C&R Works

[Rich]

Buddy and I were deadbaiting pike the other day, and his first fish was the biggest, 31" with some distinctive marks. 5 hours later, my last fish, also my biggest of the day - was the exact same fish. The fish took the same bait, 10 yards away from where it was caught 5 hours earlier.

 

Fun stuff. Glad to know the circle hooks are leading to healthy and quick releases.

[Fishnwire]

I caught the same 18" SMB with a small, distinctive growth on the side of it's mouth 5 times this summer...7 times if you include the times guests of mine tied into her.

 

One time I considered keeping a walleye I'd just caught because one of the trebles on the stick bait I was using got deep in its eye and gouged it out. I figured it might die of infection or starvation. I threw it back and caught it the next two years in a row.

 

Absolutely C&R works.

[Slop]

For me, C&R has not worked 'as' successfuly on Perch, Crappie, Whitefish and Walleye. I was hankering for a meal.

 

I've caught the same Muskie, Lake Trout, Bass and Pike before.

 

A situation that I will always remember was when me and a buddy, years ago, were doing a walk-in Pike fish on a lake near the French River delta. I had hooked what I thought was a monster Pike but the fish wrapped me in a rock or log. The bugger broke me off and my favorite spinnerbait was gone!! Well a few choice words could be heard as far away as Manitoulin Island.

 

Now that the fish was gone, the beast would only live in memory of leviathan proportions...hahaha.

 

I scoped out a nice large smooth rock that extended into the water several hundred yards further away along the shoreline. It took a bit to blaze through the bush to get to the spot. After several bombs in every direction, I had my line move forward and then tighten. As I played the fish to the rock, I could't believe mye eyes. The spinnerbait that I'd lost maybe 30 minutes before, was hanging out of it's snout along with my new favorite bait....lol.

 

The Pike was a nice one, ten pounds or so and back at camp with a fire... some grub...THAT Pike was still the story of the day.

[Familyfisherman]

We were bass fishing a couple of openers ago on a very small lake that has mostly LMB, some pike, and the very odd muskie. We were primarily using texas rigged worms in tequila sunrise, but one guy for a switch threw a bright orange x-rap. First cast he loads up on what we think is a really nice bass, till it gets near the boat and it's a 4-5 lb pike...which bites him off.

 

While he's retying for 5 minutes or so in the distance we spot a bald eagle...We're from Barrie so this is something to see...as it flies by we see it's got a fish in it's talons...as it gets closer we see a bright orange Xrap hanging from the fish's mouth...

 

I don't think the eagle is as up on the benefits of C&R in that part of the country...

[dhickey]

C&R WORKS without any doubt.

I have been lucky enough to fish a small lake that is compleetly surounded buy private land and the only acces is through knowing the land owners.

C&R has been practiced on this lake for the past 30yrs and it is a treat to fish.

Another example is out west they have lakes that are deemed trophy lakes where it is illeagle to keep a fish.

Personaly I would like to see Ontario MNR put a no posesion limmit on lakes that house native fish.Not to say that all lakes should have 0 posesion limmits but it woud be nice to go on a fly in to a trophy lake in Ontario and catch that fish of a life time

 

At the end of the day even fly in lakes see alot of presure and its hard to assume that most of the big fish arent already gone.

 

Example.

At least 24yrs ago my friends and I spent a few years going to Nakina on fly in trips(1 week)and I got to see some fish that were out of this world.(5ft pike /4-5 poud wallies basicly jumping in the boat)

 

Mind you these were new outpost but its hard to imagine going back there and expecting to see the same thing.

 

ALL IN FAVOR OF CATCH and RELEASE say I

Edited November 12, 2012 by saltydawg