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View Poll Results: Do you catch and realse or keep fish>?
Strictly Catch and Realse 114 22.09%
Keep what you Catch 69 13.37%
C&R with the odd shore lunch. 316 61.24%
Dont Care. 17 3.29%
Voters: 516. You may not vote on this poll

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  #31  
Old 04-14-2011, 08:23 AM
Don Andersen Don Andersen is offline
 
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Folks,

I just plain don't get it.

SRD does a poll when thew Quality angling concept was contemplated and 80%+ were in favor.
We has another "Quality Angling Poll" several weeks ago on this forum and 80+% were in favor
And here we go again with another that says 86% are in favor of releasing nearly off of their catch.

Leaving us with about 10% of anglers who have 95% of the lakes in Alberta managed for them.

Why is SRD so outta step with their client base?



Don
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  #32  
Old 04-14-2011, 08:49 AM
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I don't like eating fish so it is strictly C&R for me. Nothing wrong with keeping some if you do like to eat them but i'm in it for the pure enjoyment of it. I do think that they should have some large size restrictions though so the monsters get to go back and live another day. Picture, measurements and a quick weight and they should go back for others to pursue, but that's just my opinion.
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  #33  
Old 04-14-2011, 10:00 AM
FishBrain FishBrain is offline
 
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mmmmmmmmmmmm, I love eating fish. I keep what I catch to a point.
I love trout, have no problems catching them all day and just keeping the limit. I keep 1 Pike/year from the ice. I LOVE Walleye, but not many water bodies that you can keep them from. Keep whitefish and Burbot.
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  #34  
Old 04-14-2011, 10:01 AM
jpietrzak1979 jpietrzak1979 is offline
 
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We keep our limits, got 5 ppl in my house who all love to eat fish.
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  #35  
Old 04-14-2011, 11:46 AM
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Always KEEP what I catch.Fish are a Renewable resource,I like eating them,so I always take what i'm entitled to,most of the Time.
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  #36  
Old 04-14-2011, 01:43 PM
ishootbambi ishootbambi is offline
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i cant even remember the last time i killed a fish. robin has killed 2 since ive known her. however i dont have any animosity toward those that do eat a few, but a lot of animosity to those who have a hard time counting.......obey the damn laws please.
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  #37  
Old 04-14-2011, 01:54 PM
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Since I was a little guy, I don't think i've ever kept a fish...And probably never will. Catch, Measure, Picture, Release, Repeat.
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  #38  
Old 04-14-2011, 02:48 PM
Newspeak Newspeak is offline
 
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I love eating fish. Nothing better than fresh caught fish, taste even better when you catch em yourself!
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  #39  
Old 04-14-2011, 03:05 PM
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i just fish too often to (legallly) keep everything I catch. If i keep something, i plan on cooking it that night or the next. otherwise it is a waste IMO. That said, and not counting whitefish (rockies) or perch, Ill maybe keep 4/5 fish a year.

the perch come from lakes where they are stunted and the rockies come from the bow which is overpopulated with them in the area where I fish anyways.
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  #40  
Old 04-14-2011, 03:07 PM
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interesting poll results....BUT i believe we need everyones defiition of "odd" in the "odd shore lunch " option
if we go by the math term "even or odd"....that hardly makes you a C an R fisherman
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  #41  
Old 04-14-2011, 03:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chubbdarter View Post
interesting poll results....BUT i believe we need everyones defiition of "odd" in the "odd shore lunch " option
if we go by the math term "even or odd"....that hardly makes you a C an R fisherman
Yeah the answer that best describes my habits is not on there. I'd say I'm more of a "keep one or two and put the rest back" type of fisherman.

I rarely keep a limit (can only think of twice when I did), but typically take 1 or 2 home for the smoker or pan fry.
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  #42  
Old 04-14-2011, 03:43 PM
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I keep a few perch one or 2 small pike and the odd white or burbot. I would say I caught over 1000 fish this past season kept maybe 10 perch. One white and 3 jack all in separate waters
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  #43  
Old 04-14-2011, 03:49 PM
J-C J-C is offline
 
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For me it depends on how I feel a fish population is doing and how many I catch. I don't get out very often but I wouldn't feel bad about keeping a spring or fall pike. Most of the time when I fish perch I try to keep males because my heart sinks when I start to fillet and I see eggs. Pot hole lakes stocked with trout I usually keep a larger one but rarely keep my limit. Love burbot but I only get 1 or 2 an outing in winter. Whitefish are my favorite to keep usless they are pathetically small then they go back in the water. Walleye are C&R unless I have tags.
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  #44  
Old 04-14-2011, 03:50 PM
Easywean Easywean is offline
 
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The poll is a bit deceiving. I'd keep legal fish if I felt they were big enough for a meal, don't usually keep fish that just measure up. My family loves to eat fish so none goes to waste. So I'd say I'm somewhere in between keep all I catch and keep the odd fish.
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  #45  
Old 04-14-2011, 03:52 PM
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I dont eat fish unless it comes in abox its how i was brought up .
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  #46  
Old 04-14-2011, 04:44 PM
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I keep most bookies i catch. i all so keep my limit on perch, I love to eat perch. I keep fish for a nice snack when we are at kootneey lake. and keep the odd laker form spray. that being said I have released and consider my self a catch and release fisher man, I feel this way because I have released so many more fish that I could have kept. my dad will always keep his limit. but I fish way to much to do that. Plus I love the look on some peoples faces when you let a big fish go. lol makes me feel good inside. drives my dad nuts. lol.and some guys on the banks of the Bow. I feel if you are going to take the fish home and eat it that day, plus the body of water can handle it, then its fine to keep some.
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  #47  
Old 04-14-2011, 10:15 PM
Newspeak Newspeak is offline
 
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Quote:
Plus I love the look on some peoples faces when you let a big fish go. lol makes me feel good inside. drives my dad nuts. lol.and some guys on the banks of the Bow.
It drives some people nuts when you don't poach big fish out of the Bow?
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  #48  
Old 04-14-2011, 11:07 PM
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yes . except the shore lunch, I hate the taste of shore. people walk on it and birds poop on it!
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  #49  
Old 04-14-2011, 11:52 PM
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It is quite possible that keeping our catch is more environmentally friendly than buying farmed or wild fish in the grocery store. This is going to be a nice topic for a research project.
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  #50  
Old 04-15-2011, 09:37 AM
Newspeak Newspeak is offline
 
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Many grocery fish are threatened species. The same cannot be said for trout.
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  #51  
Old 04-15-2011, 09:39 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Newspeak View Post
It drives some people nuts when you don't poach big fish out of the Bow?
lol i thought the same thing
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  #52  
Old 04-15-2011, 09:44 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigcougar View Post
It is quite possible that keeping our catch is more environmentally friendly than buying farmed or wild fish in the grocery store. This is going to be a nice topic for a research project.
what are you trying to do here? start another fight between sundance, hunterdave, and freedom 55? isnt the bass fight between horsetrader and grinr enough for you?


lol. good point though. fish farms do alot of harm to our oceans. same with all the bycatch resulting from commercial fishing. there was a website posted a while back protesting the bycatch in the uk commercial fishing. something like 50% was tossed overboard because it wasnt what they were after or not in season and in their nets. most fish thrown overboard are dead or dying.
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  #53  
Old 04-15-2011, 09:45 AM
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I'm mostly a C&R fishermen but I will keep a few fish over the course of the year.
- For trout streams, I almost always release everything. Can't remember the last time I would have kept one.
- In trout lakes, I might keep one small one but it depends on the fishery.
- When ice fishing, I will keep one or two whitefish or perch but won't keep anywhere near my limit.
- I also have a general rule wherever I fish that the big ones go back. Always!

And Don, I know we think similarly when it comes to SRD and changes they should be making. One of the things I would like to see is a strong advertising campaign aimed at anglers to practice C&R when it comes to big fish. Doesn't need to be expensive either. Put it in the regulations, put some catchy little catch phrase on the license (perhaps something like, "If it's a beast, practice catch and release)". Put an article in the regulations with some statistics about how long it takes to grow different types of trophy fish and what a difference catch and releasing those big fish would make to the fishery. Again, not expensive but it might help to get the message out there.

Ask Alberta Outdoorsman to run a similar article showing the positive attributes of catch and release, especially when it comes to catch and releasing of big fish.

Lots of articles on "how to" catch big fish out there but very little on educating people to make responsible decisions once they've landed the big one.

Don, your name has some weight and you've written for lots of magazines. Have you ever written one on the benefits of catching and releasing big fish on a fishery? Have a good story in there, throw in some evidence, make a good case, and see if a SRD will run it in next year's regs, or if some other magazine would run it (oh, I don't know which one... ummmm.... maybe THIS ONE!) I'd love to see something like that. (and forgive me if you've already done something similar and I've missed it).

Sorry FishHunter7 for the hijack, I'll get out of the car now.

Cheers.
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  #54  
Old 04-15-2011, 10:19 AM
Don Andersen Don Andersen is offline
 
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Bigtoad,

Never thought of an article. Frankly it would be tough to do. No evidence. All the big fish have been eaten.
Mind you - got to qualify big. If it's over 8 lbs., it's a good 'un. If over 10 it may qualify in some folks books as big.
Still, a 10 lb. fish is only 50% of the Alberta record.
Typical trout lake today is about 0.5 lbs. or a 2.5% fish. Quality Lake bench mark is 20" or 2 lbs or for God's Sake a 10% fish. What a dazzling bench mark to shot for!!!
And with that, I hope to be heading out for some decent trout fishing Saturday.
A decent trout looks like this:
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  #55  
Old 04-15-2011, 10:22 AM
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Catch and keep some and C&R some. I like eating fish and pretty well always take a meal when legal. I don't feel bad about it.
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  #56  
Old 04-15-2011, 10:50 AM
duffy4 duffy4 is offline
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I like to eat fish that I have caught. So when it is legal I usually (but not always) will keep a few to eat. I enjoy catching fish so I will fish catch and release waters and will often release fish that I could keep.


Often people believe that C&R fishing means not killing fish and eating all or some of your limit means killing a lot of fish.


Even if you are very careful C&R may result in some mortality. It is possible that one angler could catch his legal limit and go home without releasing any fish. Another angler at the same lake could C&R all day long, releasing over 100 fish. He may have accidentally killed more than his legal limit.

If 85% of the anglers who fish a lake are C&R advocates then what good would it do for SRD to make that lake compulsory C&R ?
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  #57  
Old 04-15-2011, 10:54 AM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Andersen View Post
I just plain don't get it.

SRD does a poll when thew Quality angling concept was contemplated and 80%+ were in favor.
We has another "Quality Angling Poll" several weeks ago on this forum and 80+% were in favor
And here we go again with another that says 86% are in favor of releasing nearly off of their catch.

Leaving us with about 10% of anglers who have 95% of the lakes in Alberta managed for them.

Why is SRD so outta step with their client base?
Maybe SRD is not outta step with their client base considering that the 200 or so people that vote on these AO polls represent what........... +/-.001% of all Alberta anglers. The SRD poll that was quietly posted on their site for a month that almost no one knew about, well, I think that we all know who participated in that one.

My catch/keep depends on allot of things including (off hand) how far I drive to catch a fish, the time of year/water quality, regs for the lake and whether or not the fish is likely to die if I release it.

If I drive 3 hours to get to a good trout lake or go for a few days then I am likely going to come home with my limit if I can but if I go to a lake 3 kms away I'll likely only keep what I need for supper that night. Other times I'll just fish for the heck of it, kill time or whatever, and I won't keep anything. If I catch something that is hooked bad then it gets eaten. If I'm fishing a slew in August then I likely won't keep anything. If I'm fishing Lac Ste Anne for walleye then I can't keep any although I'm hoping to get drawn for a couple of tags this year.

My rules are to only keep what you need and leave the rest and keep only the eatin sized ones and let the big and small ones go.
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  #58  
Old 04-15-2011, 11:22 AM
Don Andersen Don Andersen is offline
 
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For Duffy4,

There is no question that fishing is a blood sport. Whether or not we kill 'em all or C&R exclusively.

For your info and others here is a post I made to another board that about describes my activity.

Like you, I've pondered my effect on fish due to the numbers of trout I catch. A typical year [from personal angling records for 40 years] shows I landed approx. 1000 fish in the 110>130 days I spend angling. Using a 3% C&R mortality, I killed 30 trout.

From the DFO Recreational Angling survey site below, I found the following quote:


http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/stats/rec/c...ction4-eng.htm


In 2005, anglers caught 215 million fish of all species and retained nearly 72 million (Annex A.7). Resident anglers in all provinces and territories caught 157 million of this total harvest. Foreign anglers caught 54 million (25%) while Canadian non-resident anglers caught a relatively small proportion of the total fish harvest (4 million) during the year (Figure 4.5 and Annex A.8).

Resident anglers kept 39% of the fish they caught compared with 22% and 18% share of fish kept by Canadian non-resident and foreign anglers. On average, each resident angler kept 24 fish in 2005. Every Canadian non-resident angler kept an average of 7 fish, while foreign anglers retained an average of 16 fish of various species.

Residents caught 157,000,000
Kept 39% = 61.230,000
C&R - 95,770,000
C&R mortailty = 3% * 95,770,000 = 2,873,100
Total killed by residents = 61,230,000 + 2,873,100 = 64,103,100
Total Residents = 2,456,876
Residents killed 26.09 fish


I must therefore conclude that although I fish a lot, my effect on the fish population is nearly the same as the Average Kill & Keep angler. It must be admitted though that through my C&R practices, the Average Kill & Keep Angler will not catch/kill nearly as many fish.

You be the judge whether or not this is a good thing.


catch ya'


Don
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  #59  
Old 04-15-2011, 11:36 AM
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At some point we need to eat fish or there really is no reason for the government to allow fishing.
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  #60  
Old 04-15-2011, 11:47 AM
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C&R mostly but will take a limit here and there.

In a natural reproducing lake the magic size for a keeper is for me (and local rules allowing) big enough to have spawned once is min size and the max size is the max size for a male fish in the lake.

As an example for pike that would be about 24"- 30"

Would like to figure that out for other fish.
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