Fishing for fun: is it animal cruelty?

Hello r/ethics.

I’ve been having a dilemma lately. I was raised fishing. As a person who lives in a place with a huge fishing culture, it feels like everybody was. Catch and release. Sometimes we would eat the catch, but often times it was just considered a fun activity.

More and more lately, as I’ve gotten back into fishing, I’ve started to wonder if fishing for fun is ethical. After all, I wouldn’t go out into the woods to harass and trap some squirrel or raccoon oon with a hook in their food, just to grab them and go “look at the size of that guy! Clever bastard but I got you.” And let them go. That seems messed up.

Is fishing for sport unethical? Is it bordering on animal cruelty? Should I perhaps just keep paddle boarding and watch the fish from above?