Catch and Release

[TheBigGuy]

I practice catch and release quite extensively for salmon. With the state of the resource I feel the current limits are unsustainable. Only the Chinook have an anual limit. Many people are unbelievably greedy and don't know when to limit their catch. I've seen many people over the years keeping, and bragging about harvesting hundreds of Salmon in a season. How can that level of harverst be usable for an individual family in a year. Clearly those catch rates are unsustainable, and should be restricted with annual limits on all Salmon species. Sockeye, Coho, and even Pink stocks are in poor shape in many areas. These species require additional protection from over harvest.

I now keep very few Salmon during the course of the season. Catch and release allows me to enjoy a great day on the water without heavily impacting the resource. Most of the fish I bring home for the freezer is of the white meat variety, (Halibut, Ling).

I never net or bring a fish in the boat that may be released. All are released in the water, usually untouched by human hands. I use single barbless for almost all my gear. I use mostly artificial lures for trolling, and never find a fish deeply hooked. I am confident that the vast majority of the fish I release survive. I am sure that my practicing catch and relese has less impact on the resource than filling my freezer with Salmon like I used to do in the old days. Times change, so must our attitudes.

 

[Salmon Smoker]

I caught and released a 15 lb spring near Thrasher on Friday morning.
I brought it to the boat, saw that it was hooked in the lip, reached down with needle nose pliers, grabbed the hook and twisted and the fish was gone. That involved a little skill and a lot of luck. Normally I have to tail the fish to control it.
I should have kept the fish cause Saturday was so windy that I didn't go out and just to top things off the restaraunt at Silva Bay was closed late Saturday and all day Sunday due to water problems!

 

[Time]

Not to labor over the issue, but for those who do want to release a fish, but are unsure of how to proceed, here are a couple of excerpts that work really well with lip caught fish.

From an Alaskan site.

Many catch and release fishermen consider the "de-hooker" the best way to remove a hook from any fish pinned in the lips or jaw. Using the device is simple, and does not even require touching the fish. Grab the leader with one hand to apply tension. Engage the hook with the "de-hooker" and pull the hands apart. While maintaining constant tension between both hands, lift the "de-hooker" while simultaneously dropping the hand holding the leader. The instant the fish flops, the hook will pop free. If you are fishing barbless hooks, the fish will literally fall off the hook before it flops! A mini version of the "de-hooker" works especially well for trout and dollies, which are notorious for doing pirouettes while you are trying to grab the hook with pliers. With smaller, more fragile fish, the maxillary plate (long, flat bone covering the corner of the fish's upper lip) is often damaged or torn off completely when using needle-nose pliers or hemostats. In this situation, the "de-hooker" works much better, nearly eliminating the risk of serious lip damage.

A good visual from the Washington State regs can be had here (for some reason I can't copy and paste the pictures here), plus they show a simple way to make your own dehooker:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/selective/techniques/releasing_salmon.htm

And to round off the post, here's a picture of the one I use.

[/img]
1" oak and 3/16" stainless, shown beside a flasher for size comparison.
If anybody wants one, let me know.

 

[takedown]

You really can't win on this one as people on both sides are correct, the more you catch the higher the mortality. I can see both sides I love to catch fish but when you are in an area with mixed stocks, some listed I would rather see you get your limit and stop. I think we all know this would be best for the fish.