proper release tools

[Raf]

[misfish]

Ok Im confussed here Raf.

Is this a good or bad release?

To me the fish is stressed and it,s a bad release IMO.

[Raf]

the fish came in very green brian and didn't want to settle down in the net. she was netted, photoed & freed in 3 to 4 minutes and swam away with no revival (having cold water helps) - you can see she righted herself in the net. no way you can completely avoid stress but when you have a 30lb fish thrashing with 9/O hooks, i'd hate to see what would happen if we didn't have a big pen net or cutters aboard.

Edited July 5, 2008 by Raf

[Greencoachdog]

the fish came in very green brian and didn't want to settle down in the net. she was netted, photoed & freed in 3 to 4 minutes and swam away with no revival (having cold water helps). no way you can completely avoid stress but when you have a 30lb fish thrashing with 9/O hooks, i'd hate to see what would happen if we didn't have a big pen net or cutters aboard.

 

Stress starts the instant the hook is driven home.

[modny]

IMO a proper musky cradle would eliminate any of that thrashing and allow for a faster release

[misfish]

Checked the vid again(reloaded),seem you did a great job.

Nice fish too.

[brickNblock]

IMO a proper musky cradle would eliminate any of that thrashing and allow for a faster release

 

No Offence but a Cradle will deffinitely not stop the thrashing of a large fish or help with the release.

A basket style net is the only way to go......

Save the cradles for the trout......

The basket style net allows you/one to keep the large esox in the water feeling secure somewhat whilst allowing the angler to remove all hooks or not depending on the severity..

once removed you have the option for a quick photo or to just safely release the beast..as most avid esox anglers do without photo.

Raf...great vid Bud....cant emphasize the proper release equip enuff...seems most folks max out on the rod/reel/lure and forget all else...Doh!

[jwl]

that's a pretty good example right there, sure some may think the fish was trashing around, but anyone who had caught one in the 30lber plus range knows they are in for a fight once it is "landed". I have had a couple people look at me like before when I have released big muskies without even taking them out of the water while shore fishing. Good example was a couple springs ago while fishing pike on the upper Niagara, was ata spot and there was 5-6 of us fishing and a few on lookers just parked checking out the river and what was going on. I was just using a jig fishing for pike, just my regular everyday med action spinning set up...8lb test and I latched onto a musky in the 48-50 incher range about 30lbs....about 10 people watched me fight it to shore, I grabbed my plyers, knelt down, had the fish's head toward shore near some rocks...reached down with the plyers gave it a shake and off the fish went.

 

There was about 10 people watching this by now and they all looked like when I did that.

 

I just laughed, and said "wow that was some unexpected fun"..didn't take a pic,didn't take it out of the water, didn't try lifting it out to check it out, I have caught and seen a few big muskies before..lol, sat down and had a smoke and just kinda said "well wasn't gonna do nothing with that one anyways, besides the fact it was OOS,I was letting it go"

 

funny the reaction I got from so many people who couldn't believe I just let it go like that...same as my trailer, got one of my dock about 56 inches(guessing from a 52 I kept for a mount years ago and this one was lots bigger in general)...got it beside the dock, noone had a net big enough anyways , was usuing a big chub for bait with a single hook, just had the fish by the mouth...reached down with the cutters, cut the hook and off she went...and again got the stunned look from about a dozen people who came over to check it out after they saw it jump about 4 feet out of the water .

 

 

Thnaks for sharing the video, that could be a great learning tool for some of the people in the last while who have been shwoing interest in musky fishing and asking questions about gear ect...that vid is a great example of why to have a big net, cutters ect, and a good heavy rod so you don't totally wear down the fish on the way in.

[mattyk]

thanks for the clip, good stuff.

[forrest]

I think the point was that they poster required 4 tools to release the fish:

 

1) big net

2) looooong needle nose pliers

3) hook cutting tool

4) line cutting tool

Edited July 6, 2008 by forrest

[Raf]

spot on forrest.

 

here is happy angler and unhappy fish

 

[Musky or Specks]

Great Job on the release there. The fact that she was thrashing around in the net is a good sign not a bad sign. It means you didnt tire her out to much in the fight. Cradles are just not the way to go for exactly that reason seems you have to really tire the fish out to get it in the cradle. I used a cradle for years but after switching to a Beckman after seeing their effectiveness in releasing fish without stress I would never dream of going back.

[modny]

No Offence but a Cradle will deffinitely not stop the thrashing of a large fish or help with the release.

A basket style net is the only way to go......

Save the cradles for the trout......

The basket style net allows you/one to keep the large esox in the water feeling secure somewhat whilst allowing the angler to remove all hooks or not depending on the severity..

once removed you have the option for a quick photo or to just safely release the beast..as most avid esox anglers do without photo.

Raf...great vid Bud....cant emphasize the proper release equip enuff...seems most folks max out on the rod/reel/lure and forget all else...Doh!

 

 

i'll remember that.

 

thanks