Flyfish Fanatic

Catch and Release, the subject is getting more and more attention in the last few years. Catch and release has been sujested a good practice to sustain our fishery for many years now and in the last few has been a topic of discussion. Some people think and sujest that this will do more harm to the fish than keeping what you catch. I have do much reserch on the subject and i have come to the conclusion that it is not the fact that we kill more fish with catch and release, its the fact we as fishermen in general don’t know the proper tecnique for catch and release. There are a few things we as fishermen need to be aware of if we are going to practice catch and release.

• Try not to fight the fish to hard, this will exhast the fish and will make the survival rate of released fish much lower.
• Use a slightly larger rod with more backbone so you can get the fish in quicker.
• Once you have the fish in, handle the fish as little as possible, it has been proven that fish which have been handled to much, have a much higher rate of death.
• If you must handle the fish, make sure to wet your hands, this will help to protect the fishes sensitive skin from your rough dry hands.
• Use the proper tool to remove the hook, don’t shove your finger down its throat.
• Try not to remove the fish from the water, remove the hook while the fish is still in the water and if you would like to take a picture have someone else take the picture once you are ready. Think about it, would we survive if we were to be shoved under water for 2-3 minutes.
• Give the fish plenty of time to revive, allow at least the same amount of time for the fish to revive as it took you to catch it. The fish should swim from your hands, not just float away. When i started catch and release i did’nt give the fish enough time and many became loon food, because they were not ready.
• Even if you don’t eat fish, if the fish will not revive or if it has been injured in the fight keep it and give it to someone that does. Allowing a fish that is not ready to be released to go can cause other problems in the body of water you are fishing.
• Make sure you use Barbless hooks, this will reduce the chance of injury.

If you follow these simple rules, you will allow the fish a much better chance at survival. This way you can come back next time and catch it again, hopefully.

Check out more information at http://www.gofishbc.com/tips_articles/catch_release.htm

Tight lines and fun times

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