RAY SCOTT OUTDOORS, INC.
Presents
SCOTT ON LINE
By Ray Scott
Founder, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.)

FIELD & STREAM's "Catch, Release…
and Kill?" Article Claims Unfounded

"Game watch" column provides more
ammunition for anti-fishing forces
to attack bass tournament actions...

PINTLALA, Alabama-Warning! There is a clear and present danger that the bass tournament sport, as we know it, is under attack. The enemy, oddly enough, is one of our own. A trusted ally.

Beware the editorial direction of FIELD & STREAM Magazine, the long-time voice of the outdoors, the seemingly cornerstone of nimrods and anglers, alike. The hallowed pages honored by the bylines of A.J. McClane, the publication's longtime fishing editor; the writings of Lee Wulff; the master story teller Corey Ford of "Lower Forty" tales fame, and the witty Ed Zern, who had the last word in many, many issues with his "Exit Laughing" column.

But, truthfully, I'm certain Mr. Zern, a serious fisherman, who covered firsthand the BASS Masters Classic world championship of bass fishing, would find the article-"Catch, Release…and Kill?" not very amusing in the November 2002 FIELD & STREAM Magazine.

The article written by Brian McCombie in the magazine's "Gamewatch" feature is a miscarriage of bass fishing tournament research facts. A total sideswipe at the dedicated efforts of bass anglers to further the "Don't Kill Your Catch" conservation program and undermine the credibility of tournament-caught released bass survival.

The opening salvo by author McCombie states: "Millions of American anglers practice catch-and-release, but a new study suggests that an alarming number of
the released fish will die despite the anglers' best efforts."

The bases for McCombie's decision is the work of Ken Ostrand, a fish biologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, who focused on the results of two bass tournaments held on Crab Orchard Lake near Carbondale, Illinois.

Ostrand to his credit basically "proved" what fishery biologists and tournament officials have known and made studies for over 30 years. That's the fact bass tournaments held in seasons with cooler weather conditions and cooler water temperatures will result in a higher-release rate, if not a perfect 100 percent. And, on the opposite situation, hot temperatures and warm water will stress bass held in livewells and result in higher instances of delayed mortality.

As related by writer McCombie: "In cooler waters during a spring competition, 60 bass were landed and none had died up to a week later. But with air temperatures in the 90s in late July, fish, even during short fights, produced excessive lactic acid when their oxygen levels became depleted. The acid acted as a toxin, killing 30 percent of the 180 bass Ostrand examined."

As founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) and the organizer of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, I recognized the need for a "Don't Kill Your Catch" release program in 1972. In the beginning, it was a grand experiment. The early-day bass boats were not equipped with functional livewells and the bass survival marginal. But, in the end, the catch-and-release philosophy spread to the bass clubs and into the ranks of dedicated bass anglers. With experience and refinement in the weigh-in procedures, the pro tournaments conducted by the B.A.S.S. staff resulted in a release rate over 98 percent. Follow-up studies by Game and Fish Departments in New York, Mississippi, Alabama and the Auburn University Aquacultural Department reveal outstanding results and a high rate of survival in delayed mortality studies.

From the get-go, fishery biologists warned tournament officials that the danger level to stress largemouth bass would increase during warm weather and hot-water tournaments. At B.A.S.S. during my watch, the solution was obvious. Reduce or eliminate the number of B.A.S.S. pro tournaments during the summer season. And, establish guidelines for catch-and-release tournaments, promote the "Don't Kill Your Catch" concept and recycle the bass for the future of the bass fishing resource. Plain and simple: it worked and it's still working.

By glorifying the "results" of one hot-water tournament in July 2002, FIELD & STREAM is sidestepping all the previous studies by numerous fishery researchers. If that's their editorial judgment and idea of objective reporting, they've made the call…right or wrong.

But, the editors of FIELD & STREAM with the headline: "Catch, Release…and Kill?" is more suited for a supermarket tabloid's sensationalism style of reporting. And, they're playing right into the hands of the P.E.T.A. (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) advocates, who are doing their utmost to ban hunting for sport in this country.

And, P.E.T.A. isn't just targeting the hunting sport, they're zeroing in on fishing. Such is the work of this Legions of Evil. Be alert to the brainwashing of the young would-be fishermen. Propaganda distributed to grade school age students by the P.E.T.A. forces proclaims: "Fish Have Feeling, Too." This is a grass roots, stealth attack…flying under the radar of public opinion and the rights and heritage of American fishermen and hunters.

So, it's disturbing when a cornerstone of outdoors coverage with over a million followers paints a badly out-of-focus picture of the overall success of catch-and-release bass fishing.

To make the column even more suspect is the author's mixing of Trout Unlimited's Joe McGurrin comments about "many times, especially in warm water, they (trout) just won't revive" after an extended fight.

Compared to a largemouth's survival instincts, the average trout is clueless. The largemouth bass is like a mule. The trout more akin to a high-strung horse. Hung in a barbed-wire fence, the horse will pull and pull, cutting its leg to pieces. On the other hand, a mule senses the predicament…quits pulling and waits for the farmer to come cut him out.

Also, the Trout Unlimited's fishery biologist recommends using "gear heavy enough to guarantee a legitimate fight time of only a few minutes."

In other words, there's the play-with-'em-in-the-boat theory. As the author observes: "Warmer water holds less oxygen, so the stress of a longer fight can easily wear out fish, making them die soon after release."

Fact or theory? Is the playing time associated with catching a largemouth bass a factor in catch-and-release survival?

Mike Maceina with the University of Auburn Fisheries Department says, "From what we currently know, there's no evidence that playing a bass out longer with lighter line will cause death if the fish is released immediately." In our discussion, Maceina pointed out, "I concur that longer playing time causes some increases in heartbeat, lactate and other physiological indicators. The same would happen if you and I had to climb 10 flights of stairs instead of one flight. But, researchers I've contacted have never heard of a study that looked at mortality related to playing time."

The consensus of opinion among Mike Maceina's survey "is that if a fish (bass) is played out for a long time, then released immediately, then mortality would not be an issue."

Bob Lusk, a veteran private fisheries biologist in Texas with 22 years of experience, weighs-in on the question: "I have never seen a case of bass being adversely affected by light-fishing line. A big bass tugging the end of light line won't be the stimulus for ill-effect on her health. A fillet knife affects fish health, but light line won't. Catch the fish, gently release her. She'll rest, be good as new, in short order."

Asked for his opinion, Dr. David P. Philipp, senior scientists and professor with Illinois Natural History Survey at Champaign, Illinois explained: "As researchers, we must often rely on using light-tackle to capture fish that are wary of heavier tackle to attach marking tags. As we monitor these fish for extended periods we have not observed any link between the degree of exhaustion and the survival of black bass during reasonable water temperatures."

Dr. Philipp, also, confirmed: "As water temperatures approach the upper thermal maxima of fish, it is possible that high levels of exhaustion may play a role in leading to mortality in largemouth bass."

In summary, Dr. Philipp states: "That when mortality of largemouth bass is observed post-angling, it is typically correlated with severe hooking injury, extreme water temperatures and the cumulative effects of numerous handling procedures."

FIELD & STREAM's ill-advised headline writer of "Catch, Release…Kill?" took another cheap shot with the subhead declaring: "Research shows that when and how we fight fish greatly influences their survival."

You had to read into the copy to discover the author was talking about a 1984 study on the use of baitfishing with gut-hooked fish resulting in 30 percent killed of fish released. "Anglers studied let fish swallow baits deep into their throats or stomachs, then set their hooks," the text explained.

Obviously, omitted was the tournament rule in B.A.S.S. competitions that only artificial lures are used and any form of bait is not permitted. As a rule deep-hooked fish or deeply-swallowed lure are not a factor in the failure of fish to survive in a bass contest.

Okay, let's assume, FIELD & STREAM is surely not set on creating doubt about the value of "Catch 'n Release" to the future of the bass fishing resource. But, this is a much deeper subject than the shallow-water treatment the editors allowed author Brian McCombie to unwind with questionable comparison of largemouth bass and the lordly trout's survival behavior.

"Scott On The Line" appeared as a regular monthly column in BASSMASTER Magazine during Ray Scott's long association with the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.). Since leaving B.A.S.S., in 1998 the column was dropped. The "Scott On Line" column-appropriately re-titled for cyberspace-will run as a regular feature on the Ray Scott Outdoors, Inc. web site at (www.rayscott.net) expressing Ray's views of the sport of bass fishing, conservation and the outdoor world in general. If you have any comments, questions and general interest column suggestions, please send in writing to: Ray Scott, Attention: "Scott On Line," 238 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043 or email to: ray@rayscott.net.