My first 20 pounder!

Did some late morning/early afternoon fishing today and managed to pick up this hog. According to the fish calculator here, it's 20.6 pounds.



And don't worry about the fish's condition. It was out of the water just long enough to take a measurement and snap the picture. It swam off as soon as I placed it back in the river.

Nice fish, what river were you on?

Way to go Jacob! Nice fish!
Good Fishing, Darin

Congrats on the fish.....

BUT... "dont worry about the fish, it swam right off." Thats BS. you can keep a fish in the water and measure it. You can take pictures of fish in the water. Beaching a fish is never good for it and the effects from that beaching can cause fatal damage after the release. Just because it swam away doesn't mean it was fine.
Sorry but I dont agree with what you did as far as handling the fish.
Not meaning to be an a$$hole but that is my opinion.

Are my eyes playing tricks on me or is your fish out of the water also!
Maybe you should practice what you preach.

my fish is out of the water but its not on the dirt. dirt scrapes off the protective slime that covers the fish. If you look closely, or you want me to post up a bigger picture, you will see that I am standing in the water and there is water running off of the fish.
Taking it out of the water is fine but having roll around on the beach is what gets me.
As far as practicing what I preach.... where does it say anything bad about having it out of the water as being bad. I said you can take pictures in the water. That is much better for the fish than beaching it and then taking a picture.

Way to go, Jake, that's a pig!

I presume that was the usual rig (float and jig) on the usual local spot (yeah, like I'm gonna post it?)?

Congratulations...I hope good karma lets you catch him again next year!

Fish on...

Todd.

I agree about pulling fish to be released on the bank, is not the right way to do it but if that guy is by himself how the hell is he going to measure and take pictures of his trophy?

I just thought it was funny how you say you can take pictures of your fish in the water,
but you obviously don't practice this.

I am no saint. I've pulled fish on the bank unhooked them and released them. If you have ever fished by yourself I am sure you have to.

I fish by myself all the time and am able to take pictures of fish in the water. I am not saying that they have to be in a foot of water but if you can put them in the shallows and take a picture I think it is better for the fish.
You obviously have no idea whether I practice what i preach. Nothing says that I took that picture.
If you want to see visually how to handle a steelhead in the shallows, measure it, watch Lani Waller's video on flyfishing for trophy steelhead. He does it very easily. He doesn't take a picture of it but he could.

It's amazing how some guys can turn an excellent day on the river with someone showing off their catch into an ecological disaster scenario...

I think we should congratulate Jake on a great fish without the bashing. Advise for future releases could be warranted but I think the point of the post was to show off a great fish being landed. I agree fish should stay in the water but perhaps an explanation of proper technique would be better warranted. Great fish Jake!

~steelymann~

Thanks guys! I really do care about the fish, so I did make sure to treat it extremely carefully. If there had a been another person nearby, I surely could have done everything needed without bringing the fish on to the beach. But there was no one nearby, and I don't see how I could have held my rod, held the fish, measure the fish, take off my vest, unzip the back compartment, take out the camera, unzip the camera case and take the picture all while holding the fish in the water at the same time.

Thankfully, the fish didn't struggle while he was laying down so he didn't scrape himself or anything. While I wish the circumstances had been slightly different (hell it would have been sweet to get a pic of me holding the fish) I made sure the fish was treated as carefully as possible.

Not that I agree with laying a fish in the dirt or on the rocks, but you,ve just landed your first 20# Steelie and you're by your self? Think back to the first or largest steelie you ever caught, were you excited? Ya think maybe Jacob was excited? Jacob, congrats!!!

D3Smartie,

You need to get out of LA/So-Cal now!

Good Fishing, Darin

Nice fish man.


....theres always gotta be someone to point out every flaw just to get his name shown though.......

~MATT

i couldn't agree with you more steelnerves. I'd be better off elsewhere.
I am sorry that this got turned into such a big deal. I just wanted to point out a way that it could have been handled differently, I have no need to get my name on the board.
I a sorry that i came to this. It was not what I intended.

Congrats Jacob.

Yessir.....just a dandy fish! that wet clay/silt didn't hurt your fish, so don't sweat it.....very nice!

BEUTIFUL Fish!!!!!!!!!

Nice fish Jacob!

I know the wild steelhead CNR ediquette threads are getting old, but come on!!
This fish is lying on the beach nowere near water, while the angler fumbles for a tape and a camera! Is it worth putting a fish through all that just to know exactly how much it weighs?
I also got a 20+ pounder this year. It was a very tough place to land a fish and i wasnt able to get pics being by myself, but the memories will always be there. I know guys want something to show off when they get the big one, but sometimes you gotta put the fish first...

After seeing a filleted wild fish on my fav. river and seeing a "guide" net a wild fish and let his clients roll it around in the bottom of the boat makes me glad the rivers close March 1 on the Sno/stilly/sky....Just a little bitter fellas

Nice fish though

Great Fish Jake!

Caught my first 20 pounder on the Elk River 18 years ago, by myself, and released it. No camera so I never got a pic, but was able to beach it in the shallows and keep it on wet gravel while I unhooked and measured it. But no worries, you didn't hurt that fish at all. It obviously has been in the river a while, has well embedded scales, and in the normal course of events fish scrape themselves all to hell on a variety of substrate, first trying to reach the spawning grounds, then in digging them up. Prior to that bucks run each other ragged fighting over hens, and will run each other right out of the water and out onto sandbars - seen it myself. Also seen fish smack repeatedly into rocks, trying to ascend falls, with apparently no ill effects. Compared to this abuse a few seconds on the sandbar is pretty minor. The fish you have to worry about are the immature fish, esp. in the ocean, where scales have not embedded yet, or chromers when they first enter freshwater and are a little shocky already. Anything that knocks out scales is bad news. Still, the outfit I managed in Oregon for several years transported chrome kings and silvers from saltwater to freshwater, by netting them out of a holding pond after crowding them to the head end (we used a soft knotless 3/8 inch nylon mesh net), hoisting them onto a semi, hauling them 100 miles, and dumping them into the freshwater hatchery after first subduing them and shooting them up with antibiotics and vaccines. After all that we had 98% survival to spawning. Fish are obviously tough enough to stand a little handling. Things like untreated stormwater, gillnets, or bonking them on the head are far more deadly than anything us C&R guys are doing to them. So again, don't worry, and lets back off a bit on being so critical of incidental fish handling, ok?

Sometimes you have to for go a photo opp. to be insure the fish's safety.

The fish should always come first...pictures and exact measurements are just a luxury that are avaliable when the oppurtunity presents itself!!

I will repeat...THE FISH ALWAYS COMES FIRST!!!

Nice Fish But agian,

This is why people just dont deserve having the option of taking fish out of the water for photos.

CONGRATS Jacob !!!


Mighty fine looking nate !!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure it will survive long enough to spawn!!

Nice fishing!!!!!

Cigar

...another reason why I do support Kramer's conservative approach in closing down our C&R seasons when the escapement goal is not going to be reached.

Anglers can not accept the responsibility that comes along with handling a precious resource...anglers can not be trusted!

Nice fish, bad picture. Lets all try to learn from this post. As excited as we get upon catching these rare natives; thats exactly what they are, RARE. Treat them as they are the last fish on earth, even if you are unable to take pic, or measure. Swallow your pride, its ok to tell a story WITHOUT a pic,etc.
If you must lay it down for a pic, lay it in the shallow, 6" or so of water and hold the tail with one hand and take the pic with the other.

Learn from OUR mistakes...

Peter ><>

nice fish jacob!

At least you let it loose! I dont think you harmed it that bad setting it on wet mud or clay in any case its better off than my first hawg steelie years ago I bonked it upside the head and had it for several nice dinners. I let them go more than not nowadays, but the meathead side of me still wins over sometimes.

That's one hell of a fish. When do we get to hear what he was taken with?
I can't say I've never pulled a fish onto the beach before release, but I can say I won't do it again. Will a little clay fatally wound an adult steelhead? I doubt it. But I also feel that it's best to take every precaution possible to make sure the fish is ok. Sometimes that means not getting a picture. I do have to say, I did cringe a little when I read the part about "measure the fish, take off my vest, unzip the back compartment, take out the camera, unzip the camera case and take the picture." I think a lot of anglers do more harm to fish by depriving them of breathing than anything else. If I just finished a marathon, I couldn't hold my breath for more than a couple of seconds.

Well,if you are still reading this jacobF..NICE FISH.I will skip the ethics lesson though.I still remember my first big fish and the exitement.Caught on the upper sol duc.Got a picture of it that looks alot like yours.Nothing was going to stop me in my exitement from getting some pics.Ended up getting an even bigger one next cast!!!

Thats a real trophy, and congratulations. Obviously you didnt know better or you wouldnt have posted that pic. We all learn from mistakes, these things are learned. Next time I hope you treat the fish properly now that you know better.

Congrat's,
Thats a really nice fish you should get a reproduction made.

Nice FISH Jacob,
I guess you've learned the hard way not to post a picture of your fish on this board unless you want to get picked apart by a few fishermen who think there perfect.
Anyway Jacob again nice fish.

============================
"I did cringe a little when I read the part about "measure the fish, take off my vest, unzip the back compartment, take out the camera, unzip the camera case and take the picture." I think a lot of anglers do more harm to fish by depriving them of breathing than anything else. If I just finished a marathon, I couldn't hold my breath for more than a couple of seconds"
==============================
Take hook out 10-20 seconds

Measure the fish 15-20 seconds

Take my vest off 5-10 seconds

Take out camara 10-15 seconds

Unzip camara case 45-60 seconds
(take gloves off, turn on, take picture, take another, go set camara down)

Pick up fish for release 10-20 seconds
and release.

Just adding up the conservative column adds up to over a minute and a half! WOW!

As stated previously, go run a marathon and then be forced to hold your breath, You made that fish hold its breath after probabally a good fight for atleast 1 1/2 minutes.

VERY POOR,, you should have just cut it into steaks.

All you guys that are crying about posting a picture just don't get it (and are the reason we need the C&R rules being discussed on another thread). Its not that he posted a pic. Its his selfish attitude in the way he handled the fish that has got everyone POed Measurements and pictures should only be taken it you can do it safely. I wonder how long this fish was out of the water while he, unhooked it, took off his vest, found his camera, and measured it. Certainly longer than you could hold your breath for after fighting for your life.

For you guys that say the fish is alright, perhaps you should do a search on this board and read what some of the Bio's that post here have to say about mortality in these types of situations.

Jacob its not my intention to blast you, I know how tempting a fish like this can be. All I would ask is that you reconsider how you would do it for the next time you catch a big un.

Should there be infractions levied on individuals that practice these release methods? (like in the above picture)

Know your limits, and maybe think about just cutting your line and letting it throw the hook once you have got it in the shallows and know its a native.
Heck of alot better chance for survial than what this fish had to endure.

Jacob--

Nice fish. I can understand your excitement!

I also fish alone alot, and have in my time collected some "fish lying on bank next to pole" shots. I don't anymore. Not worth it. For ANY fish...except those missing the appropriate fin who have already swam off to the great spawning riffle in the sky.

The thing is that the picture sucks. The rod is no measure of scale (looks just like the 9 pounder I C-n-R'd yesterday) and the fish is covered in sand. The instant I saw that pic I heard the sickening sound of a fish being stuck in the sand...it's like rolling a slug in salt. Still, you were probably motivated by a desire to hurry, snap the pic, and get it back in the water...next time, savor the moment a few swallows, bring the fish to your hand in the shallows, and be ready for it with your pliers between your teeth. Quicker isn't always the most delicate.

I know you're getting your share of flak right now and I sympathize--hopefully you are able to see that posters here are passionate about the resource and only encouraging low-impact hook and release methods and not necessarily flaming you in particular.

I remember one of my first posts--I was excited about fishing a planter lake with single eggs--received an indignant reply that using bait for trout was evil and I was wrong for doing so...but then you'd swear some guys are so conservationally-minded they don't use bait, hooks, line, weight, rod or reel, internal combustion engines, waders made of petroleum products, wool gloves, styrofoam corkies, any 3M product, &c. &c. &c. I mention this by saying that yes, there are extremists out there, but that no, the posters above chastising you for roughing up one of the big boys are not those kind of extremists.

Thanks for tolerating all these critical posts--I for one hope you stick around.

My opinion is this; a twenty pound plus steelhead is an awesome benchmark for any avid steelheader. Jacob's buck may well be the largest specimen he'll C&R during his lifetime. With this considered, a picture is a priceless memento of the event. Without it recalling the event with friends and members of the board is just a fish story. So people should ease up a little on Jacob, because I'm sure he was too stoked to think of all the fine points y'all are lambasting him for.

Also people need to practice what they preach! Some of the naysayers that are proponents of not taking fish out of the water are doing exactly that on the pictures under their respective monikers. Who knows how long those fish were in the open air? Rough hands will also remove slime even if they are wet? I also recall a certain picture of a small steelhead or resident rainbow one of the naysayers posted last month that was dragged up on the gravel right next to the river's edge! What's up with that??? What's next, a debate on what substrate removes less slime???

oh yeah, I forgot...Congratulations and nice fish Jacob..................peace out

You think jerking a 1/0 hook through a steelies jaw and fighting him till he's too tired to swim is not detrimental to its health? Even the best of handling does not insure survival. As soon as you hook a fish there is risk of mortality. So all you veterans lamblasting jacob, think about that. Why don't you quit fishing, that way you won't hurt the fish at all.

I am sure that jacob will be even more careful after this, but I bet all the rest of you have a few skeltons in your closets also.

Nice fish Jacob. Send us another pic some day when you get tht underwater camera everyone's talking about.

-rbf

Although I don't like to see fish dragged up on the beach, and it's something I do not do to native fish, I agree with Hohwaiian.

Nice fish Jacob!

Parker - Advocate of the Grip N Grin

Jacob,
I see that your pic post has created a little heat. My post comes in a 2 parter. yes it is a nice slab..But..I was shocked to see the first picture in this thread was a nate laying on the ground out of water for C and R maybe next time you could carry that cam in a breast pocket and take the water shot , and if you were so cocerned about all you had to do while that nate would still be in the water then think of the same events while it layed there on the bank. Great Fish..Poor Pic

Threads like these are what makes these boards get worse and worse. 3 or 4 assholes get on there perch and tell a guy, who may have just got a little excited, that he shouldn't have taken a picture of his first 20lber or weighed it or measured it. But if he posted on here that he caught what he though to be damn near a 20lb fish, everyone would call bull****. These fish aren't made of porcelin. He might as well posted this pic on a P.E.T.A. website. By the way nice fish.

Wow! I guess we just added one more to that fraternity WRO!

If the fish are too tired to swim when you're done, then you need to change your gear and the way you fight fish.

I think the fish is in better shape then this thread

WRO,
As a newbie here this is the second thing I've seen on this thread that I find hard to swallow.

Congratulations on a nice fish. Don't let the bashing get to you. I killed my first 20#. Had it mounted. I think some people get jealous.

Nice fish Jake.. too bad you got caught in a feeding frenzy!

I didn't even finish reading the rest of the posts in this thread.... I've seen enough..... And all I have to say on the topic is "My God, you guys are a bunch of PR!CKS." Here a guy takes a fish out of the water a little too long, and you're all acting like he just admitted to being a Child Molestor or something.... JacobF, Dont sweat the fish, it probably wont die and if it does...... Oh well. You didn't quite do everything by the book, but ya live and ya learn, so it's not that big a deal. Hell, a lot of guys would've bonked that fish, and you did the right thing by letting it go. To Hell with the Naysayers.

Some of you need to lay off the guy. I think he got the point by the first two negative posts. All of us have incidently killed a fish or two. Its impossible to avoid (unless you dont catch anything). Deflate your ego's and stop lecturing.... remember, when you point the finger at someone else, you got three pointing back at you. If you feel that strongly about saving the wild steelhead, put your money where your mouth is and STOP fishing for them. It's pretty obvious the runs are really in trouble. Back up your sermons with some action, or just chill out.

Jacob,
Congrats on a very nice fish. Seems as though a few others are a little jealous. I can remember how excited I was after landing my first 20 pounder. That fish went to the taxidermist. So you sending back certainly has to feel a lot better than killing it.

I don’t know how much, or if any harm comes to a fish on the bank for a very short time, but let me tell ya. I was fishing on a river in Minnesota, for large German Browns, when an explosion of minnows erupted from the water. A few minnows ended up on the gravel bar I was standing on, and much to my surprise, a brown of about 5 pounds or so, leapt onto the the bar, flip flopped over to one of the minnows, and grabbed it in it’s jaws and flip flopped back to the river. I was just wondering if this fish knew how much harm it was doing to itself, by getting sand all over it’s body?

I would venture to say that the fish survived. Mine didn’t. Don’t let the extremists run you off and enjoy your fishing while you still can. Seems that some just want to keep it all for themselves, unless you use the same hook, same bait, same rod, hold your tongue the same way, etc, etc.
I’m not condoning mishandling these precious fish, but what makes some think they should become a fish cop all of a sudden? Isn’t it better to lead by example, than to chastise someone else?

My .02
Catarafter

For what it's worth, I didn't "drag" it on the beach. When it was in around a foot of water, I carefull tailed it with my right hand and put my left hand under it and carefully lifted it out. I then gently laid it on the beach. It didn't struggle, it didn't flop around, it's whole body weight was supported. I didn't have to "fumble" for my camera or anything, it's easy to get to, I just had to take my vest off. I didn't even bother to take the time to wipe the sand off it. As soon as I put it back in the water, it swam off with no revival time at all. There were no scales or blood anywhere.

you got that right.