Should I Catch And Release Non Native Fish?

There are some situations in fly fishing where questions about our own ethics as anglers are brought up. One of the most important questions that you could come across is in regards to catch and release fishing. Catch and Release (C&R) Fishing is  conservation themed angling wherein all fish,after being hooked and played, are subsequently released back into the water.

The data that supports the practice of C&R fishing is there, and many states have regulations that require the immediate release of especially sensitive fish.  C&R flat out works in helping to preserve fish populations in the long term and, at this point in the history of fly fishing, is by far the most common practice. The old adage that says, "limit your kill, don't kill your limit," certainly holds true and firm in regards to making sure that there are viable populations of fish in the water.

How to perform Catch and Release

• Fighting the Fish:
  • Use Barbless hooks for ease of removal and to lessen the damage to the fish's mouth.
  • Land the fish as quickly as possible.
  • Use wet hands to handle the fish.
  • Use a rubber net to help land the fish. Don't drag fish up onto the dry bank.
• Hook Removal and Proper Fish Handling:
  • Keep the fish in the water.
  • Use hemostats to gently unhook the fish.
  • If the fish is hooked deeply, cut the line as close to the hook as possible.
  • Keep admiration time and photos to a minimum. Try to avoid air exposure. Keep fish low to the water when taking pictures and put them back into the water between snaps.
• Revival and Release:
  • Hold the fish in the water with its head facing the current.
  • Watch for any predators that might take advantage of thetired fish. (Keep them in the net and move away if there are loons, bigger trout, or other predators circling. It happens! )
  • Release the fish when it starts to try and swim away on its own.

These are the basic and somewhat intuitive steps to hook, handle, and release fish to ensure that you have done everything possible so that they swim away unharmed.

Non-Native Fish you say?

Species of bass thrive in many locations throughout the globe where they are not native. Much like the rest of the landscape, man has transmitted organisms and animals, both good and bad, to new locations either by accident or intentionally. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are prolific across the United States and provide countless angling opportunities to many locations that lack cold water game fish.

However, bass also thrive in cold water fisheries where Salmonids may be native or prevalent. It's not all that uncommon for viable bass fisheries to exist in the same places where trout fishing takes place. It's also very important to remember that many species of trout are not native to the waters in which they are currently found.

For example:

• Brown Trout are completely non-native to the United States. Since their introduction in the 1880's. There are thousands of locations in the US with wild, stream-born fish, but not all of them are native.
• Brook Trout are the only native Salmonid east of the Mississippi river. Rainbow trout, brown trout, and Cutthroat trout that are caught east of the Mississippi river are non-native!
• With the exception of a few places in the Northwest and West, Rainbow Trout are also non-native. A dozen or more species of Cutthroat trout, along with Bull Trout, are traditionally only the native salmonids in rivers and lakes in the West. Each subspecies of Cutthroat inhabits a specific drainage and location, and differ in look from each other.

So with this said, from the perspective of non-native fish, most of the fish we catch aren't truly native to the stream we catch them in. There are numerous exceptions to this rule where native populations of fish still inhabit their historic locations and thrive like time immemorial:

• Brook trout in Northern and Western Maine
• West slope cutthroat trout thrive in the streams of Montana, West of the continental divide.
• Pure rainbow trout of the Kamloops region of British Columbia.
• Proficient populations of bull trout in North Western Montana and Idaho.

What does it all mean?

What this all means is that finding a bass swimming in a place we don't expect or even hope to catch them, is no different than catching a salmonid that shouldn't be there either. What it comes down to is angler perception, and the fact of the matter still is, some Trout anglers frown upon bass being in those waters as well. Even if the trout they also catch aren't native.

• The number one rule before making a decision on whether to kill or release a fish is to always make sure of the legalities of the water and state you are fishing in.
• Some states and specific waters may actually require you to release the bass as a management method that is specific to that water.
• Some states may have laws regarding the senseless killing of fish. For example, you cannot intentionally kill a fish if you do not intend to eat and keep it for personal sustenance.

Most fish, and bass specifically, lay thousands of eggs when spawning. Killing the one or two fish you catch is not an effective way to eradicate an unwanted fish population. Most times, this takes lengthy study by fish biologists and then an equally lengthy fish eradication procedure that is put in place by biologists who know the complete history, life cycle and makeup of a specific body of water. Throwing a bass on shore isn't going to make a dent in the population of bass, if it's already there. It's perfectly OK to be a C&R fisherman in waters where bass aren't native. If the bass are competing with a native population of fish, in most cases it's OK to also keep a few and eat them.  Always follow the law, and please practice C&R fishing whenever possible.

Shop fly fishing gear