I, like most fly fisherman, practice catch and release fishing. I've never kept/eaten a fish I've caught, even when DFW regs allow it.
Are there times that any of you keep and eat what you catch? I've heard some people say that they find it irresponsible to release hatchery fish, as they'll muck up the wild genes if they breed with them. Is there some truth to this? Do you ever keep a fish and eat it, and if so, under what circumstances?
I am a C&R fly fisher 99% of the time. I will only keep a fish or two on a backpacking trip or when I go to Loreto on a Dorado trip. Mmmm... fresh mahi mahi.
My ancestors did not climb to the top of the food chain to have me eat what 'food' eats... aka salad... I practice C&R but every once in a while I like to keep a one for grilling.
I think this is a great topic for discussion. I'll say that I never keep putah trout. I never keep planters because they do not taste good to me. When I go camping I will occasionally keep a wild fish to grill up. Honestly I have only kept one fish this whole year and man was it good eatin. Most people only know what a planted trout tastes like with its mushy flesh and bland taste from eating purina trout chow. A wild fish alot of times have pink to red meat like salmon and are great eating. I also think that rainbows taste alot better then browns, people tell me brookies are the best eating but have never eatin one.
brookies are great, ill be eating a few when i go home to new york. but i feel the same way. i will not keep planters they taste like crap. i will not keep putah trout as well, but when i am in the mood for some trout, i will keep a wild fish under 16"s. steelhead is another story. i have never had a steelhead, and wish i keep one this past yr, i will be keeping one this yr to try.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
Hey Brian, are you allowed to keep wild steelhead? I know on a lot of rivers in Oregon you can only keep hatchery steelies, not sure about in CA. I wonder if the hatchery steelies taste better than hatchery trout? I'd imagine that they do, you would think time spent out in the ocean growing large will purge all the purina cat **** from them and make them better, but that's just a wild guess.
1. I caught it on the first fly I ever tied, 2. It was caught on my first road trip to the Russian, 3. It was 31" long with a 24" girth (got a replica mount made ! 4. I heard they were very good eating.
Once cooked, I was disappointed. Since then, only C/R on the steelies for me.
Rich, your steelhead was probably a down runner. A bright steelhead has pink flesh and taste like mild salmon. Eagle lake trout have a similar taste due to the alkaline water of the eastern sierra.
This might be not a popular opinion, but over the years I have come to the conclusion that catch and release is great (I do release 98%), but "catch and release" also tricks us into believing that we don't do harm. Keep in mind that a lot of fish that are released won't make it. So when you have a ten fish day, you might actually be killing 3-4 fish. I have seen fly fisherman handle fish very badly, especially juvenile fish. On Hat creek I have seen huge fish kills that were created by fly fisherman. Even on Putah I have seen plenty of dead trout. So while we might be patting ourselves on the shoulder how great we are, we really need to be more thoughtful about our catch and release practices. One thing I have started doing is to fish less, to handle juvenile fish very carefully, to reduce my nymphing for steelhead and swing fish when ever I can. To release fish carefully and once I have released my limit, stop fishing.
As for keeping fish - I keep planters when I go fishing with the kids up at Kennedy meadows. We smoke the trout, converting the campsite grill into a smoker. As for Putah, once in a while I'll keep a planter. Only once I kept a wild fish that was bleeding and I knew he wouldn't make it., it tasted muddy, very disappointing. Last year I kept a hatchery steelhead on the Trinity (first ever), I didn't like the taste at all, should have smoked it. Had some Oregon hatchery steelhead once that was one of the best fish I ever had, so you never know. To keep wild steelhead is as far as I know illegal in all CA waters!
I haven't checked the regs lately, but the Smith use to be the only river in Calif where you could keep a wild steelhead. I hope no one does, those fish are priceless.
If you are handling your fish right, you can seriously reduce your mortality rate to way below the 30-40% mark that you are suggesting. Proper handling, and keeping the fish in the water for most of the process can actually reduce mortality to below 5%. On a California tailwater like Putah, the biggest stress you guys put on your fish is likely from the temperature differential that comes from having cold water and warm air temps. Use a catch and release net, and try to keep the fish in the water for most of the handling process. Its tricky with big fish, but not impossible, but make sure you have a large enough net. When you need to remove the fish from the water to remove the hook, or get a picture, do it quickly, and return the fish frequently to the water. When you have removed the hook, and are ready to release, make sure that your fish is ready to swim, and if he isn't hold him with his head facing upstream and rock him back and forth gently while holding his tail. Once he pushes away strong enough to get out of a firm but gentle grip, he is ready to go. Just thought this discussion deserved at least a primer on proper C&R technique. Some people can do it without a net, and thats probably the best method since they will never have the fish out of water, but I find this difficult with lively fish. If you have to play out your fish for longer to handle him then its not as effective a technique. In Minnesota, I often have the stream to myself, and I've never found a floater on a section I just fished. My average time from caught to released is about 1 minute, and the fish is under water for most of that. Another thing that helps with fish survivability is to stay small with your flies. Smaller hooks cause less serious injuries, especially with smaller trout.
Psyfishe, totally agree proper handling of fish will have a significant impact on reducing mortality rates. Only thing I would add, treat the little once also with care, to often I see people lifting them out of the water, ripping the hook out and tossing them back into the current.
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