Trophy hunting and fishing: It’s an ego thing

The recent news that an American had shot and killed a lion named Cecil in Africa has sent the mainstream media into a feeding frenzy. They have interviewed the lunatic fringe on both sides of the hunting issue, from PETA, which called for hanging the accused poacher, and the Humane Association of the United States, to Ted Nugent. I have yet to hear a TV interview from the Safari Club International or the National Rifle Association, although SCI did immediately suspend the person’s membership and condemn the taking of game by luring it off a refuge.

This stupid act has given all hunters another black eye. The general public does not understand why we hunt, and I have found no way to explain this to them. I have been hunting since I was 10 years old, and the thrill I get seeing a deer move in range or watching a goose set his wings and come into the decoys cannot be explained to someone who has never been hunting. Like my hero Jimmy Buffet says, “It’s like trying to describe the ocean to someone who’s never seen it.”

And hunting is not the only sport that harbors folks who have a trophy mentality. Fishing has its share of people who only go after trophy animals. Some want to catch the biggest fish, some want to set line-class world records and some want to win tournaments. If you want to see this type of behavior, just look at the White Marlin Open where men and women in multi-million-dollar boats go after a fish that is worth a million-dollar prize. Please don’t misunderstand; I fully support big-game tournaments. I have covered many of them, and while most are won by rich men, every once in awhile, a crew of more moderate means will sneak in a win.

Those who fish only for line-class world records will spend a great deal of money on tackle, boats, guides and travel to remote locations in pursuit of the goals. The rules set by the International Game Fish Association are quite strict and a bit complicated. The leaders, line and hooks must conform to these rules and will be examined by the IGFA before a record is awarded. In addition, the angler must set the hook and may not be assisted by anyone while fighting the fish.

Men and women who seek only the biggest fish also spend great amounts of money to find and take these trophies. While the big fish often winds up hanging from a gantry, we are seeing more and more of these large animals being released.

Then there are the accidental record catches. Last year’s world record tog caught out of Ocean City is a perfect example. The angler was on a charter boat with a group of his friends, and while he was a good fisherman, catching the world record was simply a matter of having the right bait in the right place at the right time. My son Roger has set three world records the same way.

Unfortunately, there have been cases where fishermen have broken the rules just to claim a record. One of the more blatant examples was a person who ran over to Cape May, N.J., purchased a large Atlantic halibut from a commercial fisherman, brought it back to Delaware and tried to claim the state record for summer flounder. It didn’t take long for his plot to be spoiled by Delaware Fish and Wildlife personnel, who quickly identified the fish as a halibut, not a summer flounder.

Why do people do this sort of stupid stuff? It's an ego thing. They must have the biggest to prove they are better than their peers. To the best of my knowledge, there is no shot, pill or therapy for this condition, so we will continue to see events like the illegal killing of a lion in Africa so long as people roam the earth.

Fishing report

Flounder fishing was good even with the blue moon. The stronger currents did not seem to hamper the action, as limits and big fish were caught in the bay, ocean, Broadkill River, and the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal.

Croaker were a bit harder to find in the bay, but were available in the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal. Bloodworms are the best bait for croaker even though they will take anything from squid to peeler crab. Evening high tides will bring croaker to Lewes Beach up to the Ferry Wall. A few keeper flounder have been caught in the same area on various lures and baits.

The tuna run has slowed offshore, but dolphin, wahoo, swordfish, and white and blue marlin are still available. Those who troll from late afternoon into the night have caught bigeye tuna.

Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age.  Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.