01-17-2011, 06:20 PM
This is all great info, and we should do our best to practice good C&R measures to preserve our fisheries, but I seriously question that a steelhead has the same mortality rate as the trout examined in the study.
How can I believe that a fish that just swam 800 miles up river, sometimes at 5-10 miles per day, will die after a 10-minute coaxing to the shore/boat? I have a tough time imagining a steelhead played to capture with adequate (10 lb) test expends more energy than climbing a 100' rapid. I've caught numerous steelhead with a rash of hook punctures along the outer jaw (like those bass that live under the boat dock at your favorite lake), indicating they've been caught and released many times.
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How can I believe that a fish that just swam 800 miles up river, sometimes at 5-10 miles per day, will die after a 10-minute coaxing to the shore/boat? I have a tough time imagining a steelhead played to capture with adequate (10 lb) test expends more energy than climbing a 100' rapid. I've caught numerous steelhead with a rash of hook punctures along the outer jaw (like those bass that live under the boat dock at your favorite lake), indicating they've been caught and released many times.
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