520lber caught!

[RiskTaker2]

Ahoy Matees:

 

Well that was certainly some interesting comments that I had the pleasure to read on this forum thread. My curiosity we peaked by a post on the Swordfishing Central forum about the posts on Anglersnet forum. I am at least glad to be exposed to a slightly differing point of view. (In some ways it is quite funny, cheaper entertainment than going out to the pub and getting piszed with quite a few pints. But I will try not to insult anybody.)

 

It was certainly a bit of a shock to hear so many critical comments at one time and place about a tourist on vacation from Islip, New York, with the tenacity to land a mondo size swordfish.That young man has gained experiences from that fishing trip that will add-value to the rest of his adult life. Here in South Florida, the attitude is similarly different, mostly different though: we are quite excited to share fishing experiences and to catch and capture swordfish at the recreational level. Yet similar in the fact that there are many anglers that are very critical of commercial longlining (as well as other ambitious commercial methods) of swordfishing so close to the metropolitan areas of South Florida. For the most part, the recreational sector of swordfishing anglers here is quite concerned about maintaining a healthy breeding population.

 

With the knowledge that we have at our disposal, the recreational anglers are very comfortable with the attitude that they are incapable of "screwing up the fishery - swordfish specifically" with the present Rules & Regulation in Place. What can really fowl up this fishery in record time is "commercial" longline swordfishing. So it is not considered a Sin to go out swordfishing with the intent to catch a swordfish and bring it home in the form of "very freshly caught seafood". Some of the best fish in the ocean if you are not offended by a slight fatty white-fish, in the boat. In this form, swordfishing is an absolute sustainable fishery that will never go debunct by recreational pressure as we know it today.

 

So by having a better understanding of how much glass you have in your house before you pick up a stone and pitch it across the pond, will greatly improve the communication and dialogue, especially when it comes to other mutual matters of significance and importance.

 

There is steady yet gentle pressure to make it known that it would be a better choice to release these larger breeding females and instead capture for food the smaller fish in the 40 -100 kg range, but it only applies in a recreational mind-set. Obviously, commercial activities are tuned up for mass. But you can also be a little bit tolerant of someone here on vacation and happening to chance upon a heavy hitter. This action will not decimate the swordfish population but admittedly, we need to encourage release of these larger fish.

 

So you will have to excuse me if I do not bend over to accept many of your points of view, those that are critical of killing swordfish, that is. Believe me, they are good eats. They are not Marlin and they do not have the the same challenges as the rest of the billfish Clan. (For the most part, all other billfish have a much higher degree of urgency for protection due to their slower replication rates and past fishing abuses. )

 

The commercial guys will never do it, but the recreational guys can be convinced, especially if the larger fish are realized to contain higher levels of methylmercury concentrations.

 

Time to go whip up a nice Tilapia sandwich: the other white fish. Good day mates.

 

Hope to check out some of the posts as I have time to visit more posts on this forum. In the meantime, I need to go break up my own, the two siblings from complaining about each other. RT

[Jim Roper]

I wish I had some photographs of the fish my grandfather and his sons used to catch, but have only heard stories about(I never knew him).

26 Bass in one night all about 7-8 lb.

Common Skate that spread over both gunnels of a 14ft lerret(Double bowed beach boat).

ALL CAUGHT ON HAND-LINES!!!

 

11lb Bass my dad caught in the surf with his hands.

12lb Bass my granfather killed with an oar.

200 x c2lb school bass my dad caught with one shot of a mullet net.

etc., etc., etc.,

 

All eaten!

 

[ 15. October 2005, 07:13 AM: Message edited by: Jim Roper ]

[Snatcher]

Very interesting thread ! Had a look at their game fishing forum and basically they think the English are wakners

 

Tell you what though there are two sides to every story and they put up some very valid points. I think Ian Burrett planted the seeds of catch and release into some of their heads though

 

I would still have returned the fish mind

[stan4massey]

Just wakened and the thread is still going. Warrior we`re about 6 hrs ahead of you on the time zone thingy. The thread, after the slanging match, is actually levelling out a bit and I for one can see some positive results being gleaned from it. Five bellies made some very valid points regarding catch and release over here. I tend to stick to bluewater fishing when I can but the simple fact is we hav`nt got it over here or not yet anyway so you have to travel. Waters are much colder than you have in Miami so we simply can`t expect sails or marlin, swords yes and a few heavy shark, porbeagle and a very occasional thresher. As has been mentioned elsewhere on the forum the catch of blue shark has diminished in three or four decades from several thousand fish a year to a couple of handfulls. There is nor never has been a commercial blue shark fishery so anglers wiped them out, that simple. Its a red letter day over here now to get an 8 or 10lb cod. I`ve been fishing probably forty five years or a bit more and in the 1970`s a 10lb cod was not even worthy of note and catches of hundreds of pounds a day were common. Commercials and anglers alike put paid to these fisheries. Anyhow, I digress.

 

Has anyone here in the UK noticed that, (albeit part of the slanging match), that a good number of experienced and knowledgable US anglers have been posting. The positive note I mentioned earlier is that we can get some good info from these guys on how they set up, helped set up or pushed for the regulations that are now bearing fruit to give them world class fisheries. Bleating on about conservation is going to do nothing unless we get all the help we can to promote it over here so why kill one of the geese that could lay the golden egg. Why not find out from the US guys what they did and see if it can be adapted to suit what most of you seem to be aiming for over here, better fishing. And on a final note of probable controversy why do we and the US guys not all get together and have a go at the French . They have the tendency to wipe out the occasional fishery with amazing ease.

[Snatcher]

Pardone moi monseur Stan le topic est tres mal

[stan4massey]

Whit ????

[Snatcher]

Sorry Stan just tried to drag up some grammer school French from 43 years ago,slightly rusty I guess

[Scopex]

BOTTOMFISH:

You catch small fish with 80# power pro and say this is conservation, what is the sport in that!

Sorry Bottomfish,you miss my point.

The use of 80lb power pro for casting heavy jerkbaits is not uncommon in the UK, and it ensures you get both lure and fish safely to the bank.

I personally think the sport is in finding, catching and playing the fish, not simply battling against the risk your line snapping.

Fishing so light that you have to play the fish nearly to death or risk your line snapping doesn't equate to sport in my eyes.

[Scopex]

BoatsMiami.com Yacht Sales:

 

If you had any sense you would have seen my last words to you, as all others here I'm sure read into it right. I wasn't referring to sending you bullets you nitwit, I was going to send you some brains so we could actually have a BATTLE OF WITS! Get it, man it sucks when you have to explain the punchline to the target! Whoa, to be me ... and to think there might have still been a sliver of hope for you...

You really do have no sense of irony do you?

 

I refuse to lower myself to your childish name calling.

 

And in the words of the late, much missed, Ronnie Barker.....naff off!

[stan4massey]

Snatcher,

 

no prob, I got as far as Je suis Stan, thats all I want or need to know about frog eaters. By the way did you get Bob Pearsons question to you re white marling flies?