Would you fish if you had to release all fish?

[CRJR45]

This may get me in hot water but regardless, I'm of the opinion that sticking the air bladder to release pressure so a fish can swim away is the good public answer when it's real purpose is to sink the fish so folks don't see the dead ones.

Now they have descending devices, in fact you have to have one on your boat when reef fishing . Pretty slick , three settings.
I’ve heard mortality rates are crazy high when fish are fizzed , so you have a point .

https://www.basspro.com/p/seaqualizer-fish-release-tool

 

[Bowhunt_406]

Maybe I’m an odd duck, but if it’s caught on my fly rods then it’s always released. If caught on spin gear I’ll occasionally keep one. Trout are always released, but I do like pike tacos.

 

[MTLabrador]

I would absolutely keep fishing, 95% of the fishing I do is catch and release, because I like to fish for trout, and except for an occasional backpacking meal I don’t think they’re that good to eat. If I catch walleye, catfish, or pike, they’re getting fried, because they are good to eat.

Is the anti catch and release thing still meateater propaganda?

 

[mtmuley]

I like to fish for trout, and except for an occasional backpacking meal I don’t think they’re that good to eat.

There's a little lake here in Montana that I ice fish sometimes that has trout fit to eat. Although I have mostly smoked them. None of those go back. mtmuley

 

[MTLabrador]

There's a little lake here in Montana that I ice fish sometimes that has trout fit to eat. Although I have mostly smoked them. None of those go back. mtmuley

I’ve occasionally found some tasty rainbows that I like to eat, especially if they’re eating shrimp. And lake trout are delicious too, but I rarely fish for them.

 

[406dn]

It has been a long time since I fished, back to the day, I first owned the horse in the avatar. Before that I fished fairly often for trout, with a fly rod.

Mostly I released them, but the hard core C&R philosophy grates on me. It is thou fishing is not a blood sport. I think it is less defensible ethically, to put a hook into a fish's mouth, entirely for your enjoyment of their struggle.

You will never convince me that when a person catches 50 trout in a day, and turns them all back, that they haven't killed several trout. No, you don't catch that many every time out, but I've had days where that was very attainable.

C&R got its start as a way to make the resource support more fishing. It has morphed into a quasi religion.

 

[cgasner1]

I really only bow fish so it’s all catch and release anyway.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

My kids can't get enough fried panfish! We don't fish a lot, but when we do, it's with the intention to catch dinner.

 

[RealMuddyboots]

100% C&R would save me money, no boat, no tackle, more guns. Well save a little money.

 

[Nameless Range]

I bet I release 90+% of the fish I catch, but if it were only C & R, it would change my relationship with it. I'm pretty sure I'd still do it, but I like taking some home every now and then - whether it is a fish I wanted to take home ahead of time, or one that goes belly up post-catch.

Turned this one loose a couple months ago



Kept and cooked this one the other day:



Just spent a marriage-stressing amount of money on walleye gear this afternoon and am taking the boat out tomorrow. Hoping to take some home.

 

[Don Fischer]

I don't go fishing for what I don't eat. These days most my fishing is for catfish and crappie. Did go for salmon last year with a brother but didn't care if I got one or not as I don't much eat them anymore. When I lived in Alaska great deal of my food was fish I'd caught which ment salmon of one kind or another, I'm salmoned out!

 

[It’s Bucky]

I fish almost weekly and 99% is catch and release. There’s just something about catching a fish on a self-tied fly that I can’t get enough of.

 

[Cogreeny]

There's a little lake here in Montana that I ice fish sometimes that has trout fit to eat. Although I have mostly smoked them. None of those go back. mtmuley

What species do you like to eat? I’m fond of brookies bigger than 12” so it’s worth cooking. Fried morels and a brookie is my heaven on earth.

 

[Hem]

Maybe I’m an odd duck, but if it’s caught on my fly rods then it’s always released. If caught on spin gear I’ll occasionally keep one. Trout are always released, but I do like pike tacos.

You aren't the only one.
Ditto to the above.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

These trout are damn good smoked or grilled. Holdover stockers from a fertile high desert lake.

 

[Highwood]

Why would I release these?

 

[Hem]

Why would I release these?

I confess, the one fish i dont ever release are legal walleye.
But then I've only caught about 8 with a flyrod.

 

[Goatshoes]

I would definitely stop spearfishing.

 

[Sask hunter]

I love to eat fish but would still fish if I couldn’t keep any. I don’t keep many usually just a pike or an eye for supper and stock up a bit towards the end of summer to get me through fall and the end of winter to get me to next summer

 

[howl]

Ok so quick question for you guy's discussing mortality rates. Are these rates and studies being referred to talking about trout fishing exclusively? I'm assuming so as I've never experienced a high mortality rate catching perch, bass, crappie, catfish, and various other warm water species besides the occasional swallowed hook.

If you release a striped bass in a lake here in the summer, it will die.