Preservation

[Rabbits]

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.

[A9]

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

Unfortunately styrofoam (like worm containers if they are made of styrofoam, many are) never biodegrade. Never. They are recyclable but in nature they won't break down at all.

[Anonymous]

I agree with your opinion. Nothing will change until we begin to educate people about what their shabby trash tactics are doing to not only our environment, but also our fish populations. This goes for fertilizing lawns...you'd have no idea how many times I'm out on area lakes and see people mowing and fertiziling their lawns, only to have it rain hard the next day and that run-off drain into the small lake. You make a very strong argument that we need to educate ignorance, which in my opinion, can be done.

[racfish]

The styrafoam reminds me of Beaver Lake in Sammamish.Theres a piece of old styrafoam floating in the lake.Its been there so long that there is a Douglas Fir and a bush growing in it.It is really quite ugly but funny how you see this nice tree and bush growing on someones old flotation device.I too get angry when you see those worm,sandshrimp or bait containers around fishing spots.

[Rabbits]

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.

[A9]

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.

Holding a fish vertical will increase the stress on the fish and they can die from too much of that (they can build up too much lactic acid from stress) and it can also do a lot of damage to the organs of a fish. Don't hold a fish from it's lower jaw. That's not meant to support the whole weight of the fish.

[Marc Martyn]

Also remember one important thing. Watch the water temperature. If it get up into the mid to high 70's, landing a fish can be fatal for the fish. I went out one day on Amber and the water temperature was high and after landing two rainbows that took a fair amount of work to revive, I quit and went home. Heat stresses fish just like it does us.

[AdsBot [Google]]

Heat stresses fish just like it does us.

That's a really good point Marc. I can't believe you just went home though...I would have stayed and fished...but you did the right thing for the fish. Too bad those poachers that were out there found it entertaining to drill some holes all to the demise of the fish...guess it off-sets things.

[Marc Martyn]

After the two very tired fish, I decided that I could come back after the water cooled a bit. It was in Aug., so I held off fishing for a couple of weeks and spent some time working around the house. After a couple of weeks, a cold front moved in with rain and cooler temperature and I began going out again. The water temperature had dropped by about 4 degrees, most likely because of the wind, rain, cloud cover and lower air temperature. The next time I went out, the fish were in much better shape.

[KurtO]

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.

[A9]

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.

Hopefully karma will reward you with great fishing for every piece of trash you pick up.

Seriously it aint hard to pack out what you brought it....Usually it's less stuff too (wrappers, empty bottles, etc)

[KurtO]

Improper handling is almost worse than littering. Who votes we one of these days we go and pick up trash around a certain lake then fish it afterward?!:cheers:

[AdsBot [Google]]

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.

I couldn’t agree more Marc. It appears to me that as time goes on fewer of us are good stewards of the land. This behavior has become the norm and not the exception. First comes the trash then the ghetto!

[KurtO]

Right you are Stampie.

[AdsBot [Google]]

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.

I couldn’t agree more Rabbits. It appears to me that as time goes on fewer of us are good stewards of the land. This behavior has become the norm and not the exception. First comes the trash then the ghetto!