Turning loose a potential meal may seem to defeat the purpose of fishing, but there is a way to have your “cake” and release it too – selective harvest.

Pull up a chair with any group of anglers sharing a few beverages and telling stories nowadays and it’s a good bet that at some point the words “catch-and-release” will come up. Depending on the group, the discussion may become a little more animated at that point – some anglers practice catch-and-release with religious fervor, while others “catch all they can, and can all they catch.” Is there a happy medium to this debate?

There are many examples of the benefits of catch-and-release sport fishing. To qualify for a Nebraska Master Angler award, a largemouth bass has to weigh five pounds or measure at least 20 inches if it is immediately released. If it isn’t, it can only qualify for the award by meeting the weight requirement, which is harder to do. Because anglers consistently release more than 80 percent of the Master Angler bass caught in Nebraska, there are almost always more largemouth bass entered in the Master Angler program each year than any other species, proving how released fish can continue to provide angling excitement for others.

Another example comes from 2006, when the top waters for Master Angler fish of any species were Red Willow and Branched Oak reservoirs. At Red Willow, 161 of 165 (98 percent) of all trophy fish were released, while 142 of 149 (95 percent) were released at Branched Oak. Both waters have consistently produced large numbers of trophy fish in recent years because of the long-term practice of voluntary catch-and-release of big fish at Red Willow, and the mandated release of all flathead catfish and wipers at Branched Oak since 2000.

Catch-and-release can be an important tool in developing and maintaining quality fishing, but never forget that fish are a renewable resource and anglers should continue the tradition of savoring a good meal of fresh fish if they want to. So is there a general rule to apply to which fish should be harvested and which ones should be released? In some places, length limit or other regulations require catch-and-release because fisheries managers have specific objectives they want to achieve, such as ensuring there are enough large predators available to keep panfish, prey fish or rough fish in check.

In many cases, however, the decision to catch and release or catch and keep is the responsibility of the individual angler. No one can tell an angler what his or her ethics or standards should be, but in recent years more and more anglers are adopting the philosophy of “selective harvest,” a term coined by In-Fisherman magazine to describe the practice of keeping only the species or sizes of fish that can withstand some harvest while releasing those that are less abundant. In most cases, practicing selective harvest dictates that anglers harvest only as many fish as needed to enjoy a meal or two of fresh fish – it is not about filling the freezer with fillets.

Some of the species that are typically more abundant and can withstand some harvest are those of the panfish family: crappie, bluegills and even bass. Conveniently, these are also some of the best on the table. Large predator fish are almost always less abundant and better candidates for release in order to maintain quality fishing. In fact, large individuals of any species, even panfish, are almost always less abundant and therefore good candidates for release. In practice, on a reservoir with a 15-inch minimum length limit for walleye, selective harvest would prescribe taking a few 15- to 18-inch walleyes for a meal of walleye almondine while taking a picture of a 28-incher and turning her loose. Another example would be throwing a few of those 7- to 8-inch bluegills on the ice while slipping that honest to goodness “pounder” back down the ice hole. How about a 40-inch flathead or muskie? Those large predators are the least abundant and therefore the best candidates for release. Big fish are hard to catch not because they are so smart, but because they are so rare. By releasing those fish, the fun of catching them can be enjoyed again.

But how about the joy of showing off that big fish? Many anglers decide to keep a trophy fish to have it mounted, but modern technology gives us the option of releasing that memorable fish and still having a great-looking mount to show off. With a few pictures and measurements of the fish, many taxidermists can match its exact size and coloration with a reproduction mount that is of better quality and will last longer than a skin mount of the actual fish.

Again, the decision to keep or release a legal fish is one that anglers have to make on their own, but angler attitudes are evolving. A lot of us enjoy eating fresh fish, but the emphasis on harvest is a lot less than it used to be. That is a good thing, because if the oceans can be overfished, there isn’t a body of water in Nebraska that can’t be. Catch-and-release or selective harvest is being practiced by many anglers, and it’s a practice that can help maintain and improve the fishing for all of us.