It would seem that writing a column for a newspaper is not at all unlike living in a glass house. The point is that in either case you don’t have a lot of privacy.
Having said that, after 20 years of writing The Great Outdoors, I have managed to develop a pretty thick skin when it comes to people writing letters to the editor and/or stopping me on the street to share their views and opinions on anything I may have written in my column. Which is a good thing since last week, after mentioning using a three-weight fly rod in my column, I was stopped by no less than three people who informed me, in great detail, why it was so harmful to play a rainbow trout with such light gear. They went on at great length as to how this only stresses the fish and makes it so much harder to release it back into the water.
I couldn’t agree more.
In last week’s column I stated, quite clearly, that I use my three-weight rod to catch (and release) rainbow trout that are in the eight to 10-inch, half to three-quarters-of-a-pound range. My point was/is that when I use my three-weight rod to catch such small fish, it is sort of like using a six- weight rod to play rainbow trout in the two, three, four or five-pound, 14 to 20-inch range.
I am simply matching my gear to the size of the fish.
In the past five or six years I have only dispatched one fish because I was unable to safely release it back into the water. I also ate that particular fish.
As I recall, it also wasn’t all that long ago that I discussed proper catch-and-release techniques in my column.
I referred to one particular experiment (by Ferguson and Tufts) which concluded that various forms of physiological stress do directly contribute to fish mortality and that, by inference, a minimization of stress would effectively reduce catch-and-release mortality rates of fish in the wild. The majority of fish mortality studies have concluded that the physiological effects of stress (as a result of being caught) are usually pretty well reversed within a 24- hour period.
It can be inferred from these studies that the use of heavy tackle is desirable in lowering mortality rates, and conversely, that lighter tackle and lower strength lines may increase the risk of mortality. Prior to release, any fish displaying signs of exhaustion or stress should be resuscitated before being released. Fish should be moved back-and-forth in a figure-eight pattern to increase the amount of oxygenated water passing through the gills. Only when the fish demonstrates a stable equilibrium and strong swimming ability, can it be safely released.
I have practised catch and release for well over 40 years.
Before tying on a fly pattern, I routinely pinch the barbs down on all hooks. Even when I have flies custom-tied, I specifically request they be tied in barbless hooks. I may lose more than my fair share of fish, but I also consider it all a part of the sport. Such instances are what I like to refer to as early releases.
When playing a fish to the boat, I also have no problem allowing a fish to free itself when it gets close enough to the boat that I consider it having been caught and played. Again, a shake of the head and they are gone.
I enjoy my time on the water. I also consider myself a sportsman, in that I try to give the fish a fair fighting chance, much in the same way that I also try to respect other people’s opinions. I have never tried to make myself out to be an authority on fishing – not by any means. I consider myself lucky when and if I do manage to catch the occasional fish. I also consider myself lucky that there are readers out there who are willing stop and take the time to share their views and opinions on anything I may have written.