1.Leave your fishing spot cleaner than you found it.
2. Don't crowd other anglers who are catching fish. Wait until they leave before you move in.
3. Handle all fish with care, they are the lifeblood of our sport.
4. If you see another angler struggling to catch a fish, lend a helping hand or offer useful advice
(who knows,one day you might find yourself with an empty stringer).
5. Take only as many fish as you plan to eat and save the rest for others to enjoy.
6. Respect the rights of owners when fishing docks or private property.
7. Remember that every fish is a sportfish, even if
you consider it less than desirable. Many people, especially kids, enjoy catching carp or a mess of bullheads,
for example.
8. If you catch a trophy fish that you don't plan on taking to the taxidermist, snap a photo or two and let it go. Once a fish reaches trophy size it should be looked at as more than a hunk of meat.
9. Learn as much as you can about fish and their behaviors. It will not only make you a better angler, but others will look at you as an expert.
10. Promote the sport by teaching a kid to fish, whether it is a relative or a neighbor. Kids are the future of our sport, and if we don't pass on what we know to the next generation of anglers, our sport will suffer in the future.
11. Remember, when you are fishing, the public doesn't see you as an individual but as a fisherman and what you do reflects upon all of us.