The Why’s And How’s Of Catch And Release Fly Fishing

To release or not release, that is the question. Over the years, as I share with people my passion for fly fishing, the conversation always seems to turn to – do you eat your catch????? I love eating fish by the way.

In fact, in my youth, before I was introduced to fly fishing, I chucked bait and ate my share of the fish I caught, often as a badge of honor (some of what we caught wouldn’t make it down the gullet without a grimace no matter how well it had been seasoned and prepared).  Even more recently, I’ve been on big game fishing excursions in Alaska and Northern BC where everyone on the trip feasted on our catch, and what we weren’t going to eat went to the crew who fed their families with it.

Now, I was never addicted to fishing until I started fly fishing for trout.  On my first fly fishing trip, after I was told we would be practicing Catch and Release, I asked, “So, what’s the point then?”  Now, I couldn’t imagine keeping any trout I caught...  of course, unless I was hungry.  When I go fly fishing though, I am not in survival mode.  I pack food with me and my camp or car is close by.  Most of the waters I go fly fishing at are protected waters with strict fishing regulations, and most of those are wild trout waters.  These are waters that are not stocked with hatchery trout.  As far as I’m concerned, you can catch and eat your limit of hatchery trout, just let the wild ones go please.

Why?  Well, first of all, as I learned from that first catch and release trip, keeping and eating the fish is not the point.  I was enjoying some fine tequila and cigars with a good buddy just the other day and he was sharing with me why he likes to mountain climb.  He told me that when he is working his way up a face, everything in his mind just fades away and he reaches a different and sublime frame of mind where all he is thinking of is in the immediate:  how to get to the next hold.  He said that when he makes the summit, it is exhilarating; he is exhausted and relaxed at the same time.  I just smiled and said, “Are you sure you’re not talking about fly fishing?”  I have never found anything so blissfully meditative and spiritual.  At the end of a day on the water, I am spent, yet unbelievably relaxed.  Ultimately, that is what I’m after, not how many dead trout I can bring home.  

The other reason why I feel you should release the fish is, like most good things, wild trout are a limited resource.  Many of the natural habitats for trout have been and are continuing to be destroyed.  What we have left is what we have to fight for.  The wild trout we have left need our help.  Like Lee Wulff said, “A good game fish is too valuable to be caught only once.”  And the bigger the fish, the more vital it is that it be returned unharmed.  The larger the fish, the more precious it is as spawning stock.  That fish really is the best of the best and it is the best that will reproduce the best.  If we remove that fish from the stream or lake, we remove all of it’s progeny.  By practicing catch and release, you are helping to ensure that fly fishing survives and the trout (including steelhead, of course) we love hang around for not only for us to catch a second time, but for our children and theirs as well.

OK.  I’m sold.  But, how do I catch and release properly?

Good question!

·         Use barbless hooks.

·         Avoid using trebles because they can cause unnecessary damage. (many areas have single, barbless  hook regulations anyway)

·         Use tackle that is strong enough to bring fish to hand quickly, avoid overtiring them.

·         Use knotless mesh landing nets, to avoid damage to eyes, gills, fins and body.

·         Use hemostats/forceps or similar tool to remove the hook quickly and painlessly with minimal damage  and stress to the fish.

·         If the fly is far down the gullet or gills, cut it off!  Better to lose the fly than kill the fish.

·         Avoid handling the fish if you can, if you must use your hands, wet them first so you don’t remove their protective coating.

·         Never use gaffs or drag fish ashore.

·         Keep the fish in the water, let it breath. Taking a fish from the water after playing it is like asking you  to sprint a mile then hold your breath for five minutes!

·         Measure the fish against your rod or carry a soft measuring tape if you want to estimate its weight.

·         Take a picture.  It will last a lifetime.

·         Hold the fish carefully facing the current, support it from beneath until it recovers sufficiently for a safe  release.