[rapalahunter]

First of all: I am so happy I have a forum home once again! Now to the fishing.

Me, my dad, and my little brother went to the ladders on Saturday. I was in a float tube about 100 yards off shore throwing a luckycraft pointer 100 in a ghost brown minnow color. I landed three fish and lost a couple ( I always file off my barbs. I lose some fish, but I feel better about using treble hooks that way). I was out on the reservoir for about an hour until my little brother got tired of catching nothing from shore and wanted to try out my new tube. Unfortunately for him the winds started kicking up badly and it got a lot colder so he got skunked while fishing from the tube and from shore (unless you count the three crawdads he caught).

Anyway, I thought one of the fish was out of the slot so I brought him in to measure him. Gratefully some one on shore had a measuring tape. I gave him the fish to measure and he told me 25". Then he got a hand scale because it was a fatty and he told me it weighed 5 lbs. I don't know how accurate either measurement was... I like to think it was that big! It was definately over the slot so I thought, as I often do..."What would LOAH do?" The answer spoke quietly to my heart.... "eat him Keala, eat him" so I did!

I couldn't get the picture post to work so here are the links:

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t124 ... GP2711.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t124 ... 2709-1.jpg

 

[orvis1]

Dam nice fish! Good job sounds like strawberry is HOT now based on the number of posts I have seen and big fish days!

 

[Greenguy88]

Good to have ya back RH! Nice job on the fish that is a big boy. Sounds like a fun time!

 

[mjschijf]

Hey glad you found these forums, rapalahunter. That's an awesome Cutthroat! Congrats on the catch! If I were to guess the size of it I'd say at least 25", maybe bigger...but I'd believe the guy who measured it for you.

 

[LOAH]

"What would LOAH do?" :lol:

You're kidding!

That's a piggy! I'm green with envy. I believe the 25". You know I would've kept it. :wink:

I love the taste of a big berry cutt.

Awesome job. Great to have you back with us.

Too bad for your bro, though. :|

 

[rapalahunter]

Dude I'm not even kidding about that. I almost put it back in the berry to fight another day. The whispering of the spirit of LOAH was embelished, but I really thought "screw C&R, LOAH would keep it!" that's how I got over my hesitation of whether or not to eat it.

Dead serious!

You're an inspiration to all who dare stand up against the vocal catch and release advocates!

 

[LOAH]

Well then...

Glad I could silently convince you to have a good meal. :lol:

You're spot on about what I'd consider a "keeper", but it all really depends on where I'm fishing and what kind of fish it is.

If I'm on a stream with a blue fox, many fish will get released, but I still may keep a couple for dinner. If I'm on a reservoir where fish are stocked every year for the taking, I'll keep enough to feed us once or twice.

I suppose I just take a lot of pictures of dead fish and some people have a hard time knowing that those fish could still be swimming. I have a hard time escaping the fact that man started fishing for food, period. The sport of it came as a secondary supplement to the nature of the activity. That doesn't mean I see a problem with releasing fish, though. I do that a lot.

Thanks for the kind words. Good report.

Hopefully I can post pics of a lunker, this coming weekend.

 

[RnF]

I suppose I just take a lot of pictures of dead fish and some people have a hard time knowing that those fish could still be swimming. I have a hard time escaping the fact that man started fishing for food, period. The sport of it came as a secondary supplement to the nature of the activity. That doesn't mean I see a problem with releasing fish, though. I do that a lot.

Thanks for the kind words. Good report.

Hopefully I can post pics of a lunker, this coming weekend.

Nice fish first of all.

Loah, I know where you are coming from. I really don't know why people get bent all out of shape when people keep some fish. I personally am a catch and release guy. I haven't kept a fish in about 8 years I am guessing. I can't even remember the last one I kept to be honest.

That doens't mean I look down on people who want to keep a some fish. As long as they get eatn', and they stay within the the law in size and numbers, I am cool with it. Some fish need to be kept, it can be good for the rivers or lakes. I also figure the fish that others keep were partially there because I didn't keep them after I cuaght them. :mrgreen:

 

[JAT83]

Those are nice fish! I bet they were good too!

 

[orvis1]

I suppose I just take a lot of pictures of dead fish and some people have a hard time knowing that those fish could still be swimming. I have a hard time escaping the fact that man started fishing for food, period. The sport of it came as a secondary supplement to the nature of the activity. That doesn't mean I see a problem with releasing fish, though. I do that a lot.

Thanks for the kind words. Good report.

Hopefully I can post pics of a lunker, this coming weekend.

Nice fish first of all.

Loah, I know where you are coming from. I really don't know why people get bent all out of shape when people keep some fish. I personally am a catch and release guy. I haven't kept a fish in about 8 years I am guessing. I can't even remember the last one I kept to be honest.

That doens't mean I look down on people who want to keep a some fish. As long as they get eatn', and they stay within the the law in size and numbers, I am cool with it. Some fish need to be kept, it can be good for the rivers or lakes. I also figure the fish that others keep were partially there because I didn't keep them after I cuaght them. :mrgreen:

That is my exact feelings as well. I don't eat fish therefore I am a CPR guy but I have zero problems with someone keeping the fish for a meal as long as the wildlife is not wasted. Very good post!

 

[chuckmiester]

since i cant cook fish very often i a mostly cpr but have no problem with people keeping fish unless they keep a stringer full of 4-5 inch fish. how do you get meat off those things. i also dont like it when someone jumps down someone elses throat because they kept a few.

i have a bigger problem though when people improperly release fish (gut hook them, let them dangle on the line for a while, rip the line out then chuck them into the water so they wont see them belly up.) that is what makes me mad :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

[JAT83]

When I was a kid I loved to keep the fish I caught so I could go home and show the family what accomplishment I may have made, but nowadays I probably keep 1/2 the fish I catch at the very most. I usually have such a huge appetite for fish that I like to eat them as much as I can, but lately I have had just as much fun releasing a lot of the fish I catch.

 

[Riverrat77]

****... what a hoss!!! Thats an awesome fish. The way I like my Strawberry trout.... wrapped in foil, on the grill ten minutes each side, then meat peeled off served on a Saltine cracker with a bit of tartar sauce on tip.... MMMMMM delicious!!! :lol:

 

[rapalahunter]

I'm heading to the berry again this coming saturday morning if the weather lets me... hope to hook into another hog! 8)

I don't think I'll ever fish strawberry from shore again. Float tubin' or boatin' is the way to go.