Tournament fish care

[onthewater108]

All the top tier tournament circuits are going to clip on cull tags vs the pin style tags because of concerns for fish care this season. If better fish care is the goal then why not allow nets to be used or possibly even required to land a fish instead of boat flipping a bass? I have no idea what the science behind it would say but it seems dropping a 3 to 5 lb bass 4 to 6 feet onto the deck of a boat can't be good for the fish. Just curious what everyone's opinion on the subject is.

[scuba_steve82]

In the tournaments I fish I don't use cull tags at all. I'm probably what a lot of guys would consider overly careful with the fish. I can take the extra minute or two take determine which fish needs to be culled, etc, without sticking things on them and what not. I also, when I release a fish, don't make them look like olympic divers and have them do 3 half-gainers in the air on their way back like I see a lot of both pros and amateurs do. I just feel like I owe it to a nice fish that give me a good time catching it to put them back with some respect. I'm no hippie or animal rights activist but I guess I think there is a bit of good-will mother nature might throw your way if you treat these fish nicely.

But back to your question and I think it's a good topic, totally agree with nets (although I do think it tests angler's skills in landing fish and fighting them correctly), and clip on cull tags if they must be used. I'd like to see them outlawed entirely. As many tournaments and clubs and circuits and people on the water these days with thousand dollar fish finders, we need to put more of an emphasis on making sure a nice 5lb bass can be caught a year later by somebody else.

[R19]

Here is my take on the topic of culling rings...the overwhelming majority of people who use culling rings that pierce through the skin do not know the best way to install them. Some may know the correct way but they just don't take a few seconds to do it correct. Anyways if installed correct its really no worse than a hook penetrating the mouth and breaking through the skin. It needs to be installed as close to the jaw bone as possible. Installing them too low is what results in a tear. If installed close to the jaw bone as possible there is no skin to tear. Here is a you-tube video that explains it in detail. The first minute or so is just fish catching. Around 1:20 he catches one with a ripped jaw and then he shows the proper way to install a culling ring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEsQaoVbO5E

As for no nets I think this is a darned if you do and darned if you don't situation. I always though the whole purpose behind no net is to help protect the fish from losing its slime by coming in contact with the net and flopping around. However most people just flip anything 4 pounds or smaller into the boat and they loose their slime on the carpet. So which is the lesser of two evils? Both ways result in loss of protective slime. I think no net is the better option and here is why I have that opinion.

With no net most people will land fish 4 pounds or more by hand. Typically hand landing a fish is opening the jaw and hand grabbing it by the jaw when it opens its mouth. This does not remove any slime. A very few people will lay their hand out open and pull the fish to their hand and cradle them under the belly. This method seems to keep the fish calm. Most that I have seen grabbed from under the belly seem to clam right down. Then once the fish is in the boat they open the jaw and hold them by the jaw. It will remove a little slime from the belly but its no where as bad as flopping in a net or flopping on the carpet. Just my opinion but hand landing is healthier for the fish than using a net or boat flipping to the carpet.

[llg]

Worried about slim loss?
What about no tournaments during the spanning period?
What about no tournaments if water temps are above, say 85 degrees?

There are bigger issues than whether or not to use a net.

[scuba_steve82]

Worried about slim loss?
What about no tournaments during the spanning period?
What about no tournaments if water temps are above, say 85 degrees?

There are bigger issues than whether or not to use a net.

All valid questions.