Warning., We can all learn from our mistakes.

I don't typically reply to these topics because of the controversial nature of opinions, and I don't wish to get into a perpetual debate. All we can do is present the facts, and hope that we can draw our own conclusions.
Thank you Jamie for doing the research based on facts and science.
Personally, I am a catch and keep fisherman. I only catch the amount I am willing to clean and cook. Does not necessarily mean that I need to reach my allotted limit. If I am fishing for whitefish and caught my 2 early in the day, then I would stop fishing and socialize with like minded fishermen before heading home or as previously said, go shallower for some perch.
Those limits are set by those who I would hope are more educated in the topic than myself, and I trust that by keeping within those boundaries, I am not harming the fish population. By C&R, I might contribute to the death of more than my limit, and might be contributing to the decline of the fish population. I am not willing to take that risk. I am a fisherman from childhood, I love taking my kids fishing, and hopefully one day be able to do so with grand-kids. That is why conservation of fish and wildlife is important to me.
Fishing should not be focused on getting digital content, but about the enjoyment of time spent in nature, sometimes alone, and sometimes with loved ones.
All that said, that is my personal opinion, and like any opinion, may not be agreeable with some readers.
Stay safe out there, and make good choices.
John

You can't say it any better than that.

Thank you Arnie, fish are a food resource, not something to "toy" with for personal pleasure.

Agreed

I do fish sometimes, catch and release for pike. I see no problem with catch and release fishing with good conscience. But for me it's just pike in shallow water, spring and late fall. Is it wrong to fish for fun? I know people that think I am cruel for fishing at all. Only God knows for sure, and I think he is okay with it.

Great topic and thanks for putting your time hopefully it will open some anglers eyes in how to fish responsible .

So, I am happy to that we have many fisher people on this site that truly care about the fishery as a whole and practise solid fishing ethics.


I too am not a big fan of u tubers for the most part............if it's solid information on tactics and real science on fish handling hey count me in but if just for views and the hero game I am out

one problem I see is that approx. 25 % of the population partakes in fishing and there is no way newcomers are well enough informed on c and r let alone limits and or tactics... it takes time to become an experienced angler and to care for that resource. limits imposed on the fishery as a whole take some of that into account



good topic incredibility difficult to resolve


we can only encourage people to do the right thing though and not belittle them I believe because most of us also started out being not so great fisherman

Jamie

A very thoughtful and informative post.

At my age I don't ice fish anymore. I was a walker and liked to fish outside. So, now in the Winter, I'm not hurting any fish.

I've never been into C&R fishing as I like to eat and smoke my catch. Normally, if I get my limit I quit. I only tried to do C&R fishing once and learned my lesson, many years ago.

On a solo trip, I launched my boat on the Oro side of Simcoe and ran over to Willow Beach on the SE side to jig for whitefish. Quickly caught my 2 and quit jigging and thought, I will troll back to Oro line 9 (probablyl 8 or 10 KM) and see if I can pickup a laker. Within 1KM, I had 2 lakers. The whitefish and lakers were both "on" that day.

So here I am with my limit of lakers and whitefish, it isn;t even 10 o'clock yet on a lovely dead calm day. Perfect day for fishing.

I thought, I will keep on trolling and just C&R. Within another 1/2 KM I hooked and landed a 3rd laker. Problem was, it had inhaled the spoon and it was away back in the throat and the fish was bleeding profusely from the gills.

Obviously, this fish will not survive, but I cannot keep it. I had no choice but to let it go, knowing full well, it probably wouldn't survive.

I have never C&R fished since that day. Now, if I am lucky enough to get my limit, I quit.

SDC

Definitely an important topic, good on you for bringing it up. I think all you can do is try to make people aware and hope they will make an effort. Also I wonder if certain fish in certain waterbodies somehow become a little more resilient to barotrauma. I fish Lake Ontario regularly, very rare that I see a fish floating on top.. not to say that everything that dies will float.. and I’ve seen some pretty crazy dive bombs and rises out of fish on the fish finder. I’m no expert so can’t give much more than that, but it just made me think a little.

A few years back I was fishing in K.B. , there was little snow and clear ice and on my walk about I seen 4 or 5 DEAD whitefish that were just under the ice.
I figured someone thought they were having a great day catching what ever they could , and bragging to the buddy's how many they caught.
Little did they know some or all of the released fish didn't make it ,floating back up to the surface.

Very sad.

Wow, that's a lot of comments. Thank you everybody for your thoughts. This is a tight community here on the Fishing Forum. Questions and answers to questions day in and day out. Participation equals success in so many areas of the great outdoors. I look forward to reading a new fishing tale everyday, so keep them coming. And I do like the videos posted here from the different regions. Two examples off the top of my head are.... xiaolu and his kayak videos, with the music in the background and how subtle he sets a hook on a fish.... As well Informativeangling with his new approach to new technology. These two guys can fish. And if we watch close, you never know what tips and tricks we might pick up. Thanks again for all of the comments. Good luck on your next adventures.

For sure a very important discussion and good on you for bringing it up again so the older members don't forget and the newer ones see there is concerned fishers and that we are not all (mostly?) fishing for the "likes" etc. to benefit financially from views, etc. I completely agree with the comments and also do not C&R for fun. Fishing is tons of fun but the main purpose for me is being outdoors (and best iwth family and friends) and the food as well (good thing it's alot of fun too). Of course there are those unintended catches where the fish should be released (wrong species, slot sizes or just being too big and should be released for the benefit of the fishery as they are the best breeders and usually do not taste as good as smaller fish). Even when I catch tiny fish (not on purpose but it happens to the best of us) and they aren't going to make it, I will keep it as part of my limit (I can clean them in a different way and still eat them)...I have even picked up floating, dying (no dead ones though....yeeeuck) fish too from other anglers that toss them after gut hooking them and even pulling out fish parts while unhooking....they are not going to live but are still tossed. Now, if there is a cool bird around that is fishing, I may toss a small gut hooked pan fish out to the bird so it's not wasted.
Had a few similar incidents as sdcaller (took me a bit longer to register what I was doing) before smartening up to stop fishing after reaching my limit. I also use to release all fish after I reach my limit minus one fish so I can continue to fish...not a good idea either but being young and not thinking so much, it was legal and was fun o keep catching so....but haven't done that in years. Now, I hit my limit and move onto another species if I want to fish more (and I don't mean just sitting there fishing the same spot with the same lures in the same way and hoping to catch another species - e.g. like lakers and WF) but moving to areas where the limited species should not be.

Oh, and I see very few comments about the new sonars....I'm sure it's a controversial topic. I do agree, the new sonars are increasing catches by leaps and bounds (if the operator knows what he/she is doing) compared to the minimal improvements the old sonars to use to make. The abilities and resolution commercially available sonar will get incredibly better...the technology is already there but the industry is not willing to put the best they have out there yet. They are bringing improvements a little at a time so they can milk older tech (the so called newest sonars available now) for all its worth and then slowly bring out better sonar so people will feel the need to upgrade each or couple of years...it's the same mentality with anything tech and fishing stuff is right in there with that mentality. I've seen what some latest (not available and not fishing specific) sonar technology can do....you are basically looking at a pretty clear image of fish (no longer just moving blobs or maybe even fish-like blobs - even newbies can see the fish and almost what species of fish now too).
Unfortunately, I don't see a ban coming on future sonar improvements anytime soon because there is alot of potential money to be made so the next best thing is to have more people do the right thing and not just what's legal.

Thank you Flukes for the detailed comment and reflection. It's always good for all of us to be forward thinkers. To visualize the outcome of what we do today, and how it will affect tomorrow. Better to be proactive than reactive. I catch hundreds of fish, and am sure another angler could criticize some of my methods. As well criticize what is kept, or what is released. There is no set template or textbook teaching one way of fishing. We all learned the basics from someone, or taught ourselves. My mentors were very intense. It was their way, or no way. There was no compromise, just one involved rule. Release ten times the fish you catch, and make sure they are healthy. I have killed a fish from making a mistake once in a while. No one is a perfect angler, everyone makes mistakes. Most anglers feel bad if they kill a fish by making a mistake. As for this particular topic of fish handling, it's a bit intense. I am having a hard time forgiving anglers for not knowing how to handle fish with care and a delicate hand. As for the anglers that know better and continue to hurt fish intentionally with no remorse. Most guilty people have no regret or shame. To have remorse, you must first have a conscience. It may be just a fish, and just fishing to some. For those of us who love nature, we take from it what we need. And we humbly give back with the same unassuming respect. Thanks again for all the comments from everyone. Stay safe.

Great posts man.

Myself i am a catch and keep fisher. Catch and if legal keep it, fry it and eat it. Stop fishing when i have what i want or am at my limit. Love perch fishing and does not bother me to clean pails full of perch so often that is what i target as it's a rare day for everyone in the group to get our 50.

Had one over 13 inches this weekend - still chasing the 15 incher for the wall.

Thank you. Just saw your recent post. Always look forward to your pictures of some great fishing. Enjoy.