# The Good-The Bad-The Ugly-Again



## Deedubbya (Jan 29, 2013)

The Gulf is a "big" patch of water. I'm a fair to decent fisherman. You want to dog me all day--that's okay. I get that I don't own anything out there but if you've got bigger boat than me you must have decent electronics. Learn how to use them and learn how to catch fish for yourself. And for heaven sakes please don't limit out and then cull fish out of your fishbox for the next four hours. If you're reading this then you know who you are: you are the guys who were tossing very decent fish back into the water and leaving them to float away. The fish you killed looked like a weedline out there. Since I was attending to my clients I couldn't actually count the number you tossed but was able to count a total of more than a dozen very nice fish you tossed overboard. You want and expect the freedom to catch fish? This is not going to help your arguments for longer seasons and relaxed limits--Get it?


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## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

If the bite is that good....send those smaller ones back down right away...the right way. Give them a chance to grow up and be caught another day. Its folks like that, that give us all a bad rap. Oh, and don't use the excuse it's food for flipper and all the rest of whatever. Lame!!


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

Deedubbya said:


> The Gulf is a "big" patch of water. I'm a fair to decent fisherman. You want to dog me all day--that's okay. I get that I don't own anything out there but if you've got bigger boat than me you must have decent electronics. Learn how to use them and learn how to catch fish for yourself. And for heaven sakes please don't limit out and then cull fish out of your fishbox for the next four hours. If you're reading this then you know who you are: you are the guys who were tossing very decent fish back into the water and leaving them to float away. The fish you killed looked like a weedline out there. Since I was attending to my clients I couldn't actually count the number you tossed but was able to count a total of more than a dozen very nice fish you tossed overboard. You want and expect the freedom to catch fish? This is not going to help your arguments for longer seasons and relaxed limits--Get it?


Most fish seem to die when caught out of season, when you pull them up from the bottom. Even after giving the best care to release all the air in it's belly. They still seem to die. 
Just because a fish is dead does not mean it goes to waste. It's the circle of life, that will take control of the situation, 

It Made me sick 2 weeks ago, when we could not revive a monster gag caught on the bottom past the edge. We worked him for 10 minutes, released him to float, and then worked him for another 10 minutes. We left him alive and floating. We did everything that was possible to revive a fish. Maybe he came back to life and swam away. 
But probably not. 
People kill red snapper all year long, because they have to return the fish back to the water. 
But I do understand your point of culling dead fish because they caught a bigger fish. 
Federal red snapper season brings everyone out of the woods to catch the elusive red snapper.


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

Chapman5011 said:


> Most fish seem to die when caught out of season, when you pull them up from the bottom. Even after giving the best care to release all the air in it's belly. They still seem to die.
> Just because a fish is dead does not mean it goes to waste. It's the circle of life, that will take control of the situation,
> 
> It Made me sick 2 weeks ago, when we could not revive a monster gag caught on the bottom past the edge. We worked him for 10 minutes, released him to float, and then worked him for another 10 minutes. We left him alive and floating. We did everything that was possible to revive a fish. Maybe he came back to life and swam away.
> ...


If everyone would just make a simple fish release alot more would live and it wouldn't cost you anything! Here's a very simple but effective rig! Put a big snap swivel upside down on top and you'll be able to snap it to any rig, Smash the barb. Hook the fish from the out side on the upper lip, open bail and drop fish. When at depth just jerk and reel, fish released and has a good chance of survival. I wish everyone would make and use one and save our fish for "our" next dinner. Thanks to those who do!


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## Deedubbya (Jan 29, 2013)

Nice setup!


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## CCC (Sep 3, 2008)

Doesn't sound like a fish release would have helped snapper that had been sitting in a fish box while the folks he was describing fished for bigger ones.


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

True, but will help with the floaters Chapman was referring to.


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## CCC (Sep 3, 2008)

Ok, thought as I read it they were floating because being culled from a fish box and were already dead


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## brianspy (Apr 27, 2010)

lastcast said:


> If everyone would just make a simple fish release alot more would live and it wouldn't cost you anything! Here's a very simple but effective rig! Put a big snap swivel upside down on top and you'll be able to snap it to any rig, Smash the barb. Hook the fish from the out side on the upper lip, open bail and drop fish. When at depth just jerk and reel, fish released and has a good chance of survival. I wish everyone would make and use one and save our fish for "our" next dinner. Thanks to those who do!



I'm all in for saving fish when out of season, but do you know for a fact that just by sending the fish back down to its original depth actually works or is it an out of site out mind situation? Just curious to know the facts before giving it a try at sea.


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## jcasey (Oct 12, 2007)

I hate it when I see this happening. We were at paradise hole about 3 or 4 years ago and a boat was snapper fishing about 50 yards from us and they were throwing their smaller dead ones back every time they caught something bigger. I bet I saw them take at least a half dozen out of their cooler and toss overboard. Sad....


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

brianspy said:


> I'm all in for saving fish when out of season, but do you know for a fact that just by sending the fish back down to its original depth actually works or is it an out of site out mind situation? Just curious to know the facts before giving it a try at sea.


Well we know with 100% accuracy that a floating fish will die. Anything better than that is, well, better. But here's some video.


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## LIM-IT-OUT (Aug 26, 2014)

Deedubbya said:


> The Gulf is a "big" patch of water. I'm a fair to decent fisherman. You want to dog me all day--that's okay. I get that I don't own anything out there but if you've got bigger boat than me you must have decent electronics. Learn how to use them and learn how to catch fish for yourself. And for heaven sakes please don't limit out and then cull fish out of your fishbox for the next four hours. If you're reading this then you know who you are: you are the guys who were tossing very decent fish back into the water and leaving them to float away. The fish you killed looked like a weedline out there. Since I was attending to my clients I couldn't actually count the number you tossed but was able to count a total of more than a dozen very nice fish you tossed overboard. You want and expect the freedom to catch fish? This is not going to help your arguments for longer seasons and relaxed limits--Get it?



Shots fired, well said


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## LIM-IT-OUT (Aug 26, 2014)

Look at my past reports im happy keeing 19 and 20inch snapper. I dont need a giant to eat well.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Gotta love snapper season.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

Iv been catching snapper all year. I just throw them back. I catch plenty of other stuff to eat


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## WAReilly (Jun 2, 2014)

lastcast said:


> If everyone would just make a simple fish release alot more would live and it wouldn't cost you anything! Here's a very simple but effective rig! Put a big snap swivel upside down on top and you'll be able to snap it to any rig, Smash the barb. Hook the fish from the out side on the upper lip, open bail and drop fish. When at depth just jerk and reel, fish released and has a good chance of survival. I wish everyone would make and use one and save our fish for "our" next dinner. Thanks to those who do!


This thing is awesome! I think I'm going to build one for my buddy's boat. We haven't had any die on us this year, but I'd like to have this if we had a floater.


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## WAReilly (Jun 2, 2014)

WAReilly said:


> This thing is awesome! I think I'm going to build one for my buddy's boat. We haven't had any die on us this year, but I'd like to have this if we had a floater.





brianspy said:


> I'm all in for saving fish when out of season, but do you know for a fact that just by sending the fish back down to its original depth actually works or is it an out of site out mind situation? Just curious to know the facts before giving it a try at sea.


I saw a YouTube video a while back about this issue specifically. Some fisherman had a more elaborate contraption than the one in the pic, but it did the same thing. Anyway, the fisherman sent the contraption down with a gopro attached to it. It worked well. In deeper water, the fish were able to free themselves from it and swim to deeper water. May not work every time, but even at 50%, it's better than letting them float.


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## marksnet (Aug 22, 2014)

I have a feeling if the limit were 4 per person this would not happen.

I do not do it because I go often enough and know if I get one 18" there's another one coming up the next drop but, you do not know how many good anglers I have heard while speaking in a group that say the limit and the stupid of current policy relieves them of guilt about culling.

I understand their frustration.


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## submariner (Oct 2, 2007)

marksnet said:


> I have a feeling if the limit were 4 per person this would not happen.
> 
> I do not do it because I go often enough and know if I get one 18" there's another one coming up the next drop but, you do not know how many good anglers I have heard while speaking in a group that say the limit and the stupid of current policy relieves them
> of guilt about culling.
> ...


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## johnsonbeachbum (Oct 1, 2007)

submariner said:


> marksnet said:
> 
> 
> > I have a feeling if the limit were 4 per person this would not happen.
> ...


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## submariner (Oct 2, 2007)

made one took less than 2 min. should work


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## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

Nothing wrong with that! Saves one from being a floater, good thinking Ed!


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