[MK2750]

Originally Posted by scel

It is not an urban legend. It is simple science. It has been documented, tested, and published. Further to that, it only takes a little bit of research to uncover the biggest fallacy in catch-n-release fishing, which is 'the fish swam away just fine'. If a fish is going to die, it will die 2-3 hours later as its organs start shutting down. If it is going to live, for the 2 hours it takes to recover, it is a prime target for predation.

Sure, you can land a large fish on a small weight rod with sufficient tippet, applying the proper side pressure, and counter-acting the fish movements, but you can put significantly *more* pressure with a higher weight rod, because, well, physics.

It is basic, simple science: as flow rates go down and temperatures rise, there is reduced oxygen in the water. The possibility of over-exhaustion, particularly of cutthroat and bull trout, becomes very real.

We ultimately each decide what is ethical and unethical. Ethics are the unwritten laws that we personally to which we each ascribe in order to live harmoniously in our society. If you want something written down, do a simple Google search on "ethics of catch and release". While on catch and release waters, it is the angler obligation to release the fish back into the water system as quickly as possible to maximise its possibility of survival. This means quickly getting it in, and quickly releasing it. But if you are the kind of person, who catches a 20"+ cutty, *then* takes a picture for your social media, "21" cutty caught on a 3wt!! S0 much fun!", should not be surprised when the stream gets shut down to angling.

You have to remember: it is the fuddy duddies that make the rules. If something is unethical now, it only takes a bit of time for it to potentially become unlawful.

The weak link is the tippet not the rod. There is no one following around trout for two hours on the river to see if one weight of rod kills more fish than another. It is more speculation from someone with too much time on their hands and very little fishing experience trying to ram their imagined ethics on to other law abiding outdoormen.

You are right about how laws are made. A few elitists determine a practice unethical from their high horse position and keep flapping their gums until they get a following of sheeple with no skin in the game and no understanding of the question.

C&R kills fish period. Some places demand a person keep their catch and end their day because of the mortality rate of C&R. I choose to C&R with light tackle and sometimes take a few pictures too. Your ethics will never be a factor in that equation.