Quote:
Originally Posted by Lowrance Fishburn
LOL, Im not sure where you heard that about contamination but i'm sorry to tell you that that is false. Mishandling fish is another story and can certainly increase mortality rates but proper handing and hook removal does not contaminate anything lol. Somebody call Al Linder and let him know how many walleye he's contaminated over the years  |
I think the contamination thing was pretty poorly worded, but the guy has a point that everyone wants to ignore. If you catch and release 100 fish in a day, you potentially killed as many or more fish than the guy who kept 3 and went home.
Sure you can minimise the risk by using artificial lures rather than bait, barbless hooks and careful fish handling, avoid fishing deep water... But I've heard that a fish's chance of survival if it is bleeding from its gills is pretty low, think of how many fish you've let go with bleeding gills. I keep some fish and I let lots go, but thinking of the many fish I've let swim with bleeding gills.. despite my best efforts I've probably killed as many fish as my grandfather, who only caught what he was allowed to keep.
On the subject of keeping fish, I think picking your location is a good idea. I think anyone who's fished Slave Lake the last few years can agree that thinning the current bumper crop of skinny-tailed, big headed walleye cant hurt. I also think that anyone who's pulled skinny hammer handle pike out of Utikima by the 100's can agree that its a fishery that might benefit from having fewer pike and more feed... these are the types of locations I fish when I'm after a fish fry.