Catch and Release

Obviously, a fish hooked in the lip is going to be better off than one hooked in the gullet or gills. It’s easy to remove the hook from a fish’s lip without doing major damage, but it’s not so easy when the fish is gut hooked. For gill- or gut-hooked fish, simply cut off as much of the hook as possible and release the fish. Never try to pull on the line to free the hook, because this can cause severe damage.

I’ve caught fish with rusty hooks and buzz baits in their mouths, so I know first hand that many of these fish will live. Sometimes the hooks will dissolve and the fish will spit them out. In other cases you can cut the eye of the hook off and gently slide the hook out, but this isn’t advisable if you have to pull the hook up to get at it.

When a fish is hooked where you can easily remove the hook without tearing it up, use a pair of pliers. Try to avoid wiggling the hook to work it back out. For most lip-hooked fish, grasp the hook with a pair of pliers and, while holding the fish in the water, twist your wrist to simultaneously unhook and release the fish. Some anglers use barbless hooks or crimp the barbs down with pliers to make unhooking quick and easy.

The longer it takes to unhook a fish, the more stress you put on it. The longer a fish is out of water, the less its chances of survival. Fish that are quickly returned to the water can sometimes be caught again later. Even if they are not caught, they might enhance the fishery by producing offspring.

While a fish is out of the water, try to avoid touching its body with your bare hands in order to preserve its protective mucous coating. This coating helps protect the fish from disease and should be left intact as much as possible. If you must handle a fish by its body, wet your hands first. Gloves, too, can supposedly prevent damage. Soft wet gloves are better than nothing, and they will help keep the smell off your hands. Nylon and winter gloves should be avoided, however, as they are no better than dry hands.

Fish that don’t have teeth capable of removing your fingers can be held by their lower jaws, but larger fish should be supported by their bellies. There are devices available that allow you to grab muskies, pike and other large fish that have teeth. One is similar to a towel that wraps around the fish with a handle at each end. This allows you to hold the fish and protect your hands while at the same time allowing the fish to keep most of its protective mucous coating.

The type of net you use makes a difference too. Try to avoid netting a fish when possible. But if you must, use a cotton mesh net or something other than hard nylon. Also, avoid the use of “knotted” nets. These knots act like sandpaper on a fish and can easily remove scales or damage eyes. Another type of damage occurs when the tissue between the spines on the fins gets ripped. This impairs the fish’s ability to swim properly. Never try to net a large fish with a small net either. You’ll do a lot of damage if the net is too small to properly accommodate the fish.

The way a fish is played prior to netting is also important. When a fish is hooked, it fights to free itself and lactic acid builds up in its muscles very quickly. This buildup is highly toxic and can cause death days later. To prevent this, avoid “playing it out” and retrieve the fish as quickly as possible.

Getting the fish in quickly is even more important in warmer water. Fish are cold blooded and will always expend more energy in warmer water. So, it makes sense that they will fight harder too. The harder they fight, the more energy they expend and the more lactic acid they will produce.

Once you have caught the fish, be very careful not to let it flop around. Fish can bruise themselves or even cause serious internal injuries that can kill them later. Be careful not to drop a fish. And though fish can shake and break your grip, don’t squeeze it to keep it from flopping. If you need a second to get your camera ready, place a wet towel under and over the fish, since the bottom of your boat or the ground will damage the fish.

Fish need to move their gills to breath. If they are out of breath, they lack the energy to move, which prevents them from taking in more oxygen. If you wind up with a big one on the end of your line, sometimes you have no choice but to fight the fish. When this happens and the fish runs out of energy, it can be revived. Place the fish in the water belly down and gently grasp it by the tail. If you’re in a river, point it up stream. Slowly move the fish back and forth until it lets you know it’s ready to take off. Be careful not to remove any of its protective coating. You may need to repeat this more than once. Don’t let the fish go until it’s ready. This is very important in currents because it can be carried into rocks or other objects and be injured.

There is one exception to the rule of bringing the fish in quickly, and that is when you hook a fish at a depth of around 30 feet or greater. Just as a diver who comes up too fast from a great depth gets “the bends,” something similar can happen to a fish, and it’s almost always fatal. If you’re going to be catching fish from great depths, it is often best to keep them. If you’re out for sport, it’s best to target shallower fish. It’s very difficult to ensure that a fish brought up quickly from 30 feet or more will live.

When bringing in fish from the depths, it’s often good to pause every few feet or so. This allows the fish to decompress and is similar to the concepts taught in scuba classes. The trade off here is that the fish will still expend energy and build up lactic acid while it is hooked. Also, it may require 30 minutes or more for a fish to adjust its pressure, so unless you’re going to fight the fish for that long, you might as well keep it.

I’ve heard that fish brought up from deep water will need their swim bladders popped. This is nonsense. Never stick a needle into a fish to puncture anything. You can be sure the fish will die if you do this. Sometimes the bladder will expand so much that the stomach will pop out of the fish’s mouth. There’s nothing you can do in this case but keep the fish.

Some fishermen have devised methods to return fish back to deep water by using materials threaded through a fish’s jaw that will break off when tugged. I have my doubts about this practice. Any fish that has had its swim bladder exert extreme pressure on its internal organs or has its stomach protruding from its throat has been damaged and is likely to die.

Another important thing you can do to help release your fish in good shape is to be prepared. Are your pliers within reach? Is the camera ready? Anything you can do to get the fish back in the water as quickly as possible will help ensure its survival.

Some people like to weigh trophy fish before they release them. When you weigh a fish, try to use a scale that allows you to place the fish on it or place the fish in something that can be lifted. Most scales have a hook on the end that damages the fish. Never place this in the eye of a fish or in its gills. Place the fish in a wet towel and lift it with the hook. Remove the fish and weigh the wet towel and subtract the weight of the towel to get the weight of the fish. Or, zero the scale out with the towel attached, and then weigh the fish. Newer scales grip the fish by the jaw.

When you release a fish, gently set it in the water. Never throw a fish back or toss it through the air into the water. If you are able to hold the fish by the lower jaw, gently lower it into the water and let go. Other fish should be released belly down and pointed slightly towards the bottom. Never hold a fish by its gills or eyes. Remember to allow enough time to revive any fish that might need extra help.

Never place a fish that you’re going to release on a stringer or in a fish basket. A stringer run through the gills is always a death sentence. Any time you scrape anything across fish’s gills, you impair its ability to breathe. Try to avoid live wells when possible too. Some live wells have valves or handles in them that will remove scales or scrape off the protective coating on a fish.
Once you’ve caught your trophy, you can preserve the memory by taking a quick photo or two. Since you are releasing the fish, a good photo is a very important part of preserving the memory. Try to have something else in the picture that will allow someone else to get a good grasp of the true size of the fish. A nice full body shot of you and the fish also makes for a good memory.
Catch and release fishing is all about preserving the sport of fishing. When you take the time to learn to handle a fish properly, and are able to release it unharmed, you are ensuring that others will be able to enjoy the sport in the future.