I am sure everyone knows what it means by CPR your catch, but in case you are not aware here it is Catch Photo & Release. I trust most of you are doing just that, I am not saying CPR everything, but do so with the majority of what you catch. Remember only take what you can eat don’t take anymore, like extra for your friends and co- workers. The more we practice appropriate Catch and Release techniques the better we preserve our fisheries for the next generation. So first let me say thanks for releasing your catches, but we should discuss the proper way of doing this. Slim all fish have it but did you know that if they don’t have it they can catch disease and or parasites that can make a fish sick and ultimately die. How do you prevent this easy keep your hands wet at all-time handling a fish, but handle them as little as possible. Also don’t net them with an inappropriate net us a fish friendly net ie.. Knotless, rubber coated landing net.
Support is paramount for all fish of size, meaning when you have caught the fish of a life time don’t just hang it there as you fumble for your camera. Leave it in your apron supported by your legs as you get set up to take the picture. It would be great if you have a friend help you with the picture so you are able to use both hands and not hanging the fish by its bottom lip trying to line the picture so you get the whole fish in the shot. Just think of it this way as a little kids you grandfather would grab you by your arms and toss you around like nothing, and you would laugh and laugh, but if he did that today we you know what the outcome would be and it would not be pretty.
Never toss your fish back in the water, be sure to set the fish head first into the water. By doing this you are helping to force water through the fish’s
CPR Are you doing it right