I'm wondering if having a catch and release fishing feature is really a valuable feature or just something people only use because it happens to be there. The campground we may be buying currently allows catch and release from its pond, but unless it is really important to have available, I would rather say no fishing than put fish through that torture. Any opinions would be appreciated.
I am not a fisherman but I have fished a couple of times over the years, but never catch & release as I agree with you on this subject. In all our years of RVing we have never been to an RV park that had a catch & release program in effect and I would have to think that this is not something being offered in very many parks or campgrounds. However with that said our travels have kept us out west so I can only speak to what we've seen out here. I can't see where this would be a big thing for most folks so if it were me I would ask the current owner if this is something that his current customers take advantage of and to what degree, etc. Perhaps in your area this is important, then again it might not be and you can make a decision then as to whether to keep it going or not. There are many kinds of RVers and what works for some doesn't for others so ask questions about anything like this that you are unfamiliar with or not sure of. That's my suggestion and I'm sticking to it.............. Regards, BankShot............(aka Terry)
In many, many years of camping and RV'ing, I don't recall ever hearing of anyone choosing a park because it had C&R fishing. I have seen folks take advantage of it when it's available, but generally in very small numbers. I think if the quality of life for the fish concerns you and you own the park, it's entirely your choice whether to offer C&R or not. I suspect you wouldn't lose a single guest if you discontinue it, although a few repeat guests may grumble a bit...
Thanks for the great responses. There are two rivers in the local area that both have multiple public access points for fishing, swimming, and boating. This is a fact that is currently stated on the campground's website, and I have been at a few of those locations myself. Some people like to just stay on the grounds rather than get in their cars to go anywhere, so I guess having the c&r fishing is really just a recreational convenience.
That's pretty much what I was thinking. If pics on the internet are any indication of who is doing the fishing there, it looks like all kids and no adults.
When I was a little kid, I liked learning how to cast. It gave me the same kind of feeling as skipping stones. The catching of fish wasn't necessary, I could just cast over and over again, or skip stones over and over again. Maybe as an alternative, I could get a bunch of stones perfect for skipping, to put in a bucket on the little dock so people can skip them across the pond. I could even put some floating colored markers for people to make a game of it. I'd probably have to rake the stones out every few years, so the pond doesn't get shallow, but that would be okay. What would be a good name for a game like that?
Exactly! I don't eat animals, but honestly, since people have a right to make personal diet choices and are apparently helplessly brainwashed in that regard, I try to reserve any judgement of people's ethics to cruel factory farming practices and non-food purposes for causing trauma and death to innocent animals. I'm an aquarist, a straight up reef aquarist nerd who has done decades of studying and observing fish, their behavior, their social lives, their health and treatments of diseases, and how they respond to their environment and circumstances. They are sensitive animals, they do suffer, and the stress of that suffering makes them highly susceptible to infections that kill them, even when the suffering perpetrated on them is just the chasing of them with nets. Putting hooks into them and then causing them to nearly suffocate, can indeed kill them, the death just happens out of human sight after days, weeks, or months of suffering from the bacterial and fungal infections caused by the hook injuries.
All that said, I had concern that someone who regularly visits the campground might lower a new review if an activity that person has always enjoyed there is taken away without a good substitute put in its place.
I still like throwing rocks in the water. I especially like it when a stone hits the water several times and jumps
OK then stock the pond and let the guest keep the fish and charge them for the fish caught by the pound. Like a trout farm does....