What would you do?

[matti]

So I fished a match today, a typical canal type lake with a long island, thats not accessible.
So I'm fishing long at 16m to the island, float goes under, fish on.......unfortunately as I lifted into the bite, I got caught on a overhanging sapling, dam it, so the line was moving on the branch, so it wasn't caught, so as I was moving the pole, the line moved , so after pondering what to do I pulled for the brake, hoping the hook length would brake and the fish would go free, obviously with a hook still in it,

It didn't work, I pulled for the snap, top kit under water, so I wasn't pulling straight, and dam it, the top kit pulled out of the end of my pole, so now I've go a top kit and hooked fish caught on the same sapling, after pondering going in and swimming across, I decided against that idea, then I thought a fishery must have a row boat, so I went and found the owner, told him the situation, got the boat all good to go,
Now we're 2 hours into the match, I spoke to the 2 guys fishing next to me, explained the situation and what I wanted to do, 1 guy was fine and said go for it, the other kicked off good style, and accussed me of ruining his match, he hadn't caught up to this point, and there were 2 pegs between us?
So I left it, couldn't fish the far bank, so I fished paste down the middle, caught a few, all the while watching the tethered fish struggling to free itself,

At the end of the match, i went across in the boat, freed the fish and retrieved my top kit, matey had blanked, I'd caught a few, the other had 30lb,

What would you have done it this situation?

 

[Dave]

Fish welfare always takes priority

It might have been prudent to go back to see the owner and explain the issue with the guy next pegs down from you and let the owner come over whilst you freed the fish

 

[ukzero1]

Have to agree, fish welfare first and foremost.

 

[Carp attack]

Fish welfare over everything else, tell the bloke who kicked off to do 1 politely as possible or he can go for a swim also! what a total cock womble!

 

[Whisker]

Yup, fish welfare.
Same thing happened to our club MO a few weeks back, just before the all out though. He managed to free it and land it but if it had happened at the start of the match, I’d have helped him free the fish up, sod catching for the match myself.

 

[Deejay8]

That one bloke sounds like he was trying to use you to blame for his own failings. As you didn't try and rescue the fish until after the All Out, it obviously didn't affect his result. I'd have definitely called him out afterwards and said something like, "I'm so glad I didn't go across and interrupt you blanking. Well done."

 

[david white]

First and foremost over everything is the welfare of the fish and the owner should have stood firm and endorsed the retrieval of the tethered fish, over ruling the other ‘ angler ‘ and I have reservations using that word !
There’s no way I could have even considered fishing the rest of the match knowing my top kit was tethered to a fish just to appease the guy who was two pegs away ( I wouldn’t have done so even if he’d been in the next peg )
But alls well that ends well and who knows maybe karma will intervene

 

[Zerkalo]

All I know is I wouldn't have been the angler with reservations. I'm not the type to disagree with what people suggest, want to go out in a boat to retrieve your rig then fine go ahead would be my response. Sounds like he was looking for excuses.

 

[spanky]

I think I would have found the match organiser and talked it through with him. If he says it ok (hopefully agreeing with the fish welfare argument) then your noisy neighbour can go do one.

 

[mickthechippy]

I woulda gone before the all out and stuck it in my net !

 

[Blanks]

In my opinion the fishery owner is at fault here, he/she has failed to provide an environment where fish can be safely fished for. The anglers each side should have their entrance fees reimbursed and the boat dispatched immediatly to free the tethered fish.
At the end of the day it is obvious anglers will take a chance to position a bait regardless of the risks involved, the owner should have forseen this and taken the appropriate measures to ensure branches and such like had been cut back prior to the match.

 

[stikflote]

And then he puts his prices up