fishpro
05-02-2012, 02:47 PM
I posted this a couple years ago, but thought it might be good to repost.
So there seems to be a lot of issues lately on the forum, people see one thing or another that seems to be hard on a fish that was released, some people don't know how to handle fish (normally because they were never taught). Here are some pointers I can suggest to all to help ensure a high chance of survival of a fish after being released. I have nothing against people catching a few fish to keep, but if they're going to be released we might as well give them the best chances of survival possible.
1. Use appropriate tackle for the fish you are targetting. You may have accidental catches and this is okay, but don't use tackle that is way too light for the species you are looking to catch. For example, don't use a typical medium action rod for sturgeon, or don't use your trout rod when targetting 30 lb pike. It may be fun to use light tackle, but make sure you're within reason with what you use. Fighting a fish with too light of tackle prolongs the fight and can create a large buildup of lactic acid, which can be fatal up to hours or days after the release.
2. When landing the fish, use a net or find a way to effectively grab the fish. You're net should have a soft mesh or a rubber mesh. Hard nylon and knotted mesh nets remove the protective slime on the fish that can later leave it vulnerable to disease, resulting in mortality an extended time period after releasing the fish. Many fish can be landed without a net as well, by either grabbing their tail (trout species) or directly behind the head (pike and walleye).
Another issue that is widely discussed is putting your fingers into the fish's gills - as some may argue, there are times when you almost have to. If this is the case for fish such as very large pike or lake trout, use only a couple fingers if possible and put them no more than an inch under the gill plate so you can grab the boney part of the lower jaw. Do NOT stick your entire hand inside the gills, and do not use their jaws to support their weight.
3. General Handling:
-Do not let the fish lay on any dry, hard surfaces - this removes the protective slime.
-Keep the fish in the water as much as possible.
-Do not hang the fish vertically, it puts unnatural stress on its internal organs.
4. Photos
-Keep the fish in the water until you are ready to take a photo.
-Have someone ready with the camera when you are ready with the fish. I understand that you will want a picture with a large fish, but if it's going to take 5 minutes to dig your camera out, it may be best to release the fish and get a picture the next time.
-When you're ready to take a picture, raise the fish out of the water quickly, snap a picture or two and release.
-Make sure to support the fish's weight throughout - either hold one hand firmly around the tail and the other under the front portion of the stomach, or if needed stick a couple fingers under the gills as previously described and keep the other hand under it's stomach supporting the bulk of its weight.
5. The release
-Ensure the fish is in the water as much as possible. Keep the fish in the net while unhooking the fish and keep the fish in the water, use the net to keep the fish in place rather than lifting the fish out of the water with the net.
-Hold the fish by the tail and allow it to revive before allow it to swim off. If fishing in a stream then point the fish upstream to allow water to flow through its gills. Don't allow the fish to go after it's first attempt to move, but wait until it has a significant amount of strength to swim away.
-Do not allow it to receive too sudden of a rush of oxygen as this will give them a quick burst of strength that will not last and the fish could lose strength shortly after.
Overall, a fish shouldn't have to be out of the water for any more than 5-10 seconds. I will admit that I haven't always been perfect and have made mistakes when handling fish as well, but these are some things I've learned that I thought were worth mentioning.
Feel free to add your own comments if there is anything I've missed.
So there seems to be a lot of issues lately on the forum, people see one thing or another that seems to be hard on a fish that was released, some people don't know how to handle fish (normally because they were never taught). Here are some pointers I can suggest to all to help ensure a high chance of survival of a fish after being released. I have nothing against people catching a few fish to keep, but if they're going to be released we might as well give them the best chances of survival possible.
1. Use appropriate tackle for the fish you are targetting. You may have accidental catches and this is okay, but don't use tackle that is way too light for the species you are looking to catch. For example, don't use a typical medium action rod for sturgeon, or don't use your trout rod when targetting 30 lb pike. It may be fun to use light tackle, but make sure you're within reason with what you use. Fighting a fish with too light of tackle prolongs the fight and can create a large buildup of lactic acid, which can be fatal up to hours or days after the release.
2. When landing the fish, use a net or find a way to effectively grab the fish. You're net should have a soft mesh or a rubber mesh. Hard nylon and knotted mesh nets remove the protective slime on the fish that can later leave it vulnerable to disease, resulting in mortality an extended time period after releasing the fish. Many fish can be landed without a net as well, by either grabbing their tail (trout species) or directly behind the head (pike and walleye).
Another issue that is widely discussed is putting your fingers into the fish's gills - as some may argue, there are times when you almost have to. If this is the case for fish such as very large pike or lake trout, use only a couple fingers if possible and put them no more than an inch under the gill plate so you can grab the boney part of the lower jaw. Do NOT stick your entire hand inside the gills, and do not use their jaws to support their weight.
3. General Handling:
-Do not let the fish lay on any dry, hard surfaces - this removes the protective slime.
-Keep the fish in the water as much as possible.
-Do not hang the fish vertically, it puts unnatural stress on its internal organs.
4. Photos
-Keep the fish in the water until you are ready to take a photo.
-Have someone ready with the camera when you are ready with the fish. I understand that you will want a picture with a large fish, but if it's going to take 5 minutes to dig your camera out, it may be best to release the fish and get a picture the next time.
-When you're ready to take a picture, raise the fish out of the water quickly, snap a picture or two and release.
-Make sure to support the fish's weight throughout - either hold one hand firmly around the tail and the other under the front portion of the stomach, or if needed stick a couple fingers under the gills as previously described and keep the other hand under it's stomach supporting the bulk of its weight.
5. The release
-Ensure the fish is in the water as much as possible. Keep the fish in the net while unhooking the fish and keep the fish in the water, use the net to keep the fish in place rather than lifting the fish out of the water with the net.
-Hold the fish by the tail and allow it to revive before allow it to swim off. If fishing in a stream then point the fish upstream to allow water to flow through its gills. Don't allow the fish to go after it's first attempt to move, but wait until it has a significant amount of strength to swim away.
-Do not allow it to receive too sudden of a rush of oxygen as this will give them a quick burst of strength that will not last and the fish could lose strength shortly after.
Overall, a fish shouldn't have to be out of the water for any more than 5-10 seconds. I will admit that I haven't always been perfect and have made mistakes when handling fish as well, but these are some things I've learned that I thought were worth mentioning.
Feel free to add your own comments if there is anything I've missed.