First of all thanks to the Native Fish Society for pushing this topic. I'm all for discussions. I'd also like to thank Cameron at The Fiberglass Manifesto For bringing this to my attention. You can read his post here. There looks to be a lovely discussion going on.
A topic of discussion after fishing and at the fly shop is how to handle fish. Is it ethical to remove fish from the water? I know my view points have evolved over the years and you will certainly see a variety of pictures in my blog. Here Is where I stand. If the fish is a wild native it is never ethical to remove it from the water for a picture.
Question: But, Lee what about those Steelhead pictures.
Answer: Ah, those are not wild native fish. Should I have taken them out of the water? Probably not. Hey I'm not perfect. I will pause before doing that again.
Question: I see some brown trout you have left in the water and some you have not.
Answer: I can't remember the last time I fished a put and take stream. You may see some pics from my past where I was not as enlightened as I am now. I'm not sure if I'm going to change some of those old photos out. When I fish wild brown streams I don't take them out of the water.
Recently some in asked about supporting the fish with fingers while in the water. The point is well taken. Would it have been better to just leave the fish in the water, probably. We can all be better stewards.
What do you think?
Check out this link for a contest from Native Fish Society using the hashtag #keepemwet.
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