Catch and Release

Why?

Catch-and-release fishing, zero catch limit and size limit regulations are becoming more and more common in the best waters.  Without these regulations, the preservation of many fisheries could only be achieved through increased season closures or increased stocking of possibly diseased fish.  Flyfishing is so popular that demand often exceeds the capabilities of local waters to produce sufficient numbers of fish.   Catch-and-release fishing is part of the solution.  By releasing fish, anglers allow a single fish to be "recycled" to provide recreation for others.  If practiced by a majority of anglers, catch-and-release fishing will result in greater numbers of larger fish.

More and more people who fish for sport are choosing to release their catch to ensure good fishing for another time, even where regulations do not require them to do so.  This catch-and- release philosophy suggests that angling is valued as a high-quality recreational experience, rather than just a way to secure food.

Safely Releasing Fish

How a fish is handled when the hook is removed can greatly affect its survival.  If the fish is handled carefully and gently, it will have an excellent chance of survival.  Barbless hooks make it easier to release fish.  Taking a few precautions when releasing your fish will allow it to live, spawn and be caught again.

• Retrieve your catch quickly and release it immediately.  A fish played too long can become too tired to recover. 
• Keep the fish in water as much as possible.  A fish out of water begins to suffocate and can be injured while thrashing around.
• Remove the hook carefully.  A major factor in the survival of a released fish is where it has been hooked.  Hooks in the corners of the mouth or in the front pan of the tongue do very little damage to the fish.  Such hooks should be removed by grasping the shank of the hook (either with your fingers or a pair of needle-nose pliers) and using the weight of the fish to pull the hook out. This way you do not have to touch or squeeze the fish.  Catch and Release tools are now readily available in most flyshops.
• Leave deeply set hooks in the fish. If the fish has swallowed the hook deeply into its throat, do not attempt to remove it. These fish have a better chance of survival if the line is cut and the hook is left in.
• Avoid squeezing the fish. If you must hold the fish to remove the hook, hold the fish gently behind the gill area. Squeezing the fish can damage internal organs and cause death. The gills are fragile and easily damaged, resulting in excessive bleeding, so keep your fingers out of the gills and remove the hook carefully.
• Help revive the fish. If a released fish does not swim away, hold it in a normal swimming position and gently move it back and forth in the water to move water over the gills and allow more oxygen to enter its blood. Most fish recover in a minute or so and readily swim away.  If the current is too swift, use a nearby flat or slow moving, shallow pool as a recovery area.

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