Northwest Fishing Reports

Rabbits wrote: and worst of all... worm containers. (Directly from a fishermen!) This all pisses me off whenever I see it.

Rabbits wrote:Another thing that bothers me which I see alot of, is improper handling of caught fish.

If someone is going to keep a fish I could care less what they do with it or how they hold it. But... if you plan on releasing a fish back into the water, whether it might not meet regulation or you just catch and release, there is a definite way to do it without harming the fish.

I fish Dry Falls a lot in eastern Wash. and I see guys land fish and want a picture. (It is fly-fish only, 1 fish limit) The worst is when I see them pull the fish up out of the water with the line and then grab the fish by the belly with dry hands. Ah this drives me crazy. And if you were fishing there last year and got yelled at by some young punk, I'm sorry, it was me.

There are many improper ways of handling fish, yet there are ways to do it so it will not harm the fish's future chance of survival.

If you want a picture with your fish and are planning on releasing it... First - wet your hands before touching the fish. Second - If you use a net, use a knot less one. Third - you can hold the fish firmly with one hand just in front of its back fin. Fourth - with your other hand cup the underside of the fishes jaw. A perfect example is in cutthroatkiller's avatar photo. The important thing to remember is to not pinch its belly, as there are many vital organs in there, and to rub off as little amount of scales as possible.

Then when releasing it, do not just throw it in the water. Hold it in its natural swimming position until it regains its equilibrium. Then it should swim away on its own.

By doing these things fish will not be harmed, it will have a better chance of survival (although it might be scared to eat for a week), and we can take pride in our sportsmanship.

Marc Martyn wrote: Heat stresses fish just like it does us.

KurtO wrote:Being a good person and all I pack out all other peoples trash and ****. It feels good even though it pisses me off that I have to do it.

Rabbits wrote:Hopefully this isn't already on here, but oh well here it goes.

I think it would be very helpful and informative to have some type of Washington fishing preservation forum or feature. It seems that every lake I go to I find the shore littered with beer cans, cigarette butts, and worst of all... worm containers. (Directly from a fishermen!) This all pisses me off whenever I see it.

And I truly believe that other than laziness, ignorance is the biggest contributing factor. I don't think enough of our fellow fishermen know the true devastating affects littering and other bad habits have on our direct fishing experience. I just read the latest Field & Stream article "The Worms Have Turned" (March '08, p.21) and was alarmed at the content. It was talking about plastic baits and how they are harming fish. Fish eat the plastics and are unable to digest them. Thus becoming sick and losing weight and eventually dying. I encourage everyone to read this article, it makes a lot of sense. This is just one example of how ignorant I am myself. I am no saint, I'm just as guilty as anyone else of tossing a plastic bait overboard when it rips in half. But not anymore, cause now I know the affects it has on my fishing.

I am no environmental guru and sometimes get upset when global warming or Al Gore is brought up in conversation but I do have an open mind and think that most Washington fishermen do as well. I truly believe that if we were educated about the affects our actions have on our fishing quality and the environment our habits would start to noticeably change.

Rabbits wrote:Hopefully this isn't already on here, but oh well here it goes.

I think it would be very helpful and informative to have some type of Washington fishing preservation forum or feature. It seems that every lake I go to I find the shore littered with beer cans, cigarette butts, and worst of all... worm containers. (Directly from a fishermen!) This all pisses me off whenever I see it.

And I truly believe that other than laziness, ignorance is the biggest contributing factor. I don't think enough of our fellow fishermen know the true devastating affects littering and other bad habits have on our direct fishing experience. I just read the latest Field & Stream article "The Worms Have Turned" (March '08, p.21) and was alarmed at the content. It was talking about plastic baits and how they are harming fish. Fish eat the plastics and are unable to digest them. Thus becoming sick and losing weight and eventually dying. I encourage everyone to read this article, it makes a lot of sense. This is just one example of how ignorant I am myself. I am no saint, I'm just as guilty as anyone else of tossing a plastic bait overboard when it rips in half. But not anymore, cause now I know the affects it has on my fishing.

I am no environmental guru and sometimes get upset when global warming or Al Gore is brought up in conversation but I do have an open mind and think that most Washington fishermen do as well. I truly believe that if we were educated about the affects our actions have on our fishing quality and the environment our habits would start to noticeably change.