Catch and Release - Another side of Trout Fishing

Trout Fishing

What to do if you decide to release your fish

OK....if you've followed this blog, you know you are near the end of your learning curve. In fact, this is the final entry in the trout fishing series. This entry delves into what to do once you've decided to catch and release. Catch and release is a great idea to help preserve the wild trout populations. Wild trout can always use a hand for their survival.

With that said, let's get to it. What to do with a fish once you have caught it and want to release it.

 

First, trout are kind of like ducks, in that they have a protective coating. Yep, that sliminess on their skin? It's actually there for a reason. This coating can be damaged by handling the fish too much. Touching them removes this protective coating in that spot. In fact, a hand touching their skin will actually 'burn' the fish. 'Catch and release' is a great idea and fairly simple to do. It just takes a bit understanding of some easy but important things to do and not do.

First, I wet my hands before even attempting to remove the hook. Second, if the hook is visible, I try to keep the fish in the water as I grasp the hook with my needle nose pliers. I try to do so at the curve of the hook as that affords me better control of the hook. I then gently remove the hook from the fish by pulling in the opposite direction of how the hook went in.

If the fish has swallowed the hook (which is more common in aggressive of hungry fish) and I cannot reach it, I cut the line. Note the picture on the left....I show this picture, because if the fish jumps from his hand after cutting the line or removing the hook? It can damage that fish's buoyancy bladder and maybe even kill the fish. Remove the hook with 'the fish still in the water.'


Now, I know this seems hard to do with a wiggling fish, but when necessary, I find that using a net helps me control the fish while I cut the line or remove the hook.

I try to remove the hook or cut the line without tugging on it very much. Pulling on the line can tear the insides of my fish and it's chances of survival drop way down.

I always keep the fish in the water the entire time for it's own protection. Also (and this is very important) I DO NOT squeeze the fish. (like you see the fellow doing in the picture, holding two fish in one hand) The reason is that if I do, it may cause internal bleeding which in turn leads to a really painful death for that fish.

Once I have the hook out or the line cut, I hold the fish gently upright until it regains it's balance. Once it has, I guide it until it is facing upstream. When the fish is ready? it will just swim away on it's own. I NEVER toss the fish back in or drop it from the sides of the boat or a bank. Doing that, (as I said above) I could damage or burst it's internal air bladders. A fish uses these internal bladders to control it's underwater buoyancy, so if I am doing the above from a boat or a stream bank, I let the fish swim out of the net on it's own.

 
Once the fish swims away, I keep an eye on it for a minute or so to be sure it is fine and then return to my fishing. Some fish recover slower than others, but most often, if I have done my job right? With a flip of their tail, they dive down and are gone anyway.

Well, that's all there is to it. What do you think? Are you ready to get out there and catch some fish? I say yes.

You have learned the basics of how to fish, where to fish and why. I pronounce you now fishermen and women.  I charge you to go out with your new found knowledge and I say to one and all: "Good luck, now go catch some trout."

Thanks for reading and I'll see you on the trail--