When Does A Fish Count As 'Caught'?

maceo · Sep 16, 2012

When does a fish count as 'caught' morally? Is it when you actually touch them with your hands?

I've had fish drop off at the net, I've had ones that have dropped off as I'm reeling them in but I've had a real good look at them, I've had ones that I've actually had on the bank that have performed a huge flip flop as I'm unhooking them and managed to get themselves back into the water and swim away.

None of those scenarios would count in a match of course, but with regard to bragging rights, when you get home or someone asks you whether you've caught anything, can you properly count any of these and keep a clear conscience?

Just wondered others feelings.

bennygesserit · Sep 16, 2012

I read about a trout lake where you fish the fly without the hook , and getting a take counts, in some way.

Personally it counts if it is not foul hooked and it is in the landing net , and it counts double if it was the species you were targeting and quadrouple if it was the individual fish you were targetting.

chub_on_the_block · Sep 16, 2012

A bit like a catch in cricket? - has to under control in that case. If you throw the barbel up in the air in celebration before its under control it doesnt count if it falls back into the water.

A fish in the landing net or touched by hand. Unless a match - then it needs to be in the keepnet at the end of the day when the scales arrive.

sam vimes · Sep 16, 2012

When it's in the landing net.

agamemnon · Sep 16, 2012

when i lift the net with the fish in i class it as a fish on the bank

laguna · Sep 16, 2012

When its in my hands and the hook is removed

chav professor · Sep 16, 2012

What if another fish swims into the landing net as it follows its companion?

Pike that fail to let go of a small roach at the net?

Oh, the moral dilemma's......

The funniest who's fish counts scenario was whilst fishing an East coast match. My neighbours line had washed down tide, tangled with mine.... we both had codling on, though one was much bigger..... It was fun unravelling the mess to find out who could claim the bigger fish...... Should have bitten him off...lol

BarryC · Sep 16, 2012

And what about my favourite.
Anglers fishing a weedy swim with little chance of landing anything hooked.
So fish dives in the weed and a companion wades out or worse still goes out in a boat and prods around with a landing net until he scoops ouit the fish.
In my book it has not been caught by fair angling.

tigger · Sep 16, 2012

laguna said:
when its in my hands and the hook is removed

snap !

Berty · Sep 16, 2012

BarryC said:
And what about my favourite.
Anglers fishing a weedy swim with little chance of landing anything hooked.
So fish dives in the weed and a companion wades out or worse still goes out in a boat and prods around with a landing net until he scoops ouit the fish.
In my book it has not been caught by fair angling.

Thats a very fair comment!

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Sep 16, 2012

For me a fish is caught when its on the bank and unhooked

barbelboi · Sep 16, 2012

In a billfish release only tournament. A release is defined as a leader to rod tip or by crew touching the leader with his or her hand.
Jerry

sagalout · Sep 17, 2012

bennygesserit said:
counts double if it was the species you were targeting and quadrouple if it was the individual fish you were targetting

But does it count if it's say a carp on a barbel rod? What about a pit tench an Avon rod?

no-one in particular · Sep 17, 2012

barbelboi said:
In a billfish release only tournament. A release is defined as a leader to rod tip or by crew touching the leader with his or her hand.
Jerry

I have been watching 'extreme fishing' (might be wrong title) on Quest last week about 5pm. Fishing for marlin and all manner of things of New Zealand, good program. Unbelievable the fish they were catching with underwater cameras and everything; very interesting. They were demonstrating the only touching the leader as a caught fish. They were putting tags into these endangered fish while still laying along side the boat.

When pleasure fishing I do not mind if a fish gets off at the last knocking. If I have got the fish to the bank and seen what the fish is and roughly estimated its size; I am happy. I wouldn't count it as strictly caught but, it is good enough for me.

markhib · Sep 17, 2012

sagalout said:
But does it count if it's say a carp on a barbel rod? What about a pit tench an Avon rod?

I've caught 95% of my carp on a barbel rod, after following advice on this site, now none of them count? Bummer.
Mark

Philip · Sep 18, 2012

I became quite anal about this point in the past especially when I was a kid and a days success was measured by numbers of fish caught. At that time I considered a fish I had touched as a caught fish and I felt this was just and fair and only those I actually touched counted towards the days tally.

However my self imposed rule was about to be morally tested as I clearly recall swinging a fish to hand but it fell off mid swing, I swung out a hand to try and catch it, managed to touch it but it fell in and swam away.

I contemplated this incident that evening as I filled in my diary and decided that I could not count that fish as caught, It just did not seem right. So therefore I amended my rule to say that I had to touch the fish and be satisfied I indeed «caught» it and thats basically the rule I still apply to this day.

My one situation where I suppose I dont really follow my own rule is those occasions I deliberately try and shake fish off the hook in the edge ...the umpteenth Bream that takes my Carp bait for example...I have not touched these but I suppose I have (caught) them.

I guess the bottom line is we all as anglers know when we have truly caught a fish and if you didnt catch it your only cheating yourself in the end.

Ray Roberts · Sep 19, 2012

I caught a double figure Pike with a landing net. I was Roach fishing on the river Uck and as I tossed a small one back a Pike went for the fish, it's teeth became entangled with the mesh of the landing net and the net went flying along the bank. Only a fine diving catch prevented the net from following the fish upstream. I had a heck of a job untangling the Pike's teeth from the mesh, it's teeth were like Velcro.

Peter Jacobs · Sep 19, 2012

To my mind a fish is "caught" when safely inside the landing net when angled for by fair means.
[each of us possibly having different definitions of that]

If swinging-in fish-to-hand then it is "caught" by my definition when I have it in hand and have removed the hook.

When fly fishing then my definition is when the fish is 'banked' i.e. removed from the water and either dispatched or then released according to the local rules.

terry m · Sep 19, 2012

On the bank, unhooked and under control -simple.

alchemist · Sep 22, 2012

Tempting to say in the landing net but I have had fish flip and throw the hook on the unhooking mat and because of restricted space they have been able to flip back into the water. If I don't have them under full control it doesn't quite count somehow.

When Does A Fish Count As 'Caught'?

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