First, to Johnny Southpaw, nice fish. Congrats. Personally, I would not have kept that one if I were going to be keeping fish, but that's preference.
This post took a turn away from Johnny's fish towards a more general catch and release philosophy which I feel is an important dialog to be having (even as we have it again and again).
I remember trout fishing with my father when I was young and the goal would be to "limit out". We'd strive to come home with 10 dead trout apiece hanging on a stinger. Very needless. We'd try to give them to friends and neighbors and they'd ultimately go bad in the freezer. The point is, many of us were taught to fish with concepts and practices that are damaging to fish, fishing, and the environment.
While people on this forum seem quite knowledgeable and show tremendous respect for fish and fishing, many people aren't as dedicated to the sport and therefore may not have given the topic much thought. So, I would like to share a couple of resources on the topic...
From
Recycled Fish (A non-profit dedicated to promoting stewardship among anglers) ...
Selective harvest isn’t just a matter of taking only the fish you personally plan to use/eat. Rather, it is the knowledgeable taking of fish when removal will improve a fishery and releasing them when releasing will improve or sustain a fishery.
From an article in eHow's Responsible Fishing Library
Should fisherman always catch and release?
So should you always catch and release? Not necessarily. It's acceptable to fish for your dinner as long as you abide by the limits imposed by the state agencies. A lot of research goes into the kinds of limits imposed, and the governing bodies have a good hold on what kinds of fishing practices are best for any given region. Limits are generally imposed on the size of the fish and the total number of fish you can take from a body of water. If you fish within these limits and during the allowed time frame, then you aren't doing anything to decimate the fish population.
For me personally, relating specifically to Salmon/Steelhead here in Oregon, I will keep a fish for dinner but only if I will actually eat it instead of letting it go bad in the freezer. A more important aspect in my opinion, is to improve the mortality rate when you do hook up with a wild steelhead (and thus release it). There are some practices I like to follow:
- Avoid exhausting the fish (lactic acid from oxygen deficiency can kill the fish days later). I try to land it quickly.
- I never handle the fish with dry hands and use a rubber (no knots) net so as to minimize damage the fish's slime coat or scales.
- I use single siwash hooks. This is a personal preference. Where single hooks might not tear up the fishes mouth as much (ripping out 2 points does more damage than 1 point) many people believe siwash hooks have a higher incidence of "deep hooking" due to the longer shank. So it's a legitimate debate with pros and cons each way. I prefer the single. I get a good solid hookup and it's very quick and easy to remove.
- I de-barb my hooks when fishing for smaller trout (I keep 'em on for steelhead as they seem quite gifted at getting off the hook). I can release a trout just by letting the line go slack.
- If I see the fish is wild, I don't take it out of the river if possible, and minimize it's contact with me, the air, and the bank while removing the hook.
- I give the fish time to recover by gently facing it upstream to allow oxygenated water to flow through the gills.
