All fishermen start with the excitement, the wonder and the need to catch as many fish as possible, and the larger the better. After all that is the main attraction. However after gaining more experience, both in the techniques and the whole enjoyment of the experience, real anglers start developing their art.

When anyone starts fishing there is always the pressure to catch a fish, be it a trout, bass or salmon; and obviously that is the main point of the whole exercise.
On the other hand whenever your angling starts to become the highlight of your free time, and the entire experience progresses over and above the “capturing” of your own trout (the first time will invariably stay fixed in your memory), it is then that fishing becomes something more and in many case it will provide a hint of what life should be about and open your thoughts to other things. One of them freeing your catch.
There are numerous locations that specialize in catch and release. Initially this appears to be very easy to do (once you have got over the need to actually show off). You make your cast, you start reeling in, you see the trout coming up behind the lure until it bites, your pull it in, release the hook and put the fish back. But will it be able to survive for another day?
The very first thing you should be clear about is why catch and release in the first place. The reason is to keep the numbers of fish at that particular spot at a healthy level so that they can reproduce and help keep a balanced biodiversity. If the fish you put back is badly hurt it faces a grim future and the whole exercise will be futile.
A fisherman must be able to let his fish go with as little damage as possible so that it not only survives, but multiplies.
Listed below are a few guidelines to help you improve your “catch and release” approach.
The first takes place during the actual catch. The other four take place later.

You need to reel in your fish at once. A long drawn out struggle will tire him out and this means that recovery will be much more difficult. Consequently the actual amount of time involved is critical.
Take out the lure (ideally a single barb) when your catch is still in the water. Keeping him in his natural environment obviously helps.
There are occasions when you have to bring him out, perhaps you can’t get the hook out, so make sure that your hands are wet before touching it. Do not touch it if your hands are dry (dip them in the water). Hands that are dry will burn the fishes skin. Fish have a thin layer of oil on their skin and the water temperature will also be different. The risk for the fish is that it will become susceptible to fungus growth.
Handle with care. A solid hold, yet with no excess pressure will not cause additional damage. Keep away form the gills and eyes.
Make sure to keep it facing the current so the water passes through its gills. Sometimes it is going to be semi conscious, therefore right after removing the hook, you should hold him against the current with a soft movement helping it breathe. You will observe instantly as it responds but stay with it until it recovers.

Angling is known as a gentleman’s sport and that is the type of behaviors it deserves. The recipients of that behavior are the fish and nature in general. A quality release approach will certainly conserve our sport and educate others in the simple but good things in life.