It's the most wonderful time of year again. And since I'm here in New Jersey I thought I'd write about what coming. And that's fish and fish pictures on social media. Believe it or not the fish above was released because it was shot, or below the 28" minimum harvest size. I don't know if that's hand blender at the guys feet but it can't be good when used to remove hooks.
People say I pick on the spin, bait, and plug guys because I'm a fly fishing snob. well, maybe, but really I just love these fish and hate to see them mishandled, and killed, when they are not harvested. When fishing you never know what's going to bite, and under, a slot, or an over, so you really have to play it safe.
These days it seems it's all about eels for the boat guys. They are usually slow trolled in current and when one of those big cow bass bite they're far from the boat. So in the end they get flogged through the water before being "gently" lifted onto the boat, photographed, and released. And with the skewering that occurs on social media guys can basically handle a half-dead or will-die bass with kid gloves so they don't get killed on-line. But some haven't got the memo and they continue to use poor practices when fishing for and then releasing striped bass.
And then there's those plug guys. A lot of them are my friends, and I urge them to play better. I have been there when waterside surgery occurs and there's usually silence as the blood pours out from the fish. Release mortality is a thing, for all anglers, so the better we doing the better the fish do. And then there's those trebles. I hate them. They're big, they're sharp, well maybe, and there's too many of them.
Imagine there used to be three on a lure, well now there's pretty much just a pair. But those tailing ones are the ones that get me. As we know striped bass like to eat head first, so many times the tail hook finds a place to get impaled into the fish, far away from it's mouth. Did you ever catch a one-eyed striped bass? That one probably lost its eye to a plug in its youth.
If it's not the shear size, and number, of those treble hooks, it's the barb, well barbs. If you ever have seen the gentle foot pressure applied to a bass on the sand and then the rattle out of the plug's hooks from the gullet, lips, back, or eyes, you know it's not pretty. And these days with most of the fish over slot size you know what you're fishing for before you go tight. In the end these fish will have to be released so why not help them out a bit?
I've hear the hooks help balance the plug and changing to just one will hamper thew action in the water. Okay, but it's good for the fish you are playing catch and release with. some will take off the tailing hook and add a flag, like a teaser, off the back. That's a great step. And then some others will pinch or grind down the treble hooks, why do you need six-barbed hooks when you're fishing? These aren't calamari you're fishing for.
Now I've inadvertently killed my share of striped bass in my years. Even the ones "that swam away strong" at times find their way belly-up down on their bottom of the drink. But fly fishermen do it good, most of the time. Single hooks, pinched barbs, short casts, and quick releases. Now yes, sometimes those tiny flies, even Beast Fleyes, find their way down the gullets of larger bass. But with some care and a pair of long hemostats flies can be removed, as long as they haven't ripped through the gill rakers, or the lungs of the fish.
So get ready for the migration, and the endless photos of bad practices, and half dead fish. For me, it kind of takes away from the fun of the run, but that's just the way it is these days.