I caught a blue gill once that had a hook in its throat (found it while cleaning that fish). If they feel pain, why was it still eating (which is how I caught it).
The hook hadn’t been there long…it broke off my line earlier in that fishing session. I know this because I was using an unusual hook when the fish broke free (probably the line was frayed from playing repeatedly with blue gill and not retying the hook every so often).
Thwack;
I once caught a Walleye that had 3 hooks in it’s mouth plus a crayfish!! One of the hooks belonged to my fishing partner from the day before!!
Our favorite friends at PETA conducted a study on the pain fish feel. They injected the lips of fish of the control group with a saline solution and the others with an acidic solution. The control group couninued to feed while the acidic group didn’t for a day or 2. Thus fish feel pain! I think, “needle in lip = hook” Acid/Caustic = discomfort! These people are scary!!
Cactus
I guess the real question is what’s your point PCRusty? If I’m obliged then here goes! If you are impliying that I should stop the senseless slaughter of tiny helpless blades of grass every weekend or not prune my roses or even eat a salad then you missed the JEST of my first reply. I’ll have whiskey with my steak, Medium rare and a poor defenseless baked potato. Oh the Humanity!
Jack - that sounds like about the worst designed experiment I ever heard of…you’re right…very scary.
Sorry Tim, …can’t agree with this…
“This is perhaps the dumbest question I have ever seen posted on this, or any, message board.”
As mentioned the do-gooders want to say they feel pain so they can prevent fishing.
It behooves us to know the facts.
Garic, RW here
Sorry Garic, but you’re a predator, whether you choose to participate or not. You have incisors and fangs in your mouth. That indicates you are a predator by a higher order than the present day moral values of some folks want to admit too. PETA folks notwithstanding.
I have no qualms about killing and eating fish anymore than I do hunting, killing and eating lesser animals, except in the context of conservation or for health reasons.
Certainly I don’t practice catch and release because of moral values. I was put on this earth as a predator, and I will remain one until the day I die.
Any fly fisher that thinks he isn’t practicing a blood sport, and is apalled when he finds out he is should take up bowling.
Later, RW
“We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours.” -James Leisenring on fishing the wet fly-
Thought the question for this thread was:
“Do fish feel pain?”
Now, that is a very valid question, who knows the answer?
How does such a simple topic get steered off into “Blood Sport” discussions? Apparently there are some Manly Man issues in this thread and Attention Deficit Disorder issues? Especially from some of the FAOL elders? Gentlemen, do you find it important to speak even when your without answers? You need to look at your motives? Not enough to do at home?
Do fish feel pain? If you don’t know or you don’t care if fish feel pain, go take out the trash or do the dishes for your wife! Find out what it is really like to be a Manly Man!
RW, you miss the point of my reply, I am a carnivore, and I do kill and eat fish, just not trout (due to the fact they do not suit my pallette). What I am saying is that although the death of some fish is inevitable, I do not see it as a blood sport due to the fact that the death of the fish is not the enevitable outcome of our sport, I class blood sports as the follows “where the death of an animal/fish is the bee all and end all of the sport”. The fact that some replies on this post are so flipant about the fishes demise must surely strengthen the standpoint of any peta member that may read them. Please do not think that I am having a personal attack on any of the members of this board with that last comment, just an observation on my part.
Work is a means for people to afford their fishing.
Garic, your point is well made! Bet you take out the trash and do the dirty dishes without being asked?
But; do fish feel pain?
You want to argue the issue of “Blood Sport” in a thread? Go start the thread! Hello? Anybody at home?
I really think some of you men are a little silly! You sit on your computer, ready to argue until your heart attack over a little creature who has a brain the size of a pea! Good grief, get a life! How many of us gals are willing to be so foolish? Guess that’s why we out live you?
Pearl, can you please point out where the arguing part of my posts are??? as they seem to elude me 
I am just stating my standpoint on this subject. I do not argue over a creature with a brain the size of a pea, as I think women can argue their own corner
Work is a means for people to afford their fishing.
Pearl, RW again,
You should get used to the fact that all threads on FAOL go off on tangents. As for the question, “Do fish feel Pain”…How the heII do I know, I ain’t no scientist, and neither are most of the folks on this website. Just wait awhile and someone will come along that might know.
I mean, you opened the door on this thread, and you never know what might come waking through.
Later, RW
P.S. Garic: Go ahead, it ain’t so bad. I just took out the trash, did the dishes, and fed the cat. My wife is off playing bridge, and I’m missing the Sox game, but hey, I love the old girl and it don’t hurt to help out once in awhile. I’m buildin up points for my next fishing trip.
RW
“We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours.” -James Leisenring on fishing the wet fly-
[This message has been edited by Royal Wulff (edited 24 April 2005).]
RW, I agree with you on that one, the brownie points never go wrong.
Work is a means for people to afford their fishing.
Garic, you are right! I am simply trying to say that I’d like an answer to the question:
Do fish feel pain?
But; Garic, you need to recognize that some of these people; as good and kind as they can be when you meet them in person, just don’t have the capacity to recognize what you are saying! You can state your case until your blue. They will not understand, it’s not their fault, they just do not understand! In other words; these are the people who walk up to a trash can in their kitchen and stick a pizza box on it without giving any thought to the idea:
“Jeepers; this thing is over flowing, I better take it out!”
I’ll go back to the question:
“Do fish feel pain?”
LOL I’ll drop out of this now!
Oh, DudaDay!
I dont know if they feel pain…
I do however know for a fact they experience fear…
Every single time I set foot in/on/ or near a body of water!!!
Pearl, Pearl, Pearl, tsk, tsk, tsk,
“Manly Man issues?” Yep, Yep, now that you mention it there is definitely someone here who has issues.
RW
“We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours.” -James Leisenring on fishing the wet fly-
Still the issue?
Do fish feel pain?
Pearl,
Okay, specific answer to your question, which by-the-way was discussed in a thread about a year ago, is that there have been reported studies and they have proven inconclusive.
Allan
I took up flyfishing because I could not stand to continue inflicting pain to earthworm as I did as a child. They really do wiggle badly when you put the hook through them. I believe that PETA should take up the cause of banning bait and promoting flyfishing as a humane alternative. Sage, are you listenting?
In all seriousness, someone above had it right. There are nuts out there that would like to end our sport because in their omnipotence (in reality an inability to divest themselves of anthromorphologic thinking) they have determined that catch and release fishing is cruel.
Several years ago while in Canada, an older man and woman of native dissent stated in a casual discussion that they would not practice catch and release because they would not torture fish for sport. They believe that if you are going to catch it, kill it and eat it. Warped logic, if you ask me, that rests on the faulty premise that fish feel pain. Also faulty in presuming that whatever goes with catch and release fishing is somehow more detrimental than killing them and preventing them from reproducing.
[This message has been edited by Rawthumb (edited 24 April 2005).]
Pearl;
I’ve done my dishes, mopped the kitchen floor, dusted and vaccumed. Now I’m doing my laundry! Yes I’m single and love it, no problem with house work.
As to Pain even we humans have different thresholds. Ever cut yourself and not know it till you see the blood on your jeans?
I’ve caught Pike, released them and have them try to eat the Walleye on the stringer!!
And as stated earlier a Walleye with 3 hooks and a crayfish in it’s mouth was not feeling any pain!!
Cactus
This was mentioned a few posts back that their hook was found in a fish they caught. I found what looked to be one of my PTN in a blue gill that broke off and last year caught 4 lb bass on a foam hula popper that had a huge frog leg sticking out from its throat.
The way to a flyfisherman’s heart is through his fly