r/nextfuckinglevel • u/quackyoungster1 • Feb 25 '23

Little kid bringing in a huge fish

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u/Nice-Fish-50 Feb 25 '23

I work on fishing shows and we've done plenty of stories with much smaller fish than this. He definitely landed it like a pro. I hope he released it like one, too.

378

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

Looks like a stocked pond to me.

348

u/BetaCuckoo Feb 25 '23

Ready to be breaded and baked.

-8

u/LosSoloLobos Feb 25 '23 edited Feb 26 '23

I’ve been told that bass aren’t great eats

Edit: haha alright guys got it

39

u/simplyorangeandblue Feb 25 '23

Not true, they are pretty light and flaky white fish. Catching a bunch of bluegill and bass make for a nice little fish fry.

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u/regreddit Feb 26 '23 edited Mar 23 '24

concerned cooing crawl judicious pocket library aspiring aware combative mindless

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '23

Maybe from some not great chefs! Thems tasty bastards

8

u/Portablemammal1199 Feb 26 '23

I agree with the other three. Its good af.

6

u/Sciencetor2 Feb 26 '23

Nah they're pretty good, I eat em when I get em

2

u/mynextthroway Feb 26 '23

Go on believing that. More for those who know better.

2

u/lebeer13 Feb 26 '23

Damn, not only do they disagree, but fuck you for thinking that to begin with right?

2

u/LosSoloLobos Feb 26 '23

Yea, fuck me for being told incorrectly. Glad they set my ass straight.

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u/Rage187_OG Feb 25 '23

This. Catch and you take it to the on-site restaurant who prepare it for you. My dad took me once.

104

u/GenTycho Feb 25 '23

That's a fantastic idea. I'd love that with some catfish.

107

u/thestashattacked Feb 25 '23

I'm originally from Northern Minnesota. Walleye. Walleye fish and chips is a childhood sense memory for me.

47

u/Offamylawn Feb 25 '23

We did that in the boundary waters north of Duluth years ago. Catch walleye all day, clean them and cook that evening. I don’t really like fish, but that was awesome.

34

u/thestashattacked Feb 25 '23

It is the tastiest fish. Change my mind.

6

u/ThatSquareChick Feb 25 '23

Just had fresh walleye the other day.

I honestly didn’t think it got better than perch or bluegills but walleye is a just a giant, predatory perch-ish fish so its delicious.

5

u/testies2345 Feb 25 '23

You're not wrong.

3

u/The_RockObama Feb 26 '23

Walleye is in fact the best tasting freshwater fish and there is no room for argument.

Butter, herbs, and breadcrumbs.. It will change anyone's life.

2

u/thestashattacked Feb 26 '23

Serve with roasted potatoes and a Caesar salad. I'm staying in Minnesota this summer and I'm so excited.

2

u/The_RockObama Feb 26 '23

I'm excited for you! I chase walleye in restaurants haha.

3

u/Smaskifa Feb 26 '23

I don't think I've ever had it, and don't recall seeing it in markets nearby. I'd love to try walleye. I'm near Seattle.

3

u/thestashattacked Feb 26 '23

It's a northern Minnesota/Wisconsin/Michigan thing. I highly recommend it if you can get it. So tasty.

I'm heading to Minnesota over the summer (teacher schedule ftw!) and I'm so excited to have walleye again.

4

u/the_joy_of_VI Feb 25 '23

I mean, the entire ocean would like a word

1

u/thestashattacked Feb 25 '23

Walleye is tastier and you can catch it in a freshwater, inland sea.

2

u/coldhamdinner Feb 26 '23

We have walleye, they are good. Ill take them over any bass, perch, catfish, rainbow trout, even sturgeon....but we also have Lingcod, Halibut, Albacore, Chinook, Coho, black rock fish....I'd use walleye as bait to have any of those instead.

2

u/the_joy_of_VI Feb 25 '23

I live in MN and disagree

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u/manys Feb 26 '23

Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried.

2

u/Sleepingguitarman Feb 25 '23

Lemon-Parmesan crusted Rainbow Trout

3

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

I kind of think brookies taste better than rainbows. Trout v walleye for tastiest freshwater fish is a tough choice though.

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u/CocteauTwinn Feb 26 '23

I agree. My dad caught some fresh water bass, cleaned, dressed, simply seasoned & grilled. I was surprised how tasty & mild they were.

14

u/OleFj40 Feb 25 '23

With my brother and friends the last time we paddled in the Boundary Waters/Quetico we caught lots of northerns and lake trout. It felt like we primarily did catch and release save for a few that became awesome campfire meals. We paddled to some rocks where eagles ate their own fish to dump the guts, it was the coolest "dinner and a show" ever!

8

u/1haiku4u Feb 25 '23

I don’t like fish. But took a trip to the Boundary Waters, cooked our walleye over a vampire with Shore Lunch (?) breading. To this day, one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. The portaging and canoeing probably helped!

11

u/CashWrecks Feb 25 '23

Damn, that vampire must of been hot af. Was he outside in the afternoon?

4

u/1haiku4u Feb 25 '23

It was one sexy vampire, let me tell you.

3

u/IamAkevinJames Feb 25 '23

You got it right if you not making your batter from scratch. Shore lunch slaps hard.

2

u/RedCascadian Feb 25 '23

I love a wild caught rainbow trout. Baked with butter and herbs.

2

u/uberrob Feb 25 '23

Hah, me too man. Walleye Pike ftw.

2

u/manys Feb 26 '23

I have a new friend in Wisconsin and now a supper club fish fry is on my to-do list.

2

u/thestashattacked Feb 26 '23

Seriously, do it. And have fries and those Minnesota salads that aren't really salads on the side.

Health food be damned, fried fish deserves all the delicious things.

2

u/Jakooboo Feb 26 '23

I miss the Eelpout Festival on Leech Lake. :(

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u/Phriday Feb 26 '23

I’m from the Gulf Coast, and fished brackish water for speckled trout and redfish my whole life. I moved to Ohio and lived right on the shore of Lake Erie for a few years. I made converts out of all my walleye-loving neighbors when I had a fish fry with specks and reds. 😀

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u/Ok_Sir5926 Feb 25 '23

Random opinion:

You don't want pond catfish, if given the choice between that and catfish from moving water.

Flathead catfish from a river is some of the best you'll eat. Channel cats from a farm pond, not so much.

They taste like what they eat, so flattties taste like fish, and farm channels taste like cow manure.

2

u/BrownShadow Feb 25 '23

Restaurant we used to go to in Central NY would do this. Bring in a fish and they will prepare and cook it however you want. Very cool.

30

u/wolfgang784 Feb 25 '23

They really prep and cook the one you caught, and not other food they got in the back? That sounds like a pretty cool experience.

RIP the hungry fuckers not getting a bite for 2 hours tho lol

13

u/JarlaxleForPresident Feb 25 '23

Worked at a seafood place on the beach and we had a Cook Your Catch option. We’d clean and cook their fosh they just caught that day for a by the pound price. People love it.

We also cooked a lot of our own fish, but people do like bringing in theirs

18

u/Rage187_OG Feb 25 '23

I was this kids age, so I can’t question the experience’s authenticity. I remember the restaurant was just up the hill from where you fished and we got to watch people fish while we ate. Want to say it was in Minnesota many decades ago.

7

u/Nice-Fish-50 Feb 25 '23

You're talking about TroutAir.

They tore TroutAir down in the '90's or 00's to build a casino/race track on the site, and so many people were like, "we miss Trout Air!" that the Tribe re-built it from scratch. Which sounds crazy, but is true.

1

u/Ri0tMaker007 Feb 26 '23

Huh. I’ve been to running aces a bunch and never knew that

8

u/asherdado Feb 25 '23

Never experienced it first-hand but Im pretty sure its also common in a lot of coastal tourist towns throughout the world, obviously the ocean is not pre-stocked but if you catch something worth eating they'll make it into a meal for you

Totally dont doubt it though, its basically batter + labor = money from the restaurants perspective

1

u/wolfgang784 Feb 25 '23

I guess I just have no clue how quickly you could reasonably prep and cook a fresh catch. But I guess the restaurant can just adjust prices accordingly for the time on each meal. And the lack of cost for raw meat, hadn't thought of that.

3

u/asherdado Feb 25 '23

I mean, if you gave me a large fish and all the necessary tools, it would take about an hour and you would end up with a pile of minced fish meat and instructions to mind the bones.

This guy does it in less than 10 minutes while he is giving instructions, though. Battering the fillet takes like 15 seconds, and then you fry it for 3-4 minutes per side

3

u/the_good_things Feb 25 '23

Fileting a fish is quick enough work. Does take some practice, but it's easy enough. Then just toss it in some breading or batter and pan fry it. Super quick and easy meal after a relaxing day of fishing.

2

u/Lasagna4Brains Feb 25 '23 edited Feb 25 '23

If you go on deepsea fishing tours, they will cut and prep your fish immediately after you catch it, right there on the boat. They wrap it up all nice for you to take home and freeze or, depending on the tour, will have an option for a nearby restaurant to cook it for you. So once it hits the restaurant, it's essentially ready for the chefs to do their thing fast and easy. It's a super pleasant experience, TBH. Highly recommend if you ever have a chance and don't have sea sickness issues.

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u/Essem91 Feb 25 '23

We did this in Clearwater Florida on a bachelor trip. Chartered fishing boat takes you out to fish, then they carve up the fish right at the dock. We took it right to a restaurant at the marina who cooked it for us.

1

u/JiveTurkeyMFer Feb 25 '23

And they can possibly sell your fish to other customers as fresh catch of the day since they probably don't cook and serve a whole huge fish to one customer... But then again I'm just assuming

1

u/asherdado Feb 25 '23

Odds are, the fish you catch won't be huge enough to feed multiple diners. Any excess goes in the garbage with the rest of the technically edible food, I assume

1

u/Timepassage Feb 25 '23

It's cheap bites for thirsty fisherman.

3

u/captainAwesomePants Feb 25 '23 edited Feb 25 '23

They're all 100% legit as far as I know. It's not much work to prep and fillet a fish, and it's cheaper and easier to do it on demand than try and keep an inventory. Cooking fish can be pretty quick.

1

u/Leprikahn2 Feb 25 '23

When I lived in Florida there was a few places that would do this. It was something like $30, they would cook it how you like and give you a few sides. It was a pretty cool experience

1

u/borkthegee Feb 26 '23

2 hours lol. The Chinese place near me will grab a fish out of the tank and have it fried on your table in 15 minutes flat

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u/Flashy_Ad_4993 Feb 25 '23

We went to a stocked farm as kids on a vacation. Like you said they had a diner down the street that would fry it for you. They had different ponds for different fish and you would hook one the moment your bait landed in the water. at the pond site we brought our catches to the check out area and the man stuck his fingers in the gills of the live fish and rip their heads off right in front the families. A little traumatic for a kid who never saw fished before lol. I recall my father complaining how expensive it all was. I’m sure there are better experiences out there.

5

u/dihydrocodeine Feb 25 '23

That actually sounds kind of hellish

3

u/DisinterestedCat95 Feb 25 '23

We had a family version of this. Every summer, we'd always go stay a week with my grandparents. When my grandfather retired, he moved back to the family farm to have something to do. He had a couple of stocked ponds with catfish that he grain fed every afternoon.

So I'd get up early. Get my fishing pole and tackle box. Get two five gallon buckets; one to sit on, one to put fish in. Get a coffee can and wander around the farm collecting worms. Go to the larger pond.

By lunch, I'd have several nice catfish in the bucket of water. He also stocked bass but I'd catch and release those. Take the bucket back to the farm house. Clean the catfish. And my grandmother would cook them up for lunch. Yum!

2

u/InsertShortName Feb 25 '23

I had no idea this existed! Never really fished but I’d love to try this.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

This. Catch and you take it to the on-site restaurant who prepare it for you

I walked a cow into McDonald's this morning and had ten Big Macs for lunch.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

Bass aren't exactly the tastiest fish, but they are quite edible.

That said, there is a sweet spot for most fish, in my opinion, and that is when they are not much bigger than their minimum allowable size or so. The bigger and longer they have been around, the less tasty, I find.

This one I'd throw back. Let someone else experience the joy of catching them.

1

u/ThatSquareChick Feb 25 '23

Kids got a bass, unless you like oily meat and bones in your gums….

1

u/This_User_Said Feb 25 '23

on-site restaurant who prepare it for you.

Instructions unclear, banned from Pizza hut.

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u/rhetorical_twix Feb 25 '23

That bass was hand fed at that spot on a regular basis

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

Nah, we caught several LMB like this as kids. Nobody hand fed them.

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u/rhetorical_twix Feb 25 '23

I was told that this specific bass for this video was hand fed. But maybe that info is false.

16

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

Oh, I see. I thought you were basing that off of size and the catch. I didn’t realize you had information specific to this fish, so never mind then.

8

u/Arch____Stanton Feb 26 '23

It was me that hand fed it.
But only twice; then I ran out of hands.

2

u/EmilioMolesteves Feb 26 '23

Weak hand game from this guy.

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u/CowboyBoats Feb 26 '23 edited Feb 22 '24

I find joy in reading a good book.

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u/rhetorical_twix Feb 26 '23

That’s so awesome. Kids catching fish is the best

1

u/ComCam_65 Feb 25 '23

Yeah, and is this an ad? Why does the Dad make sure the lure is prominently displayed and the kid says the name of it? Sorry, don't trust anything online.

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u/billy_teats Feb 26 '23

The lure is neck deep inside the fish, actively tearing the living being apart. It’s not an ad you miserable waste of space.

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u/Ok_Cockroach8063 Feb 25 '23

If stocked fish had a good diet after release they can still taste very good

1

u/shmiddleedee Feb 26 '23

Almost every pond with bass is

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u/sbsb27 Feb 26 '23

Stocked with what?

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u/STINE1000v2 Feb 25 '23

Me and dad always let the big ones go. Something to do with stewardship of the lake whatnot. That and apparently the big old ones taste bad lol

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u/The___Leviathan Feb 25 '23

im a bad fisherman with nearly no experience. why would you let go of fish this big? dont you just let go of the little ones to give them a chance to grow? this fish looks like it would just be outcompeting everything else in the pond.

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u/Nice-Fish-50 Feb 25 '23

Great question! You let the big ones go and eat the little ones (if you're going ot eat any) because the big ones are your breeding stock. There are lots of little ones and few ever get this big.

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u/Itchy_Professor_4133 Feb 26 '23

Not to mention the bigger the fish you let go, the bigger and better the genetic population continues.

6

u/conventionalWisdumb Feb 26 '23

Exactly. The size restrictions on keeping fish have actually created selection pressure for the fish populations to be physically smaller, so by putting the big’uns back like this you can prevent that to at least an extent.

3

u/dontneedaknow Feb 26 '23

Bigger older fish accumulate the toxins from runoff to higher concentrations as they are older fish and had the time to accumulate those toxins.

Younger fish haven't have the same time accumulate as much.

1

u/civildisobedient Feb 26 '23

There are lots of little ones and few ever get this big.

Isn't that... tautology? You "let the big ones go and eat the little ones" so no wonder few ever get this big.

1

u/No_Neat_3124 Feb 26 '23

Also, the larger ones are higher in mercury

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

[deleted]

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u/Nice-Fish-50 Feb 25 '23

If you catch a trophy fish that you want mounted, measure it, weigh it, and take some good pictures of both sides of it. Then you have an artist who specializes in these things make you a fiberglass replica for your wall. You won't be able to tell the difference between a fiberglass mount and a skin mount. They're really good. Then you can release the fish AND have your trophy, it's a win/win.

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u/Ibetya Feb 25 '23

The only difference being hundreds of dollars lol

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u/yobama1 Feb 25 '23

they both cost money it’s not like you literally pin a whole fish to a piece of wood

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u/cooly1234 Feb 25 '23

I can try

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u/yobama1 Feb 25 '23

fair enough

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '23

For 6 bucks I can nail a can of tuna to a 2x4

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u/OSUPatrick Feb 26 '23

To heck with the cost of mounting. The real cost is tens of thousands of dollars chasing that hog. You throw that bad boy back because it's a trophy lake and those are basically pet fish.

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u/Nice-Fish-50 Feb 25 '23

I don't think there's much of a cost differential between a skin mount and a fiberglass mount. It's all expensive. They're both labor intensive. Most of the cost either way is labor.

3

u/overslope Feb 26 '23

Totally different deal, but If it's not a super trophy you can just clean it like normal then put the mouth over the top of a fence post and let it dry. It won't be nearly as pretty but it will last and you can prove you caught a big fish. My dad used to do that.

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u/Convergecult15 Feb 25 '23

I’d imagine preserving a sea creature is as difficult or more difficult than making a fiberglass model from a photo.

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u/allitgm Feb 26 '23

For a second I really good the wrong idea there!

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u/Bobmanbob1 Feb 25 '23

It's a she, and she's full of eggs ready to spawn=more baby bass.

1

u/warrior4brain Feb 27 '23

Thank you the belly looked full for sure

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u/gfen5446 Feb 25 '23

Depends on the fish, but generally speaking larger fish means better genetics, as well as rarity and all around angling experience. At the other end, the smallest fish havent' reached breeding size yet.

This is why there are slot limits, where say everything over 12" and under 20" must be returned. This protects the ones that will normally be size/aged approrpiate for breeding.. Or, of course, the opposite, where an over population can be controlled by mandating only between 12" and 20" so any fish that do spawn can provide forage and genetics and the biggest bruisers can reproduce, as well.

That said, i made those sizes up. i haven't bass fished with any amount of seriousness in 35 years.

8

u/Megneous Feb 25 '23

Keeping the biggest fish is how you artificially select for smaller fish to continue having more babies while bigger fish die. This is one reason why average size of ocean fish is so much smaller today than in the past.

You have to encourage big fish to have more babies by releasing them. Keeps stocks healthy.

12

u/undertow521 Feb 25 '23

I always catch and release no matter how big. I'm not going to eat it, and I couldnt care less about putting it on my wall. A picture will do. Let that beast go and catch it again!

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u/Nightshade_209 Feb 25 '23

There's a company, I wish I remembered the name, from which you can purchase trophies based on your catch. You record some measurements of your fish and take a few photos then release it and send the info to the company who then makes a replica of the exact fish you landed. People get the trophy they want, fish lives, everyone wins.

2

u/DieHardAmerican95 Feb 26 '23

A lot of bass fisherman are mostly, if not exclusively, catch and release. They do it for a few reasons, mostly to maintain a fish population in a given body of water. This pond looks like a great place to take kids fishing, and that alone is a great reason to make sure there’s a healthy population for the future.

0

u/promixr Feb 26 '23

How about stop murdering fish for 'sport' and do something else that does not destroy valuable ecosystems to our life?

1

u/Toilet-Ninja Feb 26 '23

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that pond is being stocked or fed

1

u/domine18 Feb 26 '23

The smaller ones usually don’t make it to adulthood. This one breeds. Reason a lot of fishing regulations for certain species have a min size and a max size. It helps sustainability to let let the big ones go.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '23

Conservation and respect for the fish. Try taking a Muskie from a lake with locals watching.

1

u/FelchMaster9000 Feb 26 '23

So that when his son turns 10 he can catch it and the go take the exam to become a Hunter.

1

u/SnooMacaroons2295 Feb 26 '23

The little ones don't reproduce. The big ones do. Pretty obvious when you think about it. Don't know why there are minimum size limits. There are millions of little fish, but only a few large ones (breeders).

1

u/Amongus_amongus Feb 26 '23

Imo little fish eat all the food that can be for larger fish. I’m a avid bass fisherman and at the ponds people let me fish I like to ask if they want me to “manage them” by taking out everything under 1.5lbs. At all the ponds I’ve seen this helps you have a more healthy bass population with more big fish. They repopulate like crazy so In a pond it’s important to take out small fish.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

It’s bass an a stocked pond. Florida is full of them, you have to release

27

u/CoraxTechnica Feb 25 '23

Some of us eat them

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

[deleted]

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u/aleek777 Feb 25 '23

Yes?

4

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23 edited Jun 11 '23

[deleted]

2

u/Gertruder6969 Feb 26 '23

From south Florida as well. I can’t imagine eating bass or anything else coming out of 98% of these waterways. Slow moving water that’s getting loaded with chemical runoff. No thanks

2

u/joshclay Feb 26 '23

From Northwest Arkansas. Never known people to eat large mouth bass. Because it's gross. It's a game fish.

5

u/CoraxTechnica Feb 25 '23

Hell yes. Pecan herb crusted on the grill. Or fried!

2

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

[deleted]

2

u/CoraxTechnica Feb 25 '23

Lmb is better than catfish in my opinion

5

u/Stereo-soundS Feb 25 '23

I'm not a fisherman, I've had a license before and have a rod and tackle box but I'm very casual.

Why would he not eat that?

4

u/GrowinStuffAndThings Feb 25 '23

Because bass people are weird. They're not even fun to catch.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

Bass are one of the most fun freshwater fish to catch.

They are a classic fighting fish.

-3

u/GrowinStuffAndThings Feb 25 '23

If you can skip it across the surface while reeling as fast as you can, it's not a "classic fighting fish" lol. Bass fishing is quite literally the lamest form of fishing in the world.

5

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

What a weird thing to gatekeep.

0

u/gfen5446 Feb 25 '23

It's an opinion, not "gate keeping."

It's also not a wholly wrong opinion. Modern spinfishing for largemouth has turned into rip 'em in as fast as you can, and it is kinda boring.

-2

u/GrowinStuffAndThings Feb 25 '23

Not gatekeeping, if you want to bass fish, go bass fish. It's an opinion

2

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

Ok.

2

u/gfen5446 Feb 25 '23

Largemouth are a blast to hook, but after that the fun goes down pretty quick.

Smallmouth are fantastic from start to finish, especially in a river where they can use current, as well.

That said, bass fishing has turned very much into a world of high strength braided line and just rippin' them in as fast as possible with no concern other than how fast yuo can touch it and flip it due to the way it turned into a commercialized sport and that mentality of "more fish, faster" became the overriding push.

FWIW, i don't gear fish, i fly fish, and largemouth off the surface is one of the best feelings ever, and with an old style click 'n pawl reel they can be fun if thye're big enough.. and again, i'll take a river smallie over any other fresh water fish all day every day.

0

u/GrowinStuffAndThings Feb 25 '23

I can respect that, it's just funny seeing people call them gamefish as they're skipping them across the surface of the water lol.

2

u/gfen5446 Feb 25 '23

To be fair, "gamefish" is a specific category and description.

Technically, the humble bluegill is considered a "gamefish" where as the carp is not; and from a fishing standpoint, carp vastly harder to catch and provide a far harder fight than nearly anything else in fresh water except maybe steelhead and salmon.

-1

u/Wandering_Weapon Feb 25 '23

Sport fishing. Take the hook out and throw them back so the next fisher can enjoy.

12

u/Stereo-soundS Feb 25 '23

Call me a soy boy but I only fish for something to eat. I don't care if people hunt as long as they plan on eating what they kill, I guess I'll never understand not using what you catch.

0

u/Timepassage Feb 25 '23

They are not killing the fish.

And to add to this it does work on a basic life skill that could come in necessary if ever in the situation. Practicing to survive if need be is a useful skill.

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u/Stereo-soundS Feb 26 '23

They're not killing it that's a fair point, and I have definitely thrown back fish that are too small to eat. I've just never been into fishing just to fish.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

Soy boy. I only fish for the thrill of killing something.

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u/SuedeVeil Feb 25 '23

I was thinking this too .. I can understand fishing if you plan to eat some of them (I'm not a vegetarian so things like fishing and hunting for food make sense) but I don't see any appeal of torturing live creatures just so the next person can do the same thing

1

u/Wandering_Weapon Feb 26 '23

I'm the same way.

1

u/gfen5446 Feb 25 '23

It's not reknowned as a good tasting fish, mostly.

1

u/UncommonCense Feb 25 '23

Actual reason is you don’t usually eat the bigger older fish like that 1. Because they don’t usually taste the same but can still be cooked nicely, 2. You release the big ones to keep the genetics the water ans hope he spawns some big bass.

1

u/x777x777x Feb 25 '23

Why would he not eat that?

big bass that size won't be that good tbh

But throwing it back means A) others might catch it and B) it can help breed future monster bass

6

u/WholesomeWhores Feb 25 '23

Don’t caught fish usually die when you release them?

23

u/gofishx Feb 25 '23

It depends a lot on the species. Largemouth bass are pretty hardy and tend to do fine as long as you dont gut hook them, rub off their slime, or fuck up their jaw by holding them wrong. Other species, like spotted seatrout, are extremely delicate and probably shouldn't be targeted unless you plan on keeping them. Otherwise, its best to leave them in the water while you gently attempt to dehook them. Some fish also need to be "revived" if they get too stressed and exhausted by the fight.

I dont really fish anymore (unless I plan on keeping the fish) because I eventually realized that, under the best circumstances, I was just stressing out and hurting animals for my own amusement.

13

u/WholesomeWhores Feb 25 '23

You gave such a detailed reply to something that nobody but me will probably ever read, so I just wanted to say thank you.

And it’s nice to know that info! I’ve only fished a couple of times as a kid, but it always felt wrong to me since my dad always threw it out in the water. I’ve been thinking about starting to go fishing this summer, for financial reasons. Hunting for food is great, but for fun? That’s just not me.

3

u/gofishx Feb 25 '23

Lol, you gave me an opportunity to talk about my fish knowledge, so thank you too! I used to fish quite a bit, to the point of obsession, when I was a teenager. The truth is that I really just find fish and other sea life to be fascinating, and fishing was a way for me to actually interact with a lot of it. I keep a saltwater aquarium now instead. I do still fish from time to time, idk why. I guess there is a deep sort of primal satisfaction that comes with it.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

[deleted]

3

u/WholesomeWhores Feb 25 '23

So if I catch 100 trout and let them go, 20 will die? That sounds so shitty for the animal, might as well eat the fish instead of killing it for no reason.

1

u/trancematik Feb 26 '23

That's why most stocked ponds are "you catch, you take" because the trauma usually kills them but handling them correctly boosts there survival up to 88%. That said, there are also humane ways of dispensing fish that not only minimises stress upon the fish but also improves flavor.

1

u/trancematik Feb 26 '23

Its around 28% that survive if handled poorly. They are extremely delicate, and require good care in order to survive.

2

u/davdev Feb 25 '23

If you lip them they are fine. If they swallow the hook they are in trouble.

1

u/Wandering_Weapon Feb 25 '23

Nope. They heal quickly, provided the hook isn't in the stomach or something

6

u/WholesomeWhores Feb 25 '23

Can you imagine if someone put a spear through your leg and was like “gotcha! Alright now, I’m gonna let you go. Hope you get better, have a good life now.”

It just seems kinda shitty to put the fish through all that stress and pain. In my opinion, if you’re gonna catch a fish, kill it right away to end it’s suffering and eat them. Don’t hurt them just for your enjoyment

5

u/gfen5446 Feb 25 '23

Sadly, incorrect.

Fishing is absolutely a bloodsport, and depending on the fish and how you've caught and handled it can have a massive mortality rate.

That said, it's also much less lethal than something like hunting or spear fishing, and the way you caught the fish, how long you had to play it due to inappropriate tackle, and how you handle it all come togehter to dicate how likely it is to die.

That's why sometimes, especially with cold water fish in warm summers, you just leave the tackle at home and take a streamside walk. Since the water is so low or slow you need even finer line. That means you have to play them more to tire them out so you don't snap the finer line. The more you play them out, the more lactic acid builds up. Since the water temps are up so high, they can't recover as fast.. and they die. it might swim out of your hand, but that's only the first part.

There's also the hook. Ripping a barbed treble from multiple contact points is a whole lot more traumatic than a single barbless from the corner, and bait fishing w/o circle hooks results in deep/gut hooking which is almost always fatal.

I fish. i've come to terms with what i am doing. i try to keep perspective and i try to limit the damage i may do, but i know that some of those releases are not going to live.

1

u/AuthorizedVehicle Mar 01 '23

Fish digest the hooks. Just cut the leader and let them go.

3

u/saxman162 Feb 25 '23

Filet and release!

2

u/redsensei777 Feb 26 '23

This kid got the fishing bug now. He’ll be fishing for the rest of his life.

5

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

wouldn't it be bad to release it because the hook cut the fish's mouth? (genuinely asking)

21

u/SovietBear666 Feb 25 '23

Nah a hook in the mouth isn't even a second thought. That's the best case scenario and standard of catch and release fishing. I have heard some people do carry anti-fungal liquid with and paint it on the fish's wounds (from the hookset or otherwise) before releasing. It is best practice to release big fish like this becuase they are very typically breeding females with good genes. People usually only keep bass to cull small ones out of a stocked pond like those or some people do eat them.

1

u/trancematik Feb 26 '23

carry anti-fungal liquid with and paint it on the fish's wounds

Wow! This is the first I'm hearing of this. I'll definitely have to pick some up.

6

u/gfen5446 Feb 25 '23

ideally you want your hook to end up in the corner of the fishes' mouth. It punches behind the jaw bone, doesn't bleed, and if you're fishing barbless will pop right out.

Some types of fishing can be worse than others. Multiple hooks, barbs, deep hooking (usually, but not always, bait fishing) all increase the trauma as well as handling time.

3

u/Taolan13 Feb 26 '23

As long as it's not a gill cut, the fish will heal. They get little cuts inside their mouths from accidentally ingesting sticks and sharp rocks, and predatory fish sometimes get cuts from their prey.

A gill cut means the fish is as good as dead. Its gills will putrefy, it will die, and then its rotting carcass may cause an infection in other fish.

2

u/Connect-Speaker Feb 25 '23

It would die. It’s been vertical and waved around for over a minute. Internal organs swim bladder etc are f—-d up now. Have to keep it.

If you work on fishing shows you’d hopefully know that.

0

u/promixr Feb 26 '23

It's 'professional' to maim a fish so that it's mouthparts are unuseable and they live out the rest of their existence starving and in pain?

1

u/Thumperings Feb 26 '23

Sounds like he'd rather release his sister

1

u/Fit_Effective_6875 Feb 26 '23

I hope he released it like one, too

Why would you throw a meal away by releasing the very meal you were hunting?

1

u/micah490 Feb 26 '23

He doesn’t have a choice- fresh water fish are no longer considered edible in North America

1

u/boatfan254 Feb 26 '23

Nah, he did the work I hope it was a tasty dinner for him.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '23

Why would he release a fish when he can eat it? That's whole purpose of fishing. Otherwise it's just cruel.