Condition v Size

[Emma two]

This one would have been my lure caught (possibly any method caught if it was in good condition, as it was it's a very skinny thing. took a surface lure a couple of years ago. It didn't have a pinned closed throat with old tackle, it has a distinctive cut out of the dorsal identifing it as being caught by a friend a few years earlier.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Emma two

[Phone]

All,

 

My two cents - put me squarely in the "condition" corner.

 

Now days - age related I think - I get squeamish for the smallest of blimish. Mishandling even it the critter is intended for the pot bothers me. Tiggers "space ship" tench worry me.

 

Phone

[Vagabond]

Much as I like beating my previous best, I find I am not at all pleased at catching fish (no matter how big) that are diseased, mutilated or showing excessive signs of wear.

 

So much so, that I gave up on a water that was "guaranteed" to provide a roach over 2lb - Got several up to my regulation 1-14 (that distant cackle you think you hear is Gozzer ) but I didn't like the ragged fins and missing scales so I stopped going to that venue. If that means I will never catch a 2 lb roach, then so be it.

 

I suppose the visual impact of my surroundings and of the fish I catch is a large part of the enjoyment I get from fishing.

 

"Happy is the angler that fishes to please him/her self, and not to astonish others"

[Paulg]

Perhaps the question should be....."If you caught a new PB of any species would you still count it if it was tatty, damaged, or just obviously very old?"

 

Some very valid points being made, especially from more than one person saying they have stopped fishing a venue where fish are showing frequent signs of angler related damage.

 

I had a very disappointing conversation with a bailiff at a local commercial fishery in the summer....when I asked if it was true that a lot of the fish in the lake had damaged mouths....the guy just shrugged a bit and said yes there are, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it....errr, he was the bailiff ffs, there was a heck of a lot he could do about it. Needless to say I've not fished there.