Catch-and-release trophies outnumber kept fish

[Hamilton Reef]

NOTE: Anglers released a total of 72 muskies (both species), but kept 18.

Catch-and-release trophies outnumber kept fish again

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/statewide ... xml&coll=1

Sunday, April 23, 2006 By Bob Gwizdz

For the third year in a row, Michigan anglers have told the Department of Natural Resources that they released more trophy-caliber fish than they kept.

In 2005, fishermen entered 793 fish that were released for recognition in the DNR's Master Angler award program, compared to 586 that they kept.

Michigan's Master Angler program has been recognizing anglers who caught fish bettering a certain species-specific standard since 1973. Twenty years later, In 1992, the DNR added a catch-and-release category that allowed anglers to substitute lengths for weights in the program.

But catch-and-release fishing, despite gaining popularity among several segments of the angling fraternity (most notably trout and bass fishermen), was still in its infancy then. During the 1992 season, anglers entered 1,051 fish in the traditional catch-and-keep category, but only 69 for catch-and-release recognition.

But the number of fish that anglers measured and threw back grew. In 1997, about half as many fish were entered in the catch-and-release category (422) as were kept (892).

In 2003, the number of fish entered in the program that were released (856) surpassed the number entered that anglers kept (696).

Catch-and-release fishing looks like it's here to stay.

"You've seen the trend over the last 10 to 15 years in bass fisheries mainly, that more and more fishermen are releasing the legal-sized fish they catch," said DNR fisheries biologist Todd Grischke. "I think what anglers have done is inadvertently put fish into catch-and-keep and catch-and-release categories. Walleye, for instance, are seen as a food fish. Bass are seen as a sport fish. The value that anglers put on these fisheries has changed over the years."

In the beginning of the catch-and-release program, the big predator species were more likely to be released than the panfish. But that doesn't hold true any more.

In 2005, anglers released 38 Master Angler largemouth bass, but kept eight. Anglers released a total of 72 muskies (both species), but kept 18. Fifty smallmouth bass were released, 30 kept.

But some of the large predators reversed that trend. Anglers kept 25 Master Angler northern pike and released 16. They kept 29 trophy brown trout and didn't release any.

Walleye anglers kept 49 trophy specimens and released 34.

Meanwhile, panfish anglers seem to be joining the throw-them-back club at an even faster rate. Anglers reported releasing more big bluegills (90) than they kept (41), tossing back more pumpkinseeds than they kept (23 to 12) and releasing more redear sunfish (26 to 13), too.

Yellow perch (16), black crappie (27) and white crappie (two) had the same number of entries in each category.

Anglers also released more big catfish than they kept -- 14 to 12 for flatheads, 37 to 25 for channel cats.

Overall, 2005 was a pretty good big-fish year with a total of 1,379 fish entered in the Master Angler program, up from 1,302 in 2004. It was an especially good year for bluegills, pike and carp (compared to 2004). Walleye and salmon numbers stayed relatively unchanged.