Jump to content

When is a fish *landed*


skullyboy05

Recommended Posts

On Saturday evening on a favorable tide, I was in my yak having a go for some whiting on topwater. Whilst the session was a little quiet on the whiting front (3 at around legal) I did manage to somehow (read fluke) latch onto a monster tailor at my estimate to be 55-60cm, on 4lb braid with 6lb leader it was pulling plenty of string for a long time. After the longest fight of my fishing career maybe 20 mins I managed to get it to the yak up alongside. It was meant to be headed to the dinner table and home for a photo-shoot, however it had other ideas and decided to thrash about once more as I was prepping a glove and pliers to remove the treble from its mouth. It managed to flick itself free and after a brief teasing pause disappeared back into the darker water never to be seen again.

I'm a novice when it comes to dehooking larger fish from the yak and the adrenaline was still pumping so I was disappointed to say the least now that the evidence of a massive box ticking fish went when it didn't want to play the game with me. Usually the phone stays at home on the chance that I end up tipping over I don't lose it.

One of my mates who put me onto this particular spot asked later about my travels and I regaled my epic struggle against such a river monster. He suggested that the fish was landed as I got it to the yak. I would suggest that it wasn't landed as it never entered the yak. When I normally catch from the bank it is fairly cut and dry that a fish is only landed when you get it to dry land. Is there an alternative view when fishing from a watercraft?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have some friendly social fishing comps with mates and our call is the fish is counted when it is in genuine and easy netting distance. Ideally it is landed which takes it beyond all doubt but we came up with that guideline so we wouldn't get penalised by a bad job at netting the fish.

If you'd had a net with you could you have genuinely netted the fish? It sounds like the only reason for losing the fish was to try and get the hooks out. In my eyes that counts as a catch. The problem will be you don't have a definitive length so it makes the actual PB size a little fuzzy.

Edited by DerekD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If not competition fishing you can put a personal rule to this.  Usually if the fish is secured like safely netted or in boat and can't escape without your help, its landed.  If you have a fish next to your craft and remove hook to release while still in the water,  its caught.  Just to complicate matters, I believe that in gamefishing rules you only have to grab the leader to make a capture.  As a general rule,  covered in panco crumbs and fryed is definately caught.  Ron 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, campr said:

 I believe that in gamefishing rules you only have to grab the leader to make a capture.

I've heard of some stupidly amazing captures as a result such as a 200kg (not actual figures as this is from memory) on 8lb line. The fish took the bait and the boat backed up quick enough that they got to touch the leader before the fish realised it and I suspect gaffed it. This was second hand from someone else so don't take this as written in stone.

Had a quick look and found this article. In particular look at catches number #53 (5 minutes) and #45 (two minutes) on 2lb tippet: https://www.sportfishingmag.com/top-100-world-record-fish/

Edited by DerekD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, DerekD said:

If you'd had a net with you could you have genuinely netted the fish? It sounds like the only reason for losing the fish was to try and get the hooks out. In my eyes that counts as a catch. The problem will be you don't have a definitive length so it makes the actual PB size a little fuzzy.

To answer your first question. Yes it slapped the side of the kayak and the top of my to do list has BUY A LANDING NET in big bold capital letters. I've got an order for a new Combo and I plan on getting one at the same time I pick it up.

To answer the second question I'd only ever caught a couple of choppers off the beach at Stanwell Park a few years ago and they weren't in the ballpark in comparison. I love going out for an evening beach session but I don't do it as often as I used to. Uni finished and the real world took over so my love of night fishing is now an indulgence than a habit.

Edited by mrsswordfisherman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I reckon you can only claim a fish as “landed” when it is in the net or in the boat / wharf / rocks I.e. at your feet. If it gets off or “flicks” itself back in, you’ve still landed it.

As Derek says ALWAYS have a net with you. The only exception for me is when baitfishi g for Yakkas (I always use a net for squid and slimies). Experience has taught me to always use a net. (I have 2 on my boat - 1 small for squid and slimies and a bigger one for Kingies, Flatties, snapper etc)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

12 hours ago, campr said:

 Just to complicate matters, I believe that in gamefishing rules you only have to grab the leader to make a capture. 

Wow. Grab the leader?! That's explains why my locally puchased NZ Black Magic leader spool comes with only 30m while directly imported one from NZ - 220m. Bloody Kiwis!:ranting2:🤣

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many game fisho's claim a capture if they touch the leader OR the fish, I don't agree with this. In many cases the fish is still green and still have plenty of life in it.

However IF you get a fish to the side of the boat and grab and hold the fish for some seconds then in my opinion the fish is captured.

Just to get the fish within sight or a net is NOT a capture in my opinion.

Frank

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gamefishing rules are basically this-the leader must be touched but only when tagging fish-no tournament im aware of operates on touching the leader alone. Personally when we marlin fish i generally aim to get the fish beside the boat and subdued enough that we can remove the hooks-OR-when we use light gauge hooks like SL12's have a good wrestle with the fish on the leader and aim to straighten the hook-and this is really a safety issue-not so we claim a catch thats not a real catch. MArlin can be a handful at the boat, frankly for everything else if it aint in the boat its not caught

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Landed when it is on the boat, yak, deck, sand, wharf, etc.

A couple of times I have had the tailor drop off and caught them in mid air before they hit the water then dropped them into the boat. LANDED.

I have also had fish, usually tailor, drop off when lifting them out of the water then they have hit the gunnel of the boat - falling into the boat LANDED, falling back into the water, NOT LANDED.

I have also had a couple of flathead hit the bottom of the yak, one in a small net, then jump back into the water ( an angry flattie swinging it's head spikes near your jatz crackers in a yak is not a happy place to be :074:) LANDED as they have hit the deck.

For the average fisho, grabbing hold of the line/trace and the fish swims away before landing in the boat. NOT LANDED.

Edited by Yowie
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its still pains me to remember that near 1mtr flathead I had half of in my enviro net before it fell out & spat my SP.

I dont class that as landed as it never got into the boat, never able to be measured, never to be able to be come my new PB 😭

 

I can understand large gamefish like a Marlin, sword or a shark not being brought on board & would call a fish along side the boat & held if possible(marlin or sword of course) as "landed" regardless if holding the leader means its officially caught. 

As far as Im concerned if you haven't brought it on board or on terra firma & actually measured it(if worth measuring) then its not landed. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If its for your own personal records, then this is you're own definition of "Landed" (which may vary depending on circumstance eg. kayak vs beach). If you cheat, the only person you are cheating is yourself. For me, there is no sense of accomplishment if I do that to myself.

On top of that, I like to take measurements of my achievements. I cannot do that unless it is landed. I can only speculate a length and/or weight, which means I will never know if I have broken any previous records or set any new records for the species.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've read with earnest all of your responses and it seems that the casual fisho (me) seems to have a couple of opinions. While I feel swayed that my friend was right in saying that I landed it, i've also noticed that some of you have paraphrased a ruling in regards to gamefishing rules. Now this may sound a little naive, however do organised fishing competitions exist for estuary species? Clearly Covid is a hindrance to sport but what about in 'normal' times? I've been to the Snowy Trout Festival a few times and noticed that they had teams and Jindabyne has its own fishing club.

I'm not suggesting that i'm the next Rex Hunt but i'd certainly be interested in socialising/competing with like minded people if such a thing exists.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...