The detrimental effects of catch and release.

dezza · Feb 16, 2012

I know this affects some species of fish more than others. Fish that are easily damaged by catching them tend to be of the predatory kind such as pike, perch, trout - especially rainbow trout and grayling.

Amongst the cyprinids, barbel are the more easily damaged, whilst tench, in my opinion are the toughest of the lot.

But let's open the debate. What are the detrimental effects of catch and release?

Peter Jacobs · Feb 16, 2012

Ron The Hat Clay said:
What are the detrimental effects of catch and release?

Hmmmn, difficult one this, but given that there are but 2 possible alternatives, those being; don't fish for them in the first place or a 'short sharp visit from the Priest' then I reckon that catch and release has some definite advantages.

peter crabtree · Feb 16, 2012

apart from a small wound in the mouth, how does catching and releasing a fish damage it?

dezza · Feb 16, 2012

It depends on the type of fishery and the attitude of the angler.

Take carp commercials where matches are fished reguarly. I don't fish such waters much these days but when I do, I can't help noticing the state of the fishes mouths.

And on some waters they cram hundreds of pounds of "match sized carp" into keepnets.

peter crabtree · Feb 16, 2012

yawn, whats that got to do with trout, pike, perch etc.

little oik · Feb 16, 2012

Bream also suffer when kept in keepnets in numbers over time .

Simon K · Feb 16, 2012

There are none. You either release, or kill it.
As PJ said.

Or do you mean the detrimental effects of just catching, Ron?

In which case all those "delicate" species have already been well-documented and we* get into another barbel handling code/retention scrap?

*But count me out.

bruce1980 · Feb 16, 2012

As long as you use barbless hooks, be a bit gentle when striking and landing and don't pick them up with a towel

they'll go back as they came out!

dangermouse · Feb 16, 2012

bruce1980 said:
and don't pick them up with a towel

lol

I seem to remember reading something about **** Walker catching perch from very deep water. He caught a couple of real specimen fish and a comment was made that the fish probably wouldn`t survive being returned. Something to do with the swim bladder?

dezza · Feb 16, 2012

dangermouse said:
I seem to remember reading something about **** Walker catching perch from very deep water. He caught a couple of real specimen fish and a comment was made that the fish probably wouldn`t survive being returned. Something to do with the swim bladder

Walker was fishing at Arlesey lake in Bedfordshire, an old clay pit that was dug originally to supply bricks to the London Brick Company. It was very deep, down to 60 feet in places so that the pressure of water was quite high at those depths compared with what it was at the surface. The lake was full of old sunken cranes etc so when you hooked a perch you had to get it to the top as quickly as possible. This meant a rapid change of pressure which caused the fishes swimbladder to virtually explode and kill the fish.

Walker warned of this and virtually stopped fishing for them. Many of the fish he caught, died and were stuffed by Walker and nailed to his hut.

dangermouse · Feb 16, 2012

Thanks Ron, I thought it was Arlesey Lake but wasn`t 100% sure.

Eric Edwards · Feb 16, 2012

Take a look at some of the fish in commercials, or even club's "runs" waters. Often they have badly disfigured mouths. A water I used to fish for tench had dreadful damage to their mouths. I put this down to people skulldragging them in on heavy gear and also to the use of very fine braids as hooklengths.

dezza · Feb 16, 2012

Eric Edwards said:
I put this down to people skulldragging them in on heavy gear

Be honest Eric, it's carp anglers using very stiff rods. I've seen it happen.

Also skulldragging them out of weeds and lilies by walking backwards.

Eric Edwards · Feb 16, 2012

I daren't mention the C word Ron, C'ers have a sensitive nature you know.

peter crabtree · Feb 16, 2012

Ron The Hat Clay said:
I know this affects some species of fish more than others. Fish that are easily damaged by catching them tend to be of the predatory kind such as pike, perch, trout - especially rainbow trout and grayling.

Amongst the cyprinids, barbel are the more easily damaged, whilst tench, in my opinion are the toughest of the lot.

But let's open the debate. What are the detrimental effects of catch and release?

This was your thread starter Ron, no mention of keepnets, match fishing, commercial fisheries, unsuitable tackle, poor angling etc.
So how can simply catching a fish, unhooking it and releasing it damage it or have a detrimental effect??

richiekelly · Feb 16, 2012

Ron The Hat Clay said:
Be honest Eric, it's carp anglers using very stiff rods. I've seen it happen.

Also skulldragging them out of weeds and lilies by walking backwards.

NO its not in all cases, Sywell res tench were damaged by TENCH anglers using heavy gear to get them through the weed, this resulted in Sywell becoming float only for a while, stop blaming carp anglers for anything and everything, if you dont like carp or fishing for them fine dont do it but dont use every opportunity to have a dig at carp anglers.there are good and bad anglers in all disciplines.

bennygesserit · Feb 16, 2012

I have been looking at this as part of a debate about the close season ( at least its not otters ) and was given this link which is a summary http://www.flyfishohio.com/Catch_and_Release_Impact.htm
More specific papers can be found here http://www3.carleton.ca/fecpl/C&R_papers.html

For more colloquial evidence has any else seen dead fish floating after a fishing match ?

Eric Edwards · Feb 16, 2012

Any perch caught from deep water are likely to suffer and possibly die due to their swimbladder becoming distented. Other species like pike have a pneumatic duct that leads from the swimbladder to the throat and they are able to expel excess air if brought up from the depths and so suffer less trauma.

Jeff Woodhouse · Feb 16, 2012

bruce1980 said:
As long as you use barbless hooks

I'm using barbel-less hooks these days trying not to hook any. (That's my excuse for not catching them anyway)

mol · Feb 16, 2012

Ron The Hat Clay said:
Be honest Eric, it's carp anglers using very stiff rods. I've seen it happen.

Also skulldragging them out of weeds and lilies by walking backwards.

I really wish it was a simple as that Ron. As an example, match sized carp very often have bad mouths and they're probably caught on a pole more often than not.

I've heard the below quoted as the reason for damage

Small hooks - Prone to ripping out, they certainly don't slide out;
Big hooks - Cause more damage due to the hooks size;
Hook pulls - Again the hook doesn't slide out nicely;
Unhooking - Anglers ripping hooks out;
Longshanks - Prone to flexing and acting like a tin opener;
Curve shanks - Prone to twisting and double hooking;
Thin braid - Prone to cutting the mouth;
Marker braid as a hooklink - Prone to cutting due to it's rough nature;
Rigs to short/long - prone to hooking the scissor and ripping out;
Barbless hooks - Prone to slipping and
Playing the fish - or rather not playing the fish.

IMO it's not as simple as one single factor but a series of combined factors.

The detrimental effects of catch and release.

Well-known member

Moderator

AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)

Well-known member

AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Moaning Marlow Meldrew

Well-known member