[Woolybug25]

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!

[Vito]

No fight from me. As fly fishing for muskie gains popularity, I think its important for anglers to know bite offs don't, and shouldn't, have to be part of the game. Thats all.

You're not leaving a #12 stonefly in a fish. You're leaving a fly that could hinder its feeding and/or end up killing it.

[steelhyde]

You didn't ask me, but I think the hooks work themselves out.

But it's not something I like to allow.

[Ginseng Sullivan]

wire.

[Vito]

I think the hooks work themselves out.

I'm sure they can/do, but how long does it take? What if it takes a week? Two weeks? Maybe longer, and that fish is unable to feed during that time?

I know thats probably worst case scenario, but its easily preventable. The more guys that are out there and getting bite offs, the more this situation could play itself out. Thats my concern. I don't care if some guy loses a fish. I care what happens to the fish afterward.

[Tailer]

I'd be a lot more worried about leaving a double-hooked articulated fly in a fishes mouth than a single. Just last week I pulled a redfish out of the grass, belly-up, with a Spook in this mouth. The back treble was stuck in his upper jaw and the front treble was caught in his gill plate. No doubt he starved.

[Crick Addict]

I think the hooks work themselves out.

I'm sure they can/do, but how long does it take? What if it takes a week? Two weeks? Maybe longer, and that fish is unable to feed during that time?

I know thats probably worst case scenario, but its easily preventable. The more guys that are out there and getting bite offs, the more this situation could play itself out. Thats my concern. I don't care if some guy loses a fish. I care what happens to the fish afterward.

It's only a fish for dogsakes. It's not like a child or a baby kid...

[Vito]

It's only a fish for dogsakes. It's not like a child or a baby kid...

I get that, trust me, I do. But why not stop something thats easily preventable? They aren't trout or bluegills. Many lakes around the country rely on stockings to sustain a muskie fishery. And muskies have a very low success rate when it comes to reproduction. Why not avoid killing fish when its easily preventable? At some point shouldn't we be responsible? Guys get drilled on here for laying a trout on the rocks, but its no big deal to leave a 10" fly in a fish's mouth?

[steelhyde]

I have, on occasion, left flies in a musky's mouth when fishing alone. Some times landing the fish, dealing with tools, and unhooking the fish solo is too much and cutting off the fly is the easiest route.

I got curious about it and contacted the WIDNR musky manager as to what is the right thing to do and he said:

I think you did the right thing with that deep-hooked fish. In most cases, that hook will work its way out. That fish's chances are probably better than if you had worked long and hard to try to remove the hook, especially with the fish out of water in the heat. Any time we have fishing, catch and release or otherwise, some fish are going to die. We try to take that into account in our management.


Tim Simonson, CFP
Bureau of Fisheries Management
PO BOX 7921, 101 S Webster Street
Madison, WI 53707

As for this comment:

It's only a fish for dogsakes. It's not like a child or a baby kid...

These are not trout and there are not billions of them per mile. Vito makes a good point - but he does sound like a wiener calling me irresponsible for using fluoro instead of wire.

[Vito]

but he does sound like a wiener calling me irresponsible for using fluoro instead of wire.

I know you love that word.

[Crick Addict]

I think the hooks work themselves out.

I'm sure they can/do, but how long does it take? What if it takes a week? Two weeks? Maybe longer, and that fish is unable to feed during that time?

I know thats probably worst case scenario, but its easily preventable. The more guys that are out there and getting bite offs, the more this situation could play itself out. Thats my concern. I don't care if some guy loses a fish. I care what happens to the fish afterward.

It's only a fish for dogsakes. It's not like a child or a baby kid...

I joke...maybe i used the wrong emoticon.

[Vito]

I joke...maybe i used the wrong emoticon.

Hey, its a touchy subject...haha. You can spear muskies in MI, so its a constant battle to try to reduce the number of fish getting speared every year. I hear the "its just a fish" a lot, so I'm a little sensitive.