A couple of weekends ago I slipped away to Hatepe, on
the shore of Lake Taupo. My visit coincided with a good run of fish
into the Hinemaiaia River. I caught plenty of fish, some memorable.
I should have been happy, but my satisfaction with the fishing was,
yet again, eroded, by a couple of ‘catch and release’ dogmatists.
Now, with my ego firmly placed in my back pocket, I think
it is a pretty fair bet, that I caught many more fish that weekend than
these two clowns. And both these clowns, watched me catch and release
many fish – in fact I only killed two fish. Wonderful fish they were
too. Bright orange flesh, firm and just waiting to be cooked.
It was a great day on the Tongariro some years ago. In
one pool I caught and released four fish in less than an hour. Then
towards home time I landed a beautiful hen, fat and silvery. Just perfect
for some guests we were expecting next evening for dinner.
I lifted the fish up the beach, and pulled out my priest
to give it a whack on the noodle. An angler who had been fishing the
same stretch of water with me yelled out, "You’re not going to
kill that are you?"
"Sure am, it’s a lovely fish", I replied.
"Bloody meat hunter!" he yelled.
Meat hunter? This guy had watched me catch and release
four fish, prior to giving this one a knock on the noggin. But my antagonist
had not had enough – he stumped up the beach and started to give me
a lecture about how all fish should be released. Any arguments I tried
to make in my defence were met with a solid wall of dogma. Finally I
suggested, forcefully, that he should become interested in sex and travel,
sooner rather than later.
In an early chapter in this book, I cautioned new anglers
against a few in the sphere of fly-fishing who believe it is their mission
to ritualise, and propound rules of fishing behaviour. Proponents of
fly-fishing dogma. Some fishermen have selected catch and release fishing
as their source of dogma.
Dogma: An authoritative principle, belief, or statement
of ideas or opinion, especially one considered to be absolutely true.
Here is one piece of absolute truth – there is no such
thing as an absolute truth. But here, for better or worse, is the ‘word’
according to this Bishop.
Until laws are made to make it otherwise, the decision
on whether to catch and release a fish is – quite rightly – down to
the individual choice of the angler.
Despite the above it should be acceptable for concerned
anglers to inform other anglers of the need
to avoid killing fish in water that has low fish numbers, or where
populations are under stress, and request
that they do not kill fish in those waters. But if that request is
denied that should be the end of the matter.
There are those who advocate that all trout
fishing should be on an exclusively catch and release basis
in all water. These anglers are kidding themselves. What they choose
to do on a personal choice level, should not by dint of dogma, become
the rule for all others.
First, there is some water where a limited cull may
actually be beneficial to the trout populations – Taupo is an example.
Second, there are some stocked, or supplementary stocked
water, where a cull is part of the overall stocking numbers equation.
More important than either of these two points
is the fact that for most fishermen catching a fish to eat is an integral
part of the fishing experience. Indeed, if it does not remain so, fishing
may become an endangered occupation.
The fishing fraternity here and overseas has an uneasy
alliance of convenience with most of the major conservation and ‘green’
organization. This alliance based on the fact that both groups have,
to a point, similar aims – the care and protection of the water and
habitat to ensure the preservation of fish and other marine life. But
if the sport fishing fraternity became seen as ‘villains’, by being
seen to be subjecting fish to cruel treatment, that alliance will shatter.
Like it or not there are many people, and the numbers
are growing world-wide and here, who consider catching fish for sport
to be cruel. In their view, to hook a fish, play (a truly unfortunate
word) that fish and then release it, is exceptionally cruel. To scale
down tackle to make the contest more ‘sporting’ and prolong the fight
further, is crueller still.
There are countries where animal rights groups are targeting
fishing. There are countries in Europe where catch and release is illegal.
It is a growing trend.
But there is another good reason why most other fishermen
and I do not fish on an exclusively catch and release basis – I like
eating good-conditioned trout. And I like eating good conditioned-trout
that I have caught. There are still enough of my ancestor’s hunting
genes bouncing about in my body to still enjoy eating something, but
nowhere near all, of what I catch. While there remain some waters where
killing a trout is not going to endanger their populations I will give
a few a bash on the brow.
So if I decide to occasionally kill a fish in water that
can sustain a limited kill, don’t bang on in my ear with catch and release
dogma, or I might bang on your ear – or at least get one of my big sons
to do it."
Enough said!
The outlook for the winter fishing at Taupo looks very
good indeed. So enjoy – and remember, don’t kill your limit – limit
your kill.
