Another Large beauty makes it to the dinner table!!!

brian clemens · Senior Member

Another Large beauty makes it to the dinner table!!!

vince · Senior Member

I don't know why - maybe it's the scotch I just drank, maybe it's the image of this guy unabashedly beating this trout over the head with a club, but this crap just makes my blood boil. I have no problem with killing trout for food sometimes - I have taken my fair share of trout from over-crowded stillwaters of B.C.

But you think the message "I don't catch many large fish in Putah often, maybe I should not be killing all of the few I do catch" would pop in to this guy's head. The irony is that the high levels of mercury in this trout's flesh will only re-enforce this man's stupidity.

Vince

Otter · Senior Member

We are working to change the regulations, but it can not happen without a lot of hard work and a lot of support. It is sad to see a wild trout on a rope. We are trying to raise money this weekend. If you can, come on out to Cole's winery. If not hopefully you can purchase a raffle ticket for a very nice carving donated by Black Cloud.

Raffle tickets for the carving are $10 each and will be limited to 300 maximum. If you can't attend on the 13th, we are offering presale of tickets. You can order 2 ways:

1. Send a check to Putah Creek Trout (address below)�for the number of tickets you want to purchase. The numbers�on the tickets purchased will be forwarded by email or by PM on this site. An alert by email �from you of your plan to order will help speed processing.

2. Send an email to PCTSteve@yahoo.com requesting an invoice for the # of tickets desired. The invoice will include instructions for payment by debit card, credit card, or echeck through PayPal.

Last day to preorder online�is June 11; payment by check must be received by the�same date.

Drawing will be held the day of the event; winner will be notified if not present.

This is a beautiful one of a kind carving. Good Luck!�

The fundraiser is at Davis Family Vineyards, 52 Front Street, Healdsburg. Hope to see you there.

Thanks Cole for donating your time and energy to make this happen!!

-- Edited by Otter on Monday 8th of June 2009 08:28:33 PM

Black Cloud · Senior Member

The fish on the stringer should be a wake up call for every one who loves this creek. DFG has started restocking a number of body of waters and Putah creek and Solano lake are not on the list. Until the regs change the big fish will be at risk. Now is the time to get involved. As Chris was saying, Putah Creek Trout is having a fund raiser this weekend, if you can't make it , join the group.

James

Rossflyguy · Senior Member

Yeah seeing that pic and reading the replies of some of those morons about c&r tweaks me a little. is there any way someone like myself can send a donation without having to go to the winery event. i would love to see putah become wild fishery only.

SCM · Senior Member

I don't think its appropriate to come down that hard on this angler. The post indicates he safely released the first fish, but was unable to revive the second fish. It is completely appropriate and within good angling ethics to keep a fish if it is mortally injured. I could not think of anything more wasteful or disrespectful than tossing a crippled fish back in the water.

As an aside...stoking the fly angler versus bait angler fire is counterproductive to PCT's efforts to classify Putah Creek as a zero take fishery. PCT needs bait/spin angler support, just as much as it needs fly anglers to help the legislation through the DFG.

Otter · Senior Member

Not sure what to say except that all I said was it was sad to see a large wild trout on a rope. If you really want to release any fish alive you can. I used to fish Lake Merced around 1999 and caught several planters in the seven pound region on power bait with treble hooks. If hooked deep you can cut the line. In most cases you can use a fish dehooker and release the fish. After trying to eat a few I decided the smaller fish taste better. I did notice the guy wanted to release the fish but couldn't. I applaud that. I grew up as a baitfisher as most of us have. I have nothing against baitfishing or spinfishers. If there were any fish left in the ocean I would have a freezer full of them...

I think all of PCT are not elitists working for our own good, just a bunch of fisherpeople that enjoy the creek

brian clemens · Senior Member

i 2 used to bait fish and keep a few here and there, most of the time planters, but with an occasional under 16"s wild trout. i dont know about u guys but i have never had issues reviving a trout of that stature any time of the yr on putah before. i have fought some pigs out there in the summer time as well as spawning time, and with enough time spent reviving the will swim away.

i remember a time last yr a guy was talking a huge wild steelhead from the pipe on the american river. i told him its illegal and he will go to jail. he said who will catch me, i said i will and pulled my cell phone out and was about to call dfg cal tip. got one officers number on speed dial. anyways this fish had been out of the water and on a stringer for a good 5-10 mins, ya not good for the fish. so he revived it for about a minute and let it go, and he takes off. as i am checking out that area i see a white belly. up u guessed it, it was that wild hen. so when out got it and i crap u not 1 hour facing the pipe with water temps in the high 40s maybe low 50s reviving this fish. and what do u know an hour later she swam off on her own, no where to be found and hopefully she did her thing.

needless to say, if he really wanted to revive that fish he could have done it. if it started bleeding from the gills then i understand, not much u can do there, but come on. bet he tried for 5 mins and said oh well guess ill keep this one cuz he wont swim off on his own. but we all know he was fishing the dam area as well as the creek area (jts fav spot) and all those fish there are hot, i have fought a few in that area for a good 5-10 mins and all have survived.

just my 2 cents.

SK60 · Senior Member

I will add to SCM's comments that dissing fishers that keep fish from PC does not help our efforts to get C/R regulations through the legal and political process-why stir up any additional opposition? Besides taking fish is only one of many problems that needs attention and may be more important; redd fishing and tromping, habitat degradation, silting, flow fluctuations, law breaking, competition from invasive species, trash/garbage: it goes on and on.

When blogging, posting on other sites, if you have to say anything tell your listeners that PC is in trouble from all these problems and we need a lot of help in bringing it back to a healthier condition and more enjoyable and rewarding experience for everyone.

SK60

vince · Senior Member

Maybe I was a little harsh. I just hate to see mature wild 'bows on the table. Sure, he was mortally injured and this may justify keeping him. But the trout wouldn't have inhaled a hook in the first place if the fisher wasn't using bait.

SCM said: I could not think of anything more wasteful or disrespectful than tossing a crippled fish back in the water.

I agree to some point, but Putah is an ecosystem. That dead trout would become some other creature in the Putah ecosystem's food.

Sorry; I didn't mean to burn bridges with the spinfishers.

Vince

jvento · Senior Member

"Maybe I was a little harsh. I just hate to see mature wild 'bows on the table..."
You weren't harsh, just blame the scotch. Of course that'd be the easy way though. We all know that you just wish you were the guy to say that you caught that huge fish
-Jon
P.S. Maybe you should tie up some nightcrawler sized San Juan Worms, they seem to be producing more than those 22 MM ;)

-- Edited by jvento on Tuesday 9th of June 2009 12:37:31 PM

lorax · Member

Was the large abrasive looking rope pulled through the gills before or after the attempted failed release?

JL · Senior Member

I read all the posts on both sites and I have to agree with SK60 and the others who are aiming for moderation here. One of the concerns we had in going to various groups for support in our efforts to classify the creek as C&R only was that it would be perceived as flyfishing elitism. We've worked hard to dispell that notion, and the more militant posts against the non-CR folks will only serve to galvanize efforts against our goals.

If I'm not mistaken Steve and I met the guy holding that fish the day of the opener and he was civil, friendly, and was practicing C&R. He'd caught a few fish that day and did indeed release them. For the record, he was in support of the C&R efforts we were making.

Another goal we have at PCT is to reach out to other groups and organizations and provide education about the fishery and what it's going to take to protect it. Part of doing that is conducting a civil discourse with folks who may oppose us, and respecting their rights to act as they see fit so long as they do so within the governing laws.

Let's be ambassadors, everyone.

Tight Lines

JL

windknots · Senior Member

Hi JL, very level headed post. For me the overall management plan is more the focus than what one guy does with one fish. I was a lot more upset watching fly fisherman stomping on and raking the redds for spawners last winter. Based on studies I've read I'd be happy with c&r during the winter, slot limits during the summer, single hook artificial during all open season, and closed to all fishing during spawning. I can live with people taking home the occasional fish if the fishery can support that activity without hatchery plants.

Interestingly, barbless doesn't have a meaningful impact on reducing fish mortality.

AfricanAngler · Senior Member

At the end of the day it is very sad for most of us to see a "beauty" like that land up on the table. What worries me more was not the fact that he took the fish (which by law he is allowed to), or tried to revive it or not, but the number of guys on that forum that did not know of Putah. They too will be perfectly entitled to take fish. It has certainly re-enforced for me that we really need to focus on getting the the regulations changed to a Zero limit for Putah, fly, bait or otherwise!!!

Anyway that's my 10 cents worth.

Packrat · Senior Member

I wonder why no one has commented on the 24 inch 7 pound statement.....that's stretching it a bit don't you think?