[yatahey]

As I said in my previous post the fire burning north of Deckers is threatening my home waters once again. Here are some pics of the fish I caught tonight. This is what's at stake when some thoughtless dumb a#@ is too stupid to put out his campfire. My thoughts and prayers are with those whose lives are going to be forever changed by this senseless act.

[mcnerney]

Nice fish!

Sorry to hear Deckers has another fire, its a truely great outdoor experience.


Larry

[Hardyreels]

How do they breath when lying on shore?

Sorry if I offend any-ones sense of vanity but if I bothered to pose and photograph every fish I catch but intend to release my catch would be cut at least in half due to the time spent on the photo session. Of course that is not to mention the added shock and discomfort levied upon the hapless fish.

I do have in my possession many pictures of fish who eventually made an appearance on our dinner table and some of those who were released. The released fish are photographed while in their aquatic atmosphere and usually beside my size 14 wading shoe for a sense of scale. I find that if the fish makes my rather large boot look small, viewers will get the idea. Incidentally the fish that appears in my on line posts was prepared with a smokey dill sauce and served with rice and several different side dishes. At twenty three pounds it provided many meals, no guilt there, it was dispatched immediately and was dead in the photo.

I have a buddy who will risk having a South Platte Rainbow hen spew out her eggs on the beach just so that he can claim bragging rights by photographing her. Again, not meaning to offend fisherman but, personally I lost the urge to seek to retain proof of my catch long ago. That (proof) was left behind when I was in my twenties and decided to release all Trout and retain only Salmon. Those persons who fish with me are well aware of any fish catching abilities I may possess and I suppose they take my word for it if I released a sizable trophy fish. As mentioned if I do bring a real giant to hand I will photograph it while it is resting near my boot, in the water.

How's that for a holier than thou piece of text?

[yatahey]

I respect your opinion on releasing fish, but you don't even know me. That fish was revived completely and swam off no worse for the wear. He was only out of water for about 45 seconds. By the way the fish was over legal size and if I wanted to, I could have taken him and eaten him, but now he can get bigger for the next photo session.

[Hardyreels]

Originally Posted by yatahey

I respect your opinion on releasing fish, but you don't even know me. That fish was revived completely and swam off no worse for the wear. He was only out of water for about 45 seconds. By the way the fish was over legal size and if I wanted to, I could have taken him and eaten him, but now he can get bigger for the next photo session.

Hello,

Not looking to pursue or escalate an argument here but I have often analogized the fish on the bank thing as follows; imagine being tied to the rear bumper of a Ford truck by the hands, the truck drives down a road for one mile at 5 mph. somehow you are able to keep up and not fall down, finally it stops, you are exhausted, you drop to your knees gasping for air, the driver of the truck gets out and promptly holds your head under water in a tub in back of the truck. Forty five seconds would seem like death to you wouldn't it?

Remember, supposedly we love these fish. That's why we fish for them. Why torture them at the end of their mile long run? Think about it, why not just reach down and gently slip that barb-less hook from the jaw and let them remain in the water where they can breathe? Try it you'll like it.

Don't get me wrong I'm not some whack job who belongs to a save the fish group but I take no pleasure in causing unwarranted discomfort to any animal.

[Kai]

I take lots of pictures of fish out of water.

My rule of thumb is that I only take the fish out of the water for 20 seconds. Typically, I have the hook removed while the fish is still in the net and in the water.

The fish spends very little time on the bank, as I have my camera set up before hand. As soon as the fish comes out of the water, I start counting out loud. When I get to 20, the fish gets released, whether or not I've got the photo I want. I've missed a few good photos, but I've become pretty efficient at getting pictures taken in 20 seconds.

The only time it becomes a problem is if I can't get the hook out with the fish in the water. If I have to handle the fish to remove the hook, then I really have to hurry to get my picture, and sometimes I don't get one.

Why 20 seconds? No real reason. 45 seconds would probably be just as reasonable. I can hold my breath for longer than that. I chose 20 seconds because I figured I could likely get a decent picture in that time span, and it seemed like an amount of time that the fish could easily endure.

Would I bend this rule a bit for a trophy sized trout? Probably. I might count a little bit slower if it were a huge fish and I really wanted the picture.

Also, I sometimes eat the fish I catch, so I can't say that I'm purely a catch and release fisherman.

If I really loved the fish I catch, I don't think I would catch them at all. Bottom line is that fishing is a hunting type sport, trout are our prey, and if I had ethical issues with doing harm to fish, I don't think I would fish at all. Barbless hooks and catch and release tactics don't change that fact. .

[Hardyreels]

I just can't help but ask, why the picture at all? Seems like a lot of minutia to go through, getting a camera set up, counting out loud, just sounds like a complicated process. Or perhaps better put why the fish out of water shot?

I take photographs myself. Eagles, Bears, Moose, whatever shows up while I'm floating a river. Macro photography and landscapes are my favorite shots for printing. I tryed to post a few of the above mentioned photos and the site says they are too big so..............

[Kai]

Originally Posted by Hardyreels

I just can't help but ask, why the picture at all? Seems like a lot of minutia to go through, getting a camera set up, counting out loud, just sounds like a complicated process. Or perhaps better put why the fish out of water shot?

I take photographs myself. Eagles, Bears, Moose, whatever shows up while I'm floating a river. Macro photography and landscapes are my favorite shots for printing. I tryed to post a few of the above mentioned photos and the site says they are too big so..............

Pictures help me remember what I was doing. They also remind me of how big the fish really was (or wasn't)

They also are good for sharing with other people. When I saw the original poster's pictures, it made me happy to see that he was catching such pretty fish. I've never really had very good luck around Deckers. For me, it's a hard place to fish. Seeing pictures such as that one will keep me coming back every so often, hoping that I will be able to catch a fish like the one in the picture.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi to all,

This is a good subject but it could get emotional in a hurry. So lets just post our own feelings and not take offense if someone has a different position.

For me I live in Alaska for 15 years and have one picture of my wife with some Grayling we kept for dinner. I have caught a few 5 pound Rainbows in the lower 48 and I don't have a picture of any of them. I do have pictures of trips, planes, campers, my fishing partner but not fish. I know what I have caught and a picture would not make any difference to how I feel about the experience.

Those of us who have fished or hunted in prime areas are blessed with simply being in these areas even if we were skunked. Pictures can enhance our memories but so can a good log book. If someone wants to take pictures for what ever reason, I hope they do it with the least amount of trauma to the fish. I also hope that no one is killing trophy fish for any reason.

Maybe we need to start another thread about the best way to take pictures of fish.

[mcnerney]

Yatahey

I heard on the Denver news this morning that the Deckers fire is 50% contained and that they think with some luck they will have it contained today. Keeping fingers crossed!

Larry