Do YOU think catch & release is the best option after you catch the fish?

Not sure if you can buy these new anymore but I loved this device and still have it.
The Hank Shawhan Out-o-Matic.
I put a hook through a piece of card board one time and pulled the trigger.
Much to my surprise it just left a hole the size of the hook.
It didnt rip it out.

Never got my hands slimy again.
I would mostly always release my fish.
You can release them under water with this device.

my father go carp fishing . average weight of those is about 15 pounds. we both on average catch 1 to 10 a day. have to be very hungry to eat that much lol. depends where you fish in a big lake clean water if I catch a fish rainbow trout or steel head its coming home with me .

kinddiesel said:

my father go carp fishing . average weight of those is about 15 pounds. we both on average catch 1 to 10 a day. have to be very hungry to eat that much lol. depends where you fish in a big lake clean water if I catch a fish rainbow trout or steel head its coming home with me .

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In aus it is illegal to release carp back into the waterways after being caught . You cop a big fine if caught .
So no one eats them here , they taste like shit , we have to leave them on the bank to rott away .

clint308 said:

In aus it is illegal to release carp back into the waterways after being caught . You cop a big fine if caught .
So no one eats them here , they taste like shit , we have to leave them on the bank to rott away .

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They are fun to catch but taste like mud around here.
Maybe soak the fillets in milk but still a nasty fish (imo).

Some people would bury them in the outdoor garden for nutes.

Interesting here nobody fishes Carp as well. They do taste like mud. I've heard though that you can marinate them with lemon and vinegar.

I've never tried it but Native Americans like to smoke carp. I've heard of people making fish balls out of em down south. Similar to a gator ball I think.

Crappies I set float lights on brushbeds catch the limit like 20-40....release the small ones.
Sometime I keep a smaller fish as bait for Striper.
Largemouths I will catch the limit and release is size dependant after that.

so only release for fun after limits cause I love fish.

Fished my whole life. Never kept a single one. Only killed one fish in my life, I'm proud of that considering the thousands I've caught. Buttt I don't eat seafood so maybe that plays a role too.