 Instructions
for successfully catching and releasing Saltwater and Freshwater
Fish
In order to release a caught fish,
try to keep it in the water if you can. Handle the fish
as little as possible and avoid holding with dry hands
to prevent
removal of protective slime coating. Don't let your fish bounce on a boat deck,
carpet, or on shoreline rocks, sand, or gravel.
If it's a fish without sharp teeth like a bass, hold
its lower lip between your thumb and index finger.
Hold them vertically and support large fish with
a hand under the belly. Grasp toothy fish (such as bluefish, walleye
or northern pike) across the back of the head, with
fingers and thumb holding gill plates
closed. Watch out for sharp edges and if you must hold a fish by putting
your hand through the gill opening, avoid touching
delicate gill filaments.
Try not to keep a fish out of water any longer than you are able hold
your breath, and carefully remove hooks from your fish without tearing
them out,
as this can harm the fish and it may not live. If a fish is hooked deeply
and you can't easily remove the hook, cut the line to release the fish.
Providing
that the hook is not a stainless steel hook, it will rust, dissolve,
or become loose without harming the fish. I always recommend that you
take along a pair
of wire cutters whenever you fish in case you have to cut away hooks
from fishing lures to safely release a badly hooked fish.
 If you are using bait, or lures that are frequently swallowed, and deep
hooking is likely to be a problem, you can consider using barbless
hooks. Unhooking
your catch with barbless hooks is faster, easier and healthier for
the fish. I have spoken with fellow anglers about the pro’s
and con’s
of barbless hooks, and have found that most anglers who catch and release
their
fish often prefer to bend in the barbs on their hooks before fishing.
Many anglers claim that their catch ratio has not been affected by
bending in
the hook barbs providing that they keep pressure on their fish while
landing them.
This makes unhooking your fish much easier, and greatly increases the
odds of being able to revive your fish successfully.
If a fish loses consciousness, try to revive it by gently moving it forward
and backward while holding it under the belly with one hand to support
it while holding it so that water can move and circulate through its
gills in order
to restore oxygen. When the fish begins to revive and struggle, and is
able to swim, gently release it.
This technique is equally effective
for both Saltwater and Freshwater fishing, and nothing
beats the satisfaction in knowing that you are preserving
the life of your catch!
Many anglers are beginning to preserve
their experience with a digital or disposable camera, as
opposed to taking a trophy fish that they do not plan to
eat.
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