Can you eat smoothound?

[Socksy Squirrel]

As for bass in the Channel Islands.

Look at the quantities that were being reported being taken off the coast of Guernsey by the commercial fishermen earlier in the year.

I reckon one or two of those boats took as much in that short season as the whole of the Channel Island's bass fishermen with rod and line from the shore in an entire year.

 

[ 25. June 2005, 02:13 AM: Message edited by: Socksy Squirrel ]

[MJB]

To be honest, if Bass ( or any other species ) are that threatened that we should condemn someone for taking one for the table then we shouldn't even be angling for them.

[Norm B]

Ken Davison South Wales:

Nick,

 

A good remede for situations like the one below:

 

"We were fishing as described and did indeed catch a smoothy, the boat on the next buoy had caught a few (and killed them) but we put ours back. And as we were leaving they offered one of theirs.. so that is the one I placed in the freezer. But I wasn't convinced it was an eater hence the post!"

 

 

The next time you find yourself fishing along side have to hand a twelve bore shot gun loaded with swan shot, at a range of thirty feet empty both barrels into the side of the offending boat on the water line.

 

This eliminates the craft and releases the smoothies.

:cool: Not exactly showing tolerance toward our fellow anglers though. Some people like to eat smoothhounds, huss, dogfish etc, it's all perfectly good food. As I said earlier, we eat cod, bream bass etc, who are we as anglers to say we will not let anyone eat a particular fish because we don't approve. Someone earlier said bass were a good conger bait, as long as they are in size it's legal, a member of BASS may not approve of it but unless you are a member of that particular organisation you don't have to abide by their ideals and rules. In the USA mullet is a prime bait, as it can be here for certain species in certain areas, but I wouldn't show a NMC member a bucket of live 13 inch mullet and tell him they were my tope bait, just a tadge insensitive, but perfectly legal. As anglers we should respect others points of view and ethics and be sympathetic to their ideals, but not ram ours down their throats and tell them they are wrong, just because it doesn't fit in with what we think is right.

[Matrix]

I Gotta say that the new guy needs a break... in his neck.... Nah just kidding

 

I am C&R all the way - I have been fishing since I was 4 (Im 30 now ) - I remeber fishing and catch 30-40 mackrell in an evening session - Most would be kept for eating or Bait for the next trip.

 

We also started boat fishing - We would keep everything that was "Pan Sized" but alot of the fish would end up in the cats bowl - I always thought this was a waste.

 

Now I'm older and can make the choice without my dad going mental at me - I now Catch and release verything I catch (apart from the odd Mackeral or Pollack that is bleeding from the gills or Deep Cuaght)

 

I remember reading about Bass a long time ago and cant remeber the exact timelines but something along the lines of it takes a 8lb Bass 10+ years to get that size - Now I have only ever caught one Bass but I made a promise that no matter what size Bass it was - It was gonna be released! (btw I've only caught 1 smallish Bass which went back - Plymouth waters dont seem to hold as much Bass as in My Dads day - Proably because he kept em all :s)

 

Just my pennies worth