Okay. I am a Montana girl, born and raised and I have been a fan of fishing all my life. When I moved out to the tri-state area for a job after college, I got into some casual discussions with my boss about outdoors activities. Eventually we got on to fishing, and he told me he thinks it’s barbaric and no more than a "blood sport". This seems like a pretty typical response from someone who has never fished a day in his life, nor does he understand the fundamentals of fishing to make such a statement, and so it really bothered me. I don’t feel like anyone should pass judgment on anything if they don’t have a thorough knowledge of it.

I was raised to believe that (as long as you were using the proper hook and knew what you were doing) there really isn’t any harm to the fish unless you don’t release it and actually fry it up. I also have never seen any ‘blood’ when removing hooks from the fish, and the fish doesn’t seem fazed one way or the other as long as it’s released quickly. (I typically don’t catch and release; I prefer to eat my trout.)

Anyways, what do you think about fishing? Is it really a savage blood sport?
Bob, I ask myself that same question every day. The good news is, I recently quit and am moving to Phoenix. There is a new airline that flies direct between Phoenix and Missoula for only $63! Someday if I can find a decent job, I will move back to MT. Unfortunately, teachers don’t make much money in MT.

Oh lord no… I’da probably got in trouble and nearly lost my job if a boss ever told me that…

I just saw something in an outdoor life magazine that scientists have found that the area of the brain that interprets pain is very poorly developed in fish (not sure which issue… i think it’s somewhat recent, though…)I’m not saying they don’t feel pain, just that they don’t feel pain like we do.

And as far as keeping fish for dinner, not nearly as bad as the commercial meat industry.

So not only is fishing kinder than beef, it also strengthens the bond between ourselves and our natural environment, leading to a greater appreciation for the great outdoors and all the members of the community of Life. Fosters good stewardship of natural resources, awareness of issues up to and including various legislative actions affecting one’s area…

Fishing does nothing but make us better people.

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