Hey there, folks! Lenny Rudow here for BoatUS Magazine.
You know, fishing is one of the most popular sports in America. In fact, it's number two right behind jogging and running.
And it's no wonder because fishing is just plain fun.
But not everybody wants to eat their catch. A lot of people want to let their fish go.
So today we're going to talk about how to properly catch and release fish.
One of the first and most important things about catch-and-release fishing is that you get the fish back in the water quickly.
Because the fish can't breathe out of the water.
To give yourself a point of reference the next time you pull up a fish, try holding your breath [INHALE]
for the next minute or two while you take pictures and see what it feels like.
So for demonstration purposes today, we have a different plan. We're going to use this fake fish.
Another rule to keep in mind is you never want to handle a fish with dry
hands. That removes their coating of slime, and that coating of slime is important.
It's basically their protection against infection. So first get your hands wet.
Once your hands are wet. It's OK to handle the fish.
Again, you don't want to remove the slime with a dry towel. A dry towel on the fish is bad.
It will soak up the slime. First get that towel saturated,
then you can use it to hold the fish.
And if you put it over the fish's eyes, that often will calm the fish down and make it easier to do things like get
the hook out. A good way to handle fish that don't have sharp
teeth is to lip them. Simply put your thumb in its mouth and pinch down. That usually
immobilizes the fish makes it pretty easy to get the hook out.
Now, what you don't want to do is turn the fish horizontal. This stresses the hinges of its jaws. It's very tough on the fish.
If you want to turn it horizontal for a photo, use your other hand to support the fish.
Now this fish is fake, but he does have teeth. Right? Let's pretend you're dealing with a fish that has serious teeth. Then a
gripper can come in very handy. This allows you to control the fish
without having to put your thumb up against those teeth.
Another really important tool to keep on hand is a pair of long nose pliers because if the hook is down in that fish's mouth
you want to be able to reach down in there, grab the hook, and turn it out without hurting the fish.
When a fish is hooked deeply in the throat, it's usually best not to mess with a hook at all.
Simply clip the line as close to the fish's mouth as you possibly can and
put it right back over the side. The hook will corrode away.
When a fish seems lethargic, you can give it breath by pulling it and figure eights headfirst through the water. This pumps oxygen
over its gills. Or you can hold its mouth open while the boat slowly moves forward through the water.
When the fish bites down on your finger or kicks hard, that means it's ready to swim off.
Another thing you need to know about -- a lot of people make this mistake --
don't slide your hand under its gill plate to hold the fish up. The fish's gills are its lungs.
You don't want your fingers anywhere near them. So stick with those other methods of holding the fish that we've discussed.
Another thing you do not want to do is use a nylon landing net like this with knots.
Again, it goes back to the fish's slime. These knots will actually rub the slime off.
It can really hurt the fish.
If you want to net a fish that you're going to release you really need to get a
net that has a rubberized coating over the mesh that's made specifically for releasing fish.
Now let's talk a little about hooks. Inline circle hooks like this, which are not offset --
that is to say the point and the shank are in a straight line --
those are very good for catch-and-release fishing. They tend not to cause the fish to get hooked deep.
They often get right in the corner of the jaw.
Now when you're fishing with a jig like this,
pinch the barb down that will make it much easier to get the hook out of the fish.
And if you're fishing with a lure with treble hooks like these, well
you just shouldn't do that when your catch-and-release fishing these trebles get hooked all over the fish.
They hook the inside and the outside at the same time. They really do a lot of damage.
So if you plan on releasing fish that is not the lure for you, not with those treble hooks.
Well, folks,
we hope you've enjoyed this video.
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