Recently, I received an email from a RS member which contained a discussion he'd had with another member concerning catch and release. I won't divulge names or some of the other content in the interest of their privacy, but I do want to share some things as a result of reading that email.

When River Smallies was founded, the staff made the decision to include the phrase "Catch, Photo, Release" as part of the site's logo. Our purpose for doing that was to promote catch and release as a general practice, ethic, philosophy, or whatever you care to call it. Even in 1999, many anglers were beginning to or were already practicing catch and release, but we wanted to continue promoting it. Again, as a general practice.

Moving water comes in many different sizes. I dare say that most of you fish or know of some rather small streams or creeks. The good smallmouth waters where I live are primarily small streams and creeks. I can think of several that would be wiped out in short order if anglers kept smallies on a regular basis. Catch and release is a good rule for these bodies of water.

Does that mean a strict catch and release policy is the best rule for all waterways? Of course not. I fear that some may have come to believe that RS promotes strict C&R all the time for all rivers, streams, and creeks. Adhering to a strict C&R policy across the board is just about as ludicrous as keeping everything all the time. It is not the best policy for every body of water.

As anglers, we need to be familiar with the water we fish. What is the size of the smallie population in our water? How big do the smallies grow? What kind of fishing pressure does it receive? Is there a slot limit? How do the year classes fare from year to year? What kind of information have local biologists collected about the water and smallmouth population? There are many factors that can be used to determine if the water you fish needs steady catch and release or some culling of certain size fish.

I believe there is an inherent danger when we assume a train of thought that all smallies should be released under all circumstances. Man has been keeping and eating fish since the dawn of time. It is neither a crime nor a sin to do so. When we get to a point as anglers that we are obsessed with releasing everything, it gives ammunition to certain groups who already feel fishing is cruel and unncessary. If we aren't keeping anything, what is the point of fishing at all? That in itself is another discussion.

Yes, we have CPR as part of our logo and one of the strong themes of the site. Yes, we only post photos of released smallies. That doesn't mean CPR should be used as a blanket tool. As informed, caring stewards of our resources, it is our responsibility to know what is best for the water we fish. Sometimes that might mean keeping fish to benefit the resource. Because catch and release has become so common, I have witnessed the stigma attached to people who decide to keep fish. There is a time and place for both and we need to have the knowledge of when to utilize the two tools. Some anglers talk of "selective harvest" (perhaps made famous by In-Fisherman). That may well sum it up.

We certainly promote CPR, but it should not be taken to the extreme when other options are better suited for caring for the resource. It is a good tool, but only one tool among many. Knowing when to use it is the key and it is different for different bodies of water. Let's promote it intelligently.

Good fishing,
Brian