Catch and Release – Best Practice

Like most fishers we believe the majority of the trout released will survive unharmed if ‘best practice’ methods are observed.

Every angler with a story to tell has an opinion as to where to find the best trout on the planet. Today, many of these stories refer to the trout of New Zealand, and Poronui in particular. New Zealand is the mecca for avid fly fishers from all corners of the globe who come to test their skills against our notoriously large, and wily, brown and rainbow trout.

Ever since Poronui was established 30 years ago, we have embraced catch and release and like most fishers we believe the majority of the trout released will survive unharmed if ‘best practice’ methods are observed.

Fish in New Zealand tend to be larger and therefore require care when handling. Over the years we have adapted generally held ideas of ‘best practice’ to further protect our large, wild trout. So when you are fishing in New Zealand please help us protect these beautiful creatures by using rubber mesh nets and wet hands/gloves to handle fish. Don’t lift the tail, bend or squeeze the fish but instead grip the tail and cradle the fish under the pectoral fins. Keep the fish in the water as much as possible, ten seconds out of the water is maximum and make sure to release as quickly as possible.

Fish are very photogenic but hate being kept out of the water, there are other alternatives to ‘grip and grin’ for that hero image.