I would just like to point out that when you are using bait- unless the fish is hooked in the lip, the chances of it actually surviving being released with bait NOT very high.

Unfortunately, just because a fish swims off, that does not mean it is going to survive and in most instances it does not. A lot of people tell me when I am checking anglers - "the fish swam off" but then the next day you will see dead fish. Even at Klineline I have seen when a fish is released and it is doing its best to swim but by the time I walk back around the lake it is dead.

If you are using bait and the fish is legal, it should be kept.

stace

AMEN, MS.STACIE: I'm seeing increasing numbers of VIOLATIONS of this law too.
If you are BAIT or LURE with barbed hook fishing, and you hook a legal fish it Should be
kept under the law.
If you choose to release it, it is to still be counted as 1 fish of your 5 fish limit because the
chance is so high it will die. For anyone that still don't get it, when you release your
5th fish of the day doing this.......YOUR FISHING DAY IS DONE!

That is exactly how the regulation is to be interpreted. I have actually made some signs that I will be posting at our lakes stating this. Education is always a good thing - so hopefully we won't encounter this problem.

I don't mind people fishing with bait, but I do mind when they are released as I have seen that problem too many times. It kind of follows the whole grading situation.

stace

Clarification please,
I understand the bait but saw nothing about retaining lure caught fish. Granted the barbs should be flattened if you intend to c/r, but I didn't see the barbed hook reference.

Hi Stacey,

As I currently read the rules, it states that "Where use of bait is prohibited, OR where lures or flies are used voluntarily, gamefish may be c&r'd until the daily limit is retained."

There is no mention of barbed hooks.

I also checked the sportfishing rules CES for 2002-2003 and didn't see any mention of barbed hooks.

Where is the regulation that states "barbed hooks on lures" disallow you from c&r'ing until you retain 5 fish?

Thanks for your clarification in advance.

Andy

I was talking about the fishing with bait and the first five are supposed to be kept and then you are done fishing.

Not the barb/lure stuff.

For those who are interested or for those who like to argue about truths,

I hook and land a lot higher percentage of fish using barbless hooks than back when I used ones with barbs.

For those who like to argue things I will with hold the details of why to allow you a little fun.

Those who have used barbless will understand why.

Less surface area that has to penetrate in the original hole caused by the needle point of the hook. Understood. I fish barbless for salmon and it sure makes releasing them easy.

Bill, I have no I'll will towards you, but this FF guy needs to get his facts straight before he starts spewing. Its as though he could be a ringer for PeTA or the anti-gun lobby the way he goes around talking half truths. Sorry to be critical, but when someone starts something, they should be prepared to back it up.

Funny Andy, I thought Ron had his facts straight. His one batch of posts was just meant to stir people up, and it did. Also it was mostly the truth with just a hint of slant to it, the slant was to stir things up. The posts were not inaccurate, just posts with a slant.

I'm not a big fan of triploids either as they're just water-swimming pigs. Anyone can grow a trout big..but what I want is a big trout that fights hard. I haven't had that from too many triploids, but I have had it from some. The main "benefiter" from the triploid program is the Trout Lodge Hatchery. I'm not saying I don't care to fish for triploids as it's an ego booster to get a big one.. but BC trout fight better. They are usually stocked as fingerlings.

I've fished with Ron before and I'll do it again as there's always something to learn from him (and vice a versa). He's real big on experimentation of fly tying material and I'm usually amazed with his latest creation.

But there's a new bunch on this board I wouldn't go out of my way to invite fishing.

For your info I did get a trout just like your steelhead last year. Caught it in May and it was on a #14 olive chronie fished about 12 inches off the bottom. It was one of the few "water-swimming pigs" that put up a good fight. Caught another one up in BC a month later on another chronie, again fished about a foot above the bottom. Had some break me off the day before, but when I went back with my 6 wt the next day... they lost.

I hope I'm not the one you wont fish with oh great one?????????????????????????????????
It is getting warmer over there Zen. when are we gonna go????????????????

It's the 'mostly the truth' part that is the problem. Which could aslo be stated 'only partly lies'. Doesn't bode well if you want credibility. And the 'i'm better/smarter' than you attitude (or 'slant') doesn't earn respect from either side of an argument...

'Stirring the pot' does no one any good if the soup smells bad and the cook is flinging insults.

Bill - have you caught many steelhead? Trying to compare a lake caught trout with a chrome bright wild steelhead us like comparing cats n dogs - or at least a lab and a rottie...

-Chad

To Dogfish... aka ANDY, who so nimbly points out that it is NOT illegal to C&R fish
your heart out using barbed hooks......and goes on and tries to imply my posts are
inaccurate and I'm coming from left field.....GOOD ONE MAN.....you really set the
hook in me that time.
To all concerned.....thanks to the laxity of the F&G regulations.....It is NOT ILLEGAL to
do Catch and Release fishing with barbed hooks. IT'S JUST PLAIN STUPID!!!!!
Something only an ignorant NEANDRATHALl would do.

A coupla comments.

I was not implying FishinfellaS comments were inaccurate, not so. What I was saying was everyone makes statements based on their particular point of view. That's what "SLANT" is... a comment based on your particular point of view. I'm leading up to a couple of my own iif you continue on reading.

Now I wasn't comparing lake fish to steelhead.. but I would like to see someone go out and catch (and release) a 7 pound lake fish. Seems to me that's a big trout from a lake.. but if it's a steelhead.. sorta on the small side if you think about it. Don't read anything into this as me saying that Andy's steelhead was small. It was a nice fish. But people catch steelhead into the "20's" every year. When's the last time you heard about a trout in the "20's". Other than that oddball triploid.. biggest I've heard of is a 17 pounder from up in BC. Wanna try something like that on a 5 or a 6 wt rod. Oh.. the 17 pounder.. I believe it was caught on a chronie fished deep. A friend of mine caught a 9+ pound fish during a traveling sedge hatch.

Now to the guy who said native steelhead should be fished for with barbed hooks...?????????? Did you think that through before you wrote it? If I have it correct, wild steelhead are to be released and it so, why would one want to increase the chances of "hook mortality" by using barbed hooks. Seems like kind of a dumb thing to do.

Now for more of my opinion. Anyone who thinks fish have an easy time of throwing a barbless hook... take the time to give a fish some slack and see if it can get off. My experience is (and I've been fishing barbless for 15+ years) that fish don't throw a barbless hook. It gets a deeper purchase than barbed and is just as hard for a fish to throw. I've given fish slack on a fly line.. let them tow the line around in hopes they would come off and I wouldn't need to bring them in, net them and take the hook out. NOPE!!! didn't happen. Hook doesn't come out even on slack line Now.. if you're fishing barbless and a sinker (I'll save the remark about that being an oxymoron).. that sinker flinging around can lead to the hook coming out on slack lines as the sinker can act as like those old dent pullers that used to be used for body work on cars.

Like I said in another post.. there's a few people on here that I wouldn't care to fish with. Some of you have strong opinions... and your opinions aren't based on experience, just personality. Take the time, listen to others, even if you don't agree with them, and you may learn, Grasshopper. You can always pick up a nugget of truth somewhere.

Yeah, and sometimes you can find a kernel of corn in a pile of crap! Dang, that corn is hearty.