The Hunt For Big Fish with Larry Dahlberg

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Larry; you’re a world-class angler but your skills at Socratic discourse leave little to be desired. I take my linguistics pretty seriously so seldom has anyone ever said that I have failed to articulate my concerns such that they couldn’t be understood. Do you speak English as a second language perhaps? Your advocates here are hopeless. Just because there is huge destruction in the commercial fishing arena does not mean that each individual should strive to do better! In the parameters of sport my foremost concern is projecting an attitude of respect that should go far beyond the simple harvest mentality.

Yeah, I just think that saltwater anglers display little or no regard for the fish they catch. There is no reason to gaff a fish and stuff it…bleeding… in a cooler so that it may die a slow death. You either think that fish have no feelings or are simply not worthy of any respect. On the farm we do not want a cow to be in any distress when we kill it. We believe that the release of adrenaline makes the meat tough. This is a pragmatic concern. Foremost, like the American Indian ….we just think the beast that we harvest for our sustenance deserves some respect. That’s why I would never drag a stringer of my fish in the dirt. Hell, I haven’t used a stringer since I was a kid! The sight of a stringer of fish enrages me now. It reveals the utmost in gluttony and disrespect. A sportsman should not have less respect for animals than a farmer.

So, I think I made it clear that it was only somewhat selfish conservation concerns that have led to “catch and release” and more sensitive habits of handling fish. All these efforts started with trout fisherman! So if you or your advocates here wish to belittle trout fisherman they aren’t very smart. And, yes. …regardless of what some of you think… it is illegal to lift any game fish out of the water in Florida now. If your guides don’t know that they are morons!

If you insist that there is no other way to handle a fish with teeth I must dismiss you. I have landed too many fish with teeth to know better. I have landed bluefish and never had to stick my fingers in their eye sockets…and a bluefish is more formidable than a Snapper in my opinion.

You could explain to me why you have to gaff a Dorado instead of netting it …and why you don’t club it …but you are more concerned about who I think your wife is. So you didn’t provide any real cogent retort and your single assertion about how to handle a Snapper was nonsense! I’d have more respect for you if you just said you don’t think fish really feel any pain and are not worthy of your respect. The difference between pain and negative stimulus is arguable but a fish that fights so nobly deserves more respect regardless! I don’t know …maybe the spilling of blood on your boat is some kind of ancient ritual I haven’t heard about.

Maybe you just need to have a knot-tying forum here. That’s a way you could actually help other anglers.

Give it up. You are beating a dead horse. You're lucky I didn't check your spelling too, it's awful.
L

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Larry; you’re a world-class angler but your skills at Socratic discourse leave little to be desired. I take my linguistics pretty seriously so seldom has anyone ever said that I have failed to articulate my concerns such that they couldn’t be understood. Your advocates here are hopeless. Just because there is huge destruction in the commercial fishing arena does not mean that each sportsman shouldn’t strive to do better! In the parameters of sport my foremost concern is projecting an attitude of respect that should go far beyond the simple harvest mentality. As sportsman I think we generally try to hold ourselves to a little higher standard than commercial trawlers!

Yeah, I just think that saltwater anglers display little or no regard for the fish they catch. There is no reason to gaff a fish and stuff it…bleeding… in a cooler so that it may die a slow death. You either think that fish have no feelings or are simply not worthy of any respect. On the farm we do not want a cow to be in any distress when we kill it. We believe that the release of adrenaline makes the meat tough. This is a pragmatic concern. Foremost, like the American Indian ….we just think the beast that we harvest for our sustenance deserves some respect. That’s why I would never drag a stringer of my fish in the dirt. Hell, I haven’t used a stringer since I was a kid! The sight of a stringer of fish enrages me now. It reveals the utmost in gluttony and disrespect. A sportsman should not have less respect for animals than a farmer.

So, I think I made it clear that it was only somewhat selfish conservation concerns that have led to “catch and release” and more sensitive habits of handling fish. All these efforts started with trout fisherman! So if you or your advocates here wish to belittle trout fisherman they aren’t very smart. And, yes. …regardless of what some of you think… it is illegal to lift a Tarpon out of the water in Florida now. If your guides don’t know that they are morons!

If you insist that there is no other way to handle a fish with teeth I must dismiss you. I have landed too many fish with teeth. I know better. I have landed bluefish and I have never had to stick my fingers in their eye sockets…and a bluefish is more formidable than a Snapper in my opinion.

You could explain to me why you have to gaff a Dorado instead of netting it …and why you don’t club it …but you are more concerned about who I think your wife is. In the Great Lakes every charter boat has a long net with a huge net bag. Usually they are about ten feet long. They work for any fish up to about 40 pounds. Ethical guys club the fish in the head the minute it hits the deck. Now, I know netting a huge Tuna is not an option but since Blue Fins are expected to be extinct in a few years and some studies report that 90 percent of all pelagic fishes are gone …if you keep any tuna you should be ashamed to call yourself a conservationist. Yeah, I know…why should you make a small sacrifice when commercial fishing does the vast amount of damage. That’s apparently the attitude of your greatest advocate here. Is it yours too?

So you didn’t provide any real cogent retort and your single assertion about how to handle a Snapper was nonsense! I’d have more respect for you if you just said you don’t think fish really feel any pain and are not worthy of your respect. Maybe you’re just not very introspective. The difference between pain and negative stimulus is arguable but a fish that fights so nobly deserves more respect regardless! I don’t know …maybe the spilling of blood on your boat is some kind of ancient ritual I haven’t heard about.

If your real interest is in helping anglers probably all you should have here is a knot tying forum.

Wow E, I have seen trolls before on other web sites, but you take the cake. I hope this arguing makes you feel big and strong and full of good and right and justice. Frankly, the rest of us don't seem to find you all that full of knowledge or wisdom.

Still, if it really makes you feel better quoting dogma and radical leftist liberal agenda, straight from the PETA web site, then it is your right to do as you wish.

I wonder, you signed up on this forum just to slam Larry? You did not think he or the rest of us would fight back?

What is your favorite web site so we can visit it and give it a little love, just like you have done for us? PEACE!

I signed up to challenge mindless behavior! Yep, it was a waste of time! At least Larry has a real loyal brain trust here!

My gosh.... Can't you just leave it alone? Very distasteful approach and really ridiculous. Thank goodness I don't share the same water as you...

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Looking at both sides of this, from now on I'll make an effort that we gaff the one's we're testing or eating through the brain. I hope we don't to mess up the otolith for the scientists, but at least the fish will suffer couple minutes less.
I still choose not to show them being clubbing between moe unhooking one and it hitting the ice. It seems to me showing the clubbing would serve little purpose other than perhaps the alleviation of the mental anguish of at least one viewer, and would likely arouse the ire of others.
Speaking of ice, hopefully we will be saying good by to it soon here in the northern climes.
And, speaking of fish, I'm off to Colombia's west coast exploring a spot I've been eyeballing for many years. Cubera, Roosters, plus tuna and billfish insanely close to shore. Looks to be an intercept point for fish heading into the Gulf of Panama.
Hope to eat fresh grouper or tuna every evening, plus find out when the best seasons are, and do a general recon.
L

Efishant,

You just came her to pick a fight and act self-riteous. Your initial post was hostile and certainly not thought provoking. I file you in the "loser" category.

Larry, sorry for spelling "self-righteous" wrong on my previous post. I'm typically a good speller, but there are certain words.... Anyway, I wouldn't want you to whip my hand with a Terez!

On the subject of Columbia, are you fishing with Alejandro Linares on this trip? I contacted him several months ago and he said he was no longer guiding for tarpon. He did mention there was very good cubera and sails on the Pacific side, so I was left wondering if he is now organizing saltwater trips. Have a good trip, I hope you are filming!

yes, we will be filming. Alejandro made us aware of the spot, but I don't think he will be showing up. We will be passing thru medellin and will make an effort to see and talk with him. I didn't know he quit on the tarpon. it was great fishing but a very rugged situation.
best,
L

Dont waste your time, Larry.. youve got much more important and fun things to do like your fishing in world class places and giving advice and insight on your expertise and experience... So keep up the good work.. I know for sure people like us, your supporters, greatly appreciate your advice and everything you do for the sport of fishing...
So from everyone, thanks....

Larry, as always you replied to this trouser trouts bs with class, I myself am a little rougher around the edges so I wish this efishant would find a nice quiet place and go boga himself silly!! Larry thanks for all you do!!

I respect everyone's opinion on this post. Because there's one common denominator -- our passion for, and preservation of, piscine interaction.

I've traveled and fished enough to know that techniques and habits vary tremendously. And until/unless you're well versed in specifics, don't profess your acumen or blindly blame. Trout fishermen, circuit bass anglers, and saltwater guys are miles apart. There are VERY few on the planet able to converse on, and conserve, all three, and Dahlberg is one.

Walk a mile before you cast a stone. Then cast a bait. And get back to what is important.

I know I'm late to the party but I feel compelled to join in. Sometimes I fly fish for trout with barbless hooks and my catch and release net net other times I'm in my boat catching stripers, cutting their gills to bleed them because I think they taste better (although my boat looks like I fished with O.J.). Both are great methods of their intended end result. Keep up the great work Larry . . . . I'm a big fan.

Thanks for weighing in! I totally agree.
best
L

Efishant wrote:
> Oh yeah...it occurred to me that you have voiced some conservation concerns
> on your show. In Florida you can't even lift a Tarpon out of the water
> anymore. That's gotta kill the trophy whores. A lot of guys now will simply
> cut the leader after they have "jumped" the fish a few times.
> That's a real advancement in the sport. Some guys do the same thing with
> Bill Fish. There are some high minded guys out there! There's nothing worse
> than dragging a majestic beast across the gunnels of your boat. Having your
> lateral line raked across the edge of the boat must be the fish equivalent
> of a good kick in the balls! No wonder fish mortality is believed to be so
> high. Well some guys evolve and embrace anything that will help the
> fishery. They are not entirely altruistic they just wanna make sure there
> are always gonna be fish to be caught. If we weren't anglers we wouldn't
> give a darn about fish or conservation...but it's a start! Now when ya
> care about something for which there is no personal benefit...then you
> start to resemble a real human. Apparently many of us will never get there!
>
>
> So, sorry to tell ya...but ya can't gaff a Tarpon in Florida anymore. Ya
> better stay south of the border! Ha!

Efishant: Your heart is in the right place, but verbally, I can't decipher your tone. You mention cutting Tarpon/Billfish off at the leader, and make it sound like a negative practice "That's a real advancement in the sport. Some guys do the same thing with Bill Fish. There are some high minded guys out there!" (Difficult for the reader to know if you're being sarcastic.)

And though you also criticize the alternative (landing these same fish to unhook/photo them), you offer no solution. I'm guessing you'd prefer no Saltwater fish were caught, period? That said, boating fish to be released can be done properly and with minimal damage. Unfortunately, around the world, there are many anglers and captains lacking the will or ability to do so. But I understand your point. It's just too bad that you don't realize that Larry, and 99% of the people on this site, DO give a darn about conservation, proper handling, and evolving as humans and responsible anglers. That's why we're here -- to share and learn. By the way, gaff's are necessary and useful, and every kept fish is immediately clubbed -- many before they clear the rail. You should spend less time watching TV, and more time on the ocean, professor.

I'd like to hear your views on commercial vs. recreational fishing, and the impact each has on specific fisheries. I wonder if you're as knowledgeable, active, or vocal about the numerous, illegal commercial operations worldwide (not to mention human rights violations, political corruption, and all various ill's plaguing our planet!). Remember, humans are animals, we are invested in our surroundings and interests. By nature, we are selfish, which can be a positive trait! We can focus on, and aim to fix, that with which we are familiar. And no man, try as you may, can (claim to) know everything.

To wit: As the sole, self-proclaimed caretaker, among us lesser humans, what are you doing about the rampant, illegal Dorado trade in the Sea of Cortez? Not to mention gender-based violations in Kenya. Or rampant sex-trade in Eastern Europe. Or do you not "care about something for which there is no personal benefit?" This is a fishing forum. It's dichotomous and contradictory to attack the global fishing community of wearing blinders, of being less-than-human, all-the-while touting trout anglers as having saved the world's piscine population.

Before you re-post, check your attitude, your spelling, and your sources. Until then, "Ya better stay in your thesaurus-laden trout stream! Ha!"

Websters: Efishant (e'fish/ant) n. ie: PITA; a booger which cannot be flicked