Bc Steelheading

[alhuger]

Al,

 

No doubt there are bigger issues that these fish face and we could start a never ending debate to which is a bigger issue than another... But I feel the one that "everyone" can control is how you handle the fish. Not really sure if your trying to lecture me or just trolling for something? If its a lecture then spare me please...If your trolling then PM me. The AMP true is not a conservation-based regulatory plan...however it does have in its scope angling etiquette which is not only "manners" to other fisherman but how you treat the resource being the fish. So again spare me your lecture. And if BC residents want to practise bad handling habits then thats there prerogative but does not make it right....Not sure where you came up with that idea anyhow cause most locals I'v meet on the river rarely even take pictures. I'm out.

 

It was not an attempt a lecture, if it came of as such I am sorry. It was commentary, nothing more. I agree it's something people can control and should. It was also certainly not trolling, I have better *hit to do, honest. As for beaching, it has nothing to do with pictures when I see it, I see people do it who are fishing on their own and using it as a way of getting the fish in. Perhaps they cannot tail it or don't care to. I am not sure which. To be clear, I use a net as I am not great at tailing fish, even big ones.

 

 

[pkk]

Dude, all the fish handling issues in the Skeena system do not hold weight to the gill netting, beach seining and general commercial fishing the system suffers. I do not often hear stories of dead chrome washing up on the beaches the rivers in the system and I suspect we would yes? But I see a great many photos of fish on or slightly above rocks, I am not defending the practice but rather putting it in perspective. Plus the AMP is not about fish being mishandled or conservation at all, it's about locals being pissed off that their water is crowded.

 

 

BTW, it's not like BC residents are not in the habit of beaching their fish on their sides and then after flipping the fly out reviving them in the water. I have seen it plenty and I believe it's common place, right or otherwise.

 

 

al

 

 

yes the poor steelhead have many problems, but that doesnt make it ok to have the fish anywhere near the rocks. yes there are many pics of steel on or beside the rocks but that does not make it ok. I dont know about you but I would feel pretty shitty if I had a steelhead die in my hands (one good headwack on the rocks).

unfortunate but yes i have seen dead steelhead on the beach. cannot say exactly why but definately fishing related.

Not all locals are for the AMP. ( plus really dont think it will happen, just too many factors on such a lrge wish list)

 

two wrongs dont make a right

[alhuger]

two wrongs dont make a right

 

Agreed, I was not trying to present it as such.

[H2O]

Sweet fish Brian, congrats.

 

Next year, next year.

[rusty]

Does that mean you'll actually use a two hander Harry? It's OK...go ahead and put your other hand on there now.

[markd]

hope you guys have done the Skeena Watershed questionaire..otherwise, good luck getting drawn next year for one of the total of 100 licences...

 

http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/ske/qws/feedback/

[Mykiss]

hope you guys have done the Skeena Watershed questionaire..otherwise, good luck getting drawn next year for one of the total of 100 licences...

 

http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/ske/qws/feedback/

 

In case anyone missed it

http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/ske/qws/feedback/

 

Nice work Mark on plugging the response form again.

 

 

[Brownstone]

u out there awating the football game

 

no dude..theres a special salmon season only the elite of the elite know about

 

 

 

 

 

*got the call Wednesday had to come out here to work for a few weeks

[beedhead]

Great fish Brian!!!...Awesome...

 

Cheers...Jeff..

[flyangler]

WhoooHoooo indeed!!!! Magnificent fish, story and photos. I so appreciate your sharing it all with us.

[H2O]

Does that mean you'll actually use a two hander Harry? It's OK...go ahead and put your other hand on there now.

 

 

Let's not get carried away.

[FlashGordon]

awesome,great pics and great story to go with! ...20 minute battle,my heart would be pounding out of my chest

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ricinus]

Way to go Brian, now EVERYBODY will be up there,

 

Beauty fish

 

Regards Mike

[osprey]

What a great story! Thanks for sharing it with us. If I was in your position I would be wondering "what's next?" Are you going to be able to fish the Bow again? I'd like to hear how it feels to come down from what was obviously a peak experience.

[Hawgstoppah]

What a great story! Thanks for sharing it with us. If I was in your position I would be wondering "what's next?" Are you going to be able to fish the Bow again? I'd like to hear how it feels to come down from what was obviously a peak experience.

 

I am going to take up "extreme" quilt making. I'll let you know how it turns out... lol

 

Seriously I had no idea how many of the posts would be about the fish laying on / near rocks. I assure you guys the utmost care was taken with the fish and the pics. At the time of the pic the fish had been led into the quiet water, and was exhausted and resting... not moving at ALL... and they were IN the water ... at least 4-8 inches of it... but I will take the advice given... I'm not going to sit here and say I know everything about steelhead that's for sure.

 

A question though... if a fish is exhausted to death while I continually try to subdue it in a foot of water, won't that play the fish to death instead of landing it as quickly as possible? They just keep swimming away to my experience, unless you can slide them into a softish 6 inches of water shoreline area where they can lie quietly while the hook's removed and a very quick picture is snapped. If the fishes tail has a foot of water to work with (which someone suggested is where you land them / take pictures of 'em), there not coming in... period... from my experience... How do you guys suggest someone properly land a fish while fishing solo? Everyone else I've seen (even BC guides) has done it just the way I did with these fish.

[DutchDryfly]

Brian,

 

In my opinion nothing wrong with your handling of the fish.

Big fish can handle more than people think and beaching them in low water will not kill them.

Playing them till they not move anymore so you can tail them certainly will kill them.

 

Rob

[ben]

A bit more Dutch contribution Brian !

 

Great story, great pictures.

Always like reading your stories.

 

And uhhhh, check your mail please.......

 

Cheers,

Ben

[Whistler]

Brian,

 

In my opinion nothing wrong with your handling of the fish.

Big fish can handle more than people think and beaching them in low water will not kill them.

Playing them till they not move anymore so you can tail them certainly will kill them.

 

Rob

 

 

it is pretty simple the PROPER way to land fish for catch and release is to slide them toward the bank upstream of you in a foot of water.As the fish slides on it's side through the water grab the tail while it is still in the water. I wouldn't recommend going for the tail unless the fish is on it's side. You will notice that once you have the fish on it's side it will stay that way as long as you keep it swinging(moving).Fish flopping on rocks and sand can be avoided this way and you will look like a champ to others in the vicinity. Dragging fish up onto the beach is not only dangerous for the fish but can prove to be a little hazardous for the offending angler depending who isin the immediate vicinity . As for playing fish they should,obviously, belanded as quickly as possible by 'putting the wood to 'em' and using 10lb-15lb maxima.As for pictures I agree that keeping fish out of the water is never good. I always would want to see water dripping of the fish if it is held above the water signifying that the angler kept it in the water until just before the photo was snapped.

 

I post this not to lecture but as directions for those that maybe haven't figured it out yet. As for fish handling I have to say that in my experience BC Steelheaders are as good as anyone with the fish. It does seem that many of our Euro friends lack in this regard, probably based on what is acceptable back home. I know that I have 'learned' more than a few of them.

 

Rob, beaching fish is never acceptable.

 

Brian

[Stonedfly]

I am disgusted at the handling of these fish, but not surprised. Some individuals pounce upon every photo that has a fish on the rocks, but for some reason, simply stating that "the utmost care was taken with the fish and the pics", makes it OK in this case.

 

The report alone would have been a good enough, and I feel there was really no need to post the pics of these fish.

Fishing Solo + Adrenaline + fumbling for the camera = potentially bad situation for the fish, but hey, at least you got your pics.

[drewflyfish]

Hey. I don't want to be another hijacker here, but come on. Giving a guy *hit because he beaches a fish? Where's your compassion for the fella for practicing catch and release. Once upon a time it was so morally wrong for the purists to keep fish, now you resort to defamating one's charactor just because he has a fish out of the water for a few seconds. I bet if he had a third arm he would have snapped a few shots of himself resusitating the beauties prior to watching them swim off. Biologists keep fish out of the water to measure, scale, sex, tag, and weigh fish. Why don't you call up DFO or your local sustainable resource office and start ragging on them next.

 

andrew

[Hawgstoppah]

when the f*ck was it said that I beached these fish? There all landed in the fashion described above.... from whistler fly fishing. They didn't get "dragged up the bank"

 

there all laying in the water in the pics... as I said, bad camera + low light is making them look perhaps like there not, but they are. They didn't touch a speck of dry rock/sand/beach at all. My hand came off the tail for about the 3 seconds it tok to take a few pics of exhausted fish as I unhooked 'em. I bitch about pics on this board that show fish ON grass, ON dry rocks, or ON ice... there's a BIG difference between that and having them laying in the water NEXT to some shoreline / rocks / whatever else was there.

 

And that's the last word. Period.

[birchy]

And BBT likes cake.

[Whistler]

hogstopper

 

read my post again I never said you beached your fish. I think that was the point of me quoting Rob's post. Read it he is the one that said beached.

 

As for tailing fish it is seemed that some here wern't clear on the method so I was trying to explain how. It's not that hard I would be happy to explain it to anyone in detail,give me a shout 1-888-822-3474 if you want info on this or anything else Steelhead related.

 

B

 

 

[Teck71]

Nice lookin fish Hawgstoppah, sounds like you had a blast and a half.

 

And people wonder why the photopost section has slowed down. jez next they'll want to make sure to said sorry to the poor little fishie for stickin that sharp hook into in his itty bitty lip

[Hawgstoppah]

Well someone was assuming I beached them. Anyhow, the point remains is that these fish were tailed and pics were taken in some shallow water. sorry the pics look a lot worse than they are. The fish never touched anything dry at all, nor was it dragged up the bank, etc. The pics took all of a maximum 5 seconds. That's kinda WHY there shitty pics....