CPR

CPR - Catch, Photo, Release - The Ethics of Catch & Release for the Photographer!

-Mat Johnson
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Hey all!

For my dad's birthday in December, I gave him a weekend away with his two boys flyfishing an Eastern Washington Spring Creek. The only prerequisites were that we had to wait until the Seahawks were out of the playoffs, and the local mountain weather wouldn't be too hairy. This past weekend fit the bill!

The creek holds copius amounts of Rainbow trout that grow to mammoth proportions. We had an absolute BLAST! As you can see, the weather conditions were cold and snowy, but the weather did nothing to dampen our spirits, or negatively impact the fishing!

The creek bubbles out of the ground (created by the Grand Coulee dam on the Columbia River) and flows at a very constant 50 degrees and fluctuates only a couple of degrees all year long. Our thermometer showed 49.5F during this trip. In case you wonder about such things, 50F is ideal for trout!

As I mentioned before the weekend, I practice what I like to refer to as CPR. Catch PHOTO Release! As the "Release" is truly the most important aspect of CPR, the shots can be a bit hurried so the fish's impact out of water is kept to an absolute minimum. Composition often goes right out the window as you can tell in many of these shots. But alas, I was really playing "Flyfisher" this weekend instead of "Photographer". =)

I'm so blessed that my dad is still ready, willing and able to spend time with his kids! We had a phenomenal time catching fish, joking and laughing, and just plain ol' having fun. I trust when I'm my dad's age, my kids will want to give me such a get-a-way for MY birthday!

Happy Birthday, Dad. I love you.

Mat