Catch or not

[JDP]

Right now we have both yellowfin and bluefin tuna in acres sized schools just off our headland which have been there for two weeks. These fish are from little 30kg fish up to around 70kg specimens and readily taking stick baits on light spin outfits.

So here's the thing, I simply can't be bothered to get the boat out and chase them. My daughter is pretty much hitting them everyday on the charter boat and then heading out with the same boat after the paying customers have finished their trips. Yesterday she did battle on a solid yellow fin for 2.30mins and is back out again today.

I simply can't drum up the enthusiasm and feel I've been there and done this to many times before that it no longer interests me, to the point I'm considering selling up the boat and gear. Ive felt this way for quite sometime thinking it might pass but it hasn't. It's funny that when you don't have much in the way of opportunitys on offer you think how great it would be to have them but when you have them how many times can you realistically keep doing it untill you become over it all.

First to fade for me was sharking, where in the UK I was obsessed, to the point it led me to living where I live now. After a couple of years of catching so many variety's of shark both beach and boat I soon dreaded hooking them. This has now transferred over to most species.

I do enjoy driving boats still, especially when conditions rough up but simply driving around soon becomes boring. I know some people might think this feeling of being over catching fish might be odd but consider every trip you caught dogfish or pout, you might soon feel over them, this is how I feel. Ive been fishing for 51 years, some of which has been comercial in a variety of styles. I also drive a few dive charter boats which has tottaly lost its fun aspects for me, especially when people get stung by jellyfish or seasick etc. Being a member of a marine rescue group sounds like am adventure but in realality it's towing boats home that have run out of fuel or a mechanical issue 99% of the time. The rediculous amounts of training and government red tape involved in rescue groups takes away any fun from being a member these days, which I'm also wanting to get away from now.

Anyway, there's my whinge to prove I'm still a Pom, heading out into remote wilderness with the dog now while the tuna are going off their heads out the front!!!!!!

[Andy135]

Jon, I get where you're coming from. I'm feeling the same just now about shooting.

When if first got into clays (many years ago) I was mad keen, then got my own gun, then got into game shooting, then got more guns. I was all over it like a rash. I was shooting whenever and wherever I could, and was travelling the country to do so, putting teams of guns together to shoot at any and every opportunity.

Now, I can take it or leave it and in fact I get more enjoyment out of working my dog on a shoot rather than shooting myself.

Its natural for one's tastes to change and evolve. Don't feel bad for letting go of something you used to love. You'll either find your mojo again or you'll move onto something that you find equivalent enjoyment from.

And frankly I don't blame you for finding that red tape sucks the satisfaction out of doing rescue work. It would drive me nuts!

[GPSguru]

1 hour ago, JDP said:

Right now we have both yellowfin and bluefin tuna in acres sized schools just off our headland which have been there for two weeks. These fish are from little 30kg fish up to around 70kg specimens and readily taking stick baits on light spin outfits.

So here's the thing, I simply can't be bothered to get the boat out and chase them. My daughter is pretty much hitting them everyday on the charter boat and then heading out with the same boat after the paying customers have finished their trips. Yesterday she did battle on a solid yellow fin for 2.30mins and is back out again today.

I simply can't drum up the enthusiasm and feel I've been there and done this to many times before that it no longer interests me, to the point I'm considering selling up the boat and gear. Ive felt this way for quite sometime thinking it might pass but it hasn't. It's funny that when you don't have much in the way of opportunitys on offer you think how great it would be to have them but when you have them how many times can you realistically keep doing it untill you become over it all.

First to fade for me was sharking, where in the UK I was obsessed, to the point it led me to living where I live now. After a couple of years of catching so many variety's of shark both beach and boat I soon dreaded hooking them. This has now transferred over to most species.

I do enjoy driving boats still, especially when conditions rough up but simply driving around soon becomes boring. I know some people might think this feeling of being over catching fish might be odd but consider every trip you caught dogfish or pout, you might soon feel over them, this is how I feel. Ive been fishing for 51 years, some of which has been comercial in a variety of styles. I also drive a few dive charter boats which has tottaly lost its fun aspects for me, especially when people get stung by jellyfish or seasick etc. Being a member of a marine rescue group sounds like am adventure but in realality it's towing boats home that have run out of fuel or a mechanical issue 99% of the time. The rediculous amounts of training and government red tape involved in rescue groups takes away any fun from being a member these days, which I'm also wanting to get away from now.

Anyway, there's my whinge to prove I'm still a Pom, heading out into remote wilderness with the dog now while the tuna are going off their heads out the front!!!!!!

 

Welcome to the miserable old gits club Jon, it is a big club with members world wide ! ..................  been there a few times, but after a little rest of never more than a month or two, the mojo comes back and you will be off out there again .................

These days I tend to stick with Wrecks and reefs, because the species are varied and it is interesting both from the sonar, navigational, and angling points of view ..............

All the wreck species are OK with me, apart from slimy snakes (Conger) which are the work of satin ............

 

 

 

[suzook12]

Sounds to me like someone needs a fresh challenge to get their teeth in to!!

Sort of lottery winners syndrome there

 

[Tadpole]

Really enjoyed reading that and drew many comparisons in a thought provoking post..

Initially with the talk of Tuna, I assumed you were in England but then recalled your the fella that ran away from the IOW.. understandable, dreadful cases of many generations of inbreeding. In the immortal words of monty pythons holy grail... RUN AWAY.

That as a given, I respect what you say regarding catching Sharks.. its just so pointless, isn't it? Much the same to be said for Tuna in the UK, why go sticking a hook and wrapping a fish in a metal trace (potential and more Shark related im sure) into and around something are endangered (Sharks - more of them are than not) and that you aren't allowed to target (Tuna), nothing saying what you catch and release will thrive and not sink to the bottom to die and become crab food.

I've stopped watching utubers like Locker because of the blatant disregard of fisheries rules on show during his Blue Tuna vids.. oh, and also his more recent vid on the two Blonde Ray's he caught one after the other and had one in a bucket 'reviving' and not for willy waving purposes with a vinegar stroke'esque 2 fish release for the camera.. apparently my description was from a position of ignorance.. never caught a Ray that I had to revive, must be a northern thing!? Bellend.

Pleasure fisherman are so quick to blame commercial pressure on a fishery when we are all responsible. 

Each to their own and as Andy rightly says imho that tastes do evolve, once upon a time I'd have been all for sticking hooks in anything that swims and not consider tomorrow now I target Bass with lures, if a fish is fucked, its knocked on the head and feeds the family.

Now that's surely going to put the pooch in amongst pheasants,  I'm off out to have my first and likely only Mullet bash of the year.. 🥳🥳🥳🥳

[JonC]

50 minutes ago, Tadpole said:

Really enjoyed reading that and drew many comparisons in a thought provoking post..

Initially with the talk of Tuna, I assumed you were in England but then recalled your the fella that ran away from the IOW.. understandable, dreadful cases of many generations of inbreeding. In the immortal words of monty pythons holy grail... RUN AWAY.

That as a given, I respect what you say regarding catching Sharks.. its just so pointless, isn't it? Much the same to be said for Tuna in the UK, why go sticking a hook and wrapping a fish in a metal trace (potential and more Shark related im sure) into and around something are endangered (Sharks - more of them are than not) and that you aren't allowed to target (Tuna), nothing saying what you catch and release will thrive and not sink to the bottom to die and become crab food.

I've stopped watching utubers like Locker because of the blatant disregard of fisheries rules on show during his Blue Tuna vids.. oh, and also his more recent vid on the two Blonde Ray's he caught one after the other and had one in a bucket 'reviving' and not for willy waving purposes with a vinegar stroke'esque 2 fish release for the camera.. apparently my description was from a position of ignorance.. never caught a Ray that I had to revive, must be a northern thing!? Bellend.

Pleasure fisherman are so quick to blame commercial pressure on a fishery when we are all responsible. 

Each to their own and as Andy rightly says imho that tastes do evolve, once upon a time I'd have been all for sticking hooks in anything that swims and not consider tomorrow now I target Bass with lures, if a fish is fucked, its knocked on the head and feeds the family.

Now that's surely going to put the pooch in amongst pheasants,  I'm off out to have my first and likely only Mullet bash of the year.. 🥳🥳🥳🥳

This is exactly why I don’t catch sharks or tuna, good story I’m sticking to it. 
 

As for reviving rays? They are hard bastards, with a little care even a gut hooked one can be unhooked easily with a T bar usually. I’ve never had one that has needed any reviving, they always swim. This is not to say they definitely live but they never go belly up. 
Sadly I have seen a few on the beach dead where I live, St Lawrence bay is becoming a popular roker (raja clavita for Fisty) spot and I would think these are from novices who just try to rip the hook out or go at it with a big pair of pliers. 

[Saintly Fish]

1 hour ago, Tadpole said:

Really enjoyed reading that and drew many comparisons in a thought provoking post..

Initially with the talk of Tuna, I assumed you were in England but then recalled your the fella that ran away from the IOW.. understandable, dreadful cases of many generations of inbreeding. In the immortal words of monty pythons holy grail... RUN AWAY.

That as a given, I respect what you say regarding catching Sharks.. its just so pointless, isn't it? Much the same to be said for Tuna in the UK, why go sticking a hook and wrapping a fish in a metal trace (potential and more Shark related im sure) into and around something are endangered (Sharks - more of them are than not) and that you aren't allowed to target (Tuna), nothing saying what you catch and release will thrive and not sink to the bottom to die and become crab food.

I've stopped watching utubers like Locker because of the blatant disregard of fisheries rules on show during his Blue Tuna vids.. oh, and also his more recent vid on the two Blonde Ray's he caught one after the other and had one in a bucket 'reviving' and not for willy waving purposes with a vinegar stroke'esque 2 fish release for the camera.. apparently my description was from a position of ignorance.. never caught a Ray that I had to revive, must be a northern thing!? Bellend.

Pleasure fisherman are so quick to blame commercial pressure on a fishery when we are all responsible. 

Each to their own and as Andy rightly says imho that tastes do evolve, once upon a time I'd have been all for sticking hooks in anything that swims and not consider tomorrow now I target Bass with lures, if a fish is fucked, its knocked on the head and feeds the family.

Now that's surely going to put the pooch in amongst pheasants,  I'm off out to have my first and likely only Mullet bash of the year.. 🥳🥳🥳🥳

Until next weekend

[Tadpole]

53 minutes ago, JonC said:

This is exactly why I don’t catch sharks or tuna, good story I’m sticking to it. 
 

As for reviving rays? They are hard bastards, with a little care even a gut hooked one can be unhooked easily with a T bar usually. I’ve never had one that has needed any reviving, they always swim. This is not to say they definitely live but they never go belly up. 
Sadly I have seen a few on the beach dead where I live, St Lawrence bay is becoming a popular roker (raja clavita for Fisty) spot and I would think these are from novices who just try to rip the hook out or go at it with a big pair of pliers. 

Precisely the same from my experience mate, these were blonde's too at a reasonable size so would take a big bucket to 'revive' in on a pokey little boat deck.. willy waving with a climactic ending releasing two at the same time. Pfffft.

Could the Ray's have been bycatch catch discards? Hmmm..

11 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

Until next weekend

Yeah buddy, as said I'll try and put your boy onto a fish or two.. cant leave it to long though, let me know when you're free.

[Saintly Fish]

53 minutes ago, Tadpole said:

Precisely the same from my experience mate, these were blonde's too at a reasonable size so would take a big bucket to 'revive' in on a pokey little boat deck.. willy waving with a climactic ending releasing two at the same time. Pfffft.

Could the Ray's have been bycatch catch discards? Hmmm..

Yeah buddy, as said I'll try and put your boy onto a fish or two.. cant leave it to long though, let me know when you're free.

Next Saturday is good !

[Tadpole]

1 hour ago, Saintly Fish said:

Next Saturday is good !

 

[Saintly Fish]

Just now, Tadpole said:

 

Nice catch Steve ! 👍🏻

[JonC]

Foul hooked with three sets of feathers? 

[Tadpole]

7 minutes ago, JonC said:

Foul hooked with three sets of feathers? 

Now, now silly Jon lad.. no.. the rod and reel would indicate to any proper fisherman that this wouldn't be the case. 🤦‍♂️

[JonC]

Or that you have 2 rods? 

[Andy135]

Cracking catch Steve! Bread flake and ground bait?

[Tadpole]

14 minutes ago, JonC said:

Or that you have 2 rods? 

That could extend to pretty much anything.. I might have called in an airstrike from the carriers up harbour and I've pocked up the soul survivor from the carpet bombing run??

 

4 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

Cracking catch Steve! Bread flake and ground bait?

As complicated as floating bread. Hiding in the captains basin in BH.. HW now, the Mullet are off the feed so do I stick it out or go run SP'S in the run!?... hnmm.