Link to Today

Today an estimated 49 million Americans fish recreationally. According to 2018 Special Report on Fishing over 42% of people released fish during their fishing trip. In some places like Florida up to 50% of fish are released, amounting to about 70 million fish a year, according to the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

"Catch and release enforcement...will guarantee future generations to enjoy the same opportunities we have today. Those who pursue outdoor activities are also the voices and stewards of our waters. Without native and wild fish to pursue, we will not have voices/organizations to help fight and protect the waters we fish."

-George Daniel, author, Penn State fly fishing program leader. Personal Interview 02/28/2020.

Ray Scott’s legacy continues as official fishing tournaments continue creating and adopting new ways to keep fish healthier for release. B.A.S.S has had a massive impact by implementing catch and release techniques and spreading them across the country. Growing from four members to over 650,000 today. This includes techniques such as or catch, photo, release “CPR” where the angler submits the picture to find his/her placement in the tournament. Tournament sponsors lead the industry in studies on the effects of catch and release, mortality rates, and technology, to better the health and survival rate of fish.

Today over 98% of the bass weighed in during National B.A.S.S. tournaments return alive to the water. Catch and release fishing helped shape the way tournaments are run, boats are built, and how anglers fish today. ​​​​​​​The future of bass fishing tournaments may be a new tournament style called catch-weigh-release where each fisherman has an “official” in each boat and when a fish is caught, it is weighed on the boat and immediately released.

"Primarily fishing was to feed people and I would say major barriers were broken moving into that catch and release type mentality. If we had everybody in the world right now, every fishermen keeping everything they caught we would not have the resource that we do have right now. I would say that it has definitely broken the barrier and allowed people to fish and enjoy the sport right now and I think it's crucial to educate our young fishermen to continue this and hopefully have a sustainable fishing future."

-Brian Shock, fishing guide on San Juan River, New Mexico. Personal Interview 03/14/2020.