Corpusfishing.com

[BigSaltsFishing]

Can someone be cited for an unsuccessful release of an oversized fish? Several times anglers catch oversized fish and by the time they are landed the fish is exhausted. What happens if the release is unsuccesful and the fish bites the big one? Tried Mr. Google for the answer to no avail.
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Fishing is my addiction

[Baffinboy]

Only if it's in your ice chest
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But you ain't got no legs Lt. Dan, I know that

[ceejkay]

ive always wondered the same thing. ive never used my oversize red tag on a perfectly healthy red. but i keep it for the one time i cant revive the fish or if i gut hook one. other than reds i cant think of any fish i catch regularly that would have an oversize limit here.
growing up in florida, snook were abundant and those were slot limits and season fish. i was told by a fwc that if you were in possession of an over/undersized fish you would be fined. but never got a clear answer on what to do with a fish you cant revive. you just cant be in possession of one.
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If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.

[kweber]

even if the fish comes in dead... w/o a tag you must return to the water...
many yrs ago a guy caught an oversize on the S port A jetty... he had already tagged and wanted to give it away... GW was there and made him release the fish...
this was after the guy had the fish out of the water for at least 10-15min... last I saw it, it was floating down current.
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the creepy uncle that scares the kids....

[mtfish]

Game warden will tell you "crabs have to eat too". They are in the business of law enforcement, not biology. Their world is black and white; either you are in possession or your not. If it is dead floating off in the current, you or in the not category.

[mickeyd]

The last time we went offshore for red snapper it was like a floating flotilla of undersized snapper, especially behind the "head boats". I guess they were not "inflated" properly after being released. I guess the sea critters had a feast at least.
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Mike

[ltorna1]

I don't mind one bit that you have to release (discard) an illegal fish even if its dead or not going to make it. There isn't room for grey in the rules.

For every unfortunate true failed release that you have to watch die in the current, there are a hundred other googans that would love to be able to use the "well, it was gut hooked so I kept it" story for any oversized or over-bag-limit catch.

That being said, the red snapper deal is sad. All it takes is a little poke and their odds of survival are much better.
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...if my boss ever finds this forum I'll be unemployed...

[topdog15]

[Tyler]

And Josey Wales will tell ya "Buzzards got to eat same as the worms"
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[B-1 83]

[landlocked beachbum]

[Central Scrutinizer]

The venting requirement for THE red snapper has been rescinded, as it proved to be less-than-effective.

[ltorna1]

I would venture to say that the LAW was less than effective, not the tool or venting itself. You saw the same data I did CS. Venting and/or rapid decending increase chances of survival over the chuck-and-good-luck method.
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...if my boss ever finds this forum I'll be unemployed...

[Central Scrutinizer]

Without a doubt, the technique is beneficial, so long as you do it properly.

There was little to no training for most deckhands or general fishermen, and they tended to do more harm than good, in the long run. Stabbing the poor fish's stomach as it poked out of the mouth was not exactly what was recommended, but sadly, that was the technique I saw far too often.

So the Gulf Council ended up taking a mulligan on the whole thing.

[landlocked beachbum]