[woolybuggerman]

When possible, I try to catch Terry Wickstrom's fishing show (Channel 25 on my cable setup). I've gotten some good information from Terry, and it seems he'd make an affable streamside companion.

But one part of his show troubles me -- a lot. His fish handling skills are virtually non-existant. Every show, at least one fish flops from his grasp and hits his boat, or his boots, or the rocks. Sometimes this happens three or four times in a 21-minute show.

Last week Terry's show featured a 9-year-old. Heckuva an angler, that kid. But the kid never wetted his hands before handling the prize. That would have been a perfect opportunity for Terry to give some instruction -- to the youngster and to his viewers. But fish handling isn't something Terry talks much about.

Experience tells me that mishandling fish does more damage to trout than a hook (except when swallowed). Some anglers make it a point to remove the hook (fly) without otherwise touching the trout. I'm not demanding that everyone do it, but it's something worth thinking about.

OK, I've had my say. Don't know if Terry posts here or not, but if so, I'd appreciate a response. Any other opinions out there?

 

[Mr. Ed]

Have to be honest - I've made the same observation. He takes way too long to put the fish back in the water. The show with the kid last weekend I did notice that the netted fish was kept in the water for a while (rather than holding them up and talking about them) but the fish were released a little aggressively.

 

[slayerfish]

Did ya ever notice how he can't talk and fish at the same time?

 

[woolybuggerman]

Re Terry bashing -- never my intent. A good discusion on fish handling was what I hoped for. As for Terry, he's figured out how to make a nice living while carrying a fishing rod, and it takes him to some outrageous places. Good for him.

What I hoped for was a good discussion of fish handling -- which is why I titled the thread as I did.

 

[Mr. Ed]

Sorry Ken if I came across that way. Just my observation. I will say that I do enjoy watching the techniques he uses and suggests, and I appreciate the way he selectively practices catch & release as well as harvest (it presents a good education factor). The other nice thing is he does do local stuff. I really enjoyed his smallmouth show at Chatfield but Unfortunately, I do find myself yelling at the television on Sunday mornings telling him to put it in the water if he isn't keeping it.

Then again, I'm sure I'm not perfect either ;D

 

[hammer]

You ever lip trout like a bass? It's actually pretty easy
and you don't mess up the slime.
We joke with Terry about fish handling, he is a great promoter of Eagle Claw products.

 

[onefishinfool]

I really enjoy Mountain States Fishing. I like the fact that he does places around here and gives tips and such. For a while, there was another show on right after it called Angling Adventures. I also really enjoyed that one, but can't find it anymore. That's a shame. The only thing I don't much care for is his theme song.

That said, I agree with you guys. Fish handling is a vital part of fishing and if you're not gonna eat it, you need to get it back in the water as quickly as possible. A simple searc found this and I think it's pretty useful information:

http://hipwader.com/2005/catch-and-release-angling

 

[rollcast]

I like the song its kinda one of those 80's tunes it gets stuck in your head and you can't help but sing it or whistle it

 

[idratherbfishing]

Did ya ever notice how he can't talk and fish at the same time?

Nothing wrong with not talking when you are fishing. I wish a lot of folks that I know would talk less while fishing.............

Dan

 

[farmer ted]

You ever lip trout like a bass? It's actually pretty easy
and you don't mess up the slime.

I lip trout all the time, the teeth don't bother me becuase the first 20+ years of my fishing carreer involved pike fishing. I think I still have scars on my hands from those babies...my friend and I used to have an informal contest going of who could lip the biggest pike...needless to say, we never lipped pike much bigger than hammerhandles. You were usually ok until they flared the gills and started thrashing, then it was cuts ahoy.

I find that lipping trout works well if they're big enough for it.

 

[roadkill]

one thing ive noticed about the show is they dont edit out all the less flattering stuff, remember all those other fishing shows shoot hours of tape to put together 1/2 hour show. who is to say the other guys dont just edit out all the dropped fish and such?

 

[michael in parker]

I don't think trout are as delicate as people think they are. I have caught so many trout and held them longer than normal and have released them with no problem.

There are times I will catch trout and hook them on my stringer by piercing the lower jaw. The trout will stay on my stringer for hours. Sometimes,at the end of the day, I will change my mind in keeping them and decide to let them go. The trout seem to take off just as fine.  I have never seen any incident of the trout dying shortly after.

Perhaps, it is  mountain trout are more fragile.

 

[Fishintim]

Don't know about releasing off of a stringer but many years ago while working as a wilderness patrollman, we had in our barn a bunch of 7 or 8 gallon galvanized metal "panniers" that had been used to stock trout in the streams of the Gila Wilderness. Many of those streams were 4-6 hour trips on the backs of mules. I never actually packed fish but I sure caught a bunch of them that could not have been stocked by a truck with refrigeration and oxygen. So I agree that trout are not as delicate as we sometimes are made to believe. Ever see them dropped out of helicopters or air plane? Falling on a boat floor seems pretty minor.

 

[roadkill]

just because a fish swims away doesnot mean it wont succumb to injury, stress exhaustion several hours down the road

 

[epic]

just because a fish swims away doesnot mean it wont succumb to injury, stress exhaustion several hours down the road

It also does not mean it will.

 

[fishbum]

I have been watching Saturday fishing shows since I was a little boy (I am really old now) and my favorites are "The Fishin' Hole" and Terry Wickstrom's Mountain States Fishing. Not specifically for the content, but for the spirit of fishing.

 

[clackaram]

This is not intended to to be a catch and release, barbbed vs. barbless arguement, but see the attached link regarding post hooking mortality:http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/es/science/inventory/TroutHooking.pdf#search='trout mortality'

The results are realively low depending on gear type, but the study does not mention time of year and water temps, when the data was collected.  When trout water warms to above 55 deg F, mortality increases greatly.  

A few other comments, a trouts jaw structure is not like a bass, and cannot support being "lipped." There is no need to be Jimmy Houston when trout fishing.

Culling trout by running a stringer through the bottom jaw is completely irresponsible.  If you plan to do that, just bonk them on the head, and clean the fish right then, and put it on ice.  As the fish on the stringer struggles to get away, lactic acid will build up causing poor flavor.

It all comes down to water temperature and post hooking mortality.

Swimbait- you are 100% correct.

 

[roadkill]

Culling trout by running a stringer through the bottom jaw is completely irresponsible.  If you plan to do that, just bonk them on the head, and clean the fish right then, and put it on ice.  As the fish on the stringer struggles to get away, lactic acid will build up causing poor flavor.

i gotta dissagree here, i have been camped out for several day and used a stringer to hold fish live for several days before cooking them up, most trout i have caught have cal,ed down quickly and just sit there and they taste better than had i cleaned them and put them on ice for a few days it also gives me the chance to let em go if i dont end up eatting all of them. but remember onec you put a fish on a stringer or in a live well or anything else that does not constitute immediatly returning the fish to the water, that fish counts as part of your daily bag limit weather or not you later return the fish to the water. you cant stringer a nice fish and then later release it when you catch a bigger fish to stay under the limit

 

[clackaram]

i gotta dissagree here, i have been camped out for several day and used a stringer to hold fish live for several days before cooking them up, most trout i have caught have cal,ed down quickly and just sit there and they taste better than had i cleaned them and put them on ice for a few days it also gives me the chance to let em go if i dont end up eatting all of them.

So let me get this straight, you may keep a live fish on a stringer for a few days, and then "may" let it go.

Then you say:

but remember onec you put a fish on a stringer or in a live well or anything else that does not constitute immediatly returning the fish to the water, that fish counts as part of your daily bag limit weather or not you later return the fish to the water. you cant stringer a nice fish and then later release it when you catch a bigger fish to stay under the limit

Hmmmmm, sounds a little fishy. Wanton descruction of wildlife after releasing the stringered fish after a few days, Nah, some game warden would not see it that way. Would they?

 

[roadkill]

i gotta dissagree here, i have been camped out for several day and used a stringer to hold fish live for several days before cooking them up, most trout i have caught have cal,ed down quickly and just sit there and they taste better than had i cleaned them and put them on ice for a few days it also gives me the chance to let em go if i dont end up eatting all of them.

So let me get this straight, you may keep a live fish on a stringer for a few days, and then "may" let it go.

Then you say:

but remember onec you put a fish on a stringer or in a live well or anything else that does not constitute immediatly returning the fish to the water, that fish counts as part of your daily bag limit weather or not you later return the fish to the water. you cant stringer a nice fish and then later release it when you catch a bigger fish to stay under the limit

Hmmmmm, sounds a little fishy.  Wanton descruction of wildlife after releasing the stringered fish after a few days, Nah, some game warden would not see it that way.  Would they? 

you can release the fish live but it would still count towards your bag limit