Fishermen never catch enough fish! The only way to learn to catch more fish is catch more fish! We can’t eat everything we catch, so throw some back to catch another day.
Wicked Tuna is a reality fishing show that focuses on a Blue Fin Tuna fishery that is sustained thanks to Catch and Release. Tuna could not reach lengths of 100 inches and a thousand pounds without having the time to grow. Undersized fish are caught and released carefully. Sailfish Catch and Release counts when the swivel touches the rod tip. Once there, the circle hook is removed, and the fish is released unharmed. Stocks of these fish species are improving in part, thanks to Catch and Release techniques.
Here are some important tips when Catching and Releasing a fish.
1.) Land the fish quickly! Understand your drag, use thinner but stronger fluorocarbon tippet, and be aggressive during the fight.
2.) The longer you allow the fish to fight, the less chance it will recover.
3.) Wet your hand, net, or whatever will touch the fish before contacting them.
4.) Keep the fish in the water as long as possible. Minimize the time of the fish out of water for photos.
5.) Remove the sharpened hook quickly. Forceps are a great tool to help with this. Barbs are less important than a hook that is sharp.
6.) Let the fish recover before releasing. If the fish is bleeding from a gill or deep hooking you may want to just snip the line and let them go. Their digestive juices will dissolve the hook in a few days. Consider keeping It if regulations allow.
Even with the best Catch and Release techniques, some fish will die. It is estimated that for each angler fishing day, .65 fish released die. The Madison River has registered 175,000 angler days a year. This means that 100,000 trout die each year after being released! That’s a huge pile of wasted fish.
Respect your catch and limit their mortality by being a responsible Catch and Release angler.
Release your catch gently!
Montana grant
For more Montana Grant, visit his blog at www.montanagrantfishing.com.
