500 muskies have 5000 eggs that are viable and fertilized (Key here is fertilized/Not all eggs get fertilized as they are free swimming spawner's and in most areas fractional spawner's)) on average 20% survive to hatch(1000 fish) ,from that amount 20% survive to fingerling(200 fish) ,from there 20% make it to 30 to 36 inches (40 fish), from that 20% make it to 40 inches(8 fish) which leaves only 2% (1,6 fish)that have the potential to attain 50 inches
Granted prime spawner's are between 36 and 48 inches when they are in their teens (Best survivability,adequate spawner's,prime of their lives)
Its does not take much math to figure out that C&R can hamper overall sustainment of a natural reproducing population
If I look back from the late 80's through the nineties to today
I'd say C&R and some harvesting has had an impact on the populations of large fish
In some case certain species are getting larger but are not as plentiful
It might not be all angler induced,other factors are instrumental also,weather,water conditions and the basic essential.... Forage
I'd go as far to say with some species C&R post mortal release exceeds harvest
Limiting out of water experiences for for most C&R'ed fish is the next step and increasing survivability
It is proven that the most traumatic and stressful period for species is being taken out of the water not under its own power
Those that possibly think that fish can hold their breaths like humans,well fish have no lung capacity,they deplete oxygen levels in their blood thus adding to the overall weakness of the fish
C&R is a conservation and preservation tool which will continue to evolve in the betterment of survivability of the targeted species
something to think about
Research continues in the area of C&R. The Cooke Lab at Carleton U. is a leading research centre in fish ecology, conservation and physiology. The best part is that their research is focused on sport fishing. 
catch and release
I just wrote a paper on the effects of catch and release tournaments on bass here in Ontario.Many factors come into play when releasing fish; Handling of the fish, time out of the water, Stress, Barotraumas etc..... Like Todd B. wrote,Cooke and Gravel at Carleton U have done a lot of studies .....They have a lot of interesting papers on the subject.
Being a tournament angler myself, i would like to see some smaller tournament clubs/organizations dissappear.Some methods used by those small clubs/organizations are not suitable for proper release/survival of fish.They have not put in place proper weigh in procedures, everyone gets there at the same time and bag their fish, imagine 5 bass in a small bag for sometimes 10 minutes or more, fish are stressed and oxygen levels are innapropriate. Then comes the actual weigh in, fish are weighed out of the water in scales that often take time to settle since the fish are flopping around. Methods used give the bass unnecessary stress, damage and way too much time out of the water. The mortality rates are way higher than more proffessionnal and conscious organizations, whether they die right away or later as a result of mishandling.Some bigger organizations have the resources and proper methods and fish stress/mortality are reduced to the lowest level it can possibly be. I totally support those organizations that actually work towards conservation and future of fishing.Eliminating tournaments with improper methods would first of all help us tournament anglers get a better image and tournaments on some bodies of water would be significantly reduced.
With increased fishing pressure in the shallows, lakes getting clearer because of zebra mussels, bass changing their diet ie:invasive specie, more and more fish are caught in deeper water, thus increasing the chance of them suffering from barotraumas. Anglers should learn the appropriate way of fizzing/venting bass so that their post release survival rate be increased. Barotrauma will affect their buoyancy therefore more vulnerable to predators, getting hit by a watercraft or unable to go back to normal feeding activities. One of Cooke and Gravel's study reveal that the mortality rate for bass suffering severe bratraumas is of 40 percent.
Some anglers need to be educated on the subject, improper release methods are often used and fish survival rates are significantly decreased. Taking in consideration that a smallmouth bass in the north measuring approx.16 inches would be 7-8 years old, a 20 inch largemouth being close to 10 years old and a 12 inch largemouth 3-4 years old, without conscious and educated anglers our fisheries would be greatly affected.
Being a tournament angler myself, i would like to see some smaller tournament clubs/organizations dissappear.Some methods used by those small clubs/organizations are not suitable for proper release/survival of fish.They have not put in place proper weigh in procedures, everyone gets there at the same time and bag their fish, imagine 5 bass in a small bag for sometimes 10 minutes or more, fish are stressed and oxygen levels are innapropriate. Then comes the actual weigh in, fish are weighed out of the water in scales that often take time to settle since the fish are flopping around. Methods used give the bass unnecessary stress, damage and way too much time out of the water. The mortality rates are way higher than more proffessionnal and conscious organizations, whether they die right away or later as a result of mishandling.Some bigger organizations have the resources and proper methods and fish stress/mortality are reduced to the lowest level it can possibly be. I totally support those organizations that actually work towards conservation and future of fishing.Eliminating tournaments with improper methods would first of all help us tournament anglers get a better image and tournaments on some bodies of water would be significantly reduced.
With increased fishing pressure in the shallows, lakes getting clearer because of zebra mussels, bass changing their diet ie:invasive specie, more and more fish are caught in deeper water, thus increasing the chance of them suffering from barotraumas. Anglers should learn the appropriate way of fizzing/venting bass so that their post release survival rate be increased. Barotrauma will affect their buoyancy therefore more vulnerable to predators, getting hit by a watercraft or unable to go back to normal feeding activities. One of Cooke and Gravel's study reveal that the mortality rate for bass suffering severe bratraumas is of 40 percent.
Some anglers need to be educated on the subject, improper release methods are often used and fish survival rates are significantly decreased. Taking in consideration that a smallmouth bass in the north measuring approx.16 inches would be 7-8 years old, a 20 inch largemouth being close to 10 years old and a 12 inch largemouth 3-4 years old, without conscious and educated anglers our fisheries would be greatly affected.
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cprince
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Re: catch and release
BENLEGER wrote:I just wrote a paper on the effects of catch and release tournaments on bass here in Ontario.Many factors come into play when releasing fish; Handling of the fish, time out of the water, Stress, Barotraumas etc..... Like Todd B. wrote,Cooke and Gravel at Carleton U have done a lot of studies .....They have a lot of interesting papers on the subject.
Being a tournament angler myself, i would like to see some smaller tournament clubs/organizations dissappear.Some methods used by those small clubs/organizations are not suitable for proper release/survival of fish.They have not put in place proper weigh in procedures, everyone gets there at the same time and bag their fish, imagine 5 bass in a small bag for sometimes 10 minutes or more, fish are stressed and oxygen levels are innapropriate. Then comes the actual weigh in, fish are weighed out of the water in scales that often take time to settle since the fish are flopping around. Methods used give the bass unnecessary stress, damage and way too much time out of the water. The mortality rates are way higher than more proffessionnal and conscious organizations, whether they die right away or later as a result of mishandling.Some bigger organizations have the resources and proper methods and fish stress/mortality are reduced to the lowest level it can possibly be. I totally support those organizations that actually work towards conservation and future of fishing.Eliminating tournaments with improper methods would first of all help us tournament anglers get a better image and tournaments on some bodies of water would be significantly reduced.
With increased fishing pressure in the shallows, lakes getting clearer because of zebra mussels, bass changing their diet ie:invasive specie, more and more fish are caught in deeper water, thus increasing the chance of them suffering from barotraumas. Anglers should learn the appropriate way of fizzing/venting bass so that their post release survival rate be increased. Barotrauma will affect their buoyancy therefore more vulnerable to predators, getting hit by a watercraft or unable to go back to normal feeding activities. One of Cooke and Gravel's study reveal that the mortality rate for bass suffering severe bratraumas is of 40 percent.
Some anglers need to be educated on the subject, improper release methods are often used and fish survival rates are significantly decreased. Taking in consideration that a smallmouth bass in the north measuring approx.16 inches would be 7-8 years old, a 20 inch largemouth being close to 10 years old and a 12 inch largemouth 3-4 years old, without conscious and educated anglers our fisheries would be greatly affected.
From what depth do you start being concerned about baratrauma? What is the proper procedure on a bass? I know that piercing their air bladder thingy behind their pectoral fin is something I have heard about but have never seen it done.