It's far too easy to blame anglers instead of natural cycles, changes in conditions, influx of un-natural predators (like millions of ravenous Humboldt squid), etc. I agree, though, while I don't think this was caused by anglers, I, like most private boaters I know, will continue to practice C&R on both species of bass. They're far too much fun to catch and not that great to eat.
Hello :-)
My first encounter with Dolpines was at Kay Biscane in the seventies.
Mr. Cook from the local Church of Christ took me first bass fishing into the Everglades and then a friend of him took me with his boat dolphine fishing.
We started early in the morning and after I caught a triggerfish, that ran like crazy, wie drifted along the sargassum weedbeds looking out for dolfines.
We caught a few small ones. I was fascinated by the golden glittering rainbow colores of this "Liberaces of the Sea".
Next fishig trip after years of savings was to the Bahamas and Key West.
I think it was at Nassau were we trolled for Dolphines. Vorgive me, it is now more than 40 years ago.
I caught some big eye tuna and some gorgeous bull dolpines. It was great.
I wanted so badly to live in such a fishing paradies.
I even bought me a nor-fin fly reel and a fenwick flyrod 10 weight.
Instead of my favorite destination in Florida we moved to Texas.
Breckenridge and lake Hubbard-Creek-Lake. Fishing was tough for me there, and later in Abilene Texas at Lake Fort-Phantom.
I took me two year to learn the local tricks and fishing locations.
Instaed of Dolpings I was happy to catch a bunch of sandbass and crappies.
I got a Bachelor at Hardin Simmons and a Masters at University of North Texas, all that did not enable me to go back to Florida where my enthusiasm started. I met Stu Apte, Lefty Krey and most of the fishing hall of famers in the Forth Worth Fly fishing Club. Thousand times thanks to the club!
I still love the dolphines and dream about them like Santiago in "The Old Man and the Sea" was dreaming about the Lions in Afrika.
Tight Lines Friends. Catch one dolpine for me and unhook him in the water.
He ist much too pretty to dye in a fishbox.
Bob
I hear that golf is the next sport to be outlawed by the environmentalist groups, after all you try and hit the ball , take out a divot cut some poor worms head off and ruin his day and the environment by all the pesticides and fertilizer that you have to put on the grass trying to make it grow, such tragedy.
Great idea but don't forget they don't last for ever. However, they can be 're-charged' by leaving them in a warm oven for a while to drive off the moisture they have absorbed and then they'll be as good as new, unless you burn their little bags in too hot an oven of course!
Tight lines!
