Catch and Release comments

im strongly C&R fan the only fish ive took home mackeral and few cod and Pollock from boat, had 33 bass and 18 good size codling in my sea fishing carera-all them alive (hope) back in the sea....dont mind takers who got few for the pan,but taken 4 or more in to the bag-something out of this world from mine point of wiew and them who take the fish have to be aware that if you kill 4-8 good size fish that makes good days catch gone for 5-7 years...till recover...if...

AVID C&R HERE, OCCASIONAL TAKE HOME ONLY.

over the months many of my customers in the shop have expressed their concerns regards catch and release.
Generally the remarks concern the recent influx of polish and alike anglers.

many have been caught killing fish that would be more suited to a gold fish bowl and i did here on one incident off blackhead were things became quite heated with regards this.
As to the fresh water damns, they had been caught with a rubber dinghy 2 nights after fresh stocks arrived.

Now others may feel this is not the pc way, but lets face facts, it is happening with this small number of people and this is not a good thing, many who chat to me have seen this and i do now that many of my customers are also catch and release guys. So what can we do, its quite complicated.

my viewpont is that i am, probably 95%, c and r in my fishing. the fish that i return i choose to for two reasons. firstly i get a lot more pleasure from catching a big fish, getting a photo then watching it swim back then i would killing it for any reason. for this reason and the one below i would not kill any big bass, wrasse, spurdog, huss etc

secondly i do it for ecological reasons, fish like bass and ray are slow growing and slow to reproduce. i dont want to contribute to their problems by killing more of them. i would rather return in a few years and have a good session catching their projeny then have one tasty fish dinner on their parents.

however when a species is plentiful and there is no ecological harm to be done by killing a few for food or bait then thats where the 5% comes in. mackerel, for food and bait, roach for pike bait, the odd flatfish, launce etc .

for myself its when i see people being greedy that i loose respect for them. i met some guys a while back with 15 dead codling, flounder and two bass from on evenings fishing. now nothing illegal here, just wrong IMO. their justifcation was that they spent loads of money fishing all year so they felt they were entitled to take what they wanted. for me if you dont want to spend money then dont fish. i have spent thousands over the years, tens of thousands on fishing, but i spent it happily because i get enjoyment out of it. what i am due back from nature doesnt come into it at all. a bit of sense and moderation is needed in a lot of cases i think

do i respect the 100% C and R angler over one who keeps the odd bass, mackerel, trout or codling? of course not, they are both viable choices and are sustainable. would i rather see a big fish, even one, returned then filleted (my own and others), yes i would, but i dont have a major problem with people keeping a fish provided it is sustainable.

do i respect the angler who kills everything they catch because they feel they are entitled to bacause they have spent money, want free dinners or are just plain greedy? no way, and i think its this kind of angler that most people have the problem with.

and also if people are not willing to listen, or at least to be exposed to, the views of others then dont post your reports on a public forum.

illegal killing of fish , now thats another matter. i think its every anglers responsibility to know our fisheries law, fresh and salt water. and if you are caught then you deserve what you get.

Well Adam has basicly sumed it up there and i totally agree, i love the occasional take home fish, its a great reward, but its also nice to release and see the fish swim away..

Ref Adams message..can we really find an argument..my opinion No

Fishings great and fun, and the odd reward makes up for the ones i let away.

Well Adam has basicly sumed it up there and i totally agree, i love the occasional take home fish, its a great reward, but its also nice to release and see the fish swim away..

Ref Adams message..can we really find an argument..my opinion No

Fishings great and fun, and the odd reward makes up for the ones i let away.

agree totally adam

Well Adam has basicly sumed it up there and i totally agree, i love the occasional take home fish, its a great reward, but its also nice to release and see the fish swim away..

Ref Adams message..can we really find an argument..my opinion No

Fishings great and fun, and the odd reward makes up for the ones i let away.

agree totally adam

same, i agree