I’m a big catch and release guy myself. I’ll keep some if I’m catching a lot and know that they’ll be eaten that evening or the next at the latest, or if a fishing partner wants them. I never freeze fish. I’m not against keeping fish, as long as it’s done wisely and according to the legal limits-which in my state are wide open and generous for the most part. I’ve talked to guys who have two coolers full of crappie for the freezer say, “we didn’t eat all of last years and now it’s freezer burned so we’ll throw it out and replace it this year...” That’s just a waste of life and resources.
Some of it is because cleaning fish is nasty to me, it’s hard to enjoy the fish when I just tore its’ pancreas out and the smell is still on my hands. And a big part of why I prefer fishing to hunting is that I can enjoy a fish through finding it, tricking it, fighting it, then take a picture of it and let it go back to its home-maybe a bit scared and tired, but alive and able to reproduce and make more fish, or if I choose the fish can provide me delicious dinner.
