How Do You Explain Catch And Release Season To A Kid?

[Driftless]

It was 6 years ago. My daughter was 10 years old. We were fishing panther martins on a local stream.

Anna had a monster hit. I could see the huge trout flailing away near shore. It was a gill hook up. There was a cloud of blood already behind its gills. I knew this one was going to die that moment.

I waded in and netted it. Anna and I unhooked the trout and carefully attempted to revive the fish for over 30 minutes. There was no reviving of it. This one was dead. She had been pestering me the entire time we were reviving it to get a photo of it. She said no one will believe she caught such a big trout. I told her that we needed to give this trout every chance to live and no photos were going to be taken unless we were sure it was going to die.

We talked about the dead fish and how wasteful it was to just let it go and let the other creatures eat it. I guess she understood a little at age 10 but it really seemed wrong and against everything my father had taught me about wasting fish or game. We took one photo of her and her monster brown and sent it belly up downstream. The evolution of trout fishing?

[ted4887]

Len, once again, if you don't like the catch and release season then just don't fish it. You post the same threads with different wording and expect a different response? The simple fact that you believe that something is so wasteful and yet continue to participate in it is what boggles my mind. Hypocrite.

Can you go back under your bridge now, and never come out?

[pushbutton]

I tell my kid the season is closed and we can't keep any. If he asks why...I say because there is a law saying so. If he asks why .....I say because someone thought it was a good idea., it might not but thats besides the point. If he asks why....I say its trying to protect the fish., it might not but thats besides the point. If he asks why.....I say because too many people keep too many fish and don't let enough go. If he asks why.....I say I don't know. If he asks why again.....I say I don't know. If he asks why again...... i drop a golf ball out of my pocket and say look there buddy we found another golf ball. He then plays with the ball, forgets about the question, and we get to fish more.

[NoWiser]

It's extremely simple. You explain that the law is meant to protect the trout and so you need to follow the law and release it, even if it is badly injured. You also say that the trout will not go to waste. There are eagles, otters, raccoons, and plenty of other animals that will gladly eat it.

I agree with Ted. If you don't like the catch and release season and can't manage to find a way to catch a trout without killing it, then don't fish it. I've caught hundreds of trout during the catch and release seasons in MN and WI and don't remember one single time I watched a trout float downstream. I have nothing against using spinners, and enjoy fishing trout with them from time to time, but during the catch and release season I used flies with a single barbless hook. Maybe take some of the time you spend whining and use it to learn some new techniques and you can enjoy the C&R season without having to worry about killing trout?

[Driftless]

I tell my kid the season is closed and we can't keep any. If he asks why...I say because there is a law saying so. If he asks why .....I say because someone thought it was a good idea, it might not be , but that is besides the point. If he asks why....I say its trying to protect the fish, it might not but thats besides the point. If he asks why.....I say because too many people keep too many fish and don't let enough go. If he asks why.....I say I don't know. If he asks why again.....I say I don't know. If he asks why again...... i drop a golf ball out of my pocket and say look there buddy we found another golf ball. He then plays with the ball, forgets about the question, and we get to fish more.

The wisconsin trout regulations are going through some changes soon. There could be 3 more months added on to the season and these months look like they are going to be c/r only also. Five months for c/r folks and 5 months for the rest? This seems quite foolish seeing the vast majority of trout anglers harvest trout.

I was recently voted in to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress in my county "Uncontested". I plan on getting on the Trout Committee and help shape the rules in the state to show the wishes of the majority not the few.

[Yooperguy]

My kids have been brought up catch and release, and selective harvest. My kids have no problem letting fish go. The little Johnny argument is the oldest in the book (and the lamest. IMO) its called the parent is the one with the problem. Kids reflect what YOU teach them.

[pushbutton]

My post aside, and all the fish politics surrounding it.....i could care less if it was catch and release more months. I also also have to explain to my kid he can't have unadulterated access to the cookie jar or there would be none left when he wanted more and someone other than him is paying for them

[Driftless]

I plan on getting on the Trout Committee and help shape the rules in the state to show the wishes of the majority not the few.

[Driftless]

My kids have been brought up catch and release, and selective harvest. My kids have no problem letting fish go. The little Johnny argument is the oldest in the book (and the lamest. IMO) its called the parent is the one with the problem. Kids reflect what YOU teach them.

My kid quit fishing altogether.

Her mother's opinions are hers these days.

[leech~~]

I told her that we needed to give this trout every chance to live and no photos were going to be taken unless we were sure it was going to die.

How ever you explain C&R to a kid. Always take the photo! if they can't keep it at least they have that to look at and think about the next time out even if it dies!

[Driftless]

How ever you explain C&R to a kid. Always take the photo! if they can't keep it at least they have that to look at and think about the next time out even if it dies!

excellent response.

[Ufatz]

I'll bet it is easier to explain C&R to most kids than to adults who have been fishing for years with that good ol' midwest attitude that everything that comes in the boat goes in the bucket. Once a kid is involved in C&R he or she won't worry about it any more. And as they grow a little older it will make all the more sense to them.

But DO take the photos!!

[Big Hit]

Len, once again, if you don't like the catch and release season then just don't fish it. You post the same threads with different wording and expect a different response? The simple fact that you believe that something is so wasteful and yet continue to participate in it is what boggles my mind. Hypocrite.

Can you go back under your bridge now, and never come out?

It is exactly antics like this why LenH has made the Rise and Fall and of the Drake video on moldychum

[ted4887]

It is exactly antics like this why LenH has made the Rise and Fall and of the Drake video on moldychum

Yeah, but at least he's getting the attention that he wants needs. Although, Len's picture by the podium is the most doctored photo I've ever seen on there. He's the gift that just keeps on giving.

[hookncook]

how do you explain catch and release at any time in any season. My nephew caught a nice northern pike on a tip up this winter, it wasn't hooked that bad, but he wanted it to show his mom (he was so proud) we let the fish go but took a great photo.

He makes his mom show that photo everywhere he goes- that's just one case in point.

To counter the up and coming argument: what if the fish was undersized and mortally wounded? would the same ethical delima come up? would you post in 40 forums 40 times requesting an explanation on size limits?

Open season or closed season, fish get released, feelings get hurt. Kids are resilient these days.

[Slabasaurus]

I'm with Pushbutton on this one... I think it would be 2000 times more difficult to explain why there is a limit to a child's cookie consumption than it would be to discuss the concept and reason for CnR.

Especially if you know the rules on CnR and have a choice to fish during CnR or not...

Again. Iowa isn't too far off.

[Nate McVey]

Len, no matter how you try to word your posts to get a rise out of the catch and release folks the end result is going to be the same....my inbox full of notifications.

As others have stated, if you can't find a way to fish the C&R season without killing trout, don't fish it. If you are going to put a Panther Martin in a 10 years old hand and expect her to know how to avoid a gill hook-up, your crazy. Maybe hook one for her and let her fight it in next time.....if mother agrees.

[TroutYammer]

Tell them you let them go today so you can play a new game some day soon in the future.

[RawHog]

Lharris you're full of sh it we all see what your implying and we think you need to not fish catch and release season.

UTTER FAILURE on your part, DUDE

[JeremyCampbell]

My 4yr old girl gets confused sometimes when I let the fish back in the water.I tell her we got to let this one go,and when he's big and strong well come back and catch him again.

[Yooperguy]

What I don't understand is you have to use a single barbless hook during the c&r season, so how do you kill a trout?

[harvey lee]

My granddaughters have no issue with throwing a fish back.

The first time I took these 2 out fishing panfish, we had close to 20 fish and I said that was enough for a meal for all of us. I explained to them that yes, we could take 60 fish for the 3 of us but that was only thinking of ourselves and that if everyone did this, well our fish population could get hurt. I said we can fish longer but we are going to release everything we catch.

Now when we go out, they have no issue with keeping a meal and enjoying the day on the lake.

The 1st day I took them and we talked about catch and release, we got to the dock and I tied the boat up and went to get the truck. There was another young lad at the dock waiting for his dad and grandpa to back thier boat in. The young lad said to my granddaughter's how many fish did you catch, Taylor answered 20. This kid said we got out limit of 60. Kids of course, the young lad said, how come you didn't catch more and my 11 year old GD said, we caught more but we did not want to be pigs. She told me this when we got in the truck and left. I could not have been any proudier of her.

Moral of the story, whether it's C&R or taking less than ones limit, even the young ones can understand if they are taught to do the correct thing for the future of the fishery.

Oh, the age of the girls at this time was 7 and 11. Teach them young enough and they will think nothing of releasing any fish. Give them the we have to fill the livewell theory and that's what you will end up wit.

More to the outdoor's than fill the livewell.

As far as taking a photo, I always have the camera on the dash of the boat and it only takes a few seconds to get a quick photo before we release it.

If the succes of the day is only dependant on how many fish we keep, that's sad. I am very thankful for each day I spend in the outdoors and the memories I save from that.

[delcecchi]

This whole discussion reminds me of my dad, who was born in 1914. We went on a bunch of canoe trips to Quetico together. In the beginning, I was the "young guy" and the old guys were always trying to figure out some way to bring fish back. Since we had no ice, it was always a failure no matter what was tried. But they never gave up, even after the guy flying the plane out of Beaverhouse opened all the windows because of the duffle bag full of fish that they had accumulated and stored by sinking in deep water.

Finally, after a few trips and the addition of a couple more "young guys" we decreed that we weren't trying to take fish back anymore. He went along with it but never liked it all that much.

My kids never had a problem with C&R because they didn't like eating fish all that much.

[Ufatz]

Hey Yoop....any hook, barbless or not, can end up in some strange positions during a battle. Hook gets twisted around and buried in gill rakers badly and you'll get severe bleeding. Sad but true....Shytt happens and you just gotta roll with it.

Personaly, I have not used a fly or a lure with a barb in the hook for at least 40 years...maybe longer. I just WISH I could convince other guys that 99% of the time it doesn't matter.

And they are a WHOLE lot easier to get out of your cheek, hand, thumb, leg,ear lobe, backside and that critical "left one" that so many guys say they'd give......but really would'nt Ha Ha HA.