THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2020
By Bob Fabini
When is it okay to “hook and cook,” rather than “catch and release”
T
wo years ago, I was driving to Yosemite with Lisa, a friend from teenage years, who is like a younger sister. Lisa likes to ask provocative questions, and she questioned my persistence in annoying fish by catching them, just to then let them go. Being long accustomed to her winking provocations, I asked, “would you feel better about my catching them if I killed them?”
1. Keeping a fish has to be legal. Many of us fish regularly in waters that are catch and release only.
I imagine most fly fishermen have had some variation on this conversation. Not wanting to leave it feeling snarky, I explained my underlying philosophy on catch and release, and that there are times when it is okay to “hook and cook.” A recent conversation with a prospective GPFF member set me to thinking on the subject again, so I decided to share some thoughts on the issue.
3. I have to be able to consume any fish within a few hours or I won’t keep it. The fish has to be fresher than the very freshest fish I can purchase for me to even consider keeping it. When my wife and I were traveling in Alaska decades ago, if we caught a salmon the right size for two, we stopped fishing, built a fire by the river, cooked it up and ate it right then and there. Positively breathtaking!
My wife and I absolutely love fresh fish, so when is it okay to eat your catch? For me, three factors determine whether I keep a fish, besides my just feeling hungry.
2. I must have confidence that my taking a fish won’t negatively impact the resource. For example, I would not keep wild juvenile salmon or steelhead caught while fishing for trout.
It also matters whether the fish is wild (naturally reproduced) or planted (hatchery reproduced). I keep the occasional small wild striped bass, maybe two or three per year. But I only keep wild trout if they are in a remote location with very little fishing pressure, and
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