Catch and release
Also called C&R, Catch-and-release
Catch and release means landing a fish and returning it to the water alive, instead of keeping it. The goal is a healthy swim-off with minimal stress and injury.
- Group
- Handling fish
- Category
- Conservation & ethics
- Level
- Beginner
- Water
- Fresh & salt
Last updated
What Catch and release means
Some fisheries require release by regulation. Others allow harvest, and release is a personal or trip choice. Either way, the method matters more than the intention.
Land the fish efficiently, keep it in the water while unhooking, and handle it as little as possible. Wet hands, support the fish gently, and avoid squeezing the belly or gills. If a photo happens, have the camera ready, lift briefly, then put the fish back.
A rubber-mesh landing net and barbless or de-barbed hooks make release easier. If the fish is tired, hold it facing into gentle current until it kicks away under its own power. In stillwater, support it upright and let it recover before letting go.
Why it matters on the water
Release is only conservation-minded if the fish survives. Short fights, low air exposure, and careful handling reduce delayed mortality, which is the fish dying later from stress or injury.
Good release habits also keep the fishing better for the next angler and for the rest of the season, especially in warm water, low flows, or heavily fished stretches where fish get hooked multiple times.
Read next
- ForcepsA small locking clamp used to unhook fish, pinch barbs, and handle small rigging tasks without using fingers.
- Hook sizeHook size is the numbering system that tells you how big a fishing hook is. For most trout hooks, bigger numbers mean smaller hooks, and hooks larger than size 1 use “aught” sizes (1/0, 2/0, 3/0).
- Landing netA landing net is a handled hoop with mesh used to control and lift a fish at the end of the fight. In fly fishing it’s mainly about safer releases and fewer lost fish at close range.
- TippetTippet is the thin, level line tied to the end of your leader. It’s the section you cut back and replace as you change flies and re-tie knots.
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