While most serious smallmouth anglers diligently practice catch and release, unfortunately we also know that some guys still keep lots of their smallmouth and oppose regulations that mandate release. And one of the tactics kill anglers use to confuse the issue and to derail catch and release regs is to say that it does little to improve a fishery.

    So to increase acceptance of catch and release, and to increase the amount of C&R waters, it's important to understand the biology behind releasing smallmouth and be able to clearly explain it to others.

    For smallies, the primary result of catch and release will be to increase average size of the fish. Only in limited situations (mostly in places where angler harvest is high and reproduction low) will reducing harvest also lead to a major increase overall abundance of fish.

    The biology goes like this: In many places with good reproduction, even though there are moderate levels of angler kill, the pounds of smallmouth per mile of river is already around the biological maximum (for example, 200 pounds). But the average fish size is low (say half a pound) because most fish are kept when they reach a foot or so. And at the half pound average size it means there are 400 smallies per mile. On the other hand, if that river got C&R regs, the biomass of fish may well remain around 200 pounds per mile. And if the average size increased to 2 pounds there would only be about 100 fish per mile.

    But of course, very few anglers are happy just catching 9 inchers (half pounders) even though there are lots of them per mile. In fact, the great majority of those who deliberately target smallies would much rather fish a stream where the average is 15 inches (2 pounds) even though that water has less total fish.

And make no mistake. On the right waters, no-kill or significantly reduced harvest regs can really boost fish sizes and maintain a high quality fishery, even if the water receives lots of fishing pressure. Examples of this can be found in various states, but here are 3 cases I'm intimately aware of:

Success Stories
    Pallette is a 176 acre lake in Wisconsin used by the state fishery department for research. The state controls access to the lake, but for many years they allowed unrestricted angling to measure the affects on the smallmouth. As a result of this heavy kill, average fish size was only 9 inches. Then the researches implemented a 16 inch minimum size. Even though the fishery had been heavily exploited for decades, within several years the average smallmouth size climbed to 14 inches even though angling pressure remained substantial. This is a 5 inch increase in size and is regarded as a dramatic improvement by biologists and anglers alike. This is especially for a lake such as Pallette, which is a very infertile slow growing body of water.

    Here's another catch and release success story I know well. Michigan's Sylvania Tract is a cluster of 15 small beautiful lakes nestled in a 20,000 acre parcel of old growth forest. While Sylvania's smallmouth are exceptionally slow growing and angling pressure is very high, the fish are protected by "artificials only, no-kill" angling regulations. And despite the fact that Sylvania is a very popular smallmouth destination, average fish size is outstanding, and high numbers over 18 inches are landed every year.

    Yet a third example of highly successful catch and release is the upper Mississippi just north of Minneapolis. Just a medium-sized river this far north, the Miss is next door to 2.5 million people. Though it's fished hard for smallies, the numbers of fish over 17 inches remains outstanding and 20 inchers are regular catches. This exceptional fishery, next to a major urban area, is due to the 12 to 20 inch protected slot regulation the river has had the past 15 years.

    These and dozens of other situations where protective regulations allowed the smallmouth population to flourish should be clearly pointed out to anglers, fisheries departments and state politicians alike.

The Right Way
    At the same time, everyone should be aware that to be successful, C&R regs must implemented the right way and on the right waters. Marginal smallmouth rivers and lakes often have such poor habitat or severe environmental problems that they won't likely won't see much improvement no matter the angling regulations. And extremely heavy live bait use can also limit how much a fishery improves because of the high number of gut hooked fish, which will die from hooking mortality.

    Widespread cheating (where a significant portion of the anglers don't comply with the regulations) will also significantly reduce the effectiveness of them. One other danger to watch out for are wishy washy regs. Sometimes timid state agencies propose minimal regs (like a 14 inch minimum or 12 to 16 inch slot) because they're afraid anything stronger will be opposed. Generally, these limited protections only lead to modest improvements in fish size.

    Assuming good regulations are implemented on waters with at least adequate habitat and environmental factors, there are a couple of things concerned anglers can do to maximize the effectiveness the new protection. Most of all, everyone should help educate others about the regs and help enforce them. Peer pressure and active involvement by conservation minded anglers is the best way to make sure other folks understand and comply with the regs. Don't hesitate to talk to others you meet on the water. And certainly don't hesitate to turn in poachers, which are what those are who don't comply with the law.

    Another way to maximize the effectiveness of catch and release is to encourage everyone you know to use artificials, rather than live bait. Treble hooked lures are fine, but really try to get your Uncle Joe, your cousin Bob or your neighbor Fred to quit using the easy to shallow stuff like nightcrawlers.

    Not every river or lake can be turned into a smallmouth nirvana, but the fisheries on many more waters can be significantly improved by reducing angler kill. What about improving some of your local waters?