Is catch and release always a good plan?

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

I once caught a catfish in Ontario that had a link from a galvanized steel stringer in its mouth and through his gills. The fish was in good health and he must have escaped from someone's stringer. The link was in good condition except for one spot where it appeared that it had been eaten through by acid. I feel that eventually it would have rotted right off.

I've also caught seemingly healthy walleye and pike with jigs and hooks (barbed) in their bellies. They had to have been swallowed after they became unhooked from their mouth or throat. Some were dissolving.

I've never had a fish swallow a lure so deep that I couldn't get it out but I have had it happen using live bait and a hook. I just snip the line and let it go. If it happens with an expensive lure I think that I'd just cut the ring between the lure and the hooks and send it on it's way.

X2. I have seen similar things happen. Sometimes infection can be a problem...but the fish has no chance if killed. If you can not legally keep a fish...it is just the way it is. Fish are pretty resilent...some species more than others. I have seen Chinooks with a large chunk bit out by a shark or sea lion...still swimming and the wound healing...but lip hook a pink salmon and the thing bleeds out in seconds. Bull trout are very hardy...I have found goldeye and arctic grayling to be less hard at times.

[ericlin0122]

catch & release is good.
kill fish by trying to pull out your lure/hook is not.

JUST CUT YOUR LINE.

[Daceminnow]

a couple pics of some of the better fish i came across this season belly up. possible c&r fish?

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by ericlin0122

catch & release is good.
kill fish by trying to pull out your lure/hook is not.

JUST CUT YOUR LINE.

Yup.

Catch and release is one management option for F&W. In areas that have limited fish populations and high fishing pressure...allowing a limit could severely deplete the population. Putting a quota or slot limit or size limit can help in some situations but generally there is a sustainability issue that is being considered when placing a C&R reg in place.

C&R does not work everywhere and in every situation just like other option may not work. F&W just needs to put their best foot forward when contemplating each situation.

It seems that in streams...the size at which trout spawn is larger than what people are willing to harvest...therefore some protection needs to be in place to allow natural reproduction to occur. We can't stock everything as it is just too expensive and mother nature does a better job on native species genetics that we can.