Osprey - 6-3-2011 at 04:43 PM
When it comes to fishing reports, don't believe everything you believe.
Ode to Professor Jimmy Houston
Jimmy Houston, famous TV fisherman and natural Good Ole Boy was filmed releasing a three pound largemouth bass while fishing with one of his southern
buddies. He said, “Earl, if that one had got away, it woulda gone six pounds.”
Jimmy gets my kudos for that little bromide because it comes very close to life in a place I call, loosely, reality. The remark highlights the big
fish, little fish competition and exaggeration that has coursed through the anglers’ world since the first hook. Since I have the time to study on it
some and there is no one around here to stop me, I beg your attention.
I think I can prove it is not some special gene sportsman carry that leads them to make big fish out of smaller/smallish fish. It is Newtonian
physics.
On non tourney boats every where there is water with fish in it, physics, the culprit here, is almost always ignored so the anglers/competitors (all
anglers feel they are in constant and never-ending competition with their fellow anglers) all default to the Houston thinking.
What they have missed is the following. Once the fish is hooked, the resistance the fish places on all the things in the chain of capture equipment
begins to add up in the angler’s mind as data related to foot pounds, foot pounds per second, inertia, as evidenced in the perceived size, weight,
girth, age of the fish and effectiveness of all the things touching the chain of capture, (leader, line, rod, reel, angler’s force of energy or lack
of it) speed of current and direction and speed of the vessel.
If one brings all that into question, the Houston thing takes on a new light; in some circumstances if the angler loses the fish and had perceived
that the fish overpowered the capacity of the chain of capture equipment and the angler, it would be quite natural to assume the fish might have been
unusually large and robust.
I can give you many examples where the fish escaped and many others where the fish was successfully boated, where incomplete or faulty data played a
part in the report.
Two or three times a week my fishermen neighbors bring me reports of both and using the physics I know to be in play I can sort out invalid data and
exaggerations:
Note: I am familiar with my neighbors, their boats, equipment and fishing methods.
Carl
Carl’s wife, Betty calls my wife about five times a day just to chat. Yesterday she told my wife she caught a 30 pound dorado in Carl’s boat. I rated
the fish at 12 pounds.
Jim
Jim uses email and photoshop (the clone tool) and sometimes forgets to erase a tiny piece from the tail tips of every third fish like he used to.
Yellowtail in the photos in his boat I rate at 38 to 42 pounds. Real weight I rate as 26 to 28 pounds. (Maybe only one lonely cloned jurel)
Tony
Tony fishes inside with ultralight stuff. Largest released rooster to date as reported was 20 pounds and I rate the fish at 22 pounds.
Frank
All of Frank’s reels are filled with 50 or more pounds of spendy mono with no leaders. All rods are tuna sticks and his phone reports of “schooly”
dorado, released or not I rate at 18 pounds.
Bert
Only top of the line 6.0s and bigger reels and meat sticks help Bert bring in marlin which he smokes and uses like dollars or pesos as barter for
goods and services of every kind. He releases only barilette he says later were footballs which I rate at 9 pounds.
Adam
A professional meat fisherman, Adam stops by my gate to report he caught a “nice size” amberjack. He probably kept it – he wants no competition from
gringos. I rate this particular fish at 60 or more pounds.
Mike
Inshore and shore fisherman often gets skunked. On his last morning shot from the shore near the jetty, he reported “skunked”. I have watched him fish
and I rate this particular day as one or more small lizardfish he does not want me to know about. (One lizardfish counts as minus two fish of any
kind)
Although I have been kind to Jimmy Houston in this little physics/communication essay I must remind readers Jimmy loads up with 18 pound Spectra with
12 pound leader to try to coax in and capture bass that average 1.452 pounds per season. Jimmy does not give me fishing reports. Jimmy thinks physics
is something you take for your indigestion.
Skipjack Joe - 6-3-2011 at 10:55 PM
I must be at the 'Mike' level. 
Cypress - 6-4-2011 at 05:25 AM
Yea, some folks "guesstimates" aren't very reliable. With a few more years practice I'll attain the 'Mike' level.
Iflyfish - 6-4-2011 at 06:58 AM
Personaly I would never lie about something so important as conquests and fish. I just happen to have landed bigger ones than anyone else. What more
can I say?
Iflyfish
1bobo - 6-4-2011 at 07:15 AM
It ain't the meat, it's the motion.
Udo - 6-5-2011 at 08:19 AM
Way to go George!
We want the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
We all know the accuracy of fish scales, HUH?