/ Posted on / by

You can take better photos of the fish you catch and still practice good Catch-and-Release.

Is the fly fishing media turning anglers off to catch-and-release? I received a pretty agitated email from a reader the other day. Thankfully, he was not responding to anything written here on G&G but from this excerpt you can see he was pretty fired up and honestly, so am I.

“All of the blogs and articles I am beginning to see pop up everywhere telling me that catch and release is harmful to the fish, and I’m doing it wrong, and I’m killing all the poor fragile little fishies, and I should never take the fish out of the water, and blah, Bah, BLAH!!!!

AAARRRGGGGHHH!!! Are you kidding me? Now I can’t even take a quick cheesy grip and grin photo with a fish without being ‘that guy?’ “

Our friend suggested that he releases 99% of the fish he catches and I gather from his email that his heart is in the right place. I have no way of knowing how good his actual catch-and-release practices are, but he’s clearly trying to do the right thing. It’s also clear that he’s feeling a little harassed.

Catch-and-release is a topic that’s dear to my heart and it’s been a while since I have written about it. I thought I’d take this opportunity to try and put a friendlier face on what the fly fishing media is trying to accomplish.

This is not a sermon!

So what’s going on in the fly fishing media?

I imagine that a lot of writers in the field feel the same way I do. We spend a lot of time as ambassadors of the sport and we introduce a lot of new folks to the water we love, and share. While I firmly believe in that mission, I do feel morally obliged to do everything in power to not screw it up for everyone. It’s a topic I lose sleep over. If I have a hand in creating more, and more effective, anglers then I am duty bound to make them more responsible anglers.

So the result is that you, the reader, get preached to a whole bunch about how you handle fish. Recently a lot of that preaching has been aimed at demonizing the photographing of fish. That’s not really fair. Do a lot of fish get injured in the process of saying cheese? You bet they do, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

If you are not going to photograph a fish, and every fish does not need to be photographed, then it’s always best to release it without taking it from the water or even handling it. I use the Rising Crocodile tool for just this purpose. But it’s not realistic to expect anglers to release every fish without a photo. That’s the bargain that makes C&R work.

Rather than take the, currently popular, stance that you can’t photograph fish without killing them, I’m going to give you some pointers that will not only help you protect fish but take better photos.

8 Tips for taking great photos while practicing good Catch-and-Release

Carry enough net

Carry a net with a large rubber net bag. Rubber nets are super gentile on fish and allow you to rest the fish in the net. You can spend money on a nice one but you can also get one for $20 at Walmart.

Let the fish recover

Once you’ve landed your fish, give him a minute or two to revive from the fight. Let him rest in the net, fully submerged, near the edge of the current where the water is full of oxygen. Keep his head upstream and let him relax. This goes a long way.

Get your act together

Take advantage of the rest period to do your job as a photographer. Find your angle, figure out your exposure, get your angler looking good, take a few test shots without the fish. A little time spent now while there’s no pressure will make your photos a lot better in the end.

Hold the fish right

This is where both C&R and good photography usually go out the window. I am continually blown away by how many anglers don’t know how to hold a fish for a photo.

First and most importantly, never squeeze a fish. This doesn’t help anybody. Most guys hold fish way too tightly. If you’re not sure, you are, I promise. When you squeeze a fish, it panics and struggles. If you respond by squeezing tighter, he struggles more. This is how photos get ruined and fish get killed. No grip is needed, I promise. If you let the fish balance in your hand he will relax and you will not have to fight him.

Use two hands. Let the front of the fish rest on one of your hands. Keep your index and ring finger under the bone of his skull to support the weight. This keeps his organs safe from harm. Put your other hand just in front of his tail. This part of the fish is all muscle so you can grip him firmly here. If possible, put this hand on the back side of the fish, away from the camera. It makes a much better photo.

Try this and you’ll be surprised how much easier it is. Trust me, this is my job.

Keep the fish in the water

It’s not just good for the fish, it’s good for the photo. Fish start to lose their color as soon as you take them out of the water. Keep them fully submerged until you are ready to snap the shutter, then lift them for no more than 10 seconds at a time. Fish don’t have lungs, so they can’t hold their breath.

Leave the fly in the fish

If you’re worried about dropping the fish and missing the shot, there’s a simple solution. Leave the fly in his mouth. He won’t go far.

Take a knee

There’s no need in blowing your back out. Take a knee in the river or on the flat with your fish. This makes a much more flattering photo and makes it easier to keep the fish in the water.

Relax

Most of the things I see go wrong when taking fish photos are due to tense anglers. And of course you’re tense! You’ve been told you’re killing every fish you touch. Take a deep breath and chill. Everything will go smoother. I know you might think you’re never going to catch another fish like this one, but you will, plenty of them. Just enjoy the moment.

There’s one more thing that I don’t think gets talked about enough.

Not every fish is created equal. A bass is a much hardier fish than a trout. A permit is tough as nails while a big burly tarpon is quite fragile. Some species, like steelhead, are so embattled that only the very best C&R practices are in order. Take the time to know your query.

Where it is not regulation, catch-and-release is a personal choice. It is a choice which usually comes with time and a learned respect for the resource we all share. It is such a popular choice that it has become almost synonymous with fly fishing. It is, in a way, what separates us from the rest of the fishing world.

I think most fly anglers agree that it is in our own best interest to protect the fish which give us so much pleasure. It’s a practical stance, if nothing else. There was a time when we could all take what we wanted with no consequences. Unfortunately, the sheer number of us makes that unsustainable. In the same way that we once learned that we shouldn’t throw out trash on the ground, and have now learned that we must recycle it, we are now learning that it’s best for us all to release our fish.

As a side bar, I do a lot of my writing on airplanes and as I type this I am flying over Cuba. For the record it’s killing me. Can’t we just stop and fish a half day?

Louis Cahill

Gink & Gasoline

hookups@ginkandgasoline.com