Oversaturation - FP by Martyn White on Sunday, 18 October 2020

[t.z.]

Nice write. The weirdest thing I have ever seen is a man made creek in Sweden. .... No thanks.

I agree with you, however, I even can not be bothered at all fishing stock ponds and stocked fish. I'd rather not fish than. Weird? Maybe, but I find it even more weird to do that. To me counts how natural the environment is I fish in. It was not always like that but it has developed in the direction in the last 10 years or so.

Size does not matter very much to me. I know that big trout do not come in big numbers in natural environments. All waters are different of course too.

[Paul Arden]

Basically they are fish prostitutes It’s quite common here in SE Asia to have small pay ponds with exotic fish species. Not really my thing. In fact over the border you can have a combined fish and party girl prostitute bonanza. It’s not real but obviously a lot of people travel to Thailand for this. It’s a sort of Disneyland for adults who pretend it’s ok.

Cheers, Paul

[Boisker]

Completely agree TZ.... the fish need to be wild, and for me it’s all about being out on the river, away from day to day crap... it’s always nice to catch a big fish... but by that I mean a big wild fish for that particular river... the size of which range massively depending on which local river I am on. Up on Dartmoor a 13” fish could be my best of the season, on the Frome it could be over 20”... but it’s really about being out in beautiful surroundings.....

[Carol]

It sounds like a consistent theme: Over time, we become less interested in the size of the fish and more interested in the experience. It's not about size, even though I'd like to catch a wild 24" +/- brown someday. Like Boisker, when I catch a large fish for the water, that's good enough. For me it's a bonus that affirms I've become a better angler. That alone makes me feel good. But as long as I catch a single fish in a beautiful place, I'm good, regardless of size. And typically I remember the place fished and a good presentation that surprised me more than the fish itself. Besides, I try to release the fish as quickly as possible, so I don't always take time to admire its intricacies, much less photograph it, otherwise I'd have a picture of that beautiful 6" Yellowstone Cutthroat caught high up in the Absaroka Range in a pool that I'll never forget.

[Paul Arden]

I was terrible at getting photos of fish for the same reason Carol. I started experimenting with a very deep net that could act as a cage. Once the fish is “caged” it will sit quite happy while I throw a camera on the bank that’s set on movie mode (you might want to strap a mini bean bag to the bottom). Fish is unhooked and released by lifting over the net. Total air time one second, two max, and you can take a still from the movie later. Other option is no handling and to use a waterproof camera in one hand but I still think you need to net/cage. Most nets are totally unsuitable for this and you’ll need to replace the neg bag with oversized rubbery mesh.

What concerns me is that a lot of the poor handling procedures we see now, actually stem from trying to take photos. The priority has to be the quick, harmless release of the fish. But if a photo can be done properly and with skill then I’m all for it - not least because in the days before digital cameras a lot of fish were going home that nowadays go back.

Of course if you are posting pictures on FB then you need to learn to hold the fish right in front of the camera at full arm stretch trying to hide your fingers. Lean way back with your head. This will automatically multiple the size of the fish by at least 10 in appearance. With this technique it’s possible to make a 10lb fish appear to be 100 or even 200lbs. This will get you more likes because as everyone knows, the more likes you can amass down here, the faster your broadband speed in Heaven.

Cheers, Paul

[flickingfeathers]

Size matters to me, which is why I don't fish for yamame here in Japan when I've 30lb carp swimming around nearby (which are harder anyway) but as I said in the FP, I don't photograph many of the fish I catch. Wildness and condition matter very much though.