Awesome 18 pound Largie!!

[Scythe]

Hey Gusty ... are you still doing Body For Life ?

Nevermind the comments, elke drol het sy vlieg. No wonder people move on.

Good job on a superb fish, it's been a while since we've seen anything really magnificent coming out of that section of river you frequent and it's nice to know they're still around.

Cheers,

[Ago]

Hey Bertu,

nice to hear from you again, ...... the Fish was a breath of fresh air.....

as for the congratulations .... thanks gentlemen ...(and ladies) .... i will post more of my fly fishing endevours here ... just because is awesome to share these thing with like minded people and people who have the same passions as me! ........ as for anyone who fells they need to give me advice ..? give me advice if and when i ask for it..... alternatively keep it to yourself....;-) ..... and please dont feel that its your duty to do so.

Also not sure if i mentioned where i caught the fish .... it was at Elgro River Lodge ..... doing the top drift ...

regards

[chrisvd]

Great fish Gusty, really well done with that one. The advice is probably due to my foot in mouth disease. Pity about the pics, hopefully you will have someone with you to take a good pic when you get your next big one, I'm gonna keep my advice on taking pics when you are alone to myself then

[Jacques O Dell]

Ago, great fish! Well done.

Regarding the comments made on the welfare of the fish. Here are a few inputs from my side. I refer to your catch and to the 20lb beast of thelargiewhisperer. Please do not take these comments personal. But it is things we all need to take note of.

Ago, you managed to land the fish quite quickly (I assume you switched your GoPro on fairly soon after the take?), this is very important! The longer the fight the higher the lactic acid build up. High lactic acid build up definitely reduces fish survival. This links to what other have said; holding the fish in the water to recover. BUT just holding the fish in the water will have no effect on surviveability if the water isn't well oxygenated. So in order to 'revive' the fish one has to hold it with the head upstream, in fast flowing water and for a long enough time. Most of the times these big Largies are landed from a boat in slow water. Thus revival could be problematic. Grip the fish by the lips and tail and send the boat upstream (if you have a motor). If not, then push the fish back and forth in the water. This will greatly aid in the survival of the fish. There is a common belief that a fish should be revived for the same amount of time that the fight went on. (just think of how this is then not being done with billfish...) When the fish has the power to 'rip' from your grip then it recovered adequately. Many of the fish that was fought for a long time give a good 'kick' seconds after being revived. This is when most of us release the fish. But I have noticed that when I do not let them go on this first kick, they are very weak for some time after that. They only gain their strength after quite some time and I tend to only release them on the 2nd or third powerful kick. I believe this first kick is just an attempt to get away from danger and we should hold on to the fish a little longer to aid in their survival. 'Recovery time' is one of the most important factors in fish survival.


The other important factor is time spent out of the water! Ago I noticed this was quite some time (2 minutes) with your monster. And from the amount of pictures Largieswhisperer I assume yours was out for some time as well. Very few humans have the ability to hold their breaths for two minutes. Just imagine how hypoxic these fish become after such a long time out of the water... An even greater reason to increase the time we take to revive the fish. Both of your cases are 'normal' and I have commited the same wrong. When landing big fish we all tend to take a little longer to get it out of the net, taking out the hook, getting those extra pictures etc. Its normal. Its not great for the fish though... But all of us will at some stage, when landing that trophy, be guilty of it despite knowing the side effects.

Some practical tips that we tend to forget when the endorphins are pumping:
Get the fish in the net ASAP.
Hold the fish in net with its head facing upstream.
While the fish is in the net AND in the water get the hook out, switch on your camera or tell your buddy to get his camera ready.
Get a good grip around the tail while holding the fish in the water.
At this stage the fish is already revived for 30 seconds...
Now take your pictures. Get them quick.
Revive the fish!
Give that man a Bells...


Ago, Largiewhisperer. Sorry for using you as an example. But it is vital for our less experienced forumers to learn from this. I am sure both of these fish are doing well.

Regarding lip grips... There are always a huge amount of fuss about these, but in my opinion have way less of an effect on the surviveability on Yellows than we would like to admit. In fact, if 'revival time' is one of the most important factors, then lip grips should aid in surviveability! Why? Simple, because of the grip. (This is going to cause I stir...)

Once again well done on both of your fish!

Cheers

[caranx]

Great fish Ago!

Seeing that fish swirl for the first time makes ones knees go wobbly.