Lake Trout Angler Mortality??

[digitroll (ron)]

We will need to invite Harry in early August Jeff to get that Mojo back!

[Hairbone]

We will need to invite Harry in early August Jeff to get that Mojo back!

Haha. My biggest salmon came on a brown trout speedy shiner!

Gonna make up a set of copper/black dot magnum spoons for Ron & icedawg for all the great lake O info they passed along over the years. Spoon was HOT on those overcast dark days!

[Captain Paul]

I think reality is we all know right from wrong. I will be the first to admit that my go to laker lures are treble set-ups. Not because they are trebles, but because as has been pointed out by tamiron in the past changing a hook impacts the action, and chartreuse and black dot speedy shiners flat out produce when laker fishing as do spin n glo's. If I could find a setup that got as many strikes I would use it. But the reality is these are stocked fish, they have a finite life cycle that in no way impacts the life cycle of any other fish in the future. If I hook a laker and it dies after release, the state will be putting a new one in in the spring to replace it. Champ has a very healthy laker population, and as long as the state stocks it that will remain. While this may be a very human centric, screw nature view of the situation, the reality is that if the state stopped stocking the lake, and banned laker fishing, in 10 years there would be no lake trout. We are why they exist, I don't see anyone worried about the mortality of farm raised salmon, or cows, champlain is in essence just a giant cold water fish farm. Now if they can get them breeding and have the fry survive that would change my view.

Keith I hear what you are saying but some of it is not quite true For starters I believe Lake Trout in Lake Champlain will live up to 30 plus years it take the quite a while to reach 15 lbs. with Lamprey present in the Lake so everyone of them Lake Trout you release that survives could be a true trophy 10 or 20 years from Now. I also believe Ellen Marsden from UVM has started to find a few naturally produced Lake Trout in Champlain. Ellen knows they are reproducing on there own now but the survival rate after a couple of weeks is very low they are trying to fix that now.

[Captain Paul]

My thought on Lake Trout Survival if you are not going to keep them and don't need a photo for bragging rights bring them to the surface and instead of netting them give them some slack line and try to shake them off if this doesn't work use a rubber net to land them unhook them in the net and release them with the net so you don't have to touch them. If you have to have a picture grab them grab them firmly by the tail cradle the belly quick photo and release immediately. Never put you're hands in there Gills, never hang them up by there Jaw to our Gill plate to weigh them. I fish Lake Trout year round and I do believe there is a certain percentage that die from being caught maybe 10 or 15 percent this is just a guess but I believe that number sky rockets when they are mishandled. I know for a fact that we caught the same Lake Trout 4 times one summer because he had some very distinct marking on him the fourth time the client kept him. I also caught one of Ellen Marsdens tagged Lake Trout with the Transponder in it 3 years ago and released it and according to Ellen it was still alive the next year

[fishy1]

thanks captain paul for that valuable info.

[ThreeBuoys]

I have caught a fair number of Lakers this year and don't keep very many.
In my case, if I attempt to get them close enough to use the pliers and remove the hook I have snapped off the leader and lost lures. I only use 10lb mono. I now net them in the rubber net and remove the hook and return them to the water . Seems to work the best.

[keithm87]

I don't intentionally kill a fish, and will keep ones that are injured and feed them to friends, but I don't have the moral issue i guess was my whole thing. I have been taking extra care this year as the numbers I catch have gone up, my urge to get each in the boat has gone down. When I was catching 4-5 fish a day I wanted them all in the boat, but averaging 20 a day, I would rather all the small ones find a way off the hook at the back of the boat. But I sure as heck am not going to stop targeting fish that are stocked for me to catch just because they may die. I try my best to treat fish with care though.

[ThreeBuoys]

Same with me Keith. Like I said, I only keep a few and the rest go back. If I see that they will not survive, they find a way into my freezer or smoker.

[Dodger]

Dick you had an entire 4 page thread last summer that was this same argument about summer salmon ethics, where you argued that fishermen who catch and release were basically immoral for the fact that they could be killing fish. I don't think anyone has a goal of attacking you or your ideas, but your posts on this subject often come across as holier than thou. Below is a reminder of the thread from last year.

PS ? is not a .

Dick does have a holier than thou attitude and a great imagination. Re: Keith's post from Dick last summer, it is illegal in NH to put live salmon in a live well. It's considered "culling". Isn't he an "ethics" guy?
Earlier this spring in a NH forum he posted (stated) that you guys (Champ trollers) use cheaters "3-20' long". Kinda makes you question his trolling experience?