Big chinooks on southern Vancouver Island get more and more scarce every year. Would you bonk a high 40's or 50lb'er? Or, would you take a length and girth measurment, use the weight calculation, and let big boy go spawn to keep the genes in the system. If your a guide do you STRONGLY urge the guest to take a pic and release a hog?
what would you do? 50lb'er
- Thread starter Luna
- Start date
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OneWay
Guest
In this day and age, release the big suckers....and my better half says she doesn't want anything on our wall that sheds scales when she dusts.... Take a nice picture and let it go.
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farny
Guest
Got a 47 last sep of bell bouy I would never kill one like that again I felt like crap after,what a waste
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Having never caught a Spring that big, i think the overwhelming
desire to take home a trophy would win...[}
]
that being said, i think it would only happen once.
desire to take home a trophy would win...[}
]that being said, i think it would only happen once.
Knotty Seamen
Active Member
Bonk!
wolf
Well-Known Member
If your comparing it to a hali life to a salmon life totally different a female hali lays an estimated 3 millons eggs per spawn and so in theary if she is 50 years old and maturity is 7 years (from what i read somewhere dont quote me) so 43 years at 3 million eggs equals 1.2900000, where as a salmon spawns every 4 years and definatly doesnt lay that many eggs.and then Dies hali dont!!!!
Early in the salmon season can you tell if its a female or a male. damn hard !!!!! when there getting ready to spawn sometimes you can tell.
So yes I would bonk it totally different fishery.
What I dont like is how (some)river fisherman floss a river they are in the spawning grounds they should be left alone and let them do their thing,times have changed once they get to the river we need them to spawn.
One thing you got to remember a 50 lb salmon in local water (lower island) especially now are like winning a lottery i think there was maybe a few caught last year majority of them are the 17 to 25 lb avg.
Lets be honest we all want one thats why we fish looking for the next "BIG ONE" it excites us thats why we SPORT FISH!!!!!!
Wolf
Early in the salmon season can you tell if its a female or a male. damn hard !!!!! when there getting ready to spawn sometimes you can tell.
So yes I would bonk it totally different fishery.
What I dont like is how (some)river fisherman floss a river they are in the spawning grounds they should be left alone and let them do their thing,times have changed once they get to the river we need them to spawn.
One thing you got to remember a 50 lb salmon in local water (lower island) especially now are like winning a lottery i think there was maybe a few caught last year majority of them are the 17 to 25 lb avg.
Lets be honest we all want one thats why we fish looking for the next "BIG ONE" it excites us thats why we SPORT FISH!!!!!!
Wolf
Striper Sniper
Well-Known Member
BONK, BONK, BONK, slit and click, click, click, click........ (last click was the BBQ) never broke 30 all of last year...... SS
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farny
Guest
I wont bonk steelhead anymore either ,if I put 30 pounds of fish in the freezer it is more than a enough fish for the year for me,
F
farny
Guest
A freind of mine never even caught a gold fish ,first fish in his whole lifee 56 pounds about two years ago talk about lucky
Thanks for the response guys! Just tring to plant the seed, summer is coming and times have changed,let'er go!Sure you can smoke or can a big mutt but fillets are a bit much off a fish that big. A nice 20 lb'er is still the best for cooking and eating. I use to want to mount a super hog but now I think I would be haunted staring at a big mount in Deweys basement.
Charlie
Well-Known Member
I totally agree with Wolf!
First, I don't smoke stoggies, but do live south of the border! And believe it or not we can catch 65/lb fish down here. Just have to know where. Been there done that! By the time the fish get into this area they are only worth smoking. Like catching a half dead fish... fights like a log. Don't do that anymore! They need to spawn!
If I caught a 50/lb off coast... bonk! Good eating!
If caught one in shore near the spawning rivers different story... take some pictures and let it go! Meat will only be worth smoking anyway... and that would be a waste of a nice spring.
A few years back we had a group of four fishing and caught the run just right. We had enough for all of us, continued to fish and turn them all back! It was actually funny watching the faces on the other boats when they saw us turning 35/40 pounders back! Had one boat pull up next to us and told us we were crazy for turning those fish back! They didn't know we already had our limit!
Hali... different again! We have agreed to keep up to 75/lb. Anything over that... pictures and goes back!
Just my 2 cents.
walleyes
Well-Known Member
Well theres no doubt in my mind,, the 50lb'er would be goin into shore with me.. I beleive a man is given very few chances "if any" at such a fish and if one is given to you then by all means take advantage of it and enjoy it to the fullest.. I mean we all think nothing of keeping the 25lb'ers whats the diff. That 25 is going to spawn the same as the 50... Just because one fed better and was more aggressive feeding through out its life span does not necessarily mean it has better genes.. They may well be from the same gene pool...
Captain Dudds
Well-Known Member
I'm not 100% sure Walleye but I think they do have bigger genes. Look at the different river systems and how some constantly have bigger fish - Feeding probably plays a part of it but IMO genes are the dominating factor. Not saying I would release a 50 - but I was lucky enough to guide a 52 and I agree with Farny - I felt like crap later. I'm looking at the meat while vaccuum packing and when you see it reduced to the same thing as all the others - it loses alot of the significance. The hunt is better than the kill in my opinion. I would like to say I'll release the next one like that (if the guest would allow), but it takes alot of control. One day I'll find out (hopefully).
It's funny how opiions differ from here to the North Coast. It is almost getting to the point of "frowned apon" if someone drags back a 50+ in the Charlottes. It has been prover time and time again that genitics have everything to do with how large a fish gets. The more big springs that are killed, the less get back to spawn and produce more. I have caught and kept 50 plus pound springs and also have had the pleasure of releasing 2 over the years and it is a great feeling to give it the grip and grin for a picture and to put it back. People on the south coast still belive you have to kill it so it can be weight and that people with belive the story. It is each persons choice and I stand by the right given to each individual but keep in mind that these fish will not continue to come in large sizes if retained everytime they get hooked. The largest run of big sping I have witnessed followed 6 years after the catch and release year in the Charlottes. I personally saw 5 fish over 60 pounds caught in Naden Harbor in one day that season. Between us and Perigrine lodge, there were over 200 spring caught in excess of Fifty pounds that season one spawing cycle after the release year.....
wolf
Well-Known Member
Very true Mama but up there it used to be a 50 lb plus every couple of days if not every day so you had a choice of letting it go or keeping it true!!!!
When you consider the local waters maybe 2 or 3 for the whole season are caught here. People down here are not used to seeing that quality of fish hell even I am not and doubt you will find a local letting it go. as they woundt know if it was a 50 lber as well they would look at it and WOW big fish and in all the excitement it would get bonked you know I know it.
We go fishing to keep our catch most people do and it will get even worse with the price of fuel,moorage, and every thing that is asssocited with the cost of fishing because people want value for the price of things they want something in return and the fish we catch them is the prize.sad but a reality!!!!
Wolf
When you consider the local waters maybe 2 or 3 for the whole season are caught here. People down here are not used to seeing that quality of fish hell even I am not and doubt you will find a local letting it go. as they woundt know if it was a 50 lber as well they would look at it and WOW big fish and in all the excitement it would get bonked you know I know it.
We go fishing to keep our catch most people do and it will get even worse with the price of fuel,moorage, and every thing that is asssocited with the cost of fishing because people want value for the price of things they want something in return and the fish we catch them is the prize.sad but a reality!!!!
Wolf
Striper Sniper
Well-Known Member
Hey, I am with the Wolf Man............
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