Wow! Now that you have experienced the thrill of hooking and landing a fish, be sure take a photo to capture your catch. If your intention is to fish only for fun and not for food, then catch-and-release fishing is a way to release the fish back into the water so someone else can enjoy catching it too. Catch and release is a conservation practice that protects vulnerable fish populations. You will want to land the fish quickly, taking care to not pull it along rocks or let it flop in shallow water. Handle the fish as little as possible by gently holding it around the middle. Remember to wet your hands first so you don’t damage its protective mucous coating, and avoid touching the eyes or delicate gills. Ideally, you should try to remove the hook while the fish is in the water, by grabbing the small hole of the hook and carefully backing it out. Flattening the barbs of the hook with needle-nose pliers before removal, or fishing with barbless hooks will make your job of freeing the fish a lot easier. Let’s learn more about how to be good to fish…[VIDEO COMING!]