100 fish a day

[Shaky Wadr]

Great discussion, just what I hoped for. So far I haven't elaborated much on my own view so here goes. First of all let me say that I don't see anything wrong with catching 100 fish in a day or any other magic number you may pick. Whatever your attention span and stamina will allow within the regulations is fine with me. I think what I object to is the whole idea of keeping score and the inevitable I beat you mentality. Why else keep score.

Personally I don't know if I have ever had a 100 fish day or not. There have been many days where I caught a lot of fish but I never count or keep track beyond what is obvious. Of course i know when Ive caught only five or about 20 but beyond that it is all a blur. Often when the fish are on and the catching is good I will start changing flies or approach just to see what else might work and how well. Yes, I keep a fishing log. I record more about the location, conditions, hatches, and flies used than the number caught. My notes are sprinkled with words like several or a couple or lots rather than numbers. They are also filled with all sorts of extraneous things like wildlife, geology, and people met. But all that is just my way and I am not saying it should be yours.

On the conservation side I agree whole heartedly with LF and many others that we should be careful with the object of our pursuit. Every catch is a traumatic experience for the fish and yes sometimes fatal. To me there is no point in pursuit of ever increasing numbers of fish just to build up a body count. If you find yourself in the situation where it is too easy, there are all kinds of ways to make it harder and more challenging. Slow down. switch flies. Cast left handed. If you must count, nip the hook off at the bend and count takes. Above all, don't make it boring. I can't think of anything more boring than using predominantly one fly for 10 years as this guy did.

To me, the goal of a 100 fish day is not something that should be promoted as a marker of whether you are good or not. I don't think it is good for the sport and it unnecessarily harms the resource. There is so much more to being a GOOD fisherman that we should concentrate on.

[Jed]

Must admit the thought of catching 100 fish a day sounds too much like work and a it boring. If they are that easy to catch its not fishing its catching. I prefer fishing.

jed

[Gardenfish]

there are times when I catch one good fish and then I go home. My day has been made and I am a happy man. Now 100 dink panfish (rose bush fertilizer) in a crowded pond - that is something else. Fill the bucket and get out the shovel.

[JohnScott]

.................................................. .................................................. ...perhaps I am to used to NWWa fish which are larger and fewer. I don't see many fish that can be landed one after another in 3.6 minutes.

Kerry -

Neither do I. Out of seven hundred plus days fishing in the past five and a half years, this is the only time I caught that many in one day. From my logs, which include a rough tally, on the low side of the estimate if I didn't keep a pretty close count, I average just over 20 fish per day.

When I fished this creek, it was the only moving water available to fish, before the general season opened, except for the South Fork and the Henry's Fork, and I do like some variety. So I fished it. It is a beautiful mountain spring creek far enough away from home that when I go there I make it a point to stay five or six hours. ( It is the first creek shown in my Fishing Reports on the Central Mountains of Idaho. )

I know the creek well, and I fished somewhere around a mile of water that day. There were lots of places where I would catch four, five, six trout in a matter of minutes and then move on. When you think of all the little holes, and pockets, and runs and riffles on a small creek over the course of a mile, it can add up pretty quickly if the fish are really eager.

For what it is worth, the brookies are definitely wild - it has been a self sustaining population for years. They do stock bows, but to the best of my knowledge, only in a stretch ten to fifteen miles downstream of where I was fishing. I believe all the bows in the water I was fishing are wild, another self sustaining population.

I guess I decided to even mention this experience in the first place because a number of people posting seemed quite skeptical that catching 100 trout in a day could be done.

I wouldn't say this experience was boring, or tedious, or like work. I would add that it is not an experience that I would "chase," but at the same time, if I am enjoying a day on a stream that I like in a place that is beautiful, I'm not going to stop fishing just because I'm doing a lot of catching.


Jerry -

I think the above answers most of your questions, except one. I started with a soft hackle pheasant tail. After 33 fish, it was beat up and I changed it for another s.h.p.t. After number 50, I decided to try a fly that I don't believe I had ever used on that creek - a CDC biot bodied caddis, better known as Harrop's Henry's Fork Caddis. After 35 fish on that fly, I changed it out to a fresh one. So between when I started and when I quit, I tied on two new flies. I generally don't take breaks, except for taking a drink or having a quick snack. Six hours on the water is more than I average, over the long pull, but it is not unusual.

John

[Crash13]

Catching a hundred fish in one day? Yes, an have and will do so tomorrow if the fish want to play that much. I primarly fly fish warmwater and a day catching gill, bass, striper, hybrid bass, white bass whatever sometimes reaches the hundred fish day. Do I get bored catching that many? No, just a little tired.

This being said I don't use a 5wt to striper fish. Don't use a 3wt to bass fish. I use a rod and leader stout enough to land the fish quickly. I don't agree with( not saying it isn't true), but find it hard to believe no matter how you handle a fish you're going to have 10% mortallity rate. I'm probably wrong, but I'm used to it.

If someone believes catching too many fish is a bad thing, maybe they are on the wrong side of the fence. Maybe they should jump over to the PETA side. If one is that worried about hurting fish, give up fishing and pick up nature walking. I fish to catch fish. I don't even like to eat fish. I treat them as well as possible because I respect them. But as with everything else in nature, they die.

Yes, the enviroment at my fishing spots, the solitude of an empty river, stream are wonderous. The wildlife I encounter. The lack of rude people and the other unpleasanties of the world help make fishing my favorite "me" time. It all goes together great. But, take away the fish and no matter what anyone thinks it's not fishing.

What is the approved number a man can catch in a day? Not keep, just land. In my opinion as many as he or she wants. Keeping fish should be held to the set regulations of the water you are fishing. I think the bigger problem is people breaking the regulations on keeping fish. I might kill(according to someone's calculations) 10% of my fish. But, there is a larger number killing 100% of the fish they catch and exceeding the limit. Not to mention fish not big enough. That is a great deal more damaging to the resource.

I'm not trying to start an argument, just telling you what's happening on my side of the fence. I might be over here alone but, at least there's room to stretch.

Good luck to everyone, hope everyone finds happiness,

Go catch as many as you want,

Gary

[Eric D]

Why would anyone get all tied up in knots over something like this? There are plenty of articles in all types of magazines that can or will rub you the wrong way. If some clod wants to run around & brag about catching 100 fish let him. By the way, hasn't anyone here ever heard the proverbial "Fish Story" ?

[jeffnles1]

I have absolutely no problem with someone catching over 100 fish in a day. Heck, if it were legal to take them all home and feed the neighborhood with them, what concern would it be of mine?

Now, if I was having an especially rough day and the boozo standing next to me on the stream had just landed his 100th fish while I was getting skunked.. Well, let's just say he may slip on a slick rock and get water inside his waders. After about his third or fourth time slipping and swimming, he may get the connection between fish caught and swimming lessons

Jeff

[Bamboozle]

If it's the braggadocio that bother some; oh well, get over it.

If it's the reality of it; I know first hand it can be done in a day.

If it's not your idea of fun; that's cool.

If it's the lack of self imposed limits; when I see a fly fisher quit a steam in the middle of fantastic hatch after three fish I'll believe your sincerity on that one.

If it's the magazine's implied endorsement and possible resultant fish mortality; I have to ask:

What's worse, a magazine with an article about one guy catching & releasing 100 fish; or endless kiss & tell articles about great hatches which attract scores of anglers to certain streams; many of whom catch 10 or more fish per outing. That sounds like more fish mortality to me if we're talking sheer numbers.

Jeez, could 10 guys at a Fish In catch 100 fish in a day total? If there wasn't a Fish In at that stream on that day would the fish be better off?

I'm not trying to stir the pot but there are LOTS of ways to yank 100 fish out of a crick if that's what bothers you the most.

[John Rhoades]

I caught 30 trout in less than 2 hours on one memorable evening back in July on the Yelowstone. I could have caught a few more, but I thought that 30 was a nice round number to stop at, and, besides, I was getting a bit tired of catching and landing all those fish, one after the other.

Come to think of it though, the 2 large trout that I caught last week were more memorable than those 30, and watching my friend catch a 28" brown a couple miles downriver on the Yellowstone earlier this summer was worth more to me than any 100 fish days I MAY HAVE HAD -- I'm not even sure I've ever had any of them, but I'll never forget that hugh brown.

John

[shacked]

When I was a around nine or ten I was fishing in my grandfathers fish ponds with a cane and catawba worms when the bream were on the bed. I caught probably 30 or 40 fat bream and was really proud. I had them on a stringer and ran to show my grandfather sure he would be pleased, WRONG. He taught me never to take more than you can eat, and talked about game hogs who are more interested in showing off their catches or kills than enjoying the sport. Then he made me clean everyone of those fish which was a task for a nine year old, and take some around the neighborhood and give them away. Lesson learned.