Fish Handling 101

[RavYak]

A few guys were asking about good handling techniques and I realized that there were limited threads on here that go over everything in one spot so figured I would outline the basics.

1) Try to use techniques that minimize damage to fish. Bait often results in hooking fish deep. Multiple hooks and trebles can lead to a better chance of hooking a fish in the gills. Techniques that result in a single hook placed well in a fishes lip will give the fish the best chance for survival. Barbless hooks can make hook removal easier and help speed up hook removal process.

2) Try not to overplay fish. As you can imagine if some weird creature with unknown intentions tricked you into biting onto a hook then tried to reel you in and grab you that you would fight until exhaustion to try and escape. Fish are no different and long fights cause extreme stress, build up of lactic acid in the muscles and other potential injuries. Horsing a fish in can also do damage so you need to try and find the sweet spot which will depend on the species, size, fishing gear/lure used etc. This takes some experience to figure out but if a fish is tired to the point where it is floating there and doesn't try to escape when you go to grab it you have played it out for too long.

3) The scales and slime found on the outside of fish protect them. Therefore you want to minimize damage to these scales and slime. Dragging a fish up onto dirt or grass or rolling them through snow and over ice or rocks etc is clearly not good for them. Try to leave the fish in the water when possible and when handling wet your hands or gloves first. If you are planning on releasing the fish the best way is usually to remove the hook while leaving the fish in the water. If the fish is hooked badly it may be necessary to remove the fish from the water to more easily remove the hook.

4) Popping a hook out by hand or with pliers while the fish is still in the water is sometimes best. Make sure you always have pliers on hand and ready to use. In summer using a net makes it easier to land greener fish and to easily get a hold of a fish that is hooked poorly. Downsides are that the fish can get tangled in the net increasing hook removal time and rough nets can scrape off scales/slime. Using a rubber or rubber coated net will decrease tangling and damage to fish. Overall I consider the use of a net to usually be a good practice especially on species that are hard to land without nets(such as trout). Grips such boga grips often do damage to a fishes mouth/jaws and I consider them unnecessary once a person has learned good handling techniques.

5) In winter and sometimes in summer you need to just grab the fish by hand. Do not use the eye pinch method... The best way to grab a fish depends on the species and size, smaller fish you can usually just grab with one hand while larger ones you will probably need to grab by the tail and belly or by the gill plate and belly. When grabbing the fish by the gill plate make sure to avoid sticking your fingers in the fishes gills as this can cause the fish to bleed not to mention the gills on some species can cut you as well. Some people frown on the gill plate hold but I believe if done correctly it causes little harm. Trout have more sensitive gills and are harder to use the gill plate hold on, I only use it on some large trout. The tail/belly hold reduces risk to gills but you have to be careful not to drop a fish if it thrashes, it is best to hold them over the water where possible.

6) If you hook a fish deep in its stomach cut the line as deep down as you can. That is the best chance for the fishes survival.

7) When removing a fish from the water you need to remember that fish are used to being in horizontal positions with buoyancy helping support them. Hanging a fish from its gill plate or poorly supporting a fish can damage a fishes spines or internal organs. You should be trying to hold a fish horizontally and support it along its length as much as possible to avoid this. Also be careful not to squeeze a fish too tightly as this can also do damage.

8) Fish can't breath outside of the water. Some people say to hold your breath while handling them to get an idea of what they are going through. Better yet go for a big run then try holding your breath while your heart is pounding and lungs are gasping for air, that is probably a lot closer to what the fish is going through. Minimizing time out of the water is in my experience the most critical aspect to a proper release. I aim to have the fish out of the water for less then 30 seconds. In summer if using a net I will keep the net in the water and try to remove the hook in the water. If I feel the need for a picture or measurement I get the hook out and leave the fish in the net in the water while getting equipment ready. In winter this gets a bit tougher, best is to have everything ready and be quick about things and don't take pictures or measurements unless absolutely necessary.

9) Some species like perch, walleye, rockfish etc can be found in deep enough water to cause barotrauma (stomach will stick out mouth, eyes will bulge etc) if they are brought up to the surface during angling. You should not fish for these species in that deep of water unless you plan on keeping each fish you catch. For perch and walleye you should avoid fishing deeper then around 25 feet. People used to "fizz" fish which means to pop their air bladders so they can swim back down but this has been proven to often cause infection which often later kills the fish proving the point that just because it swam away doesn't mean it will survive. In some situations such as rockfish fishing guys use descender devices to get the fish back to deep water before releasing them. This has been proven to increase survival but is still a less then ideal situation(but is a requirement in some places now). Some species such as lake trout have the ability to expel air when coming up from deeper water, these species can and do still suffer from barotrauma especially if you bring the fish up to the surface quickly. Try to limit the depth you fish and to bring these fish up slower giving them time to expel air when fishing deep water.

10) You may need to revive your fish depending on how long the fight was and how long you had it out of the water etc. I have found that if you do well on the above points that you should have to do little to no reviving, once in the water the fish should be ready to swim away and trying to do so. Larger older fish are more prone to being overplayed and needing more time to revive, hold the fish in the water upright and try to move water through their gills. In the winter you can't really do this so hold onto them in the hole until they try to swim away. If you release a fish without reviving it you will often see them sink to the bottom where they will most likely die.

11) If taking photos, measurements, weights etc have that equipment ready. When taking photos know how you are going to hold it and try to take a couple quick pictures, do not take 20 different photos in multiple poses just to try and get a good one. Measurements are far easier with a measuring board or something to quickly hold fish against to know if it is large enough, tape measures alone are a pain to use. I dislike weighing fish but if you feel it is necessary then have a system in place to weigh the fish in a net or cradle then subtract the weight of said net/cradle. You should not weigh a fish by its gill plate or lip grips unless you plan on keeping it.