[Tippin Slow]

I have this friend you see. He told me he caught a OSBullRed on a plug with big trebles. He said the fish really swallowed the lure and the trebles were dug in pretty deep. He wrestled with getting the trebles dislodged, he said they were practically nailed in.He said the fish was bleeding pretty good during this procedure. Once free from the lure he tried revive the fish for release andit never showed any signs of life. What is the most ethical thing to do.

1. Toss the fish and watch it gobelly up?

2. Keep the fish and eat it?

I know neither answer is ideal, but whatis the most reasonable thing to do?

 

[Stressless]

FIRST - It is illegal to target OS redfish with treble hooks. (Ethics) So start there, GoTo



SECOND - Don't use treble hooks for you own sake in case the fish is very alive and green (Smart)



THIRD - Legal and Ethics are NOT the same. Don't come on here after making a bad call, smacking your lips and assuaging your guilt by "consuming" the sorry fish. (Legal)



:doh

Stressless

 

[FenderBender]

The ethical thing would be to keep the fish and eat it, I hate to see good meat wasted... but try explaining your "ethical" excuse to an FWC officer... :banghead:banghead sucks but you've got to let them float unless you want the ticket.

 

[SCUBA Junkie]

The first rule of legal defense is; "If the facts are against you; argue the law and if the law is against you; argue the facts". That said; if you keep it, the law is against you and you risk a citation,and I doubt FWC is going to be swayed by an argument of the facts. Best bet; return the soul to the depths from which it came and cast your line for another.

 

[FenderBender]

Stressless (1/7/2008)FIRST - It is illegal to target OS redfish with treble hooks. (Ethics) So start there, GoTo

SECOND - Don't use treble hooks for you own sake in case the fish is very alive and green (Smart)

THIRD - Legal and Ethics are NOT the same. Don't come on here after making a bad call, smacking your lips and assuaging your guilt by "consuming" the sorry fish. (Legal)

:doh
Stressless

I am sure the plug he is referring to is a Stretch 25 or 30... great plugs for catching grouper in the bay but unfortunately big bulls like'em too... I too personally do not like the big trebles on an otherwise great plug. My question is: Has anyone here sucessfully replaced the trebles with j-hooks on the Stretch? If you did, did it affect the way the lure ran?

 

[Midnight Rider]

What does OS stand for???????????????:doh

 

[FenderBender]

Midnight Rider (1/7/2008)What does OS stand for???????????????:doh

Oversized. Out of slot, greater than 27" length.

 

[Midnight Rider]

Thanks

 

[Wharf Rat]

So, when I say I'm trolling stretch's up and down the beach between say, November and February...I'm doing something illegal?

 

[Coryphaena]

Wharf Rat (1/7/2008)So, when I say I'm trolling stretch's up and down the beach between say, November and February...I'm doing something illegal?

http://myfwc.com/marine/Docs/Jan2008FlRecreationalSaltwaterRegsChart.pdf

Wayyyyyyy down at the bottom of the regs, the question of treble hooks is answered in small print.... they are not allowed for certain species when used with live or dead natural baits...... Stretches, plugs, etc aren't "natural" so unless you've tacked a cig or a shrimp on the hook, no worries!

As for ethics, trebles can be very hard on fish and if you're targeting fish intended for release, consider the least amount of damage to the fish in order to help them survive.

 

[Tuna Man]

Ethics is not following the law. A good system of law does incorporate many ethical standards, but law can deviate from what is ethical. Keeping that in mind..the released fish that will die won't go wasted, and you won't get a citation either.

 

[deadly dick]

OS reds are illegal to keep, so do not keep them, the ethical thing to do is employee better releasing tactics if at all possible and do not put yourself in a situation where the red is dead. Catch it, take a picture and move on. If the hook will not come out, then leave it in, I've caught plenty of fish with old hooks in them, trust me they are a strong animal, I've seen and caught fish with half there body missing and still getting around ok. You figure A large red like that is also a very old fish. A breeder perhaps. Let it live and make more reds!

 

[Wharf Rat]

deadly dick (1/8/2008)OS reds are illegal to keep...

Not to start a pissing match, but that depends on what state you are in.

 

[User1265]

First let me say welcome to the forum Tippin Slow!!

Sometimes conclusions are jumped to and judgement is passed way too fast on here just like any where in life. Please don't let that run you off. This forum is full of very passionate people that love to fish and firmly believe in the conservation of our great sport.

I am with Ron (Tuna Man) on this one. A dead fish never goes to waste. There are plenty of scavengers in and around our waters that will be fed if the fish dies. It is unfortunate and should be avoided whenever possible but things happen sometimes. Return the fish to the water and hope for the best. If I were your "friend" I would have cut the hook off and removed as much of it as I could and returned the fish to the water.

 

[gator7_5]

throw it back dead. You dont keep undersized snapper just because a porpoise will eat it. Crabs and little fish will munch on that thing for days. I't won't go to waste, and there are plenty of them.

 

[John B.]

Tippin Slow (1/7/2008)I have this friend you see. He told me he caught a OSBullRed on a plug with big trebles....

so YOU caught a redfish oke ... just kidding... the best thing would have been to leave it.... there are waaayyyy more bull reds than people realize.... sharks gotta eat too...

 

[AUradar]

gator7_5 (1/8/2008)throw it back dead. You dont keep undersized snapper just because a porpoise will eat it. Crabs and little fish will munch on that thing for days. I't won't go to waste, and there are plenty of them.

:withstupid

Circle of life, a dead fish will not goto waste in the ocean. Not worth breaking the law.

 

[fishn4real]

FenderBender (1/7/2008)The ethical thing would be to keep the fish and eat it, I hate to see good meat wasted... but try explaining your "ethical" excuse to an FWC officer... :banghead:banghead sucks but you've got to let them float unless you want the ticket.

Breaking the law is "Never" the ethical thing to do.

 

[Tuna Man]

fishn4real (1/8/2008)

FenderBender (1/7/2008)The ethical thing would be to keep the fish and eat it, I hate to see good meat wasted... but try explaining your "ethical" excuse to an FWC officer... :banghead:banghead sucks but you've got to let them float unless you want the ticket.

Breaking the law is "Never" the ethical thing to do.

<SPAN id=_ctl1_ctlTopic_ctlPanelBar_ctlTopicsRepeater__ctl11_lblFullMessage>Ethics is not following the law. A good system of law does incorporate many ethical standards, but law can deviate from what is ethical

Doing what is ETHICAL, and NOT breaking the law, can be and at times are two different things. Just because there is a law for/against something doesn't mean it's ETHICAL.

With that said, I stand behind the fact that a dead released fish won't go to waste.

 

[Tippin Slow]

Stressless,



Grouper was the targeted fish using a Stretch.