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Counting Fish

3K views 62 replies 42 participants last post by  Be Jofus G 
#1 ·
I'm just curious...does anyone else find it strange or "bad karma" to the fish gods when you count the exact number of fish that you catch on a great day? After 8 or 10, I usually just say I caught a shitload.:beer1: On those epic days when I hook more than 20 or 30, I can't and refuse to keep track of how many I "BROUGHT TO HAND," how many were "LDR's-Long Distance Releases," etc. etc. What a crock:confused:

I knew with all the characters on here this topic might get some good, entertaining replies.

From a previous post:

"So here is my report:
Fished the CDA river and just killed them. Brought exactly 34 fish to hand and lost roughly 14 more."
 
#5 ·
Well since you Quoted me in my report I will explain. A buddy of mine wanted me to go to the Clear Water river but I opted to go to the CDA instead. He mentioned that he will catch more fish than me and bet me a case of beer. Well, I ended up with 34 and he only ended up with 2, granted his were steelhead so we do a 1=5 scenario.My friends and I do this often. Yea! now I get a free case of beer. It's is to bad that you can only count to 10, maybe one day you will be able to count higher. My wife can give you the number to our daughters pre-school. It is a good one cause she is only 4 and can count to 50 so there is hope for a mouth breather like you.
 
#16 ·
she is only 4 and can count to 50 so there is hope for a mouth breather like you.
ouch...seeing as you brought up preschool, where kindness is among the other things taught beside counting...

The most employable one on Sesame Street turns out to be the Count, at least he has some skills, but the rest of them?

oscar- whiner
cookie monster- food glutton
elmo- completely self absorbed, and has the most ridiculous and insulting diction I have yet seen outside of teletubbies
Bert- misanthrope (actually he'd be good at the DMV)
Ernie- should be running a feel-good cult
big bird- ineffectual, but will build self esteem

Having said that, the guys that need to count their fish may have some self esteem issues that could best be addressed by watching Big Bird and Ernie. The Bird and the Great Striped One may help them before these guys, with their mouths open and drooling, blow money on a red porsche, some super ritzy fly fishing gear etc...
 
#6 ·
I keep track of how many fish I catch. It is just the way I am I work with numbers all the time, so I count. But I rarely tell anybody. I sure wouldn't post it here, and put up with the ridicule.:)
Blessings
jesse clark
 
#14 ·
And it takes 20 of those eastside milt leakers (EMLs for short) to equal one westside chromer (WC).

And then 20 hatchery westside chromers (HWC) to every one native westide chromer (NWC).... and so forth...

1 NWC = 20 HWCs = 200 EMLs = about 5 years worth of good cutt fishing :ray1:

:rolleyes:

But I rarely count. If I do, it's just for fun - like fishing with my kid and I want to encourage him by acting amazed at the number of fish he caught. Or if I'm fishing for dinner (most, biggest type contest with a buddy).
 
#9 ·
After about 3 I lose track. Not that I couldn't count a bit higher but what's the point? It's not a competition for me. By the end of the day I can usually guesstimate "caught a dozen or so", "probably 20, maybe a few more" etc.

For me it's all about the next one. Even with steelhead I don't sit around all goofy eyed thinking about the one I just released. I'm looking forward to the next bite.
 
#11 ·
I think that the bigger issue here is that your "friend" agreed to a 1=5 scenario. Obviously this math is all wrong. 2 steelhead can never lose to any number of cutthroat. I am questioning the intelligence of your friend and your betting ethics.

Panhandle is correct, you obviously owe him beer, and quite a bit of it. that's how I see it.

To answer the original post, When I come through the door after fishing my wife asks, "did you catch one?" Obviously I'm more of a steelheader than trout fisherman. When trout fishing I don't count though.

Go Red Sox,
cds
 
#13 ·
When I was a young buck just starting out in flyfishing numbers were important to me but as the years have worn on the importance has diminished. Its about the experience now, spending a day on a mountain stream with friends is what I care about most.
 
#15 ·
"Fish for brains" obviously is living up to his name (could be "cutthroatbrain"). I intentionally copied and pasted the post out of respect for the man to keep him anonymous. If he wants to take a shot at me and open himself up to further ridicule, have at it. I have a graduate degree in Mathematics so I feel pretty comfortable in the counting department. However, he's come to the right place to learn how to take a humorous and effective shot at someone.
 
#17 ·
Is Dr. Phil in the house? We need some help around here!

AG Salmon, Fishing for Brains, don't you girls have anything better to do than bitch about nothing?
 
#21 ·
I've also been fishing enough years to put counting behind me.

However, there's another form of "counting" that's fun: The number of fish you "target" that you catch. Twice a year, a group of us that have been fishing together for well over 20 years, get together in Idaho on a very special river. The fish are large and plentiful. It's not uncommon to come upon 12 - 15 fish in a pool up on baetis or midges. Do you catch them all, or do you target the alphas in the tough lies? When asked at the end of the day, over cigars and whisky, the answer might be, "I caught three of the five fish I wanted."

It's a civilized count I think and beyond just mere numbers.

Leland.
 
#33 ·
I've also been fishing enough years to put counting behind me.

However, there's another form of "counting" that's fun: The number of fish you "target" that you catch. Twice a year, a group of us that have been fishing together for well over 20 years, get together in Idaho on a very special river. The fish are large and plentiful. It's not uncommon to come upon 12 - 15 fish in a pool up on baetis or midges. Do you catch them all, or do you target the alphas in the tough lies? When asked at the end of the day, over cigars and whisky, the answer might be, "I caught three of the five fish I wanted."

It's a civilized count I think and beyond just mere numbers.

Leland.
Well put.
 
#23 ·
There are still a couple of fisheries I can think of where you are actually allowed to keep fish and the "best available science" even tells us that it's ecologically responsible to do so. It's kinda important to count those fish that you keep because the enforcement guy at the boat launch will probably want to count them too.
I won't mention what fisheries these are because I'm trying to keep it a secret. Those of you who are capable of deciphering the regulations are probably also up to the task of double digit arithmetic.
Just don't tell anyone else, OK?
Oh yeah, I haven't seen Sesame Street in years. Did they ever assign a gender to Big Bird? Just curious.

JonB
 
#25 ·
I tend to count the first handfull and then more of less forget about it. I have fished several times with a nationaly known stillwater author who counts everything: number of strikes, number of hook ups, number of LDR's and number to hand. He makes himself miserable...and sulks if anybody else takes more fish. If he counted the experience instead of the fish he would have a lot more fun. W
 
#29 ·
Sometimes I count, sometimes I don't... The number of mosquito bites usually outnumber my fish counts. I still love it out there anyway. Some of my best days of fishing have ended with a huge goose egg in the fish department(Coincidently I am usually not counting on those days) :).
 
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