10-13-2008, 08:07 PM
Crossineyes is correct. The lures used, have huge treble hooks. 5/0 I would guess. When the pike get into the net or grabbed with a bogagrip the thrashing is incredible and tears some serious holes in their mouth.
At first blush this sounds cruel and unnecessary, but consider the option; If the pike is played out to total exhaustion it's body will fill with lethal volumnes of lactic acid, which in all probablity would be lethal.
the fish were all resusciated by holding them gently behind the gills and either moving the boat ahead slowly or moving them back in forth through the water to move oxygen across the gills. Moving the boat forward or hollding the fish still if the water is moving is better, but not always possible. When the pike are revived enough to pull or thrash their way from the anglers grip and to swim away under their own power you've done all you can do,
Do they all live? Who knows, but tagging studies w/satellite tracking shows that on sailfish released, the percentages are very high. Water temp (the warmer the more stress on the fish), length of the fight, how the fish is subdued all play a part in surviveability. We do what we can to insure it, including cutting the barbs off the big hooks if we can't get them out. How do you think that works on your mind when the lure cost $25.00?
In the future my boat (the Pez Vela) willl have a musky cradle aboard to mimimize the handling of the fish. Since I can't cradle a big fish while still hanging onto the rod when I'm alone in the boat, I'll have to keep a big landing net aboard as well.
We don't want to kill these fish except an occasional small one for the table regardless if the DWR is encouraging killing them all. We will do everything we can to insure that they live another day for you to catch, you do the same for us. We'll all have big smailes on our faces Tight lines
[signature]
At first blush this sounds cruel and unnecessary, but consider the option; If the pike is played out to total exhaustion it's body will fill with lethal volumnes of lactic acid, which in all probablity would be lethal.
the fish were all resusciated by holding them gently behind the gills and either moving the boat ahead slowly or moving them back in forth through the water to move oxygen across the gills. Moving the boat forward or hollding the fish still if the water is moving is better, but not always possible. When the pike are revived enough to pull or thrash their way from the anglers grip and to swim away under their own power you've done all you can do,
Do they all live? Who knows, but tagging studies w/satellite tracking shows that on sailfish released, the percentages are very high. Water temp (the warmer the more stress on the fish), length of the fight, how the fish is subdued all play a part in surviveability. We do what we can to insure it, including cutting the barbs off the big hooks if we can't get them out. How do you think that works on your mind when the lure cost $25.00?
In the future my boat (the Pez Vela) willl have a musky cradle aboard to mimimize the handling of the fish. Since I can't cradle a big fish while still hanging onto the rod when I'm alone in the boat, I'll have to keep a big landing net aboard as well.
We don't want to kill these fish except an occasional small one for the table regardless if the DWR is encouraging killing them all. We will do everything we can to insure that they live another day for you to catch, you do the same for us. We'll all have big smailes on our faces Tight lines
[signature]