Catch and Release!

Catch and Release is More Than
Just Catch and Release!
By Troy Basso

Generally, the fly anglers I meet are, for the most part, catch and release fisherman, but damnably few understand there is much more to catching and releasing than just the words. It’s more about handling a stressed fish than just releasing it back into the water. Ever hear someone say that they always see a bunch of dead fish after a tournament weigh in? Well, most of the time those comments are heard during the summer, and that’s no mere coincidence. Fish mortality is highest during the summer for a reason. It takes more energy from a fish when you fight them in 90+-degree water than it does in 60-degree water.

Don’t Hold A Public Hanging
Due to the popularity of catch and release, the fishing industry has spawned a myriad of tools to help land and weigh fish. The most prominent is the Boga grip. The Boga is “handy as a shirt pocket,” but it can kill a fish very quickly. The tool has a scale to weigh the fish, so you should weigh it very quickly and get the fish back into the water. You should never “hang” the fish from the Boga for pictures or simple admiration. When you “hang” a big fish by the lower jaw, you can do two things. First, a fish is subject to about seven times more gravity out of the water than they get in the water; you can easily dislocate the jaw and prevent the fish from feeding once released. Secondly, the extra force of gravity, coupled with the act of “hanging” a fish, especially a long fish, can and does crush the internal organs. Many of today’s conventional anglers are under the misconception that the fly-fishing contingent just likes cheesy photos to accent the length of the fish.

In reality, holding a fish horizontally for a picture is much better for your trophy than hanging it vertically by the jaw. Remember it matters not if you use a Boga or a Rapala tool; they are tools to protect your hands while bringing a fish to the boat. Weigh a fish if you must, but don’t hang it by the jaw for an extended period of time.

Use Tackle Best
Suited For The Situation
The old adage of “don’t bring a knife to a gunfight” fits fishing well both in the original sense and in a twisted, reverse sense, as well. Trying to land big fish on light leaders and tippet is great, but there is a fine line between fishing light gear and simply “stunt fishing.” It’s especially cruel to fight a big fish on ultra light equipment in the heat of the summer. It’s much better to use leaders and tippet that are capable of spanking the fish quickly and landing him in short order. Fish have muscles much like we do and build up lactic acid when they over-exert themselves. If you have ever worked-out until your muscles burned and hurt, you know what lactic acid can do. An exhausted fish in the spring can mean a fish that won’t spawn. We loose that hatch of fish for the future.

Flatten A Barb And Clip A Treble
When most folks hear someone talking about flattening a barb, they think about trout fishing. In actuality, it applies to any species of both cold and warm water fish. It not only makes the hook set easier, since the hook will more easily penetrate a bone-filled mouth without the barb to slow it down, but it also makes hook removal a snap. If anyone has ever buried any type of barbed hook deep into their own flesh, past the barb, they know how painful a barbed hook can be. They hurt going in and even worse when you try to remove one. If you use something with a treble hook, try either clipping all but one hook off each treble or, better yet, replace the treble hooks with single hooks. You won’t loose any more fish by making the switch and you reduce your chances of becoming impaled on an errant hook, as well.

Release Fish Back Into Cover
Several years ago when I first started fishing in the tail waters of the mid-south, I inadvertently released a small Rainbow into the mouth of a feeding Striper. The larger, more predatory fish can and will chase a smaller fish while an angler is fighting it. On one, cold, February day when skipjack fishing, I had a huge striper inhale a skipjack I was landing right at the side of the boat! Try to release a fish back into some sort of cover. If they can get into a treetop or similar structure, the odds are they won’t become prey to a predator fish. The cover allows the fish to catch its breath, so to speak.

Strive To Revive
Sometimes when we are having those magical times on the river, we tend to release a fish too quickly so we can get our fly back into action. Remember that a fish is fighting you, a creature a hundred times its size, and a rod designed to give the angler even more of an advantage. No matter what the size of the fish, insure you take ample time to revive the fish. After all, would you like to fight a person three times your size, then get tossed out of a boat on your head? Always hold the fish in the water while moving it back and forth until the fish swims away under its own power. On another note, never handle a fish with dry hands. You will remove the protective slime and subject the fish to bacteria.

Lastly, if you catch a really big fish and want to release it, place the beast in a live well for a short period of time. The highly oxygenated water will increase the your odds to catch that trophy another day. The bottom line is that even though fish are generally considered a renewable natural resource, they can’t reproduce if they die after being released by a fisherman.