I release all the fish I catch, and in some way, I feel good about doing so. I know that it has something to do with the influence of western fly fishing concept. I have thought about this from time to time, and I wondered if there is anything to feel good about. A friend of mine was recently fly fishing in the mountain farmlands of Korea and told me a story about a short conversation he had with a farmer there. My friend also releases his fish and I guess the farmer who was watching him came to him to ask him what he was doing. The farmer was old, and to him the concept of releasing the fish made no sense at all. He asked why my friend would catch the fish, if he didn’t plan on eating it. He thought that my friend was disturbing & hurting the fish, for no good reason. The farmer thought that it was foul to catch the fish, only to release it. At some point in our angling days, it’s something to think about. There is a general tendency to think/ feel better about oneself when you practice catch and release, and I have sensed this many times, especially in the fly fishing crowds (me included). Fishing is fishing, and it’s a reminder for me to keep things simple. There isn’t a “better” way to fish, and people all fish for different reasons. It was a good story to hear, a very timely reminder for me.
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