31lb cod caught at Bradwell on Sea

[big_cod]

Yes bullshit isnt it but they fall for it, glossy website bullshit baffles brains ,some lads landed 6am yesterday morning after 36hour looking at there faces you would think there had been a modder.

[Slashley]

That is an exceptional fish Sam for our area.

[chevin]

Tel:

catch and release yeah right

 

Another possible breeding fish dead

 

Sad!!

Don't see anything sad about taking a fish for the table. In fact better to take one big one than half a dozen smaller fish that are just reaching maturity. Some people like to fish for the table, where is the difference between killing your own fish or buying one that someone else has caught and killed?

[Norm B]

chevin:

chevin:

catch and release yeah right

 

Another possible breeding fish dead

 

Sad!!

Don't see anything sad about taking a fish for the table. In fact better to take one big one than half a dozen smaller fish that are just reaching maturity. Some people like to fish for the table, where is the difference between killing your own fish or buying one that someone else has caught and killed?

:cool: My feelings precisely. Why are anglers criticised for taking a couple of fish for the table, we are entitled to take them and as you say, better to take a fish that has spawned a few times than a couple that have not yet spawned, may be a bit of the green eyed monster here.

 

[ 29. May 2005, 08:47 AM: Message edited by: Norm B ]

[Jaffa]

chevin:

chevin:

catch and release yeah right

 

Another possible breeding fish dead

 

Sad!!

Don't see anything sad about taking a fish for the table. In fact better to take one big one than half a dozen smaller fish that are just reaching maturity. Some people like to fish for the table, where is the difference between killing your own fish or buying one that someone else has caught and killed?

Im not so sure about that any more Chevin. Some of the stuff Leon has posted, about genetics and the relative fertility of the bigger fish compared to the small, has challenged a lot of my preconceptions. Im beginning to think we may well be better off taking smaller fish for the table and returning the big ones.

 

Thats no attack on the angler involved. A fantastic fish to catch in this day and age, good on him. Wish it had been me!

 

[ 29. May 2005, 08:57 AM: Message edited by: Jaffa ]

[Tel]

 

KIR LOL

 

[ 29. May 2005, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: Tel ]

[Guest jay_con]

Id be happier putting a few six pounders back rather than a donkey.

[Newt]

Jaffa:

Some of the stuff Leon has posted, about genetics and the relative fertility of the bigger fish compared to the small, has challenged a lot of my preconceptions.

The channel catfish in the US has been pretty well studied since they are the primary species of farm-raised fish in the United States.

 

The usual estimates for them are

- 3-4000 eggs produced per pound of the female's body weight up to a maximum of around 50,000 eggs

- larger eggs from the larger fish with consequent higher survival rate so that a larger precentage of eggs will hatch. I've read studies that indicate around 3 times more eggs from a 10lb fish will hatch than from a 2lb fish.

 

So if you catch and keep five 2lb females you have potentially stopped production of 8000 eggs. Catch and keep one 10lb female and you have potentially stopped production of 40,000 eggs. No difference there.

 

However, keeping the one large female prevented about triple the number of fry being hatched.

 

There is the additional consideration that you KNOW the eggs from the larger fish can potentially produce other larger fish. With the smaller fish, you only HOPE this is the case.

 

 

-

 

[ 29. May 2005, 05:20 PM: Message edited by: Newt ]

[sam-cox]

the fish was caught from John Rawles boat the king fisher however John was in the US at the time and my next door nabour Dylan Smith was running the boat, although Dylan is a good skipper, Dylan and i dont get on at all. we used to work together on a local commercial fishing boat, i wasd only young and he used to pick on me. he now has his own small 26 commercial boat and only charters as a relief skipper. so getting a photoes is right out. Al;though i realy hate the man he is a very good skipper and when he isnt gill netting for bass, thornies , and soles he does find John Rawles parties the fish( respect where respect is due)

i dont think the fish would have been returned but it wouldnt really make conservationall sence to return a 32lb cod, far better to returne a fish of say 5lb with many more spawnings in front of her.

[big_cod]

You are not even a grain of sand in a desert what you catch boys.