[yellowfin]

So I don’t go to the Pier very often and on the few occasions when I’ve been there didn’t’ catch anything bigger than mullet and kahawai… Just wondering what do you guys do when a fish of over 5 – 7 kg is caught. Does anyone take a drop net with them to land the fish or what?

Also how do you return undesirable fish? It’s a pretty big fall and I know fish get damaged when thrown off heights far shorter than what you get at the pier. A drop net could be convenient for that as well.

So yeah, what do you do?

Thanks

Nicolas

[rdeejay]

there was a discussion about this in one of the other topics, but from what i hear and read any fish too big to haul up gets beached and any undesirable or undersized fish gets the heave ho over the side.

[Fishy Bishy]

That still leaves me cold when again I ask as Nick does above, why the big heave ho as you say when a more thoughtful return could easily be deployed.
You guys are so well set up to fish from the pier yet the piece of kit to preserve your future fishing results is not even considered.
I refute the earlier suggestion that the fish don’t get harmed when biffed back from 15 to 20 feet skyward.
How do you know???
I am certainly no tree-hugger but surely a bit of thought could and should be directed at preserving some of the present for the future of the resource and sport.
Think about what you experienced as kids and what it is like now, then think what your kids may experience in future if we do not protect what we don’t want right now.

[yellowfin]

Some people have grappling hooks for bringing up anything to big to pull. For things like stingrays and seven gillers if you don’t want to keep them only way is to take them to the beach to remove hooks and release. I think a landing ramp should be added on because every person who goes to the pier shouldn’t have to take some sort of net just to release fish.

[Fishy Bishy]

You anglers take some sort of landing device like a grappling hook for example for fishing from the pier, these items not seen in any other situation, but no thought for a return device.
How about a bit of simple kiwi nouse and use the fibre sack you take for your catch, firmly tie a cord to the bottom corner, drop your return species in the sack after removing hook of course, half hitch the top just on a corner and lower to the water.
When relaxed on the water and floating, the half hitch will drop off with a flick of the wrist and Bob’s yer arnty, out rolls return species safe and sound and un-stunned to live to fight another day, when big enough to grace the table with fillets.
Alternatively the bag could be tied in a triangluar bridle setup and lowered to the water where the fish can simply swim straight back out. Same side of sack, tie to top and bottom corner. Attach lift rope to centre of bridle when held up. It all sits flat on the water with sack mouth wide open for release of fish.
There you go, a wee bit of forward thinking …… aka kiwi nouse.

re landing ramp: This is a totally brilliant idea yet totally impractical as the pier was built at the level it is to allleviate damage from those nasty easterly swells and a lower level would be like the Lyttelton boat marina, destroyed at the first decent storm warning.
The safety concerns would be heightened also and a whole heap of new regulations enforced upon the unsuspecting. A drop shute made from PVC tubing or similar would be a cheaper and simpler option, like a slippery slide with running water lubricating the surface, no worries. Could all be done for the cost of a cheap reel.

[yellowfin]

Construct something that could be used to release fish and folds down to fit in an ice cream container then send it to me and maybe I’ll use it

[Fishy Bishy]

The bag idea would fit in your back pocket Zac, no worries.
The fibre type as used for super phosphate and stuff like that.
The Rakaia Salmon contest usually hand out a clean un-used one to each entrant when they register, or they used to anyway….
They don’t hold water so can be folded up after a quick shake and home you go again, sweet as!

[yellowfin]

Hey Zac when you take the fish to the beach what do you do if there’s people swimming and stuff? Have you ever been in a situation like that?
Thanks for the answers people

[yellowfin]

Never beached a fish during the day but I’ve seen other people do it. Shouldn’t be any problem with swimmers, they’d move out of the way.

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