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sea fishing records

1K views 18 replies 7 participants last post by  Steveh24 
#1 ·
Im posting this to open a debate on the British fish records as over the last few years there have been a number of fish caught over current records that cant be claimed as the fish was released unharmed (to claim a record the fish has to be weighed on scales that have been tested by weights and measures ) this most of the time means the killing of the fish .
I feel that we as anglers should be voicing objections to this method some of the records i have read about are smoothound spur dog tope and some of the ray family like the 22 lb 12oz undulated caught and released last Friday by my brother on board sea fox from portsmouth (current record 21lb 4oz) and on the endangered list so cant be landed ? would love to hear others views on this
 
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#2 ·
Having caught what would have been a British record Spurdog myself and put it back rather than risk it aborting the pups it was carrying, I believe there should be a better way that records can be claimed.
Either that or we should do away with the record fish list altogether. Does it really mean much these days when there are several records that have not been claimed for years anyway?
Maybe there could be an specimen awards system possibly sponsored by one of the major tackle companies, to recognise specimen fish without the need for them to be kept?
 
#3 ·
Having caught what would have been a British record Spurdog myself and put it back rather than risk it aborting the pups it was carrying, I believe there should be a better way that records can be claimed.
Either that or we should do away with the record fish list altogether. Does it really mean much these days when there are several records that have not been claimed for years anyway?
Maybe there could be an specimen awards system possibly sponsored by one of the major tackle companies, to recognise specimen fish without the need for them to be kept?
its a shame we cant go back to the old NFSA system where you got a gold silver or bronze medal for the % of the area weight of record fish,i hate to kill a fish just to claim a record if i want to kill and eat a fish like a bass i only keep the 3-4lb fish same as cod 5-6lb
 
#4 ·
Chris, the Undulate could have been landed legally but not commercially. That said the decision was completely the right one, she was a big female with plenty of breeding potential. Far more satisfying to see her swim away strongly then get a piece of paper and your name on a list.

When someone catches a fish it is theirs to do with as they wish, so long as it is legal. It is always satisfying though when someone says 'Put it back'.
 
#5 ·
morning andy thanks for clearing that up although as a endangered spieces im not sure thats right lol i totally agree is best thing in world seeing such a fish swim away my point is that the british record system of killing for a name on a record is outdated and surley is time they moved with the times and encouraged the measuring and releasing of these types of fish love the idea of a caught and release record system reason why i posted was to see how other anglers felt
 
#6 ·
Whilst I agree wholeheartedly it cannot work. There is no way a fish can be weighed accurately on a moving boat, there will always be a degree of error. I use top quality scales and am happy with the weight of that particular fish but the circumstances of weighing make it impossible to be 100 per cent.

Length is also subject to enormous variations. I have had six foot and four foot tope that weigh the same. Length and girth measurements are a lot better but something needs to be set up for every single sea fish.

There is no answer. Yes the Record Fish list is outdated and inaccurate and probably wants scrapping, but there is no method to replace it that I can think of.

The boat record list wants red circling and consigning to the history books.
 
#7 ·
Looking at all of this from a realistic perspective I doubt that many fish get killed just to claim records? We've heard from a couple of people on this thread alone who have put back potential records out of personal choice but life is a competitive thing and more so, by choice, for some than others.

How many fish that would be rod caught records are dragged from the sea commercially every year? If they aren't the right species although entirely edible they can have to be thrown back over the side dead!!

I doubt that fish stocks are vastly affected by pleasure fishing although I wonder how some marks manage to keep producing fish when day after day a flotilla of angling boats are on them. Plaice seem to be targets in this respect and some marks seem to just keep fishing week in week out. Probably just as well that our current weather trends mean that the marks can't be fished every day.

There will always be discussion of emotive subjects such as this, personally I own a boat and go fishing because I enjoy being out on the water and the actual fishing, I do however also love a good feed of proper fresh fish as I guess the majority who post here do.
 
#8 ·
Looking at all of this from a realistic perspective I doubt that many fish get killed just to claim records? We've heard from a couple of people on this thread alone who have put back potential records out of personal choice but life is a competitive thing and more so, by choice, for some than others.

How many fish that would be rod caught records are dragged from the sea commercially every year? If they aren't the right species although entirely edible they can have to be thrown back over the side dead!!

I doubt that fish stocks are vastly affected by pleasure fishing although I wonder how some marks manage to keep producing fish when day after day a flotilla of angling boats are on them. Plaice seem to be targets in this respect and some marks seem to just keep fishing week in week out. Probably just as well that our current weather trends mean that the marks can't be fished every day.

There will always be discussion of emotive subjects such as this, personally I own a boat and go fishing because I enjoy being out on the water and the actual fishing, I do however also love a good feed of proper fresh fish as I guess the majority who post here do.
:g: I do find anglers attitudes a bit strange at times(most of the time in fact). Someone catches a good cod from shore or boat and everyone accepts it's going to be dinner, same person catches a good bass or mullet and everyone expects it to be put back alive and if it isn't a right old slagging match ensues. People are happy to kill a dozen or so mackeral for bait or the table and that's fine, take a dozen or so bass or plaice and you're enemy number one. As I've said here before, if a fish is killed for the table, that seems to be acceptable, kill the same fish for a record and you're an enemy of the state. Why? The fish is dead, it makes no difference why it's dead, it's still dead. Fish are a harvest and we as anglers have a right to share in that harvest, it' not not just for the commercial sector to reap. The amount of record fish that are killed each year is minimal compared to the commercial catch so why are anglers prepared to criticise another angler that kills a fish to claim a record but not criticise him for killing another fish to eat, seems to reek of double standards to me, perhaps the little green eye of jealousy comes into it somewhere. :g:
 
#9 ·
Hi Norm, I know what you are saying and it makes a lot of sense. It is always down to the individual what they do with their fish. However I have a sense of pride and satisfaction seeing a specimen fish swim off unharmed after it has been caught. The same way I feel a sense of waste when I see a similar fish kept simply for a trophy. I find it depressing when a good fish dies, but that is tempered if I know the fish will be eaten.

I have caught good fish and fully intended returning them just to see them go belly up and it is sad to see it die after the enormous satisfaction it has given you. At the same time I eat ninety percent of the bass, and ninety nine per cent of the cod, I catch simply because I like the taste.

I have to stress it is a purely personal take on the issue.

I dont draw parallels with the Commercial industry but talk purely from a sports fishing angle. I know that phrase in itself will draw detractors.

It is all about personal choice and that should not be dictated by others. If the choice is to return a record fish that is OK but it highlights the weakness of the current method of claiming a record which was the point of the original poster.
 
#11 ·
Hi Norm, I know what you are saying and it makes a lot of sense. It is always down to the individual what they do with their fish. However I have a sense of pride and satisfaction seeing a specimen fish swim off unharmed after it has been caught. The same way I feel a sense of waste when I see a similar fish kept simply for a trophy. I find it depressing when a good fish dies, but that is tempered if I know the fish will be eaten.

I have caught good fish and fully intended returning them just to see them go belly up and it is sad to see it die after the enormous satisfaction it has given you. At the same time I eat ninety percent of the bass, and ninety nine per cent of the cod, I catch simply because I like the taste.

I have to stress it is a purely personal take on the issue.

I dont draw parallels with the Commercial industry but talk purely from a sports fishing angle. I know that phrase in itself will draw detractors.

It is all about personal choice and that should not be dictated by others. If the choice is to return a record fish that is OK but it highlights the weakness of the current method of claiming a record which was the point of the original poster.
:clap2: Hi Snowy, my sentiments exactly. I return the majority of my fish, I'll keep a few for eating sometimes. I don't like to see fish slaughtered, even if they are for the table, I personally think anglers should have a reasonable bag limit, even if it's above what we normally catch, even if just for PR purposes. I've caught and killed a club record fish, nobody criticised me for doing it, I'd of used it for bait if it hadn't been a record, so it would've died anyway. I returned a British record smoothhound, only because the skipper said it was a tope mind, I found out years later it wasn't a tope. I've returned double figure bass because I prefer the smaller ones for eating, but I certainly don't begrudge anyone who kills a fish for a record or trophy if they're lucky enough, or skillful enough to catch one, although personally I'd try to keep some fish alive if I could.
Interestingly, the IGFA have just brought in a new "fish caught and returned alive" record list, the fish is measured, photographed and returned alive, it's a totally new record, it doesn't replace the "weighed ashore" record. Had I known about it I'd of had a new released cobia record caught off GB. Never mind, one day. :clap2:
 
#13 ·
Talking of record fish did you see the pictures of the six gilled shark caught at Utopia last weekend. Promise you it was genuine, caught on Bucaneer. Only small. looked about 10lb ish but there are some good pictures of it on Facebook.

We get the odd small Thresher off here but never heard of a six gilled before.
:clap2: Steve Mills had the record Thresher out of Portsmouth and I believe at one time the porbeagle record was held off the IOW, so there are some big ones around. :clap2:
 
#14 ·
Talking of record fish did you see the pictures of the six gilled shark caught at Utopia last weekend. Promise you it was genuine, caught on Bucaneer. Only small. looked about 10lb ish but there are some good pictures of it on Facebook.

We get the odd small Thresher off here but never heard of a six gilled before.
Are there any cod out at Utopia Andy? If not any other spots worth trying at the moment? Having a short break on the boat again. :)
 
#15 ·
Hi Paul,

There have been some cod but to a few anglers. They seem to be in tight shoals with one boat taking a few whilst boats around are blanking. The Cuba bank was the favoured spot last weekend with several to 28lb but lots of boats blanking. If they are there then they should be widespread througnout Utopia.

I know of one boat that had five and another had twelve but I dont know where they were except 'east of the island'. I would look for deep water and fish it over slack. They go off the feed when the tide picks up. Short targetted trips work better than sitting there for eight hours.

Andy
 
#16 ·
Hi Paul,

There have been some cod but to a few anglers. They seem to be in tight shoals with one boat taking a few whilst boats around are blanking. The Cuba bank was the favoured spot last weekend with several to 28lb but lots of boats blanking. If they are there then they should be widespread througnout Utopia.

I know of one boat that had five and another had twelve but I dont know where they were except 'east of the island'. I would look for deep water and fish it over slack. They go off the feed when the tide picks up. Short targetted trips work better than sitting there for eight hours.

Andy
Thanks Andy, I was east of the island last weekend but didn't do any good, tried Cuba bank and utopia but only a couple of pout, whiting and a conger. Didn't see any other fish caught where I was.

It was Arvor central at one stage out there! Seemed to be surrounded by the things :) :)
 
#17 ·
I think that we should do away with boat records as very few of us boat anglers keep that many fish as they can't be accurately weighed on the boat and sometimes they can't even be witnessed, all we know is that we have caught a cracking fish, but we are not willing to sacrifice it for the sake of saying it's the biggest one ever caught, well I'm certainly not.

There was an earlier post that referenced the difference in attitude between beach and boat anglers and although I had never really thought about it, beach anglers in general do look at most fish they catch as dinner whereas boat anglers will release them, is this because boat anglers catch so many fish and beach anglers don't, although I'm sure that any smoothhound or tope caught by the beach angler does get released.

Steveh24
 
#18 ·
Thanks Andy, I was east of the island last weekend but didn't do any good, tried Cuba bank and utopia but only a couple of pout, whiting and a conger. Didn't see any other fish caught where I was.

It was Arvor central at one stage out there! Seemed to be surrounded by the things :) :)
It was the group of Arvors on the Cuba that were doing the business! You should have stayed. Only on the start of the tide though as soon as it got going the fishing stopped.
 
#19 ·
:clap2: Steve Mills had the record Thresher out of Portsmouth and I believe at one time the porbeagle record was held off the IOW, so there are some big ones around. :clap2:
Yes Steve Mills did catch a record Thresher from the Overfalls as I seem to recall, apparently it towed him some 4 miles before being landed, but this was several yars ago.
 
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