# Catch and release.....



## Momma's Worry (Aug 3, 2009)

I have done a "study" on some fish I caught and released where I could observe them .....

10 Blue cat 4-12lbs.....after 2 months 8 had died of wounds(hook) from bacterial infection .....

8 Black bass.......after three weeks 5 had died of wounds(hook) from bacterial infection (rot)..another is showing signs of same...lot of other fish around them are in normal healthy looking condition....


just my own observation for my own reasons.....


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## thirdcoastangler (Apr 27, 2013)

Did you soak all your hooks in a mix of kerosene and whisky before you hit the water? Bacteria don’t stand a chance.


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## Gofish2day (May 9, 2006)

Where did you release them?
One thing I noticed in all the years fishing below the Dam.
Some real nasty looking fish down there in the river. Others are fine.
maybe a lot of bateria.


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## SKs Crappie Fishing (Mar 24, 2008)

Interesting....


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## oldriverrat (Jun 6, 2011)

Thatâ€™s why Iâ€™ve always advocated for limits to be the first X amount of fish you catch

You look at the number of fish that die that are 1/2â€ under the legal Limit and itâ€™s sickening but what do i know, Iâ€™m not a biologist Iâ€™m just a guy that has fished for many years and watched undersized fish float belly up downstream after being caught. So much better to feed the gators and birds than folks that spend the money on license, fuel, bait etc 



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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Gar Gotta eat








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## jas415 (May 25, 2009)

Momma's Worry said:


> I have done a "study" on some fish I caught and released where I could observe them .....
> 
> 10 Blue cat 4-12lbs.....after 2 months 8 had died of wounds(hook) from bacterial infection .....
> 
> ...


I suppose these are in a private pond, to make these observations. Not trying to be funny, but it reminds me of the joke, sick joke, where the politician is slowly clapping his hands and saying "Every time I clap, a child dies of disease'! A voice cries out "Quit Clapping!" Quit catch and releasing them!


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## Momma's Worry (Aug 3, 2009)

also noticed that the black bass all died within 3 days of each other .....

all were caught the same day .....


the cats were all caught the same day also but succumbed at different time 
starting with the smallest first ,largest last .....


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## Momma's Worry (Aug 3, 2009)

this observation told me what I already suspected .......



but you will always hear the remark that the released fish was in great shape and quickly swam away.........no harm done


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

A lot of variables at play...

One of them is how the fish is handled, i.e. how long out of water, how deeply hooked, how the angler plays the fish, etc. Florida has done extensive scientific studies and now has laws that prohibit removing certain highly prized species of fish from the water; must be released in the water. Their scientific studies show above 90% survival rates when those fish are handled properly.

Another variable is the water temp...high water temps significantly increase release mortality. Before the good stripers were washed out of Livingston starting about 2015, one could easily see the effects of water temp on released striped bass in summer around pine island. Dead stripers all around. I estimate 90% of stripers caught and released in water temps above 82 deg. die within 24 hours and the rest probably within days. 

O2 levels in the water very important. If the fish caught is just barely surviving in low oxygenated water, for example, the added stress of "catch" will likely kill them upon "release".

Nothing we can do anywhere approaches the reliability of scientific studies, but I have studied caught and released fish for many years in controlled environments. I've seen excellent survival rates...well above 90%...consistently when the variables are taken into consideration. Many of the fish I have studied have been caught multiple times over a several year period....don't tell me catch and release doesn't work. 

When the factors are right, catch and release works and works extremely well. It is an important, often critical, element of any fish management program.


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## enielsen (Dec 27, 2004)

Meadowlark said:


> A lot of variables at play...
> 
> One of them is how the fish is handled, i.e. how long out of water, how deeply hooked, how the angler plays the fish, etc. Florida has done extensive scientific studies and now has laws that prohibit removing certain highly prized species of fish from the water; must be released in the water. Their scientific studies show above 90% survival rates when those fish are handled properly.
> 
> ...


With what you have pointed out it would seem under ideal conditions catch and release has a good survival rate but these conditions would seem to be the exception. I would venture 75% of fish released do not fall under these conditions therefore there is a much higher mortality rate. So would it not make more sense from a conservation mindset to improve the mortality rate to just keep the first x-amount of whatever fish caught instead of weeding though many that will likely die in an effort to keep one legal fish? I see this all the time when catching trout under the lights at night (saltwater). May have to catch 10 to get on keeper and of those 10 two - three float off belly up.


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

Tell us more about your release pond. Sounds like you have high bacteria.....


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## photofishin (Aug 7, 2009)

temperature is one of the reasons and this is exactly why I don't bass fish in lakes such as Fayette in the summer. Fish get stressed way too much in the heat.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

enielsen said:


> With what you have pointed out it would seem under ideal conditions catch and release has a good survival rate but these conditions would seem to be the exception. I would venture 75% of fish released do not fall under these conditions therefore there is a much higher mortality rate. So would it not make more sense from a conservation mindset to improve the mortality rate to just keep the first x-amount of whatever fish caught instead of weeding though many that will likely die in an effort to keep one legal fish? ....


I have long advocated and pleaded with TP&W for a "5 catch and keep and stop fishing limit" on striped bass on Livingston regardless of size...to no avail. One of the obvious problems with making such a law would be enforcement. Very difficult, if not impossible to enforce...not to mention that some (many?) anglers would just cull until they get the 5 they wanted. I practiced that 5 kept and quit on stripers on Livingston for many years (during the high temperature months) and believe it would be beneficial but doubt that TP&W will ever agree.

The regulation for Lake Texoma for striped bass has a lot of merit in a body that has natural spawning striped bass ( as does Livingston for striped bass). It says, "no minimum length limit; daily bag and possession limit=10. Only two striped or hybrid striped bass 20 inches or greater may be retained each day. Culling of striped bass and hybrid striped bass is prohibited. " The no culling provision is key, but I sure don't see how they can reasonably enforce that.

As far as your 75% number, I strongly disagree. Most of the Country, most of the time has excellent conditions to support catch and release. Lake Livingston in July and August and September does not. Catch and release is very effective in the right conditions.


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## Sugars Pop (Jul 10, 2008)

Have you ever caught a fish with a hook in it's mouth? I concur it seems more like a water quality issue then the fact that that were caught two months ago and the hook mark still exist.
I can assure you a fish can dissolve a 16 O circles hook in a matter of days. We caught many black tip sharks in the days of Tarpon fishing and each one was released with a brand new 16 O hook in it's mouth. We went every weekend out of San L. Pass and never caught a shark with a hook.
Same holds true for freshwater. Fish generate acid that dissolves the hook so how can the hook mark still be visible after 2 months and why would that be related to bacterial infection i.e dead fish?


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Scientific aside we all know if a fish is handled improperly, slime is removed by a towel could be one of the worst, or reeled up as fast as you can or fought for 20 minutes on light tackle there is a great chance it will not survive a release especially in the summer months and Saltwater with the amount of predator fish. Culling legal fish is such a waste. Just take your limit and move on. We all just need to do our part. Some are just greedy and they will never change.


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## photofishin (Aug 7, 2009)

fishinganimal said:


> Scientific aside we all know if a fish is handled improperly, slime is removed by a towel could be one of the worst, or reeled up as fast as you can or fought for 20 minutes on light tackle there is a great chance it will not survive a release especially in the summer months and Saltwater with the amount of predator fish. Culling legal fish is such a waste. Just take your limit and move on. We all just need to do our part. Some are just greedy and they will never change.


sorry but culling fish is NOT a waste and thousands of studies have shown in freshwater the mortality rate is really low for bass released after tournaments. It's all about how the fish are handled, water temperature etc and the stress put on the fish. There's an extremely healthy black bass population in most lakes in the USA specifically because catch and release is the norm. The same goes for freshwater trout such as rainbows and browns in catch and release only streams.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Catch and release fisherman are a totally different breed. The Bass Tourney fisherman take great care of they're fish. I'm strictly talking about culling a legal fish to catch a bigger legal fish to retain with no care taken. You know they are out there. Sorry



photofishin said:


> sorry but culling fish is NOT a waste and thousands of studies have shown in freshwater the mortality rate is really low for bass released after tournaments. It's all about how the fish are handled, water temperature etc and the stress put on the fish. There's an extremely healthy black bass population in most lakes in the USA specifically because catch and release is the norm. The same goes for freshwater trout such as rainbows and browns in catch and release only streams.


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## photofishin (Aug 7, 2009)

fishinganimal said:


> Catch and release fisherman are a totally different breed. The Bass Tourney fisherman take great care of they're fish. I'm strictly talking about culling a legal fish to catch a bigger legal fish to retain with no care taken. You know they are out there. Sorry


I don't think they are in the majority however. So much knowledge has been passed on the last 30 years about catch and release, you'd have to live in Siberia to not know the basics of how to best handle a fish.


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## bryan28 (Aug 22, 2013)

I also believe the body of water that these fish were released in is the main reason the fish are dying. After major fishing tournaments you'd find bloated bass floating all over the lakes in the days following a tournament otherwise.


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## Garzas23 (Aug 11, 2010)

bryan28 said:


> I also believe the body of water that these fish were released in is the main reason the fish are dying. After major fishing tournaments you'd find bloated bass floating all over the lakes in the days following a tournament otherwise.


I have to agree with this ðŸ'†ðŸ»ðŸ'†ðŸ» Hundreds of people fish every single day, and catch and release all over Texas. It would look like a GIANT fish kill all over Texas every weekend if that were true about catch and release. The water quality/oxygen, water temperature, those fish were released in May play a factor, or even the stress from transporting them, what were they eating where you released them. Thereâ€™s probably well over 1,000 possibilities of what may have happened to those fish. Just my 2 cents, anyway tight lines everyone! ðŸ'ðŸ»


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## JJohnson34 (Jun 27, 2018)

*Blues, gars and cut bait*

Shadslinger - great pic, big gar. The very best blue cat bait I know of is fresh cut gar liver and frozen is real good too. Fresh fried gar ball paddies seared in butter is as good to eat as fresh catfish, donâ€™t throw the rest of the gar away.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

JJohnson34 said:


> Shadslinger - great pic, big gar.
> 
> 
> > Thanks I catch em once in a while when the water is good and clear and they will give you a good pose for a picture if they are tired.
> ...


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