Killing Fish in Tournaments

[rabcoman]

ADVERTISE HERE

i would stick it, ride it and bring it home for that$$$$$$$$

capt. trif

[N2theBlue]

i can understand the fish in the 400's. But the ones int he 300's not so much. Especially the ones in the 330's.

[SharkJP]

Originally Posted by frankypettolina

Lots of internet experts this week that is for sure. i wonder how many of them have ever held the leader on a hot blue marlin with half a mil at stake, and tried to calculate whether it was 455 or 505......... When you may get only one gaff shot, and your employer is on the rod and your job on the line.......

Oh wait, a majority of these people doing the criticizing are at their job in some office, wasting their employers money while screwing off on the internet watching the weigh ins.....

Sorry folks, it is a fishing tournament, and some fish are going to die. it seems like it takes an 80 plus pounder to win these things anymore, does that mean we should release the 75 on day one cause it might not hold up all week? It died just as much as the one that fell a few pounds short, and it finished out of the money just the same.

If you don't want to kill a fish, don't enter a kill tourney. If seeing some extra dead ones bothers you so much, don't watch the weigh ins. End of story.

And to answer the original question- I would stick the blue one in a heart beat if it looked close to weight.

Thanks Franky, you summed up my point perfectly

[DoveHunt]

Tough to decide...Might not work out well with blues since only one shot with gaff at a blue and billing is not going to happen, but a list of previous years weighed white marlin measurments length, girth, and tail girth would really help. Length really is a tough benchmark. As stated above only inches between no qualify weight an winners. On day 1 we had one at 69.25 inches that was 1/2 pound short on qualifying weight. On wed we billed one that measured 70 inches, but the formula with girth only put it at 50 lbs. Still hard to believe it was not heavy looked much bigger than day one fish especially with the enormous tail girth that this fish had. With whites I doubt that even the most experienced crews could not estimate weights within the small variences that could make the difference face it most of us have never weighed a white to have a reference. I bet even the most experienced crews have not killed and weighed 1 in a 100 whites.

Blues on the other hand, the tournaments should have enough data to know what the likelyhood of a fish with a qualifying length will make weight and if it is less than 75% then the min length should be raised.

[rabcoman]

it is Tough to decide to make on whites.

capt. trif

[Capt_John]

Originally Posted by N2theBlue

i can understand the fish in the 400's. But the ones int he 300's not so much. Especially the ones in the 330's.

If it's legal size, then I'll stick it for sure. Look at it this way, if they make a blue marlin release 600 points and there's still a calcutta for big fish killed....why not? If it's the last day of the tourny and the boats targeting sails and whites for release points are too far ahead for you to catch up with one blue, guess where that 110" fish is going if I get a hold of him.

[WAHOONBOX]

Originally Posted by BigSteads

I think people jump to alot on conclusions about 'under sized' fish way too fast, they made fed. length, and tournament length so...you grease em, all the whites on the board all were withing 69 3/4'' to 73.5'' your talking numbers where only judgement comes into play and it is really easy to sit behind a computer at home and point the finger, when your staring at the fish laying on the deck its a whole different ballgame. Dont give me the bullsh*t caclulations either on a whitey.

Blues, yea...let me haul it on board do all the measurements to the T calc it, and throw it back. Pretty sure it may swim off the first 100 feet. so to me, weigh it, give to charity and people who need something to eat.

19 dead whitey

7?? blues.

top 2/3 fish biggest in 29 years? on whites
1st place blue biggest ever. period.
Sounds like good numbers to me over the hundreds that were released, +/- 7% of the fish hooked this year were greased.

congrats to all who weighed fish, and Longfin Lance on taking 2nd!

ps. how about the rest of the leaderboard this year

DITTO!

Originally Posted by frankypettolina

Lots of internet experts this week that is for sure. i wonder how many of them have ever held the leader on a hot blue marlin with half a mil at stake, and tried to calculate whether it was 455 or 505......... When you may get only one gaff shot, and your employer is on the rod and your job on the line.......

Oh wait, a majority of these people doing the criticizing are at their job in some office, wasting their employers money while screwing off on the internet watching the weigh ins.....

Sorry folks, it is a fishing tournament, and some fish are going to die. it seems like it takes an 80 plus pounder to win these things anymore, does that mean we should release the 75 on day one cause it might not hold up all week? It died just as much as the one that fell a few pounds short, and it finished out of the money just the same.

If you don't want to kill a fish, don't enter a kill tourney. If seeing some extra dead ones bothers you so much, don't watch the weigh ins. End of story.

And to answer the original question- I would stick the blue one in a heart beat if it looked close to weight.

MY WORDS EXACTLY....

Originally Posted by N2theBlue

i can understand the fish in the 400's. But the ones int he 300's not so much. Especially the ones in the 330's.

Originally Posted by DoveHunt

Tough to decide...Might not work out well with blues since only one shot with gaff at a blue and billing is not going to happen, but a list of previous years weighed white marlin measurments length, girth, and tail girth would really help. Length really is a tough benchmark. As stated above only inches between no qualify weight an winners. On day 1 we had one at 69.25 inches that was 1/2 pound short on qualifying weight. On wed we billed one that measured 70 inches, but the formula with girth only put it at 50 lbs. Still hard to believe it was not heavy looked much bigger than day one fish especially with the enormous tail girth that this fish had. With whites I doubt that even the most experienced crews could not estimate weights within the small variences that could make the difference face it most of us have never weighed a white to have a reference. I bet even the most experienced crews have not killed and weighed 1 in a 100 whites.

Blues on the other hand, the tournaments should have enough data to know what the likelyhood of a fish with a qualifying length will make weight and if it is less than 75% then the min length should be raised.

I TIP MY RIGGERS TO THE ABOVE QUOTES AND COMMENTS...





IMO:
FORGET THE MINIMUM WEIGHTS....THAT IS ABOUT AS ABSURD AS ASKING ME TO FLY THE SPACE SHUTTLE WEARING A PAIR OF RED CROCS....


RAISE THE MINIMUM LENGTH ON WHITES TO AT LEAST 70 INCHES AND THE MINIMUM ON BLUES TO 110 INCHES AND LET THE POUNDS BE WHAT THEY MAY....

NOW LET'S SAY IF THE LEADER BOARD SHOWS A 3RD PLACE FISH MEASURING 112", THEN I SAY THE MINIMUM LENGTH SHOULD BE AUTOMATICALLY RAISED TO 112" AND SO ON AND SO ON PROGRESSIVELY INCREASING THE MINIMUM SIZE THRU EACH FISHING DAY AS FISH ARE WEIGHED

ASKING AN INDIVIDUAL TO ESTIMATE POUNDAGE OF AN ANIMAL FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE AT CRUNCH TIME IS STUPID.....BUT I AM POSITIVE I CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A 330 AND A 500....A 330 IS VERY SMALL AND THE 500 IS A STUD MUFFIN..........HELL,... I HAVE NEVER EVEN WEIGHED A FRIGGIN WHITE MARLIN IN MY LIFE AND I KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT I CAN NOT GUESSTIMATE THE FORK LENGTH OF ONE THAT IS CLOSE TO MINIMUM LENGTH WITHIN 4 INCHES WHILE HE IS ON TRAPEZE AT 40 YARDS FROM THE STERN.....AND EVEN IF YOU HAVE KILLED A WHITE IN YOUR PAST... DOES THAT MAKE YOU AN EXPERT WEIGHMASTER ON THE LEADER???? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

WE SHOULD ALSO BE LEGALLY ALLOWED TO SLIDE THE FISH IN THE BOAT AND MEASURE THE THING DURING A TOURNY.......THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE HERE....

I MAY BE WRONG HERE BUT I THINK THERE ARE ONLY TWO TOURNYS IN THE WORLD THAT ACTUALLY HAVE A KILL WHITE MARLIN DIVISION...OC AND CAPE MAY...SO TO ME, NO BIG DEAL TO WAX A FEW DIRTY WHITE ONES ANYWAY...

KILLING A FISH:

I GOT NO PROBLEMO WITH IT...THINK OF IT AS A LOCAL STIMULUS PACKAGE FOR THE OCEAN CITY COMMUNITY OR THE CAPE MAY CROWD....CAUSE I DROPPED A MINIMUM OF 400 CLAMS OF MY PAYDAY FROM THIS PAST SATURDAY TO SATURDAY AND I AM THE MATE ONBOARD!.....AND I DON'T EVEN DRINK!

[Phat Mann]

Franky- you are right on target.

There are charts that provide weight estimates based on length and girth measurements for both wm and bm. These are just estimates- but are a great guide. Expert crews can and do rely on their experience before sticking the Iron to any fish. There is rarely the opportunity for a BM to swim idly next to the boat so you can measure it's length much less get a girth measurement.

You simply must use whatever experience you have and "go for it" if you think there is a chance.

Expert crews also stay abreast of the leader board to see what the new minimum wt to target, clearly no sence killing a 65 lb fish when the third place fish is 80 lbs.

Inexperienced crews may not have such an advantage but have paid their enty fee for the right to chase their million $ dream.

Generally the wmo IS a KILL tourney with a release category. Most boats don't even enter the release category. But to those that do, simply boating a fish costs you points because a "boated fish" is NOT a "released fish". This is plenty of incentive to not kill a fish.

The wmo has been so successful because it gives the weekend warrior trailoring his boat the same opportunity to win over a million dollars as the "C" dock legends. That's why it has the most participants of any tournament around.

That being said, the 105" minimum (I think this is what is in the wmo rules) for a 500 lb fish seems low when many other tournaments use "400 lbs or 109" minimum for a bm." Note it is "or" not "and" to allow a shorter fat fish to qualify. It may be wise adjust that in the rules. (In past years the estimated weight chart was handed out coated in plastic with the tourney bucked) I too was suprised to see a fish hit the scales in the low 300's. Wide $eyes$ or hollaring charter, that's a tough one to swallow. A 500 lb min bm is a tall order as we saw at the Big Rock this year!

[costaricasportfishing]

I'll agree that it's hard to say if a White is 70-80 pounds. And yes some are going to have to die for our enjoyment and quest for big $$$$$.

BUT.....If you can't tell between a 300 or 500 pound Blue....You have no business with a gaff in your hands in the first place.

Killing legal fish in a kill tourney is what it's all about. BUT....On the other hand don't bitch about not getting any bites when they are all gone. Keep killing the small girls and we won't see the Granders hitting the scale.

Good Job to all you guys in the WMO and good luck on the next one!

[aprilfool]

the way it is done at the bahamas billfish championship with the kill fish seems to work very well, as far as the whites go slide them in measure the fish and then make your decision! by allowing fishermen in these tournaments to just kill fish that are not contenders will just add all types of enviormental wackos in to the mix and pressure everyone in to changing the way we fish tournaments in the future, I mean youkill a 300 lb fish on the last day when the top 4 are between 1100 and 550lbs?