Catch and release - the right thing to do

How many times have I heard someone say as they're clutching that impressive catch, imagining it mounted on their wall; "its going to die anyway". True, like all living things the fish will eventually die...but probably not as a result of the fight it put up. Studies done in Quebec for example, have quite convincingly shown that even deepwater Lake trout will survive a lengthy haul from the depths if the fish is not badly hooked in the gills or esophagus. This happens most often when using bait...you feel the bite and let the fish "swallow the hook"...which is fine if you intend to eat the fish. But if you want to let the fish go it is crucially important to avoid using bait, keep the fight to a minimum, and stick to single, barbless, mild steel hooks that will rust away if broken off.

There are many reasons why catch and release fishing is a good thing. For example, there may be a requirement to allow a certain number of fish to reach their spawning grounds to ensure their ultimate survival. Still others have suggested that big fish have "big offspring". Thus there is an argument that big spawners, like the plus size Brook trout pictured below shouldn't be killed and mounted at all, but rather let go to reproduce more trophy size specimens.

For some, the reasons for letting fish go may be purely selfless; after all, who wouldn't want to fish where they know that others have let their catch go in good condition? To me, one of the greatest reasons why the fishing is so good in the Yukon is that most people release their catch back into the wild. To find out more about the fabulous fishing in the Yukon, visit http://www.fishcanadanow.com/ ...