Eating your catch

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Pure curiosity. Talking to four others trout fishing today and in the course of the conversation it transpired that none of the five not us ever eat fish we catch.
I might, if there's nothing else I like on a menu, order a fresh cod in batter but in over 55 years fishing the only catch I have ever kept was a few mackerel each year to use as bait.
Do many others never eat their catch?

duckman!!

I love fishing but hate fish and don't eat it!!
Everyone else in the family love fish so none gets wasted.

floattuber_lee

kept my first trout yesterday (the first time i have killed a trout in about 15+ years) just thought id try a trout from one of the great western loughs! it was tasty but probably the last one ill take.

Flysfisher

No never kill trout, if we all do we might as well take up hoops....although many still don't get it.

Auldloon

I love to eat fish I think they are tasty tasty and I cook fish regularly but salt water types. Locally there is 1 Loch I fish that I know is stuffed with trout, the place is an aquarium and hardly fished. I'm happy to take a few from there every year. The local river, never not once. Each season I always say I will take a salmon this year, but I've never had the heart to kill one yet. Not that I get many!!
If I did more salt water stuff I'd kill more I guess.
I take the odd overwintered rainbow each year mainly to keep the missus happy. Her mum who fished in her youth cant get her head around the fact I put fish back:D

pullandbang

Interesting poll! I voted occasionally purely because I release 90% of my trout as they are undersize and we have catch and release after 1st July on our river. However, I would eat the whole lot if I could!

Joeseph Balls

I mostly catch and release. I love certain fish like smoked salmon but the only game i can fish for is trout.
If i got a decent one i might take it home but only one or two a year. Last year i released everything to fight again.
Hunting, nothing goes to waste.

SeaFields

I don't eat fish. Even the smell of it cooking would put me off my own grub. I know that's a bit immature for a grown man so I have tried to introduce it slowly to my diet. Prawns are starting to become a favorite. That aside the wife would eat it seven days a week so for her I would take my bag limit at a stocked fishery if I caughtit and i do take some sea fish but I can't remember the last time I took a seatrout or wild brownie.

Macy0161

Voted occasionally, but those occasions are stocked rainbows on commercial put and take fisheries. I don't recall taking a wild fresh water fish, either game or coarse.

Timfy

I will eat just about everything that I take out of the sea... Particularly fond of Dogfish (a pain to skin but worth the effort), Rays (Don't eat for at least 24 hrs after catching to get rid of the ammonia taste) and Conger (Cut big, fat steaks).

When I fly fish, I also fish for the table although I am a little more discerning about the quality of fish that "meets the priest"

Similar circumstances to a poster above in that the few loughs I fish are managed and there are more fish than there is water!

Tiddlers go back in and even I draw the line at eating coarse fish (Save the occasional Perch, delicious split and simply grilled with butter - but only from clear, running waters otherwise you might as well eat a plate of mud!)

rpmcmurphy

Occasionally although rarely ever tbh. I take the occasional stocked trout if someone asks me for a fish but it pains me to do even that. Last three evening trips to my local fishery yielded 15 rainbows and 2 wild browns from a different lough all returned. I haven't taken a wild fish from the river in 4 or 5 years. Funny thing is I adore eating fish, especially salmonids, I like pike and zander is delicious, but always make excuses to not introduce fr prunty to an innocent trout such as it's "too big or small to kill" or "I'll take the next one". There is no substitute for watching a fish swim strongly away post release.

rpmcmurphy

Auldloon wrote: »

I love to eat fish I think they are tasty tasty and I cook fish regularly but salt water types. Locally there is 1 Loch I fish that I know is stuffed with trout, the place is an aquarium and hardly fished. I'm happy to take a few from there every year. The local river, never not once. Each season I always say I will take a salmon this year, but I've never had the heart to kill one yet. Not that I get many!!
If I did more salt water stuff I'd kill more I guess.
I take the odd overwintered rainbow each year mainly to keep the missus happy. Her mum who fished in her youth cant get her head around the fact I put fish back:D

My old man is the same. Slags me no end that I release everything. He said every fish must have a picture of me on their wall. Different era I guess. ?...

jolter

Used to keep nearly every decent trout when I was younger and love to eat fish, but I release every trout I catch now, I will take the odd salmon, as I have gotten older I realise that they are in serious decline

breghall

i will keep the very odd sea fish i catch, such as mackerel, flounder, pollack etc. I don't eat that much but my other half loves fish. I haven't kept anything from the local river in over 20 years and when i go to the nearest owned lakes containing rainbows, i don't even keep them despite 2 fish inc in the day ticket price.
I have never held onto anything when i go coarse fishing...ever. Don't know why?

Some people who approach me when out fishing, loot at me like i have 2 heads, when i explain to them that anything i've caught 99 % of the time goes back. Got me thinking recently, wondering if i'm the only one not keeping the majority of my catch. Good poll to run, but can you add in a 'very rarely ' option?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Maybe it's just my age but I don't count keeping rainbow trout, as to me fishing those stocked lakes is a bit like just going to a fish monger. That said I've never fished for them except in the wild in the US.

The other fella

I eat most sea fish i catch and release everything from freshwater.I might keep 1 salmon a season,but more times than not i put them back

.red.

I dont eat much fish at all. The odd bit of battered or breaded fish with chips and curry but id rarely eat it fresh.
The odd fish whos badly hooked and doesnt go back gets kept and i give it to the neighbours.
The one fish i keep are macks. I dont like using them when their frozen so usually just try to catch 3/4 and head off.
Edit.....
Ive no problem with people keeping fish for the pot but i do believe that we need a minimum size for all fish. It sickens me to see buckets of tiny whiting and codling during the winter at the hot spots in cork. Ive also seen buckets of small wrasse at a spot that was goog for lrf and they dissapeared from the mark pretty quick. I used to go there and get a fish a cast, all small but good fun. Now i dont bother fishing there anymore. Its a waste of bait and time.
I also reckon the minimum size for bass is too small tho. A 40cm bass is still a small fish and probably hasnt spawned yet.

con___manx1

floattuber_lee wrote: »

kept my first trout yesterday (the first time i have killed a trout in about 15+ years) just thought id try a trout from one of the great western loughs! it was tasty but probably the last one ill take.

that was one unlucky trout fair play to you tho.

floattuber_lee

it was very unlucky!!

Ironlungs

I eat mackerel and pollack, but would be more reticent about eating fresh water fish. It is hard to beat a fresh mackerel on the barbie.

decdon

the odd time when I'm out for the day or over night I'd keep one for supper...... "kill it , cook it , eat it" job :-)

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I find it interesting how many never eat their catch or only do so occasionally. The stereotypical image among non-anglers is that we are killing fish all the time and that you are an oddball if you say you fish but then release your catch. Worse again if you say you don't even like eating fish at all!

Zzippy

Release 99% of the fish I catch. Take about 50 macks a year for bait and eating. Might take a couple of flatties, a couple of trout, and never more than 2 salmon for smoking. The rest go back. Once the local fish stocks can support it have no problem with people taking a fish for the pot, provided it's no more than they need. Have equal disregard for those who take too many, and those C&R "purists" who sneer at anyone who dares to take a fish home.

whelzer

I haven't kept a trout for 3 years, bass for around 8, but would keep a few macks each year - although they will be as scarce as bass soon enough so that will probably end as well!

As a very clever American once said..

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]"Game fish are too valuable to only be caught once."
Lee Wulff[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]"The finest gift you can give to any fisherman is to put a good fish back, and who knows if the fish that you caught isn't someone else's gift to you?" Lee Wulff[/FONT]

chrisb1

Have never kept what i've caught always released even with satans sister barking in my ear to get her a trout for her dinner she may feck off and buy it :P

But each to their own wouldn't jump on anyone for keeping thier catch so long as it's not a big feckin net full local canal and river and lakes have been hit hard with the "locals" netting :mad:

copper12

I had a good year last year; hoping this year will be as good
I will drop a line in any river I get a chance.
I killed four salmon. last year’ landed about thirty
Half a dozen white trout’ returned ten times that amount’ probably more
Four bass’ returned ten
Mackerel by the bag
Pollock half a dozen
Flounder the same
Place 2
Cod half a dozen
Octopus 1

Most of the fish I smoke or cook on the barbecue
The odd piece in batter

Budawanny

All sea fish that are not undersized or out of season and I like eating ( which is most).

Cock salmon where legal.

Hens are always returned .

danbrosnan

SeaFields wrote: »

I don't eat fish. Even the smell of it cooking would put me off my own grub. I know that's a bit immature for a grown man so I have tried to introduce it slowly to my diet. Prawns are starting to become a favorite. That aside the wife would eat it seven days a week so for her I would take my bag limit at a stocked fishery if I caughtit and i do take some sea fish but I can't remember the last time I took a seatrout or wild brownie.

The problems with prawns, imported ones that is, that they actually consume vast amounts of special made fish meal....

Massive trawlers are killing tonnes of sand eel and krill that are wild animals eat, this is leading to fish half starving, look at some of our salmon entering our rivers, skinny....

I would prefer to eat our own fish rather then prawns because the knock on effect is colossal...

Budawanny

copper12 wrote: »

I had a good year last year; hoping this year will be as good
I will drop a line in any river I get a chance.
I killed four salmon. last year’ landed about thirty
Half a dozen white trout’ returned ten times that amount’ probably more
Four bass’ returned ten
Mackerel by the bag
Pollock half a dozen
Flounder the same
Place 2
Cod half a dozen
Octopus 1

Most of the fish I smoke or cook on the barbecue
The odd piece in batter

you did well ! and an octopus!

danbrosnan

I put put back fish and i also keep fish, anglers keeping fish in my opinion does not effect an eco system, now obviously you have certain types of personality that will keep ten salmon in a day or ten bass, that does effect obviously...

Within the law then for me it does not affect...

The biggest problem is the eating of framed prawns and framed fish, the millions of tonnes of fish meal being produced to feed these fish is actually starving our wild animals...

So the next time you get that prawn curry, think twice...

danbrosnan

Great poll by the way..

Boskowski

Didn't know that about the farmed prawns. Fecks sake can I eat anything at all these days guilt free? Guess not there's probably just too many of us on this planet already and eventually we'll eat it all and then ourselves or something. For the moment its back to the wild (small) prawns so.

Anyway I catch & release mostly simply because if I'm not 100% sure were going to eat why kill it. I have brought home the odd nice trout.
Btw I don't think anglers in their current numbers would actually be a threat to any stock. The reason the stocks are suffering is commercial over fishing and pollution, agriculture etc. In freshwater its the same, that and poachers.