Thread: Respect for the resource -

The other day, I spent most of my time watching. The fish weren't biting that great, but it was a great day weather-wise. I'm not one to tell other people what to do with the fish that they catch, but what I saw was this:

1) a 25 - 30 lb jack left on the deck for hours, drying out.
2) a young boy stomping on the head of a hardtail - a dozen times or more.
3) a grown man had put a dozen or so hardtails in a plastic bag and then just poured them back in the water (right next to me) when they started to putrify.

I think that it's sad that people waste the resource and worse, disrespect it. On one hand, what a fisherman does with his legal catch is his business, but on the other hand, there's a reason that there are so many pier rules. It's just too bad, I think, that some fishermen so disrespect the facility, the resource, and fellow fishermen.

I know a guy like that kills just to kill with no intent of eating it. Fish, and waterfowl mostly. If I harvest any animal or fish you can be darn sure I will be eating it. We had a bad problem up here last year with people shooting ducks then just leaving them in the public hunting parking lot. Hopefully this year we won't.

It irritates me to no end to watch somebody do a body slam with a king---you can see the meat turning to jelly. I know, I know, it's ostensibly to kill the king before you get the hook out of it, but it isn't really necessary, and it's usually done in a manner to show off for the tourists, "What a MAN I am to beat up on this fish!" I carry a mallet to whack 'em on the head, but I try not to make too big a production out of it---none of us wants to get sliced by a dying king.

It ain't necessarily what you do, it's how you do it.

By the way, there are signs all over the pier with the number to call if you see irregularities and/or violations of pier rules.

Some folks just weren't raised right and you can't expect them to act right---easier to tie a knot in a rattlesnake, blindfolded.

My favorite is the 20' belly flop "release" of bull reds after being out of water for 5 minutes of pictures and laying on a dry hot deck. I mean after all that abuse why not just put it in the cooler. End of rant!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2130...3517325521617/

What u do with it now?
lots of cat food for the neighborhood cats!!!!

Originally Posted by Pier#r

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2130...3517325521617/

Yeah why would they gaff that beast? Aren't you supposed to beach them and release them?

Originally Posted by Bluemhoon

Yeah why would they gaff that beast? Aren't you supposed to beach them and release them?

Last year the resident Ranger took offense to Tarpons being beached and released after a gut hooked tarpon inhaled a X-rap and after multiple attempts to revive it it died. So he and the state park manager asked the state to pass laws preventing anglers from walking a fish towards the beach and so now a lot of people have opted to purchase a tag to be able to fight the fish. Please don't put this on the angler this fish would have ordinarily been released after pics in the water but now you get this.
This is a direct result of having a Ranger that does not fish in charge of a fishing pier and making rules for that pier.

Originally Posted by chillinfish

My favorite is the 20' belly flop "release" of bull reds after being out of water for 5 minutes of pictures and laying on a dry hot deck. I mean after all that abuse why not just put it in the cooler. End of rant!

Believe it or not those fish can survive a long time out of the water and still swim away lively. However the 20 ft fall from the pier is more detrimental than people understand. Please lower the fish back in a net!!!!

Originally Posted by Jbearden

Please don't put this on the angler

I have to disagree across the board. There is no requirement to purchase a tag to fight a tarpon (Is there actually a pier rule about that? Boaters don't buy tags to catch-and-release them), only to kill one. This is not a direct result of a Ranger. This is a direct result of someone choosing to gaff a fish.

Last year the ranger went to Montgomery and had a new rule imposed about walking a fish towards the beach. He also stated unless you have a tag you should cut your line when you see that it is a tarpon. Several people including myself tried to explain to him and the management that if you require people to have a tag then they will use it. It's kind of like buying a beer and not drinking it.