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Why Catch and Release Matters in UK Rivers

British rivers are wonderful, but they are also working hard. Abstraction, agricultural run-off, silt and a changing climate all put pressure on the fish that live in them. A chub can live for fifteen years or more, and a barbel takes many years to reach a decent size. Every fish you return carefully is a fish that will feed, grow and spawn again. Catch and release is not about being squeamish — it is simple, practical conservation that any angler can practise from their very first session.

The good news is that it is not complicated. A few habits, learned early, make an enormous difference to the fish you catch. Here is how to do it well.

Sort Your Kit Out Before You Cast

Fish handling happens in seconds, so you want everything to hand before a fish is on. A little preparation on the bank saves panic later.

• A soft, knotless landing net. Mesh that is kind to fins, scales and slime. Check for splits and snags before you start.
• An unhooking mat. Even on grass, a padded mat protects a fish if you must lay it down.
• Forceps or a disgorger. Long-nosed forceps make short work of a hook, and keep your fingers away from teeth and spines.
• Barbless hooks. Barbless and micro-barbed patterns come out faster and cause less damage. They hold perfectly well if you keep a tight line.
• A wet towel — for your hands, not the fish. Or simply dip your hands in the river. Never use a dry cloth on a fish.

And before any of this matters, make sure you have a valid rod licence and permission to fish the water. Being in the right place, legally, is part of being a responsible angler.

Playing a Fish Gently

The fight is where most of the damage is done. Balanced tackle — a rod, line and hook that suit the species and the swim — lets you land a fish quickly without bullying it. A drawn-out battle builds lactic acid in the muscles, and an exhausted fish is far more likely to die after release, even if it swims away looking fine.

Keep the fish out of snags, apply steady pressure, and avoid long, thrashing fights on too-light line. When it is ready, slide the net under it and keep the net in the water. Leave the fish in the mesh, supported by water, while you sort yourself out. Rest it there while you wet your hands and fetch your forceps. On warm days, avoid targeting cold-water species such as grayling and brown trout altogether — even a short fight can be too much for them when river temperatures climb.

Wet Hands, Fish in the Water

This is the heart of it. A fish's slime layer is its immune system, and dry hands, dry grass, a dry net or a hot bank all strip it away. So:

• Wet your hands before you touch a fish. Every single time.
• Keep the fish in the water whenever you can. Unhook it in the net, in the margins, with its body submerged.
• Never squeeze or grip the body. Support larger fish along the belly with one hand and cradle the wrist of the tail with the other.
• Keep clear of the gills. Fingers in the gill covers do real, lasting damage.
• If you lift a fish out, make it brief. Ten to fifteen seconds is plenty. Lay it on a wet mat, never on gravel, rock or dry grass.
• Photograph sensibly. Wet mat, low to the ground, no dangling by the jaw, camera ready before the fish leaves the water.

If you want a picture of a bigger fish, rest it in the net first, set everything up, then lift briefly. A fish that flaps and is dropped has usually been held too long.

Unhooking Quickly with Barbless Hooks and Forceps

Speed and confidence come with practice. Hold the fish in the net, steady it gently, and use forceps to grip the hook by the bend. Push it back the way it went in, rather than pulling it sideways, and it will usually pop out cleanly. Barbless hooks are not just kinder — they are usually easier to remove, which means less time out of the water for the fish.

If a hook is deep, in the throat or well down, do not dig around. Cut the line as close to the hook as you can and return the fish. Modern hooks are small, and the fish has a far better chance with a hook left in place than with torn tissue. Never leave a fish on the bank while you hunt for tools, and never hold a fish in a dry hand to get a better grip on the hook.

Releasing a Fish Properly

Return the fish head-first, upright, into calm water. Hold it gently with one hand under the belly and let it find its balance. In flowing water, point it into the current and let the water pass over the gills; on still or slow stretches, move it gently forwards and back until it kicks free. Never throw a fish back.

Take extra care in warm weather, when oxygen levels drop. On very hot days, fish early or leave the river alone, and if a fish takes a long time to recover, keep supporting it — it can take several minutes. Finally, look after the water itself: clean and dry your nets and waders between rivers to avoid moving disease and invasive species, and carry your litter home. Catch and release only works if there is still a healthy river to release them into.