A rant about killing garfish

[FearTheHands]

Just got back from a fantastic week's fishing in an around Weymouth & Portland.

 

Whilst fishing off of Weymouth pier on 3 separate occasions I witnessed anglers killing garfish they had landed purely so they could retrieve their hooks.

 

One youngish lad just broke the fishes neck & slowly pulled it's head off while the fish was flapping around furiously. One other bloke did hit it on the head before cutting it open to get his hook back. When I asked him if he couldn't have cut the hook off he replied "It's easier to get it back like this".

 

Both these fish were given to other people to use as bait but I really was p***ed off at seeing this completely senseless killing. :mad: :confused:

 

I caught plenty of fish - kept what I needed for the pot but put every other one back. I lost a few hooks mainly from Pollack (and my slow striking!) but each time I cut the hook & returned the fish relatively unharmed.

 

Is this common ?

 

[ 22. October 2004, 11:58 PM: Message edited by: FearTheHands ]

[Zigs]

it pees me right off too, garfish often swallow the hook so i cut the hook off & let em go, i will take the occasional one for the smoker.

 

try offering a free size 3 hook in exchange for the fishes life, it may embarass the tossers, or maybe there skin is too thick

[Salar]

If they were being used as bait, is that any more senseless that killing a mackeral for the same reason? Just a thought. I agree it would be selfish to value a hook more than a fish-life if they were chucked away.

[jeepster]

the fact the fish were used as bait means i can't really understand why you're so upset about it.....

[Zigs]

i think it's the total disregard for life f.t.h. is refering to, same as the complete waste of space i & my youngest daughter met on our 1st trip to watchet harbour. she was doing a bit of crabbing (always catch & return, with willow) waste of space shouted " eres a crab for err" & hurled it 10 foot in the air to its death.

 

daughter reduced to tears, i nearly used him for bait :mad: :mad: :mad:

[FearTheHands]

quote:

---

the fact the fish were used as bait means i can't really understand why you're so upset about it.....

---

Had the fish been caught for the purpose of using it as bait then I wouldn't be unhappy, it wasn't. It was caught for "sport". The fact that the fish was killed PURELY so these morons could get back a 10p hook is disgusting.

 

Why not stamp on each fishes head you catch then throw it back purely to make sure you don't catch the same one twice ??

 

Ziggy - fantastic suggestion about offering them a hook. I will most definitely be using that one in the future.

[Zigs]

make sure you back up the sarcasm while you have a priest in your hands, then they really will fear the hands.

 

have come to the opinion that most people are thick.

 

so a bit of education will either open their eyes or give us a bit of entertainment.

 

education can take two forms, subtle, explanitory, carefully guiding. or....

 

a good smack in the nuts for all the w#nkers out there...

 

if the result means fewer fish killed then

 

does the means justify the end ?

[FearTheHands]

I can go one better than a priest - kindly donated to me when they upgraded to night sticks :cool: :

 

 

Will this do instead ?? (The truncheon not the mackerel .... then again Monty Python springs to mind ....)

[dickandjill]

I am relatively new to fishing so please excuse me if this is a silly question.

Will a fish survive if it swallows a hook?

[gonefishing]

it can do...i once caught a bass that has swallowed a black and decker jigsaw blade! It hadnt rusted but the stomach had coated some of it and there was a rub welt on the inside of the rib cage...totally fine apart from that...didnt even discover it till it was gutted.

 

The idea is that if your using a hook that will rust (ie not stainless) then the hook will dissolve in the salt water and stomach acids...depending on its size it could go quickly. If its hooked deep past the barb but above the throat then you can sometimes push the hook and line through and out, then cut the line and release the fish.

 

I'd certainly prefer to leave a fish with a swallowed hook than try and wrench it out if its past the point of no return.

 

Certain types of fish are notorius swallowers though so it helps to try and adopt tactics that avoid the problem.