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jofn
Starting Member
7 Posts |
 Posted - 17/07/2008 : 15:47:36
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Catch and Release is one reason why I enjoy fishing. I have no need to take a fish out of its environment, once I have fooled it into taking an imitative fly. Providing that fish are either kept in the water and released, or handled very carefully, there should be little problem. It is the handling of the fish that causes the unsightly marks on the fish, that gives grief to fishery owners and other fishers alike. I sometimes use a Ketchum release, but have lost the fly on occasion. I tend to use forceps scissors now
as I can exert a better grip on the fly and there's a good chance that I will keep it!
C&R is also the reason why I fish for coarse fish with fly. You cannot take them from the water where I fish (Club water) and the joy is in actually catching them and watching them swim away afterwards.
The other bonus is, when you return home late in the evening, you are not faced with having to clean the fish (and keep the kitchen clean!). I do catch and keep some fish (I'm the only fish eater in the family, so I don't need many) and when I do clean them, I spend some time examining the stomach contents. That is an exercise in itself and very informative.
And again C&R is cheaper and if you think about it, more environmentally aware, as we are conserving resources, which are ever dwindling.
I'm sure there will be some who feel it is not for them, but I practise it because I enjoy it and that's one of the reasons why I go fishing.
Would I stop fishing if it were implemented in UK? Probably not, but how would it be implemented and by whom? Would it apply to all fisheries, Trout and Coarse, or just the former? Imagine the problem if coarse fisheries had a law that no fish could be returned! What would happen to those monster Carp and Catfish that lurk in the depths?
European law can sometimes be foisted onto UK law, but common sense (and political votes) can be very persuasive, and I know of one instance (unconnected with fishing), where European legislation, was not taken up by UK Government.
What do others think?
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catch-and-release ban
