From: Willi

Montana Fish and Game did a study comparing a C&R section of the Madison
to one that was closed for fishing.

Although the section with C&R did
have a higher population of fish than it had before C&R was instituted,
the population was 20% lower than in the section that was closed to
fishing. I don't have a URL for the original study.

Not really surprising. Obviously there will be some mortality from stress and
handling, and since these are wild fish, the fishing pressure might cause some
of them to move out of the C&R area, and they might eventually wind up in the
closed area.

Education of prospective anglers on playing and releasing fish might help, but
with the trend to lighter rods and tippets, motality percentages from C&R will
likely remain constant. IMO, one weight rods and 9x tippets are not "sporting"
when you're fishing C&R. I've caught many difficult fish on a midges using a
five weight rod and 7x tippet.

The key numbers, I think, are the dramatic increase in population and size in
the C&R area.


George Adams

"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream of
youth that doth not grow stale with age."
---- J.W Muller