# So whats your definition of caught?



## LiteTackleChamp (Jul 29, 2005)

Intresting topic guys, whats everyones defintion of a fish being caught
i no when im surf fishing getting the fish on the beach is catching it, but when im on the kayak or boat leadering a fish is being caught

whats your opinion?


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

I have enough control that I can either get a picture or a dinner.

Or both.


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## curtisb (Jul 21, 2004)

Look at Jeff's avatar, that's what I consider caught.

CB


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

Actually holding the fish ... Kept or released you have to have its life in your hands .


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

bmcox86 said:


> Intresting topic guys, whats everyones defintion of a fish being caught
> i no when im surf fishing getting the fish on the beach is catching it, but when im on the kayak or boat leadering a fish is being caught
> 
> whats your opinion?


How big was the fish you lost that sparked this thread?


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## rgking03 (Mar 20, 2005)

My rule on a fish being considered caught would have to be on my grill being seasoned...:fishing:

Actually a fish on the beach would be caught and on the boat a fish boat side leadered is considered caught...


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## mantriumph (Sep 12, 2006)

Hook removal


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## LiteTackleChamp (Jul 29, 2005)

nah it wasnt a fish i lost i was just bored, i no i only leader sharks, but land reds and kings


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

bmcox86 said:


> nah it wasnt a fish i lost i was just bored, i no i only leader sharks, but land reds and kings


Im just messin with ya


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## jcreamer (Mar 6, 2001)

Sorry guys I was thinking of married or engaged.


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## The Crew (Jul 8, 2007)

curtisb said:


> Look at Jeff's avatar, that's what I consider caught.
> 
> CB


Yep


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## tom_s (Oct 20, 2006)

yeah ,what he said...


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

rgking03 said:


> Actually a fish on the beach would be caught and on the boat a fish boat side leadered is considered caught...


What he said, for the most part. I mostly do catch and release so I consider a leadered fish on a boat caught although I do try to boat them. Cuda, sharks, bonita and billfish usually get the leader release.


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## HellRhaY (Jul 6, 2007)

the ones i lost i tell my friends "i hooked unto this blah blah blah.." but if i landed it i say, "i caught this blah blah blah".

i consider everything i landed "caught".


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## tom_s (Oct 20, 2006)

HellRhaY said:


> the ones i lost i tell my friends "i hooked unto this blah blah blah.." but if i landed it i say, "i caught this blah blah blah".
> 
> i consider everything i landed "caught".


I think I like this definition better!:beer:


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## chump (Jul 18, 2005)

If you wanted to keep it for dinner and could have, then I consider that caught. On one trip, in a yak, I lost a few blues that came unhooked onto my yak, flopped a bit, and then back into the water. I didn't consider those caught.


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## squalus (Sep 26, 2007)

I would define "caught" as brought in and unhooked. Either released or put in the cooler.

Steve


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

*caught = landed*

caught is when i control the fish & it has to rely on me as to whether it may or may not be released to swim again.


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## Woodchuck (Jan 5, 2005)

I used to use hook removal as the definition of caught. I now use if I could have kept them as caught. Reason for the change? I switched to circle hooks for surf fishing and have had fish come unhooked after beaching and they flop around, before I can get the pliers out. If they are still right there and I could grab them, they are officially caught. If they wash away before I could have grabbed them, they ain’t caught.


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## chuck(skidmark) (Jul 11, 2004)

Fish in your hands, hook removed by hand, or fish broken off intentionally.


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## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

I used to say held and dehooked, but after going tarpon fishing leadering is considered a catch so I pretty much consider leadering any fish now to be a catch. 

If it's good enough for tarpon fisherman, I figure it's good enough for all species, but that's just me.


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## curtisb (Jul 21, 2004)

Ok let me say on fish like shark, yes leadered will do. Also fishing from a boat for like bill fish or other overly large fish again leadered will do. Kinda depends on what your gonna do with the fish. I catch and release most of the time.

CB


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

fishinmama said:


> caught is when i control the fish & it has to rely on me as to whether it may or may not be released to swim again.


yep..


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## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

Jesse Lockowitz said:


> yep..


Well said, I concur and will toast to that one.


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## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

fishinmama said:


> caught is when i control the fish & it has to rely on me as to whether it may or may not be released to swim again.


Well said, I concur and will toast to that one.


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## b3butner (Oct 1, 2003)

mantriumph said:


> Hook removal


There ya go. That is a catch. From that point you can release or head to the grill.


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## butch (Jun 9, 2002)

I got one thats happened to me. Fishing off a pier thats about 35ft from the water. I hook up with a big cobia (about 60lb) and fight him for about 20 mins. He comes alongside and after a few tries a buddy gaffs him. Almost to the rail he comes off the gaff, breaks the line on the way down and is gone. Did I catch a cobe?
Butch


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## clinder (Mar 2, 2005)

One question...Was he beat or were you beat?? caught or not caught simple as that.


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## clinder (Mar 2, 2005)

butch said:


> I got one thats happened to me. Fishing off a pier thats about 35ft from the water. I hook up with a big cobia (about 60lb) and fight him for about 20 mins. He comes alongside and after a few tries a buddy gaffs him. Almost to the rail he comes off the gaff, breaks the line on the way down and is gone. Did I catch a cobe?
> Butch


Like i said one question... were you beat or was he beat??


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## butch (Jun 9, 2002)

Ive always been taught its not caught till its over the rail. But what about 30feet out of the water?


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

great story butch, but not caught...unless you are the eternal optimist (more like rationalizer!)
but it makes for a h3ll of "the one that got away" story!


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

butch said:


> I got one thats happened to me. Fishing off a pier thats about 35ft from the water. I hook up with a big cobia (about 60lb) and fight him for about 20 mins. He comes alongside and after a few tries a buddy gaffs him. Almost to the rail he comes off the gaff, breaks the line on the way down and is gone. Did I catch a cobe?
> Butch


Sorry Butch but thats th definition of "losing a cobia". Tuff break.


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## HellRhaY (Jul 6, 2007)

butch said:


> I got one thats happened to me. Fishing off a pier thats about 35ft from the water. I hook up with a big cobia (about 60lb) and fight him for about 20 mins. He comes alongside and after a few tries a buddy gaffs him. Almost to the rail he comes off the gaff, breaks the line on the way down and is gone. Did I catch a cobe?
> Butch


NO! I would say you almost caught it. "almost Caught" is not quite the same as "caught"


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## fingersandclaws (Oct 17, 2005)

Ima gonna start putting 200 yards of leader on my reels


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## clinder (Mar 2, 2005)

b3butner said:


> There ya go. That is a catch. From that point you can release or head to the grill.


what if you catch em by hand or the deffinatly more common way BY NET??


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## clinder (Mar 2, 2005)

mantriumph said:


> Hook removal


my bad meant to quote this!!!


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## nine ought (Jan 19, 2007)

*"My Definition of caught"*

When the fish is on the grill! And i'm having a cold one!:beer:


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

What is your intent ?

Only the fishermen can answer that. 

IF I have hooked and played a fish into the wash, and I'm reaching down to unhook him for a release, only to have him shake loose of its own accord, I have accomplished what I set out to do. Assumes a planned release, and that he didn't come loose, earlier than when I wanted. 

Better for the fishes health if I don't raise a trophy up out of the water for others to see as "proof" of my catch.

Not bemoaning anyones right to a quick photo op, just don't over do it.

:fishing:



If I want to get that fish to a cooler, I would have been unsuccessful in that regard.


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Surf Cat said:


> What is your intent ?
> 
> Only the fishermen can answer that.
> 
> ...


True only the angler can answer that one, to me that would be a lost fish.


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Cdog said:


> True only the angler can answer that one, to me that would be a lost fish.


So does that mean if I fished a bluefish blitz with no intention of keeping the fish and full intention of returning to the water.....AND...I was using a barbless hook for easy removal and had 20 blues in the suds and on the sand only to have the hook come out (making it easier on me, and I got the fight out of him) I didnt catch one? Not that it matters either way. Personal gratification to me doesnt come from numbers, rather the experience. I walk away from throwing metal to blues with a smile on my face whether I had my hands on 20, or only had my hands on one but had 20 come off at my feet. I had a drum in May on the sand just at the edge of where the water was lapping. Like an idiot I didnt go down to grab him in his 'safety handle' under the chin and tried to pull him on out. The hook pulled. A wave or two later and a lazy exhausted flop and she was gone. I didnt touch the fish, I walked away smiling knowing she was exhausted and couldnt make another run and I was exhausted too. We got the best out of each other. I didnt 'catch' the fish, but I got the best out of it. I do love catching (having my hands on and in control) alot of fish, but getting the best of a fish meant to be released anyway makes me just as happy.


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

TreednNC said:


> So does that mean if I fished a bluefish blitz with no intention of keeping the fish and full intention of returning to the water.....AND...I was using a barbless hook for easy removal and had 20 blues in the suds and on the sand only to have the hook come out (making it easier on me, and I got the fight out of him) I didnt catch one? Not that it matters either way. Personal gratification to me doesnt come from numbers, rather the experience. I walk away from throwing metal to blues with a smile on my face whether I had my hands on 20, or only had my hands on one but had 20 come off at my feet. I had a drum in May on the sand just at the edge of where the water was lapping. Like an idiot I didnt go down to grab him in his 'safety handle' under the chin and tried to pull him on out. The hook pulled. A wave or two later and a lazy exhausted flop and she was gone. I didnt touch the fish, I walked away smiling knowing she was exhausted and couldnt make another run and I was exhausted too. We got the best out of each other. I didnt 'catch' the fish, but I got the best out of it. I do love catching (having my hands on and in control) alot of fish, but getting the best of a fish meant to be released anyway makes me just as happy.





Cdog said:


> True only the angler can answer that one, to me that would be a lost fish.


This quote answered that. *IMO* only. Not trying to say what *YOU* should consider caught or not...


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Cdog said:


> This quote answered that. *IMO* only. Not trying to say what *YOU* should consider caught or not...


True. I guess in two and a half weeks caught means on the beach in the cooler and on ice?  Looking forward to seein ya again


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

TreednNC said:


> True. I guess in two and a half weeks caught means on the beach in the cooler and on ice?  Looking forward to seein ya again


If ya want any money it does...

See ya then.


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

Cdog said:


> True only the angler can answer that one, to me that would be a lost fish.


A lost fish is the one your buddy slides out of your cooler and into his when your not looking.

What the? where did that thing go ?  

:fishing:


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Surf Cat said:


> A lost fish is the one your buddy slides out of your cooler and into his when your not looking.
> 
> What the? where did that thing go ?
> 
> :fishing:


Now thats wrong....


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## chuck(skidmark) (Jul 11, 2004)

butch said:


> I got one thats happened to me. Fishing off a pier thats about 35ft from the water. I hook up with a big cobia (about 60lb) and fight him for about 20 mins. He comes alongside and after a few tries a buddy gaffs him. Almost to the rail he comes off the gaff, breaks the line on the way down and is gone. Did I catch a cobe?
> Butch


 
I've always been told that once a fish is in the net, loosen your drag JUST IN CASE something screwy happens. Guess the same is true for a gaff. 

My first real Drum was released after he wrapped my line around a piling about 8 times.

He did not count.


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

Cdog said:


> If ya want any money it does...
> 
> See ya then.


Guaranteed... If I have anything that looks to be in the money- my intentions won't be to bend over and release it !

Let the smack talk begin!

Treed looking forward to meeting ya, 

Cdog if I "lose" a fish durng the tourny I' ll be doing some serious crying :redface:  




followed by :beer::beer::beer::beer::beer:


:fishing:

looking forward to it.

SC


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Looking forward to it Mark


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

*For me*

Hooked up is just that, fish on. 

Boated, netted or landed is being caught. 

That's just me.


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## junkmansj (Jul 23, 2005)

I agree with jesse fish in hand is caught


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

*Ok*

Just for arguments sake- sense I do so like to debate 

I hook and play a fish (say a nice striper)and have her on the beach, decide to wash her off before the obligatory photo shoot. So I carry her down into the wash (she's in my hands. which some have defined as caught) for a rinse job, only she gives a final shake and lo and behold- I lose my grip and she's gone in a flash.

Caught ?

Not caught?


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

caught & released


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## HellRhaY (Jul 6, 2007)

Surf Cat said:


> Just for arguments sake- sense I do so like to debate
> 
> I hook and play a fish (say a nice striper)and have her on the beach, decide to wash her off before the obligatory photo shoot. So I carry her down into the wash (she's in my hands. which some have defined as caught) for a rinse job, only she gives a final shake and lo and behold- I lose my grip and she's gone in a flash.
> 
> ...


i'd say that's a "caught"...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
but the angler has butter fingers.


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

Surf Cat said:


> A lost fish is the one your buddy slides out of your cooler and into his when your not looking.
> 
> What the? where did that thing go ?
> 
> :fishing:


Note to self: lock cooler when fishing with Surf Cat!


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## The Crew (Jul 8, 2007)

I'd have to say you can answer your own question: You did this to the fish and you did that to the fish on dry land...



Surf Cat said:


> Just for arguments sake- sense I do so like to debate
> 
> I hook and play a fish (say a nice striper)and have her on the beach, decide to wash her off before the obligatory photo shoot. So I carry her down into the wash (she's in my hands. which some have defined as caught) for a rinse job, only she gives a final shake and lo and behold- I lose my grip and she's gone in a flash.
> 
> ...


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Who's counting anyway?


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## squalus (Sep 26, 2007)

Surf Cat said:


> A lost fish is the one your buddy slides out of your cooler and into his when your not looking.
> 
> What the? where did that thing go ?
> 
> :fishing:





Cdog said:


> Now thats wrong....


Wrong... yes, but that's funny how he said it!


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## SHADE12 (Oct 12, 2004)

*Total Control*

To Me It Is Caught When You Get The Fish To A Point At Which You Have Total Control Of Deciding If It's Released Or Kept. When That Point Is Reached Then It Is A Caught Fish. That Point Will Be Different As To The Place And Time,i.e Pier,boat,surf,wading , Etc.


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

Surf Cat said:


> Just for arguments sake- sense I do so like to debate
> 
> I hook and play a fish (say a nice striper)and have her on the beach, decide to wash her off before the obligatory photo shoot. So I carry her down into the wash (she's in my hands. which some have defined as caught) for a rinse job, only she gives a final shake and lo and behold- I lose my grip and she's gone in a flash.
> 
> ...


From my perspective, that is not a catch, almost, but not quite. However, scenarios like this do make for great story telling sessions with your buddies. I feel that calling a fish caught has all to do with your intent. You did temporarily have control meaning you won the battle, but at a later point the fish saw his opportunity, mustered the energy to reengage the fight and freed himself AGAINST YOUR WILL, thereby, winning the war.


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## Hudak (Sep 10, 2007)

In that situation that the fish was lost due to slippery fingers while trying to prepare it for a picture, it is caught. If I catch a big red, pull the hook, have him "lipped", reach for a camera in my pocket wading and he slips loose....Is that justification for saying I never caught him? That is like asking, If i catch a blue for bait on the pier, carry him to the bait bucket. Pulling the bait bucket up he is flopping on the deck. Before I get my bait bucket up, he jumps ship and lands in the water, is that fish caught or not? 

Like washing your fish off before a picture, the ultimate goal was not met, but the fish was caught, or was he? Using the "last ditch effort" theory, he was never caught. Does this apply to large baits that may have gotten loose because of not setting your hooks in his back properly? Is he ultimately not caught? I know that last one was way ridiculous. This is just one of those subjects that have as many answers as there are fishermen. :beer: opcorn:


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

who would have thought there would be so many definitions of "catching" and so many scenarios to imagine to separate "caught" from "not caught" - we seem to be scrutinizing every detail! not meant to be [email protected]$$ -- i think this is a fun thread!
my husband should read this, cuz i think that for bragging purposes his defintion of catching is anything he has "on" not what he actually brings "in"!

oh Jetty Park where are you? i know you'd have some answers to this question!-tho the thread may be twice as long!


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## redskinsfan714 (Oct 6, 2008)

My definition is when its sitting in your hands or is laying on the pier:fishing:


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## drawinout (May 11, 2008)

butch said:


> I got one thats happened to me. Fishing off a pier thats about 35ft from the water. I hook up with a big cobia (about 60lb) and fight him for about 20 mins. He comes alongside and after a few tries a buddy gaffs him. Almost to the rail he comes off the gaff, breaks the line on the way down and is gone. Did I catch a cobe?
> Butch


I was about to say caught is when you beach it, flop it on the planks, or swing him in the boat. Butch, I'd say your cobia was as good as caught. Now with marlin, it's a release when you grab the leader. Anything else I'd say you actually have to land him to call it a catch, with the exception of something like Butch's story.


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## cannotlogin (Sep 1, 2008)

Well tarpon,sharks,stingrays,ect if it comes to the side it is caught other fish you have to pull it out of the water.


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## OBX_Nomad (Mar 8, 2005)

At this stage of my life the biggest joy comes from getting all I can get from a fish I've hooked. Seeing them swim away to fight another day is more rewarding to me than seeing them dead. I do however like to be in control long enough to grab a photo or two.


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## Oldmulletbreath (Jan 7, 2006)

COBIA.........caught is on the grill.


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

curtisb said:


> Look at Jeff's avatar, that's what I consider caught.
> 
> CB


Yep. Or in the boat or brought to the boat, tagged and released.


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## TideJones (Aug 29, 2008)

When the men in blue say "Put your hands on the wall and spread'um", I've been caught.


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## triple t (Nov 1, 2008)

rgking03 said:


> my rule on a fish being considered caught would have to be on my grill being seasoned...:fishing:
> 
> Actually a fish on the beach would be caught and on the boat a fish boat side leadered is considered caught...


yup


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## Moon (Feb 24, 2007)

When she walks into the basement and says, " Is that another new rod/reel? I thought you you bought one"!! It's a bad habit!!


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## Drumboy (Jan 25, 2008)

Not in the water and in your hands


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## 140L (Feb 17, 2008)

Well, I'll throw my two pennies in! As mentioned above, it's only in the fishermans mind if it was caught or not. We're all different. I'm somewhat obsessive, so for me it has to be on the beach,bank, or deck before I'll count it. I have a buddy who'll count the fish towards his total even if landed on my rod. Now, if I land one on his rod I don't count it as caught.......unless of course he's already landed one on my rod LOL!


We have CPR Bull Red and Bull Black Drum tournaments on occasion and without a pic the fish wasn't caught. If the scenario plays out as mentioned above(rinsing fish in wash), and the fish gets away before I take the pic it's caught in my mind and goes towards the trip total and the yearly total.


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

If the fish so much as looks in the direction of my lure, it was caught... and was 9 inches bigger!


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