Catch and release — Is it right every time?
By DENNIS APRILL, Outdoors Columnist
The idea of catching a bragging-sized fish, then releasing it alive back to the water so other anglers can share your feeling of success is not a new idea.
Putting back fish was a practice for centuries in England, and was popularized in the US by fishing legend Lee Wulff during the middle of the 20th century.
Today, catch and release is the preferred course of action among a wide range of anglers from fly fishers for trout to B. A. S. S. pros.
It is considered almost sacrilegious down south now-a-days to kill a trophy-sized largemouth bass. But is catch and release right for all angling situations? The primary motivation to catch, then release a fish is to enjoy the sport by returning your fish so it can be caught another day. However idealistic this may sound, not all fish are created equal and not all fish will survive after being released. According to dozens of studies compiled in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management, some species fare better than others.
Bass and walleyes seem to be more tolerant to catch and release than some other species. In one study done in 1989, researchers found no deaths among smallmouths that were caught and released by anglers using spinners. In contrast, the average mortality of those not hooked at all was four percent. Similar results were found with walleyes in Klawitter’s Pond, Minnesota. Another study, of walleyes in Lake Roosevelt, Washington, found those caught with artificial lures and hook and line then released had a 99 percent survival rate.
Coldwater species like trout and salmon don’t fare as well. A 1994 study of lake trout in Gunflint Lake, northern Minnesota, estimated the mortality for all released lake trout was 24 percent.
In Maine, 22 percent of landlocked Atlantic salmon hooked in a nursery river near a hatchery died, but most of those were hooked with worms, only a small percent with artificial flies. This pattern runs through the North American Journal of Fisheries Management studies.
The type of lure, then, may be a more important factor in fish survival. All studies have shown higher fish mortality when live bait is used because fish tend to take the bait deep into their stomachs; whereas, with hardware and flies, more lip catches are made, meaning less serious damage to the fish. In the above studies, while bass and walleye mortality was low when they were caught with artificials, the mortality rate rose to 11 percent for smallmouths caught with minnows and 10 percent with walleyes taken on leeches.
The type of hook or hooks used is also a key factor in fish survival. One study done in 1994 illustrates this in striking fashion.
The average hooking mortality for 630 trophy-sized wild brook trout was 8. 3 percent for those caught on Mepps spinners and Little Cleo Spoons equipped with three-pointed treble hooks compared to 2. 4 percent mortality for those caught with these same lures with single hooks. Take the barb off that single hook and the survival rate increases even more.
Even among artificial lures, there were differences. A 1992 study concluded that the type of artificial lure used for brook trout had an impact on a successful release. The authors, Nuhfer and Alexander, wrote in the North American Journal of Fisheries, "Lures that exhibit vigorous wobbling action when retrieved appear less likely to be deeply engulfed (by fish)and consequently cause less mortality." So, for anglers who want to do catch and release exclusively, not only are single barbless hooks and artificial lures the choice, but special care is need when handling the fish. Certainly ultra light rods and reels should be avoided because the added time needed to get the fish in stresses it even more than a normal catch on standard-weight gear. The fish should be kept in the water as much as possible and released as quickly as possible. If some extensive handling is necessary, the angler’s hands should be wet.
Sometimes all the good intentions don’t work, and catch and release is not always possible.
Fish, even with the most carefully selected of hooks, can swallow the lure. Cutting the line won’t always work, especially if there is internal damage to the fish’s organs. Also, anglers in summer trolling for salmon or trout may have to keep some fish who, having been brought up from the cooler lake depths, wouldn’t make it when set free in the warm top water. Another example is fishing for a species meant to be kept as food, such as smelt. And, of course, for those who eat their catch, certainly landing a nice trout, bass or walleye, then making a meal out of it, is their right.
Also, though caught and released lunkers can be replicated by some taxidermists using photos and measurements, the real thing is hard to beat hanging on the wall.
Overall, catch and release does work, but I still feel the choice to keep a fish or let it go most of the time should reside with the angler.
I certainly have no regrets about having thrown back some nice fish, nor do I regret keeping some for dinner.
Field Notes Thanks to DEC aquatic biologists Leo Demong and Rich Preall for their help in finding data for this article.