PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
fish care from an angler ’ s perspective
For most fans , the act of catching , unhooking and releasing a fish needs no review , but for any fans new to fishing , this is a comprehensive summary of the best practices for retrieving and handling a fish .
Fish care technically begins at the bite , as setting the hook engages that fish into being retrieved by the angler . Using the appropriate gear to retrieve the fish with minimal exhaustion is the best way to ensure that the fish can recover quickly . In other words , make sure your hooks , line , rod and reels are all appropriately sized and maintained to get the fish to the boat quickly .
Once you get the fish to your boat , you should always use your thumb to grasp the fish by the lower jaw . If it ’ s a larger fish or you ’ re concerned with how the fish is hooked , you should use a rubber-coated net or wet hands to cradle the body of the fish to remove it from the water . Wetting your hands is a very important step as it helps to minimize bacterial transfer from your hands to the fish .
You should never attempt to land a fish by swinging it into the boat and purposely landing it on your flooring . This will result in the loss of the slime coat on the exterior of the fish ( and your fishing partner yelling “ Two-minute penalty !”).
Once the fish is in the boat , quickly assess how and where the fish is hooked . If it ’ s in any forward part of the mouth , you should be able to remove the hook without trouble using forceps or needle-nose pliers . If the hook is in the gill filaments , you may need to be more delicate to ensure the fish has no gill damage . If the hook is in the throat , you may need to remove the point and the barb to reduce the potential risk of damaging the throat during removal .
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA PHOTO BY MATT BROWN
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2021 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 17