Catch,
Photograph & Release !!
Catch and Release - How to do it
Properly.
By
William D. Anderson
...
Some anglers use barbless hooks, or
crimp the barbs down with pliers.
This makes unhooking a fish quick
and easy. If you know how to retrieve
a fish, you won't loose any fish because
your hook lacks a barb.
When unhooking a fish, the longer
it takes, the more stress you put
on the fish. You've heard the saying
"Stress kills". It also
applies to fish just as it does to
humans, only more so. The longer a
fish is out of water, the less his
chances of survival. Fish that are
quickly returned to the water can
sometimes be caught again later. Some
tagged fish are an example of this.
There have been countless fish caught,
tagged, released, and then caught
again later. Sometimes they are caught
years later. Even if they are not
caught, they might enhance the fishery
by producing offspring.
While a fish is out of the water,
the way it is handled can make a big
difference. Try to avoid touching
the fish’s body with your bare
hands. If you have ever touched a
fish then had your hands smell or
had that slimy feeling, that's the
protective mucous coating. This coating
helps protect the fish from disease
and should be left intact as much
as possible. If you must handle a
fish by its body, wet your hands first.
I've seen gloves that supposedly prevent
damage to the mucous coating but have
never tried them. Soft wet gloves
are better than nothing, and they
will help keep the smell off your
hands. Avoid nylon or winter gloves
because they are no better for the
fish than dry hands.
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