have trouble fishing?

[hbeth82]

I've caught several discussions on how best to euthanize a fish, which in addition to making me depressed, got me wondering - do 'fish people' have trouble catching & cleaning fish?

Personally, I'm fine when the fish is in the lake or ocean and when it's in the bucket, but when it's hooked or when it's still alive and being cleaned, it's saddening. Once the little thing is dead it's tolerable again, but seeing it suffering & gasping I can't handle.

 

[JPKeenan]

Well to me it is evolution. Humans are omnivores. The difference between hunting/fishing and getting the meat at the market is that you have to get your own hands dirty.... Ironic thing is that most hunters & farmers have more respect for the meat on their table than the person so far removed and get it in a plastic package.

Back in the day we would give thanks to the animal for feeding us.

 

[dkpate]

I agree with JP, but I still won't knock the fish out when I catch it, I make my husband do it and then we immediatley put it on ice. I am sure this is not the most humane way, but it's the only way we have in a tiny boat. I won't even cut the worm when either lol. I went hunting once, shot the deer, it ran like 200 yds and then died. I felt terrible that I won't hunt anymore....We have a lot of respect for the meat my family hunts, like he said, we give thanks for the animal feeding us.

 

[roka64]

I don't eat fish or sea food...yuck!

 

[mfdrookie516]

I separate the two hobbies... I have a dog, and i could never kill it, but i love to hunt. I love fishing, but i also care alot about my fish. Now dont get me wrong, i dont stop eating for days and lay around and mope if i have a fish die, but i do get upset because i love watching my fish. When we go fishing, i dont think about my fish. I guess its because i dont keep any fish in my tanks that i would catch while fishing though lol

 

[hbeth82]

I have no problem with people who hunt or fish and use what they can of the animal, and respect those who are able to do so. People who hunt and donate the meat to food shelters are a blessing to the community. Personally, unless I had confidence that I could kill the animal quickly (i.e., with one shot so that it doesn't run terrified & in pain for a quarter of a mile), I couldn't do it.

I guess my question with fishing is when it's cleaned the only way I've seen it done - fish is moved from hook to a bucket or net, then onto a flat surface where it's filleted and de-boned while still struggling to breath - but it doesn't sound like anyone else here does that. My question wasn't meant as any type of condemnation.

 

[JPKeenan]

about the same way I am.... I will not swerve my car into on coming traffic to avoid a squirrel, but will do what I can to avoid hitting a dog or cat (pet).

On the same turn if the world crumbled and I was going to starve I would eat things I would not normally eat ("pets" and bugs).

With the pre-processed world we live in we are so far removed from the food we eat. Steak doesn't come from a cow, it comes from the super market. Bacon doesn't come from a pig it comes from Oscar Myer.

The thing when killing an animal is to try not prolong it's suffering and it give it the respect that all living things should have. It is the cycle of life. A big cat hunting a prey animal will try to make a quick kill (for two reasons, one is so that it will not get away with just an injury and the other is an unwritten law of nature between prey and predator).

 

[hbeth82]

I wouldn't ask someone to face an oil tanker in order to get a snapping turtle out of the road but am appalled by those who go out of their way to hit something (e.g., will intentionally leave their lane & risking hitting you in order to do so, seen it done to hit a goose herding it's young & they almost sent me off the road).

A big cat hunting a prey animal will try to make a quick kill (for two reasons, one is so that it will not get away with just an injury and the other is an unwritten law of nature between prey and predator).

I'd never thought of that second part before, mostly just about the predator not wanting to expend a limited resource, energy.

Tempted to express thoughts on some anti-meat eaters but not the place. . .

 

[JPKeenan]

humans evolved to eat meat. I was a vegetarian for a few years. What gets me is the radical vegans.... come on it is a personal choice on what to eat.

To me if a million rats and monkeys need to die to find a cure for cancer so be it. I would rather they give cancer to people on death row and find a cure that way..... but to test stuff like soap and make-up on animals makes me sick.

Sad to say but our society is getting so polarized there doesn't seem to any middle ground where rational thought takes place

The friday before last I was coming home and a red fox darted out in the middle of the road to snag a rabbit. I slammed on the brakes and was just thinking "wow".

Up until 2002 I had never seen a fox in the wild. And for those of us old farts, it seems like some of the bird flocks are a lot bigger than they used to be when we were kids.

 

[hbeth82]

I guess it's when decisions are based on what a single organization tells you is right or wrong (with HUGE distinction between people-run organization and religious choices) that it seems foolish.

This isn't an attempt to make you feel more like an old fart, but my grandfather was the same way with deer - we spotted several on a golf course near Myrtle Beach. He was surprised because when he was young they had been fairly rare (he was raised on a farm in central Indiana), whereas I was used to seeing them from my bedroom window. It is impressive to see one animal hunting another, a chicken hawk that was invisible 2 seconds earlier carries off a rabbit you didn't realize was right in front of you. Rather humbling.

 

[JPKeenan]

I'm one of those people that want a balance between green space (and the wilds) with jobs and a place to live. I want to be able to have my daughter be able to see wild creatures but at the same time I want a 2x4 when I need one.

My ex father in law lives in south central Pa. He has a farm and is a big hunter & fisherman. A decade or two back a disease wiped out a lot of the quail, him and his hunting buddies got some quail eggs and started raising them. They release most of them but keep some for food. He and his buddies are also active in helping out the bass and trout spawning..... Surprises a lot of people but the hunters and fishers tend to be into conservation.

*lol* I feel like an old fart anyway it is that time of the year.

Out in southeast Pa there is a state park, Ridley Creek State Park. You have a bunch of yuppies moving out by there (ritzy neighborhood). They are all against culling the deer in the park.... Overpopulation is a problem, pretty cruel way to go is starving to death.... They hate the idea of hunting in the park but as soon as a deer goes through the windshield of their BMWs they all of a sudden want hunting in the park.

Use what you can from your hunt. If you just want to shoot a gun for the sake of shooting a gun go to the rifle range.

 

[hbeth82]

Recently found a trap & skeet range nearby & have had a lot of fun, always leave sore as heck but still fun. I thought deer could also be a huge nuisance to farmers? I've heard of some who invited hunters in for that reason.

The people who seem to respect nature the most are those who spend time there - the first time hiking a trail, seeing one cigarette butt doesn't seem that bad, but the more time you spend there & see how things change as the seasons pass & how beautiful it is without our strip-malls, the more offensive that one bit of trash becomes.

::, stepping down::

 

[JPKeenan]

yeah I need to quit smoking, did it for 5 months and then went back I always put my butts in my pocket.... leave the place as you found it as the saying goes.

 

[dkpate]

I agree with you guys. Where I live there is a lot of forest, rivers etc. Very wild up here. The other side of WA is the BMW's that hit deer lol. Anyway, a few years back there was a vote to stop hunting cougars with dogs. Every person on this side voted no, and everyone on the Westside voted yes. There are more people on that side of the state so you know that is passed. After that, we had 2 kids packed off (just in this town), peoples animals killed, they would even come onto the porch to eat dog and cat food! There were hardly any deer...So now, you can hunt cougar with dogs, if you have a special license or someone calls you because it is killing their stock, and we do not have as big of a cougar problem anymore. There are also what we call "The Town Deer", which come so close to your porch you could pet them, they are not afraid of anything. I enjoy it because they sleep behind my house under the little patch of trees, and bring the new babies through every day and night. I LOVE BABY ANIMALS! They do eat peoples crops, but up here we just deal with it and build super tall fences to keep them out, and most people have deer feeders and salt licks. The problem we are having now is bears, but that is something else we deal with lol, and when they become a nuisance, they trap them and relocate them, instead of killing them. The last 2 years I have also been able to see turkey vultures! Which are gross looking, but I had NEVER seen one when I was a kid! I almost ran off the road when I saw 2 sitting on a fence! They are also overhauling the dam up here, which costs millions, to put 3 blades in the turbines instead of 5, so the fish have a better chance of making it thru. All in all, this is a GREAT place to live, I love it, and I do not take it for granted!

 

[Bige]

I think it depends on how you were raised and where your food comes from. I personally dont like cleaning any animal so hunting is hard. I always felt bad when I killed a deer or turkey because I have plenty of food. With fish you can catch and release so you get the fun without the mess. It is hard to shoot and release unless your vet is there.

 

[JPKeenan]

Out by Yak, in the desert I take it?

We have turkey buzzards out here. The radio station's mascot is a buzzard, and the town of Hinkley has a yearly festival for the day the Buzzards come back in the spring.

I miss living by the coast so I could go salt water fishing. Hopefully this summer I will find some time to go out on the Lake and get some Walleye.

 

[goisles1]

My brother and I are avid Offshore fishermen and I'm able to completely seperate the two. When reeling in a 200lb Mako, the last thing on my mind is my reef tank.

I'm such a hypocrite.. lol..

Now that I think about it, Anyone want to buy a boat? JK

 

[JPKeenan]

we just did bay fishing.... Mostly sand sharks, blues and an occasional flounder.

 

[goisles1]

we just did bay fishing.... Mostly sand sharks, blues and an occasional flounder.

Bay Fishing on LI is pretty tough these days due to the new Regs. It's virtually impossible to catch a legal fluke (Summer Flounder) in the bay anymore. The bay is full of 19inchers but the new regs are 23inches. Yikes.

Now you need like 50ft deep water to catch a legal one. Seems you need to go offshore for most of the good fishing (big blues, Striped Bass, etc)

Back on Topic though.. I don't think I could EVER hunt. I have no desire to shoot anything. Again.. I make no sense

 

[Etunes]

Down here we have hunted for bore/pigs. They are everywhere andd eat everything. So from my point of veiw i think you should only hunt what you need or what you can sustain. If you need food then hunt. If you think hunting is fun and there is enough to go around, then go right ahead. Now i think whatever you hunt should be ate not left there. As for fishing i have no problem fishing if i am going to eat the fish, but if i am not i really don't like to do it because it is uneccasary stress for the fish and can have bad effects for the fish in the long run, Many fish die soon after if the hook goes into the wrong place in there mouth. For example when i decided to go fishing for fun 1 time i went to a lake and caught a catfish, well the way a catfish eats its food is it sucks it into there mouth. So it sucked the food (and hook) way far down its mouth, so i could not get ahold of the hook, and catfish have the reaction to close there mouth when something moves into it. So the hook just kept going deeper and depper into the fish. So by the time i started getting the hook out there was internal damage and there was no way the fish could survive. So i had to euthinize it. So that is why i stopped fishing for fun if i don't want to eat the fish.