Who loves fishing ?

Amarok

bad mother chucker
Staff member
Moderator
Nah I don’t eat them, my go to place is catch and release
Yeah, I release 99% of what I catch too. The burbot spawn is when I have my few fish feasts every year.

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Ended up having a fantastic day today. Caught 20-some fish and had a lot of other bites and thrown hooks during fights. Probably the best day this year for burbot numbers. Most of them fought like crazy as well.(y)

Just finished cleaning the three I brought home, now it's a quick bite and then nighty-night.
 

Psychobilly

🧀Muenster
I release fish too, but it really depends on a few things as I'm more "Selective Harvest" when it comes to keeping fish to eat, or to use as bait; The bigger the fish is, the more likely I'm putting it back. Mainly because bigger females can fit a lot more eggs and put more back, and bigger ones are the genetics I'd like to see. Anything around that 20 pound mark is going back in the water. But also smaller fish go back too depending on what they are; Small Perch, a pound or less, that's really good live bait, and for Sunfish species, we have no size limits but if I saw a massive Sunfish I may put that back, but if I see a Flathead swim by he may go back with some new piercings LOL. Walleye would have to be pretty damn big for me to put it back though; They are the most abundant species we have, and catching even a 5 or 6 pound one isn't really something rare, so either I'm eating it, or I'm gonna try and feed it to a Flathead, or Pike, or Musky, or a Sturgeon.

Sturgeon will go back no matter how big or small they are; Apparently I've eaten one before (I was really young, my Grandpa got one, it's legal to keep one a year here per fishing license) but they aren't so common that I'm OK with keeping one yet. Musky.... Depends. If I land a huge Tiger Musky, I want that to go back AFTER I've got a tape measure and weight and picture so I can have a Fiberglass copy made cause those are PRETTY!

Trout..... Sorry about your luck cause Catfish love you. Also it's a legal way for me to give the DNR a big middle finger (Michigan only has Lake Trout in terms of native fish, I want Blue Catfish in the Great Lakes, DNR questioned my sanity when I brought it up, and said they already have problems with Catfish eating the Trout and would NOT consider it even though they're eating invasive predators that just happen to help sell expensive out of state fishing licenses and even more expensive graphite rods to catch these teeny tiny little fish because they jump....) LOL sorry about the rant, but no, I have very little intention of releasing ANY Trout. Not that I'm trying to choke to death on all those bones, but they don't bother Channel Cats or Flatheads so I'll feed them to them :)

Salmon....Again, lock and load!

Pike I'd put back if it was small like a Pickerel or a nice trophy size. Same with Carp even though the DNR won't allow us to use them as live bait (They don't want Carp getting off the hook and swimming to where the Trout are...... *sigh*) so the best Musky and Flathead baits are not legal, and the Corn you'd use to catch the Carp isn't legal in Trout Streams either..... *sigh* And even though I've never seen any Trout EVER caught in the main river I fish, because of the Trout, no corn, no chumming, nothing.... LOL I see a pattern here of irritation but yes, at the very least, the DNR agrees with me on Sturgeon. I've also offered to help with their stocking efforts but I don't think that'll happen LOL.

Michigan isn't the only DNR I've gotten annoyed with; I also emailed the DNR for Texas and Florida to make sure they understood that they can piss and moan all day about Amazonian Red Tail Catfish being invasive and being caught in their rivers, and I also pointed out that it's one of the main reasons I'd ever visit Florida because I can catch one without trekking off into the JUNGLE to do it. Texas also has the Trinity River with Alligator Gar that I'd also like to catch, and even though Michigan used to apparently have them, they're from what I know, locally extinct, cause, you know.... Big fish, doesn't have the word "bass" in it's name, so it's scary and must be destroyed.... (Florida also has Peacock Bass from the Amazon invading, but, it's got bass in the name so they're now a designated game fish, even though they're actually a species of Cichlid ...) LOL.

I think I can win though; I'm gonna get some Tiger Shovelnose Catfish, and say they're "Flatheaded Bass" and then maybe they'll be considered game fish like the other invasive species LOL.
 

Amarok

bad mother chucker
Staff member
Moderator
I don’t think I’ve ever released a fish . Nor have I ever unnecessarily killed a fish . To me it’s both leisure and hunt and gather .
I guess growing up in a fishing town in a fishing family I’m hardwired to consume what I catch .
Nothing has ever been wasted
I grew up with grandparents who lived through the Great Depression(usually called the Dirty Thirties around here) and they couldn't wrap their heads around throwing food back into the water and I get that. I grew up catching and keeping and our freezer always had wild game and fish. I have no problem with a sustainable harvest, but what we did here in the 70's was not sustainable.

I wish I could harvest more fish, but we just don't have the resources. If you look at a map of Canada, we have very little water in the West. Once you get into the Canadian Shield there are millions of lakes, but out here that isn't the case. We don't even have commercial fishing here anymore as the financial return couldn't come close to making up for the recreational opportunities lost. A couple nets could do massive damage to a targeted population, and even worse, catch incidental species.

There aren't a lot of opportunities for harvest, which is why I love being able to keep a bunch of burbs knowing they are not threatened.



Just as an FYI for anyone interested, here's the Alberta Fishing Regs. I mostly fish zone NB(Northern Boreal)2.
 

Psychobilly

🧀Muenster
I don’t think I’ve ever released a fish . Nor have I ever unnecessarily killed a fish . To me it’s both leisure and hunt and gather .
I guess growing up in a fishing town in a fishing family I’m hardwired to consume what I catch .
Nothing has ever been wasted

Not wasting a catch is a good way to be bro :) I don't like wasting kills either; what I don't personally eat, something else will. Sometimes we use them to bury in the garden, sometimes I grab a bag and dig through a bucket full of guts pulling out the organs and belly meat for bait, but I don't like wasting either :)
 

Psychobilly

🧀Muenster
I grew up with grandparents who lived through the Great Depression(usually called the Dirty Thirties around here) and they couldn't wrap their heads around throwing food back into the water and I get that. I grew up catching and keeping and our freezer always had wild game and fish. I have no problem with a sustainable harvest, but what we did here in the 70's was not sustainable.

I wish I could harvest more fish, but we just don't have the resources. If you look at a map of Canada, we have very little water in the West. Once you get into the Canadian Shield there are millions of lakes, but out here that isn't the case. We don't even have commercial fishing here anymore as the financial return couldn't come close to making up for the recreational opportunities lost. A couple nets could do massive damage to a targeted population, and even worse, catch incidental species.

There aren't a lot of opportunities for harvest, which is why I love being able to keep a bunch of burbs knowing they are not threatened.



Just as an FYI for anyone interested, here's the Alberta Fishing Regs. I mostly fish zone NB(Northern Boreal)2.
Could always move to Southwest Ontario :) Growing up in Southeast Michigan, Canada didn't seem like another country at all; I've seen more Canadian plates than Ohio ones honestly.
 

Psychobilly

🧀Muenster
If you knew internal Canadian politics and regional issues, you'd know that isn't true. ;)
We are very, very much another country.

Growing up near Ontario, and living in Quebec, I know about some blockheads and Quebecois hate for one another, LOL. I meant more like it didn't seem like another country when I was little because we went there so often, and it was literally closer than any other states. The borders here to Canada used to be a lot different before 2001; You didn't need anything but a driver's license to cross over into Canada, and my Aunt used to walk the border all the time without issue. They don't really allow that now but around these parts the border wasn't exactly strict until I became a teenager. totally normal to cross into Canada literally just to get lunch and come back. I kind of miss how easy that was, the closest Popeyes is in Ontario haha!
 

Ramjet159

pHeno pHisher
I grew up with grandparents who lived through the Great Depression(usually called the Dirty Thirties around here) and they couldn't wrap their heads around throwing food back into the water and I get that. I grew up catching and keeping and our freezer always had wild game and fish. I have no problem with a sustainable harvest, but what we did here in the 70's was not sustainable.

I wish I could harvest more fish, but we just don't have the resources. If you look at a map of Canada, we have very little water in the West. Once you get into the Canadian Shield there are millions of lakes, but out here that isn't the case. We don't even have commercial fishing here anymore as the financial return couldn't come close to making up for the recreational opportunities lost. A couple nets could do massive damage to a targeted population, and even worse, catch incidental species.

There aren't a lot of opportunities for harvest, which is why I love being able to keep a bunch of burbs knowing they are not threatened.



Just as an FYI for anyone interested, here's the Alberta Fishing Regs. I mostly fish zone NB(Northern Boreal)2.
I totally get it . It’s part of the reason I generally stay of piss poor platforms like Facebook that generally cater for the misinformed that think they have a sound knowledge of sustainability. I found myself arguing with idiots half the time and wondering why I was wasting my time .
I’ll read those regs when I get a chance . It’s interesting seeing how other nations employ methods to protect fish stock .
I’ve seen poor industry methods introduced by indecisive politicians on more than one occasion based solely on scientists point of view and totally ignoring those actually on the home front with 30-40 years of knowledge.
 

Amarok

bad mother chucker
Staff member
Moderator
I found myself arguing with idiots half the time and wondering why I was wasting my time .
I spent a large part of my life tilting at those windmills.
Now I just make sure my castle is fortified and those outside can carry on as they please.
Life is too short to bring bullshit into it.

This forum is about the only place I engage with strangers online.
(thanks again to all the solid people here that make that possible and positive)
 

Amarok

bad mother chucker
Staff member
Moderator
I am loving being in the country sooooo much. :superhappydance:

I have water close enough that I can laze around all morning, pop out and spend 6 or 8 hours on the ice, and still be home before dark.
Caught some pike today, including a fatty that was just shy of 2 feet which came home with me. I suck bad at filleting pike(only fished for trout as kid), but practice and the internet are upping my game.

Fishing and growing weed.......
My young self would be so happy if he knew this is what was waiting for him. : )
 

Ramjet159

pHeno pHisher
I am loving being in the country sooooo much. :superhappydance:

I have water close enough that I can laze around all morning, pop out and spend 6 or 8 hours on the ice, and still be home before dark.
Caught some pike today, including a fatty that was just shy of 2 feet which came home with me. I suck bad at filleting pike(only fished for trout as kid), but practice and the internet are upping my game.

Fishing and growing weed.......
My young self would be so happy if he knew this is what was waiting for him. : )
Unless your hardwired to Metro and are totally unaware it was and always will be the simple things in life that bring true joy
 

Amarok

bad mother chucker
Staff member
Moderator
Unless your hardwired to Metro and are totally unaware it was and always will be the simple things in life that bring true joy
I spent the first 20 years trying to escape my rural life. I enjoyed the first ten or so years in the city but have been wanting out ever since.

Like you say, it's the little things. Seeing the new buds on the trees in the spring, hearing the coyotes singing, sitting on the deck in the evening and watching the daytime world go to sleep and the nighttime world emerge, hearing a loon on a misty lake in the first light, watching a deer come for a drink in the river 100 feet from where I'm sitting, while the fish splash ..........

Life is good. : )
 

Psychobilly

🧀Muenster
Hey for a Quick and easy Pike; Just cut those side filet and "back straps" off and apparently you can do this and skip those Y bones; I haven't landed a Pike yet, but I've seen people slice the sides and back off like a pro and get boneless meat.

It's not unlike other fish though; For example for Catfish a lot of people take the sides off and they're done, but there's almost 1/3rd left with the belly meat, which you can get with a tablespoon and some scrapes. Those would then be used for a "fish patty" so as to not waste it. Or of course cut bait for more fish.
 

Amarok

bad mother chucker
Staff member
Moderator
Spring has been very late here this year.
The river is finally open but the banks are still lined with massive chunks of ice, making access very tricky. I went to my home spot today to check progress.

As I made my way down and along the bank I saw a lot of very fresh moose tracks and some fresh dung. At the hole there were 15-20 foot wide ice sheets on the edge, about two feet thick, sloping toward the river, and covered with a layer of slick mud. There was a very small section of exposed rocks at river's edge so I climb/slid across the ice and made my way to the open spot.

I got set up and made a cast or two when something made me look to my left. About 30 yards away, coming straight toward me along the riverbank, were a momma moose and a yearling calf behind her.

I called out in a calm voice "Hey mooses, I don't wanna mess with you, Go around the other way".

Momma looked at me and cut up the bank and around me with the young-un close behind. She must have miscalculated or been unable to find a route as she had to double back along the hillside above me, but luckily there was no sign of aggression, and after the split second of "WTF?" when I first saw a 600-800 pound moose coming straight toward me, I never felt threatened.

I admit my spidey senses were on full alert the rest of the time I was there, but nothing happened, not even a bite. Me and my skunk still came home smiling.
 
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