Fish Need Water!

High fives for Fish Need Water! Check out some amazing shots of catch and release underwater footage of rainbow trout, char and dollies. Thirty years ago, when the Crystal Creek Lodge was founded, it was one of the first Alaskan fishing lodges that was full catch and release, zero exceptions, on trout, char, grayling and dollies for trophies, shore lunch or take home. We had some push-back but we have taken great pride in releasing them to grow, spawn and continue the cycle that is so very precious to us and the environment.

Keep Em Wet is now an important and growing movement. From the Keep Em Wet dot org website: Keepemwet® is about releasing fish in the best condition possible. It’s a motto for minimizing air exposure, eliminating contact with dry surfaces, and reducing handling. It’s a movement to empower anglers to take small, simple steps to responsibly enjoy and share fishing experiences. Our goal is to minimize the impact of catch & release angling on fisheries by uniting conscientious anglers, organizations and companies to promote science based practices for handling fish that are released.

More from the Keep Em Wet dot org website: Over the course of the last few decades, releasing fish has become an increasingly common practice. Whether by choice or by regulation, many anglers regularly release fish. In both cases the objective is to return a healthy fish to the water.

Mishandling a fish by placing it on dry surfaces like a riverbank or exposing it to air for an extended period of time can impact fish health. Just because a fish swims away doesn’t mean that it has quickly recovered from capture and handling.  Impacts can range from short-term impairment of swimming to delayed symptoms such as reduced fertility and even mortality.

Fishing Guides at Crystal Creek Lodge take these concepts seriously and will work as hard as they can so that fish are released as healthy as possible to ensure their safety. Guides and their anglers will be happy and confident that fish are released as healthy as possible by following the keepemwet principles and by incorporating a handful of easy practices when handling, photographing, and releasing fish.


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