Bud4you,

I agree with the other posts. I've always looked at the issue of releasing fish and post-release mortality this way: if I release a fish, it has some chance of survival, even if that chance is a low one. If I kill and keep a fish, it has zero chance of survival. Pretty simple, really.

And this is independent of ethical issues such as snagged fish or the legal matter of retaining an unlawfully hooked fish. Another way of looking at it is that I've never caught a fish that I really needed to keep, and there is no wastage in the natural ecosystem. If it's snagged, release it. In the long run, you'll sleep better.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.