How to handle fish

If the objective to "catch and release" is to release the fish to fight another day, how you hook, retrieve, boat and handle your fish can influence the fish's survial. I am sure you have seen many "catch and release" techniques over the years and some of these techniques cause unnecessary harm to the fish. If we follow a few basic rules of "catch and release", we can do the "right thing" for our fisheries.

1. "Quickset" the hook as soon as possible to prevent the fish from "deep swallwoing" the hook.

2. If fish is hooked in deep water, bring the fish up slowly. To decompress a fish, you may use a 16 to 18 gauge needle by inserting the needle int the side of the fish immediately behind upper part of pectoral fin, usually directly below the fourth and fifth spine. Let air escape without pressing on the fish, and repeat if necessary.

3. If possible, leave the fish in the water, but if not, lift the fish into the boat with a net or by hand. However, when lifting by hand make sure not to use the "jaw break" method of over extending the lover jaw. This can break the lower jaw and prevent the fish from eating after release.

4. Remove the hook with caution to prevent tissue damage. You may use barbless hooks, cut the hook or leave the hook if deep in gut. Once the gills and gut have been compromised the fish mostly likely will not survive. Do not jerk hooks out of fish. This causes unnecessary tearing of tissue.

5. It is best to use a glove or wet cloth to touch the fish. Do not put your fingers in the eyes or gills of the fish. Avoid removing mucus or scales from the fish.

6. Release the fish back into the water as soon as possilbe. When releasing, support the fish's mid-section and resusitate by moving fish back and forth by tail.

I respect what your saying and do my best at all times to handle the fish correctly even take the time to help any fish that are floundering at the weigh-in but i have seen some awful examples of what not to follow at some small tournaments. There are always the anglers who want to bring their one keeper in without a weigh-in bag (too much trouble i guess) and then throw the fish into the lake from a distance or have a good bag of fish and bring the fish up with very little water and stand in line for 15 minutes during the summer resting the bag on the hot asphalt. x( I hate to see it but that's how some anglers are...

This is one of those topics that is hard to do the "right thing" all of the time, but it is a topic that is important to "make an effort" to do what is right. Habits are hard to break, and even harder, in the heat of the battle of catching fish, especially for money, the fish's health becomes secondary unless you have fisherman with the sensitivity to make the effort to save the fish. All I am trying to say here is it is hard to let a quality fish die from neglect and with a little time, effort and thought, that fish could survive.

Thanks Bonefish! I have seen too many fishin' shows where the fishin' expert holds the fish up by the bottom jaw to a horizontal position, as if the fish is still swimming in the water. This creates an unusually abnormal position for the fish and stretches the ligaments out of whack. Then they make an attempt to gently put the fish back in the water! If you are going to be protective of the fish and expect it to live, hold it up in the "natural way" with the tail fin hanging down. Measure it, weigh it, photograph it, if you must, and then turn it loose in the quickest manner possible. Thanks, and happy fishing!