Use these tips to perfect your catch and release fishing skills in Mesa Verde Country®
Certain areas are designated catch and release with the state, and/or they have specific bait or general fishing restrictions. Be sure to check locally if you have any questions about restrictions or regulations.
CATCH & RELEASE TIPS
Returning fish to the water alive is not as simple as it sounds. Some important reminders:
- Don't play the fish to exhaustion
- Keep the fish in the water if possible as you take out the hook
- Avoid squeezing the fish
- Re-acclimate the fish by gently facing it into the current
- If a hook is swallowed and you can't get it out, cut the line as close to the hook as possible and leave the hook in the fish — do not try to pull the hook out
Catch and release is a good habit to get into. It allows you to get all the sport out of fishing and put all the pleasure back into the water.
It's never too early to learn how to handle fish using catch and release techniques, teaching fair play and sportsmanship, and preserving our fishing resources for the generations to come