12-14-2002, 08:48 PM
Hey old coot, you may have already heard by now, big lake trout taste like crap. Ha Ha. Seriously, I dont know anyone who has ever eaten a big laker and liked it. But, this brings up a very interesting subject that can be touchy for many anglers. The subject of releasing big fish. There seems to be an "old school" way of thinking that says keep your limit. Theres also a "not as old school" way of thinking that says keep the big fish and let the little ones go. Then you have the new age thinking of catch and release. Now, we all know me. I have a fairly rigid release mindset. But the real thing to give some thought to is the concept of "predetermined release". I just made that terminology up by the way. The way I figure it is, if you decide before you catch that big trophy fish that you are going to let him go, it becomes a lot easier to see through the excitment of the moment and follow through. Rather than being in total shock while holding the fish and having to decide then. Big fish seem to cloud the mind of the most sensible anglers. But, the same principle applies for fish you want to keep. If you decide before you go that you are going to let the big ones go and keep ones that are a good size for table fare, you wont feel the guilt of harvesting that big old walleye, but what you will feel is the incredible feeling of being part of that trophy fish's life as you watch him swim away. I say let them all go, but thats some place that we all have to get to by ourselves. In the case of lake trout, and other true trophy species, maybee this post will help to educate more of us to the value of catch and release when you are fishing for such old and magnificent creatures. p.s. leave the wipers in willard.