I like to catch fish. To me, that means bringing them to hand. There are times of the year I will do nothing but C&R, and there are times where I fill up the fish basket. I like to feel the fight and put my hands on them. If I just wanted to watch a take, I could put on a little foam hopper and watch little bluegills peck at it all day long. To me, that is boring. Another thing is you never know what you're going to have on the end of the line. I have caught many different species and several unique hybrids while out at the local lakes. I never would have known what half the fish were if they hadn't been brought to hand. Catfish and drum bite all the time.... fight like crazy!