I recently joined a sharing group on Face book where fisherman post pictures of wild trout they have caught. I’m excited to see anglers beginning to put more value on wild trout and releasing what they catch. That’s an exciting shift in attitudes and it gives me hope for the future of wild trout and the streams they inhabit. What I often see posted begins with great intent, but sadly doesn’t go much past the initial thought. We are all justifiably proud when we catch a good fish and many are satisfied with getting a picture or two of a good fish rather than kill it. What makes me cringe is seeing a fish held in dry hands or laying on the ground with dirt, grass or leaves stuck to it, or a fish held out of the water too long. A few things to consider… carry a net made with a soft bag material and get it wet before you net a fish. Get the fish in the net and keep it in the water while you get your camera ready. When your camera or camera man is ready, wet your hands and lift the trout just high enough to get the image you want and lower it back into the water immediately. You can repeat this a few times before you release it and create a memory to share, and know that the trout will swim away and live. It takes nature years to make one of these magnificent fish and a moment of bad handling to kill it. That trophy 8” native brook trout is one of hundreds from its brood to reach that size and is probably as old as a 24” wild brown caught on bigger water. The beauty of trout fishing is that we don’t have to kill something to take a trophy home. Give them a chance; just “keep ‘em wet”. Till next week …. www.ramsayflies.com #ItsAboutTheFish #Keepemwet #PAWildtrout
