Eating Perch...or any other prized species.

[knight of ni]

Come on for christs sake! its 2006 not 1936 the war has finished and decent food is plentyfull, if you want to eat freshwater fish then but farmed carp or trout or any of the thousands of imported fish seen on market stools in London.

 

Actually Sam

 

It was 1939 to 1945, and farmed fish doesn't taste like "real" fish, but i wouldn't eat a perch, as i don't fish in fresh water

 

Knight

[Steve Walker]

Easy my friend, the livebaits I use are small, mainly upto 3 inches in length. They are lightly lip hooked and gently flicked out with an underarm cast. None are wasted, cared for they will swim around under a chubber all day long. If as has happened lately they are not taken, they can be released no problem, with barely a scale out of place. The trick to successful livebaiting is looking after them, otherwise it may as well be deadbaiting.

 

I think it extremely unlikely that many of your ex-livebaits live for long after you release them, to be honest.

 

The considerate use of livebaits and the removal of fine sporting fish, often of specimen size (honestly, who the hell would bother with a 1lb perch?) is like comparing chalk and cheese.

 

The smoked perch I had were less than a pound; more like 8-12oz.

[gozzer]

Easy my friend, the livebaits I use are small, mainly upto 3 inches in length. They are lightly lip hooked and gently flicked out with an underarm cast. None are wasted, cared for they will swim around under a chubber all day long. If as has happened lately they are not taken, they can be released no problem, with barely a scale out of place. The trick to successful livebaiting is looking after them, otherwise it may as well be deadbaiting.

 

The small shoal fish often used (roach / rudd) are abundant in large quantities and inevitably natural predation will take a huge toll on their numbers before they reach maturity, for they are the predators natural fodder. They have in no way any sporting value and if per chance they are taken by a predator I am informed that this will undoubtedly save at least one other fishes life whilst the perch / pike goes away and sulks after capture. Any livebaits coming in dead after a take end up back in the water where they will make a meal for something or other, so in effect nothing is being removed from the system. On a good day you may use half a dozen, a 'hearty meal' would surely require far more.

 

The considerate use of livebaits and the removal of fine sporting fish, often of specimen size (honestly, who the hell would bother with a 1lb perch?) is like comparing chalk and cheese.

 

Had someone come on the forum bragging of using 2lb Perch as livebaits they would have gotten slaughtered, no doubt a few critics would have been the very people advertising their 'fine culinary' value today, yet in my eyes they would have been less of a blot on angling (just, mind) than the resident Ray Mears fan club.

 

So it's basically down to size and the sporting quality, that determines what can or cannot be taken from the water, I thought it was something to do with conservation, and the welfare of the fish, any fish.

 

I think you are deluding yourself when you say no harm comes to the live bait, and it swims happily away after being, gently cast underarm into a swim for, how many times?

 

The fact that they have been put back into the food chain if they die, has no relevance what so ever, you have caused the death by using it in the first place.

 

A perch of about 1lb is an ideal size to take if you are going to eat it.

[Sportsman]

Easy my friend, the livebaits I use are small, mainly upto 3 inches in length. They are lightly lip hooked and gently flicked out with an underarm cast. None are wasted, cared for they will swim around under a chubber all day long. If as has happened lately they are not taken, they can be released no problem, with barely a scale out of place. The trick to successful livebaiting is looking after them, otherwise it may as well be deadbaiting.

 

The small shoal fish often used (roach / rudd) are abundant in large quantities and inevitably natural predation will take a huge toll on their numbers before they reach maturity, for they are the predators natural fodder. They have in no way any sporting value and if per chance they are taken by a predator I am informed that this will undoubtedly save at least one other fishes life whilst the perch / pike goes away and sulks after capture. Any livebaits coming in dead after a take end up back in the water where they will make a meal for something or other, so in effect nothing is being removed from the system. On a good day you may use half a dozen, a 'hearty meal' would surely require far more.

 

The considerate use of livebaits and the removal of fine sporting fish, often of specimen size (honestly, who the hell would bother with a 1lb perch?) is like comparing chalk and cheese.

 

Had someone come on the forum bragging of using 2lb Perch as livebaits they would have gotten slaughtered, no doubt a few critics would have been the very people advertising their 'fine culinary' value today, yet in my eyes they would have been less of a blot on angling (just, mind) than the resident Ray Mears fan club.

 

Now thats strange because I am, apparently, a despised dinasour and yet I wouldn't use livebait. (lightly lip hooked and gently flicked out? you'll be telling us they enjoy it next!) I would also not subject a specimen, apparently endangered fish to being waved around while I photographed it. Surely, if you are going to preach you should clean up your own act. If you preach catch and release you should at least know how to do it.

It also crossed my mind that match anglers not only fish for fun but there may be substantial amounts of money involved, so OK to subject fish to a keep net as long as your getting paid for it?

99% of my fishing is catch and release and that includes Salmon and Trout. I have no idea what my PB fish is of either species because the fish were unhooked in the water and not weighed for my own gratification. Neither were they photgraphed so that I could show everyone in the pub. If I've caught the fish I have the memory of the capture and don't need a photograph of the fish to remind me.

Please practice catch and release but please learn how to do it properly and then come on here and preach to others

[Bob Bradford]

Just a couple of points here in what is a decent debate;

 

Firstly, I do not feel anyone is "Preaching" rather, offering an opinion and that is the idea...right? or have I mis-understood the concept of this forum?

 

Secondly, lest one forgets, the thread was headed thus;

 

"I like Perch, I like fishing for Perch and sometimes I even eat the odd Perch. Would someone care to explain to me, what the problem is, without resorting to abuse? I can be pretty colourful myself so let's not start down that path.

A simple 'why' would suffice."

 

I may be in error, but has the original post been altered? I thought it mentioned a 2 lb Perch being taken for the table?

[Guest NickInTheNorth]

Bob I think you will find that it is Sharkbyte that created the 2lb plus idea (and as he doesn't take fish to eat himself I dont know why he would set that limit).

 

I personally take fish between about 12oz and a pound and find them to be the best eating size.

 

I wish that people would get off their moralistic soap boxes. Several references have been made to "predators" and I am proud and pleased to be one ofthe top predators on the planet. Why do people find it morally more acceptable to buy fish from a supermarket with an unknown provenance than a fish caught and dispatched quickly and eaten fresh? It totally mystifies me.

 

The vast majority of my fishing is catch and release and I am a very conservation minded angler, but can see no problem whatsoever in taking a fish when I want from a water than can stand that pressure.

 

Please stop judging everything based on your limited experiences of pressured waters in the south east of england, the UK is a big place and there are lots of fish out there.

Edited April 11, 2006 by NickInTheNorth

[Chris Goddard]

"Well having read that I don't know what BOB wants to say, Myself?? I have never read such a load of carp in all my lfe!!! Errrmmmm just one word (Or perhaps two) Your PROOF??? "

 

I've been in the sport for a number of years, and I know a lot of match anglers. I've seen the damage caused with my own eyes. Fish tipped unceremoniously into WIRE baskets, fish kept in over crowded keepnets, fish TIPPED back from waist high into the water once the scales have been read and the inevitable dead or dying fish that invariably festoon my local rivers following matches. I'm sure there are plenty of considerate matchmen, unfortunately the very nature of the sport demands less consideration is given to the catch. That's my opinion, whether it rankles with you or not!

 

As for my post to Bob being personal, of course it was, how does anyone reply to anothers post without it having a 'personal' element? If you take the trouble to read what I've written properly you'll notice that I said that Bob would get no personal abuse from me. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm talking about.... well... personal abuse funnily enough! Show me where I've offered Bob one single insult, and I'll gladly apologise to him.

 

And again your PROOF!!! this is a "Personal account" NOT proof!! Sorry I do not wish to antagonise you one whit!! But you are not providing ANY PROOF! And you made a statement!!

This is perceived!! and only that!! I once saw a PIKE angler stab a small jack through the head weith a bankstick!! It was "Bothereing him!" Is that PROOF that ALL pike anglers are barbarians??? NO I think not!!

[Peter Waller]

This has been a good, honest debate with most minor irritations swept to one side. Mind you, Andy, how you could take offence at Bobs dig at the Scots was pretty amazing. Most of us East Coast folk have Scots blood, its all down to those lush, predatory Scots fisher girls plundering the stocks of superior English males!

 

The one thing that hasn't surprised me is the double standards of some folk. Its okay to take a fish for bait but not okay to take a fish for food. Both activities are natural, and both damaging to fish stocks. How do you separate one activity from the other when the result is the same?

[Guest rabbit]

This has been a good, honest debate with most minor irritations swept to one side. Mind you, Andy, how you could take offence at Bobs dig at the Scots was pretty amazing. Most of us East Coast folk have Scots blood, its all down to those lush, predatory Scots fisher girls plundering the stocks of superior English males!

 

The one thing that hasn't surprised me is the double standards of some folk. Its okay to take a fish for bait but not okay to take a fish for food. Both activities are natural, and both damaging to fish stocks. How do you separate one activity from the other when the result is the same?

 

Sharkbyte covered this one Peter, small silver fish can be vast in numbers and are the natural food source for larger predators, the larger 'pan size' take-away variety is breeding stock.

 

Not double standards, common sense.

[Peter Waller]

Rabbit, I am a large predator, at the top of the chain. From a point of view of morality it is double standards. One man's bait/food is another man's quarry. Nothing to do with common sense.