Susquehanna Fly & Spin News Articles & Information
"Susquehanna
Fishing Magazine" Articles by Steve Hancock
Follow Links
A Guide's Guide to Catch And Release The Right Way!
When handling fish there is a right and wrong way to land and handle your catch. The best way is to not handle them at all but lets be realistic we all want that picture with the catch of a lifetime. Even small fish should be handled with care and released quickly as they are the future of OUR fishery. Here's a good analogy to what its like for the fish - Its like you or I running a 100 yard dash and then holding our breath.Try to keep the fish in the water until you are ready wit the camera to snap that picture quickly. Here's a simple guide to landing and handling your catch correctly :
1.
Play the fish as quickly as possible
2. Once at the boat try to unhook the fish while in the water and keep it in water untill your ready with the camera to snap a quick picture. If you use a net consider the new type which are designed to be less damaging to the fish than the older style nets.
3. If you must handle the fish wet your hands before handling the fish (Fish have a protective layer of film that protects them from disease), then support the fish with both hands horizontally not vertically when posible (Fish are in a weightless, under water environment, and holding the fish vertically can hurt the fish)
4. Revive the fish by placing the fish back in the water, hold the fishes lower lip with your thumb on top of the lower lip and your index finger on the bootom of lower lip and move the fish in a forward motion through the water until the fish can swim freely out of your hands ( The fish processes oxygen by water passing over its gills )
5. Watch the fish swim away and feel good that you have done everything possible to ensure the fish's survival and share this knowledge with others.
Below are a few pics demonstrating these techniques:
Click on pictures to enlarge...
