ethics ,legal.sportsmen ship

[trapper2000]

with  current  regulations this is  a  situation i think most if not all of us  will be in  some day ,in fact i was ...... and i'm  merely interested in how  others  would  handle  this ....first let  me  explain how i  usually handle it when  limit regulations are  not  reached .....  i  get  a  fish that  is  injuried i  know it will not make  it  i  keep it and  clean it  even if it's  small or unwanted .......  now the  kicker  ....with the current trout  limits   5 fish total  only  2  can  be  over 12  inches .......  i  get  two beautiful  browns  which are  headed  for  dinner ..... i can still  fish  for  my 3  under  12 ......  i get a  hit a  reall  nice  brown  over  12  ....  he's  gill  hooked  and  bleeding  bad ...... he's  not going to make it .....  law says i have to release  him   doing so  i believe  is  wonton waste ....a good  fish  is  going to  die  and   go to waste .....  i can't legally  cull one  of the other browns  besides they  wouldn't make it  either  i can't legally  give the fish away as i have to count it as does the party  i give it too......legally i have to let it  go  floating  down the  stream ....ethically i have  issues  with that  and  as a  sportsman i  am totally  confussed .......my  gustion if you care  to answer , honestly what would you  do .....in a few  days i will say  what i decided to  do

[rgfixit]

Turtles, herons, osprey, raccoons and others have to eat too. 

We all release fish that we know won’t survive. A deep hooked gill or a small gill hooked perch, a bass, even a carp. It’s part of fishing. Abide by the rules….like it or not.

[trapper2000]

no one  said  anything about not abiding  by the rules  ..... 

[rgfixit]

Nope…sure didn’t.

[oneida1]

gotta release it or if you do keep it and get ticket dont whine about ticket

[Mac Attack]

I don't agree with anyone that doesn't follow the rules when fishing or hunting.
I have a friend who routinely takes more walleye than allowed.
He tries to justify it by saying that it is Lake Erie, and Erie simply cannot be emptied of walleye by sportfishermen.
I always get into his face about it but he will always do it.
On the flip side, he gets royally mad at me when we release our walleyes after catching them.
It fries his butt!
He cleans his catch and gives it to a lot of older guys who cannot get out there to fish anymore.
He is a very decent guy, but he takes more than the limit allows.

[trapper2000]

so if you had a limit of  walleyes  and  got a  12 pounder  and it was  gill hooked  and  bleeding you would  let that walleye   die  and rot?...... i just want to understand  what your saying

[skinny40]

I don't always take limits. I will release fish most the time. But I've had what trap described happen before. I will take that trout home. If I get caught I will pay the fine. I won't waste it. Like when a pair of ducks comes in and the second gets clipped I would take that too. I don't try to bend the rules but I won't waste it.

[Mac Attack]

so if you had a limit of  walleyes  and  got a  12 pounder  and it was  gill hooked  and  bleeding you would  let that walleye   die  and rot?...... i just want to understand  what your saying

Shoulda pulled the rods after the limit.  Or fish C&R

If one of the 12 was still alive, which is highly unlikely, as we bleed em then ice em, I might toss it and keep the wounded one.

So, yea, it gets tossed overboard.
Like Bob said, gulls have to eat.

I know it sounds crazy.
Still, I don’t abide in people keeping more than the limit.

Sorry Trap, but you asked, and I’m just being honest buddy.

[greensider]

I agree mac when I get my 2 trout I don't keep fishing and will not take little ones

[rgfixit]

Sorry Trap, but you asked, and I’m just being honest buddy.

As was I Mac.

[trapper2000]

wait a  minute  ...i never said  what i  did !!!!  and  no mac you  can't cull walleyes thats illegal  and  fishing catch and release is  what  got me into this situtation  ....2 over 12  and a  5  fish limit  ....needless to say  i didn't say what i did  nor defended  or  justified  breaking the law in any way ......and  yes  mac i'm up early  lolb getting   some  new  gear ready 

[greensider]

I don't stream fish anymore but mainly fish for trout on the Catskills reservoirs those trout are good sized I won't kill an under 12 inch fish to eat but if I have my 2 and catch one that dies while small mouth fishing I know eagles are definitely going to pick it up pretty fast

[joefish1]

First of all you can't teach common sense as far as Gov is concerned.  Trapper what you are saying goes on in all of the big money Bass tournaments, with the so called sportsman fishermen.  Too much $$$$ involved to enforce the rules of law. 

[filetandrelease]

 I found  my last couple trout stream fishing trips got cut short as I try and fish for larger fish  , drove 50miles to enjoy a day only to end up fishing less than an hr landed 2 over 16” as the next fish was well over the 12” mark  so home I went disappointed