Platte river issues

[Bigjay73]

Good article, hope more anglers take note and switch to barbless.

Hooking injuries taking toll on North Platte fishing - WyoFile

New study spurs discussion of regulation changes for Wyoming’s popular Gray Reef, Miracle Mile fisheries

wyofile.com

 

[Matthew57]

Surprised that wasn’t already the rule.

 

[jejack26]

So, the assumption is barbless hooks solve the problem. Although barbless hook may penatrate deeper causing tissue damage. Biologists know there is a corresponding mortality with fighting .

 

[Bob-WY]

For body punctures I would GUESS the issue may be using 2 or 3 flies

 

[jejack26]

A well respected field biologist once posed the question. Which fisherman has the most impact, the one who fishes from shore with bait, catches his limit and leaves, or the wading catch and release fisherman.

 

[Djfan]

For body punctures I would GUESS the issue may be using 2 or 3 flies

Agreed. I rarely use two, and never three.

Ultimately, the solution is for us to behave differently. Whether we get our collective heads together and change, or the regulations are changed, the result only works if we all change. I would prefer the first option over more regulations, and avoid that slippery slope of laws.

 

[tormenter]

I am sure the anti's are already plotting on how to use this to stop torturing the fish and end fishing!

 

[Northwoods]

There have been several studies done on barbless hooks. There is not a significant difference in delayed mortality rates when using barbless hooks. In fact, some studies have shown higher mortality rates with barbless hooks. I don’t have any answers but I think the way a fish is handled is probably more important than the hook that’s used. Anglers need to accept the reality that just because they release a fish that doesn’t mean it’s going to live.

 

[seeth07]

A well respected field biologist once posed the question. Which fisherman has the most impact, the one who fishes from shore with bait, catches his limit and leaves, or the wading catch and release fisherman.

I've always had the same thought. I was once sitting on a river walleye fishing next to a guy that was b*tching and complaining about all these people showing up and catching 3 legal walleyes and then leaving and coming back the next day. I pointed out to him that what he was doing was no better as he had claimed that he had been sitting there since early in the morning (it was afternoon) and he had caught over 100 walleyes already but didn't keep a one. I'm guessing he hurt more than 3 walleyes that day where I left after 20 minutes with my 3.

 

[nrpate05]

I wonder if any studies have been done elsewhere. Obviously this is a popular location but there are dozens of trout streams that get hammered by catch and release guys. I guess the North Platte is different from many in that it can be fished year round. I've typically been a catch and release fly angler but in the past few years have become more and more uneasy with it. I've given up on the 20+ fish days. I generally either go for big fish or awesome locations (ideally both). I don't get the same joy I used to out of just hammering fish all day long.

 

[bigsky2]

When I lived in Casper from about 2011-2014, the big thing in the spring was fishing a pegged bead. You have your line looped through a bead that sits a couple inches above a bare hook, and the bead imitates a trout egg. When a fish grabs the bead, you set the hook and basically snag the fish. I never tried it, but I know a lot of people did it and it got to be a problem. I believe they have addressed it in the regulations since then but I moved away and no longer fish there.

 

[Bambistew]

Catch and release is just trophy fishing. Change my mind.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I've always had the same thought. I was once sitting on a river walleye fishing next to a guy that was b*tching and complaining about all these people showing up and catching 3 legal walleyes and then leaving and coming back the next day. I pointed out to him that what he was doing was no better as he had claimed that he had been sitting there since early in the morning (it was afternoon) and he had caught over 100 walleyes already but didn't keep a one. I'm guessing he hurt more than 3 walleyes that day where I left after 20 minutes with my 3.

Where were you fishing?

 

[Ben Lamb]

When I lived in Casper from about 2011-2014, the big thing in the spring was fishing a pegged bead. You have your line looped through a bead that sits a couple inches above a bare hook, and the bead imitates a trout egg. When a fish grabs the bead, you set the hook and basically snag the fish. I never tried it, but I know a lot of people did it and it got to be a problem. I believe they have addressed it in the regulations since then but I moved away and no longer fish there.

That's funny. It was really frowned upon in the 90's through the early 2000's. Spaghetti & meatballs (SJ worm and egg patterns) were the main course in the spring, but then you moved on to nymphing & stalking heads w/ size 22 BWO's.

Pegged beads. The shame of it all.

 

[INMT]

Catch and release is just trophy fishing. Change my mind.

It'd be like hunting big game with rubber bullets.

 

[seeth07]

Where were you fishing?

River here in WI. The same thing happens every April, can still fight the crowds and catch 100's of eyes but now the regulations are a bit different where you can only keep one over 29" I believe. Makes it even worse!

 

[bigsky2]

That's funny. It was really frowned upon in the 90's through the early 2000's. Spaghetti & meatballs (SJ worm and egg patterns) were the main course in the spring, but then you moved on to nymphing & stalking heads w/ size 22 BWO's.

Pegged beads. The shame of it all.

I believe they came up with a regulation that didn't allow you to have a bare hook, or something like that, so the workaround was to use a rock worm "fly" instead.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I believe they came up with a regulation that didn't allow you to have a bare hook, or something like that, so the workaround was to use a rock worm "fly" instead.

I think we all agree that snaggers should be dipped in honey and then set on an ant hill.