As much as I love PI, the shore crowd there does seem to have a tendency to abuse fish by my observations. It makes it tough for those of us (regardless of gear choice) who try to treat the young'uns with kid gloves like the investment in the future that they are.
I have watched people drag the fish up (no boots) wrap the fish in a bait towel, dig out a deeply swallowed small seaworm hook that was fished on a 12 foot surf rod in a spike, then kick the schoolie back - over and over again.
I watched a guy who would make a good poster model for the Gloucester fisherman filleting shorts at night.
I've watched guys cutting 5 inch tinker mackeral into chunks to save bait while catching schoolie after schoolie from the Salisbury jetties, the majority of which had swallowed the tasty morsels. The schoolies were thrown from the tops of the jetty as if in disgust, bleeding down the sides.
On the positive side, I think the ratio of buttheads to sportsmen has been shifting. Although I am one who believes that the way people fish makes a difference in the harm it does to released fish, that's far from being the only issue. It's also the way people think (or don't think) that makes them care about the welfare of the fish they release.
I'd like to see F&W people speaking to anglers in a friendly educational way up there to raise awareness. Might stop the smuggling of shorts too.
I have watched people drag the fish up (no boots) wrap the fish in a bait towel, dig out a deeply swallowed small seaworm hook that was fished on a 12 foot surf rod in a spike, then kick the schoolie back - over and over again.
I watched a guy who would make a good poster model for the Gloucester fisherman filleting shorts at night.
I've watched guys cutting 5 inch tinker mackeral into chunks to save bait while catching schoolie after schoolie from the Salisbury jetties, the majority of which had swallowed the tasty morsels. The schoolies were thrown from the tops of the jetty as if in disgust, bleeding down the sides.
On the positive side, I think the ratio of buttheads to sportsmen has been shifting. Although I am one who believes that the way people fish makes a difference in the harm it does to released fish, that's far from being the only issue. It's also the way people think (or don't think) that makes them care about the welfare of the fish they release.
I'd like to see F&W people speaking to anglers in a friendly educational way up there to raise awareness. Might stop the smuggling of shorts too.
