Catch and Release Tips

[xeon]

As the openwater season starts fireing up this year, I figure I'd throw together a little thread to help people get the most out of their future fishing opportunities.

 

Here are some tips for releasing fish: From OMNR fishing Regulations

1. Use barbless hooks and artificial lures (no organic bait) to

prevent deep hooking.

2. Land fish as quickly as possible and use a rubber landing net if

needed.

3. Keep the fish in the water as much as possible and handle the

fish gently.

4. Wet your hands or use wet cloth gloves when handling fish out

of water.

5. Do not touch the gills or eyes. Grasp the fish just behind the gill

covers, or for fish without teeth (for example, bass or panfish),

hold the fish by the lower lip.

6. Use long-nose pliers to remove the hook quickly without injuring

the fish. If the fish is hooked deeply, cut the line and leave the

hook in.

7. If you want to take a picture, be ready ahead of time, hold the

fish in a horizontal position supporting its weight with your arm

and hands, and take pictures quickly, minimizing the time the

fish is out of water.

8. When releasing the fish, hold it in the water so that it is facing

into the current or if there is no current, gently move the fish in

a forward direction so water flows through the gills.

9. When the fish begins to struggle, is breathing normally and can

keep its balance, let it swim away.

10. Remember that all fish not immediately released count

towards your daily catch or possession limits (also see A

Change to Ontario’s Catch and Retain Rules on page 9).

Using proper handling and release techniques improves fish survival.

 

 

The thing that erks most fishermen is when people toss the fish they plan on releasing back on shore, allowing them to thrash around in dry sand or grass. You may think that since you caught it you can do whatever you want with it, if so good for you, but some of us actually respect our resources. Anyways, I threw a little list of important roles that slime has on fish.

 

Fish Mucus

• Fish mucus, or slime is produced in glandular cells dispersed along the epidermis of the fish

• Cells release a glycoprotein called mucin, that when mixed with water creates the mucus that you see on the fish

• The slime helps to form a protective barrier against diseases, bacteria, and fungal pathogens from the surrounding water

• The slime can also be used to help prevent parasites from attaching themselves onto the fish

• Works as a band-aid, as it covers over open areas or injuries and stops dispersion of fluids from the fish

• Slime contains enzymes and antibodies to help fight infections

• Helps Reduce friction in swimming fish by coating over the small spaces in between the scales and fins. Without that layer, fish would have to exert up to around 20-30% more energy while swimming.

• Some species of fish also have the ability to put toxins in their own slime to help ward off predators

• It takes allot of energy for the fish to produce slime, and stresses out the fish greatly

• Most fish of the same species use an alarm reaction called schreckreaktion which means fright stuff in German, where when injured they release an agent from their skin or from their slime, causing other fish of the same species to dart around randomly and retreat

 

 

Thanks for reading, and keep your fish over the water or hot oil .

Edited May 5, 2009 by xeon

[alphaalpha]

great info, thanks a bunch.

 

am curious about point #6: "If the fish is hooked deeply, cut the line and leave the hook in."

 

what are the chances that the fish will survive a hook that has been set deep inside him? many years ago i was told that fish that have hooks left in them can corrode them out, but i was under the impression that that was an old wives tale...

 

obviously it has a better chance of surviving if you don't rip the fish inside out to retrieve your hook but will it most likely die anyways? typically i would just keep a fish that i can't easily/harmlessly remove my hook from...

[xeon]

great info, thanks a bunch.

 

am curious about point #6: "If the fish is hooked deeply, cut the line and leave the hook in."

 

what are the chances that the fish will survive a hook that has been set deep inside him? many years ago i was told that fish that have hooks left in them can corrode them out, but i was under the impression that that was an old wives tale...

 

obviously it has a better chance of surviving if you don't rip the fish inside out to retrieve your hook but will it most likely die anyways? typically i would just keep a fish that i can't easily/harmlessly remove my hook from...

 

Some people say that it isnt true and talk about the hook thats still inside them not corroding away. I think it has to do more with the acidity in their fluids, and constant exposure to circulating oxygenated water coroding the hook, which says takes about a week. Most fish can usually go that long without eating if they are hooked bad.

[MCTFisher9120]

Great tip's to follow, might i add if live bait is used, try to go with circle hooks as they help a lot to prevent gut hooking as a lot of us know.

 

Hope we get a few more "fish friendly" reports!

Edited May 5, 2009 by Mike The Bass Fisher

[Radnine]

"It was the way we had over here of living with ourselves.

We'd cut them in half with a machine gun and give them a

bandaid. It was a lie, and the more I saw of them, the more

I hated lies."

[alphaalpha]

Some people say that it isnt true and talk about the hook thats still inside them not corroding away. I think it has to do more with the acidity in their fluids, and constant exposure to circulating oxygenated water coroding the hook, which says takes about a week. Most fish can usually go that long without eating if they are hooked bad.

 

 

good to know. guess i can let more avoid my freezer when it is already full, thanks again!

[cram]

I really doubt a hook corrodes in a week....maybe a year or two.

 

The fish i keep are usually the ones that are hooked badly.

[xeon]

I really doubt a hook corrodes in a week....maybe a year or two.

 

The fish i keep are usually the ones that are hooked badly.

 

Here ya go: http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/q...g/catch_rel.htm

Edited May 5, 2009 by xeon

[Rizzo]

guess i can let more avoid my freezer when it is already full,

 

...careful, I think fish in your freezer count towards your possession limit, so don't put too many in there

[alphaalpha]

...careful, I think fish in your freezer count towards your possession limit, so don't put too many in there

 

lol with my poor cleaning skills you probably can't tell a perch fillet from a pickeral fillet

 

 

hehe j/k i typically only keep a few meals worth frozen anyways. i really need to get a chest freezer

[cram]

Here ya go: http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/q...g/catch_rel.htm

 

 

Not sure what your point is....that article says that the hooks exhibited MINIMAL corrosion after 20 days.

[xeon]

Not sure what your point is....that article says that the hooks exhibited MINIMAL corrosion after 20 days.

 

I didnt say anything to further my original comments did I?

Edited May 5, 2009 by xeon

[MuskyGreenHorn]

I disagree with point number 8. Fish should not be moved when waiting for them to revive while you are releasing them. Also, it is true that you should face into the current when releasing them, you should take care to avoid strong currents.

[cram]

I didnt say anything to further my original comments did I?

 

No, unless i'm missing something. I don't think that article says anything about hooks corroding out in a week.

[xeon]

No, unless i'm missing something. I don't think that article says anything about hooks corroding out in a week.

 

Glad you can sort of read.

[cram]

Glad you can sort of read.

 

You: Some people say that it isnt true and talk about the hook thats still inside them not corroding away. I think it has to do more with the acidity in their fluids, and constant exposure to circulating oxygenated water coroding the hook, which says takes about a week. Most fish can usually go that long without eating if they are hooked bad.

 

Me: I really doubt a hook corrodes in a week....maybe a year or two

 

You: post an article that say "The study further noted that dissected hooks exhibited minimal corrosion after 20 days"

 

Me: Not sure what your point is....that article says that the hooks exhibited MINIMAL corrosion after 20 days.

 

 

Which part am i missing? Also, drop your tone a bit.

[Fudd]

Glad you can sort of read.

 

I don't think bagging people will get your point across any better than explaining yourself, it will only serve to make people tune out to what you have to say mate.

[xeon]

The emotion that comes through writing is only what you percieve it to be.

 

Im not "bagging" people. When I said here ya go, I probably should have put a "Well," infront of it. And I was wrong in my earlier posts about how the hooks corrode, therefore I didnt add to them, and hey look I even posted an article on it too. I think you just misunderstood what I was trying to say.

[charlesn]

The hooks these days are unlikely to dissolve in my opinion, but I have seen them passed through a fishes digestive system. The line and the hook basically 99% out of the anus when I caught it, and that's not just once, but many times I have caught fish like that. The fish were also fat and healthy at the time of being caught.

 

Certain species are probably less tolerant of leaving the hook in than others.

[carp-starter]

XEON – an excellent thread. I thank you for posting it. I think that most of us need a reminder especially at this time of year.

 

All of the points you had stated are correct EXCEPT for perhaps points #6 and #10.

 

I hope it is OK for me to make some comments because I will.

 

#1 – using BARBLESS HOOKS is very important. This will do a lot of good for the fish no matter what size they are. It does not take much to do harm to a small trout. You can also unhook and continue to fish a lot quicker.

 

Using barbless hooks is also a benefit to the fisher.

 

If you fish for pike (or similar large fish) and you catch many during the summer, you will get trebles in your hand sooner or later and some of you know that it is difficult to remove barbed hooks out of your body – any part.

 

Fishers should also replace their trebles with single hooks. Single barbless hooks do a lot of good for the fish. Also, it makes it a lot easier to land a fish. If you hook yourself, taking care of one hook is easier than a treble.

 

#4 – I like to use the Rapala/Normark glove. Wet hands slip. I know nothing about wet cloth gloves. The Rapala glove does not slip. It also offers some protection for your hand when you are trying to land your fish. Between the years 1994 and 2001, I have caught many pike – a dime a dozen. During these years, I was into boating and so I was on my boat every weekend and holidays. Except for the marinas on the east side of Lake Simcoe, every marina had many pike. I have had more than a few pike go up in the air just before I was ready to grab the pike and have the hooks catch my glove on the way done. So the glove does protect your hand. Yes, I could use a net but I do not like to use one.

 

#6 - use long-nose pliers to remove the hook quickly without injuring

the fish. If the fish is hooked deeply, cut the line and leave the

hook in.

 

I do not agree with this. Once the pliers are used to remove a barbed hook from a deeply hooked fish, there will be more damage done to the fish. YOU MUST USE BARBLESS HOOKS INSTEAD. And make it single barbless hooks. I love single hooks and especially on a spoon.

 

If the fish is hooked deeply, the pliers and cutting the line are not worth a pinch of coon sh-t. Both will do damage to the fish. If your hooks are BARBED, damage will always be done to the fish.

 

There is a technique that will avoid all of the above cow poo but again, YOUR HOOKS MUST BE BARBLESS . And single is best because it is easier to work with one hook instead of treble hooks.

 

One can buy this plastic tool that has a groove at both ends. It is about 8 inches long. I call it – “The DIS-GORGER”. Once I had seen a home-made dis-gorger. The length was longer than 8 inches, the grooves were smaller and the tool was thinner – it was made out of metal.

 

You stick the tool into the fish. Place the groove against the hook in the gap area. Push the tool down while keeping the tool tight against the hook (by holding the fishing line). If your hook is barbless, the hook will come out of the meat. Now, keeping the tool tight against the hook, gently pull the whole thing out of the fish’s mouth.

 

This will cause a lot less damage to the fish. In fact there may be no further damage done to the fish. If you are using barbed hooks, you will just pull out the insides of the fish.

 

#10 – remember that if you stop and take a PIC of the fish (point #7), this fish becomes part of your daily keep limit because you have not released the fish immediately.

 

But I have no idea why a fisher would be worried about point #10 because this thread is about Catch and Release and not what THE DAILY CATCH AND KEEP LIMIT IS FOR THE DAY. I have this negative thing about taking PICs of a fish unless it is a personal best (or close). If I were to show you guys 100 PICs of a pike or Grand River trout, I would say that most if not all of the pike would look the same. Ditto for the trout PICs. Unless something special takes place, one reaches a point in the life of you and your dog when one says – “it is about time I stopped taking frequent PICs of my dog.”

 

Carp-starter