A great idea for catch-and-release anglers: NEVER put thumbs or fingers inside a fish’s gill plate! Relative to how much should be said, little has been said on the topic of properly handing fish as it relates to catch and release practices. Every time I see an angler posing with a fish whose quality the angler believes merits a photo or two, and that angler is holding the fish with a thumb or other finger beneath the gill plate, I cringe. I do so at the thought that this fish might actually have been released and likely perished and was, thus, a wasted resource. I know that nothing goes to waste in nature and that something will benefit from a carcass decaying amongst the detritus; however, if the fish merited a photo and releasing, it merits proper handling that it may be caught at least another time. Fish that are caught and released can die for more than one reason (see below) but the responsible catch-and-release angler should seek to mitigate their part in fish mortality.
Another great idea for catch-and-release anglers: limit the fight time, thus, increasing a fish’s survival rate chances. It’s simple, really: the longer one fights a fish, the greater the build-up of lactic acid in a fishes’ muscles. I’m only an armchair biologist but the pros say that this increase in acid makes it very hard for fishes’ blood oxygen and pH levels to return to normal, drastically affecting metabolism, and can consign a fish to death even as late as three days after the fight. One idea is to use constraint, realizing that while much of the sport’s fun is in the fight, the fight also runs a high risk of killing the fish; therefore, after hooking a fish, make it as quick a fight as possible – especially if angling for coldwater species in warm water periods (prairie lakes in summertime are THE prime example of this!) A second idea is to use appropriate tackle. Many a trophy or quality fish is consigned to the piscatorial mortuary after doing battle with an angler fortunate enough to prevail with tackle that is too light. Not only does this require battle-periods likely lethal to fish that should be caught more than once, but it is a better-than-average way to bust tackle.
Per catch-and-release angling: consider the issue of using barbless hooks. The jury is still out on this debate as evidence suggests that barbless hooks penetrate farther into fishes’ mandible areas and can do as much or more damage than barbed hooks. Some suggest that barbed hooks, indeed, do not penetrate as deeply into fishes’ mandibles and, thus, mitigate mortality rates from hooking. All I know is that I find it mush easier to remove a hook taken more deeply in a fish’s mouth, and, consistently, little-to-no blood afterward. So far, I am coming down on the side of “barbless” angling.
If one is going to keep some fish, one can handle them any way one wishes so long as no one else sees them behaving like a Neanderthal. Self-governance will go a long way to creating an angling culture that doesn’t lend itself to being fodder for opponents in the animal rights and anti-sport fishing crowds. I’ll also assert self-governance does something good inside of us, too... making us more conscientious anglers.
