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This might be a dumb question, but I have alot of trouble with perch swallowing the hook and find it difficult to keep the smaller ones alive for release. Do you guys cut the barb off? I am sure someone will have a good tip for me.
Perch time....yum yum :)
You either cut your losses and throw them back or keep some short ones. I don't think anyone will hold it against you either way. It is just a part of fishing. If the stomach is embolized, you can poke the end of it and hope for the best. If you tear stomach or gills out, they will die.
think positive, if you do throw back a few injured fish your feeding a hungry walleye, !:D
try useing circle or octupus hooks, they generally catch the fish in the side of the mouth and very seldom do the fish swallow the hook.
When we catch those smaller ones that are hooked deep, I keep them. When we get to the limit and are catching bigger ones, I throw the smaller ones back. The gulls eat them. They are dead either way.
I use the bigger size hooks, I think size 2, and use larger minnows.
If I'm only catching perch less than 9 inches, I'm moving or not fishing long.
By the way, I have been told by a park ranger who was checking licenses on a river, if you throw back a fish and it dies, it counts toward your limit. I'm no lawyer but I would be carefull. Hope the seagulls will devour any evidence.
When you catch them deep and their bladder is out, can you put them in the livewell for a few minutes then let them go to survive?
best,
Rickerd
Can you use small perch for bait ?
I have always used Mustad snelled hooks. Sizes from the smaller #30 up to the #26's. They swallow the 30's pretty easy though. As for the release of the fish. I deeper perch waters the fish have the air sack come up into the mouth. The only way I have heard to give the small perch a chance is to pop a small hole in the air sack and that lets the fish go back down relatively unhurt. The hole would heal shut in time. I have never tried this method yet to see if it makes a difference or not. The small perch as most of us see will flop around on the surface and pull in a few gulls for lunch of perch.
A small percentage will shoot right back down unhurt. Thats why I like the # 26 Mustads. They usually get the mouth and not that deep. These hooks are a fine wire and very sharp. Cost is low so they are a good one to stock up on.
Like $ 1.69 a pack of 6. The deeper water you fish in the more you will see the air sacks come up and they will spit out minnows at the same time.
Yes- but not legally.Quote:
Originally Posted by MBLMIKE
If I know they are going to guy I just keep and throw an occational one to the gulls
Thanks for all the replies. I guess I am one of those guys who just can't release a dead perch just to keep a bigger one. I am sure I don't catch as many pounds as some, but I don't waste them either.
I suppose when they limit us Western basin fisherman to only 25 perch they should expect some sorting dead or not. It is kind of hard to drive 130 miles one way for 25 small fish. I do like the thought of feeding the walleye though:) I guess that is a positive spin.
Hey, at least they stopped the commercial netters from taking our fish!
Thanks again for the replies, I enjoy reading the different view points.
We keep them if they are dead; throw them back if they're live and just lip-hooked. When we're done if we have some small live ones in the well and we're catching bigger fish, we toss back the smaller live ones and catch a few more big ones. Overall, we get our limit and quit. We don't put any dead small ones back. Heck, they taste just as good! Just need to grab a few more off the plate, that's all. ;)
I agree with some of the posters that it's tough to not sort when you're limited to 25 fish. We just try to do what's best for the resource. I believe most fishermen out here are good souls and have the best for the resource future in mind always. :D
There is a short video on you tube shows how to clean a perch in less than a min or maybe even 30 seconds if your good , he took an average size perch made a couple of slices to dorsal fin and removed the head , skin , scales and entrals out in one easy step , in his hand was a nice ready to cook fish however it was with the bone in , but after cooked the bone will come out complete , gona try this with the smaller fish next time we go .
ps fry small ones whole ! not hole ! (what can I say, victom of public school system!)
I posted that link back in April and tried this method with little sucuss. Let us know how you do.Quote:
Originally Posted by MBLMIKE