C&R Bad for Stripers
 

washingtonpost.com

:lurk:

I could agree with his summary in "My View" comments:

First, I've yet to see a fishery that isn't improved by a shift to catch and release (trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, tarpon, snook, bluefish, etc.), so you have to wonder why anyone is antsy about a trend that seems so positive.

Second, I don't see bait-fishing as appropriate for catch-and-release. Maryland now requires bait fishermen to use circle hooks when fishing the Susquehanna Flats for rock, and studies show they're less likely to be lethal. Nonetheless, bait fishing and catch-and-release don't compute. Why kill worms to annoy fish you're going to throw back, anyway? So who is using worms?

Third, limiting the number of rods for trolling is a good idea not just in the preseason but in the regular season as well. Boats trolling 18-20 rods, using planer boards to carry outlying lines 100 feet to either side of the vessel, are a hazard to navigation and an insult to sportsmanship. Why not just drag a net?

I use worms and the fish gets a meal and swims away happy.:)
Sometimes people just over think things. Fishing is fishing.

I do not see how anyone can think that C&R is not a good thing. If C&R was so dangerous to the fish wouldn't we see tons of fish floating belly up?

When the fishing is on at the canal with a lot of people hooking up, you do.

I think his point is more along the lines that that there could be serious negative impacts on the fish in the Susquehanna flats from the catch and release fishery in the spring. The fish are there to breed. Even though fish can't be harvested, the increasing # of people targeting them is a potentially bad situation. I think he is point is more along the lines that they should be left alone as opposed to saying that catch and release is bad in general and that the fish should be kept.

That is because most people do not know how to properly land and release a fish. Dragging it up the rocks 15 feet then tossing it back, hoping it lands in the water is not catch and release.

Exactly. C&R is only as dangerous as those who "practice" it.