James Phillips, avid angler and active member of a local Indiana chapter of Trout Unlimited, wrote an article reflecting on the first ever catch and release fishing regulations in sections of three Indiana streams. 

A flyfisherman who strongly supports catch and release, Phillips seemed very satisfied with the new regulations, and noted high catch rates and the lack of other anglers in the catch and release sections.  He and others kept personal fishing logs to evaluate their success.

I cannot recall anyone predicting in meaningful detail in advance of the season what effect catch-and-release regulations might have on fishing on the Little Elkhart River, our most hallowed and historically important trout stream. Nor do I recall anyone defining what might constitute success.
But within a few weeks, everyone agreed the fishery exceeded the most optimistic expectations. Crowds of anglers on the catch-and-release waters were nonexistent.

So was catch and release better for the fishery in these stretches of Indiana streams?  Phillips believes that catch rates were higher and that these stretches were fished less often, making the experience more valuable for those who chose to fish the C&R waters.

Determining whether fishing regulations are successful depends on how the value of a fishery is measured.  Is the goal to provide the most number of fish caught for the most people?  Is it to extend a fishing season so that anglers can fish for a longer period of time?  And does it include the value of an individual’s personal experience, which can be affected by the number of other anglers around? 

In Mr. Phillips’ case, the value of a fishery is measured by the ability to catch consistent numbers of fish over a relatively long period of time with few other anglers around.  This position is shared by many other anglers, but not all.  In other cases, the value of a fishery may be measured by the ability to take the family fishing for a couple of weekends, toss in a gob of worms and catch a nice mess of trout to take home.  Catch and release regulations may affect the ability for some to have such an experience. 

So overall, we can surmise that restrictive fishing regulations are beneficial to some at the cost of others.  I’m not familiar enough with the details of the Indiana regs to make more specific comments, but I do know that imposing restrictive regulations involves an important balancing act to provide unique fishing opportunities while ensuring that the values of all anglers are taken into account.