There have been times when the fish just were not biting and what was caught we would just throw back in the lake. Some hobbyists fish just to catch and throw back and others catch to cook. Which do you like to do - catch and throw or catch and cook?
I always catch and release when I go fishing, mainly because I don't need to eat the fish as I have brought other food with me. I think that with all of the polution fish have to endure from humans the least I can do is not kill them, it's a hard enough life in some places already. The world's population is set to grow by 33% over the next 25 years, perhaps one day someone will actually need to eat the offspring of a fish I let go, who knows. I love to fish but don't feel the need to kill what I catch, it's catch and release for me. If you keep what you catch maybe you can explain why?
@BigBigFan when we fish it's brought home and prepared to eat. Fishing to me is not as stressful as other activities. I use to think about pollution but I trust that the areas we fish (state parks) are farm fish for just such an activity. The anticipation of 'if' we will catch anything is worth the wait and if we don't we still enjoyed the effort. I respect your position and do hope that you enjoy fishing as much as I do.
It honestly depends on where I am and who I am fishing with. If I am fishing by myself, I usually put the fish back because I do not really like to gut or mess with animals whenever they are in their natural habitat. However, if we are going out to get fish to eat and I am on vacation, then I am alright with gutting fish with a group around me. Maybe that speaks something about my character and what kind of person I truly am haha.
I always go with the intention of catching enough to cook. Sometimes if they're not biting and we only get a couple, we'll toss them back because it's not worth the effort. We always throw back ones that are too small, too.
It really depends on how I'm feeling and what fish I'm actually catching. I'll more than likely throw the fish back after catching them. If I'm feeling a little hungry, then I might keep a couple of the bigger and tastier looking fish. I know people that only throw back fish and then others that only keep them after catching them. It just epends, really.
My husband and I fish quite a lot. We like to keep our freezer stocked and so we never release anything unless it is just too small or not something we intended to catch. The fish we catch along with the venison he gets in the fall go a long way towards minimizing our grocery bills.
