Section: tips-tactics

Bill Rivers

Catch & Release Sensibilities

"Keepers"

Fully 99% of the fish kept by anglers are for tablefare. Fish are nutritious, delicious, abundant, varied, widely available and can be prepared many ways. The choice to eat fish also serves to pique one's socio-environmental conscience, especially when contaminant levels dictate consumption restrictions for some fish.

But there are other legitimate reasons for keeping / harvesting fish. Though on the decline, some are still kept for taxidermy / wall mounts or for their roe (caviar, skein / egg baits); alternate species and coarse fish are used to make animal feed and fertilizers. Some fishing tournaments and derbies require fish to be kept for entry / prize accreditation.
If keeping a few fish for the table is part of your plan, here are a few tips that will insure that you get the most flavour and nutrition from your bounty.

  • Quickly decide to keep or release a fish.
  • Keep the "right" fish for consumption.
  • Keep fish on ice or in an aerated livewell.
  • Don't cull / release "stringer" fish.
  • Clean fish carefully and rinse thoroughly.
  • Remove lateral line, belly and bloodline.
  • Package fish for easy identification.
  • Abide by MNR daily / possession limits.
  • Sample different / alternate species.
There are no hard and fast rules for determining which fish to keep, but here are a few useful guidelines:
  • bleeding, deeply hooked or injured fish
  • alternate / abundant / panfish species
  • stressed fish which do not resuscitate readily
  • smaller fish - males rather than females
  • tagged fish - submit tag & info to MNR

C&R "Releasers"

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