FISH HANDLING BASICS

[WanderingBlues]

Summer time is here. With that, it means longer days and good weather to hit the waters. It also means a jump in folks signing up on FFA, some of whom might be new to the addiction.

It's easy to get lost in the majesty of the sport, and all of it's wonderful, temperamental quirks. Learning new fishing language; techniques; equipment.... I'm hoping some of our learned senior members will share some insight that educates others on best practices for C&R.

I'm going to show you a picture taken by a well intentioned noob in an attempt to show off a catch. The trout was pulled from the water on a sub-freezing day. It was subsequently laid out and dry leaves and posed for that perfect picture.... Between the cold, dry air, and the time out of water on the leaves, I'm guessing the trout was probably stressed to a mortality point.... Remember this?



Now compare and contrast that picture to the one below, where the trout was netted, hook removed, and taken from the net for a pic, all the while staying in the water. This pic not only caused less grief for the trout, but is really a nicer, more natural looking documentation of the moment.



The former pic was my first report on this site. The latter was my most recent. Were it not for the 'kind' education of some folks here, I'd probably still be doing the dry pose. In other words, we have a wealth of knowledge to give here that sometimes needs to be re-affirmed in an educational way.

So, with that, feel free to chime in with good advice, tips, and techniques. Thanks in advance for participating.

[Wildman]

Good reminder, Curtis. I noted a recent submission with lip holds on tiny fish and twenty foot tosses back into the water.

I just ordered another Ketchum Release tool that allows me to not even have to touch the fish. Just slide it down the tippet...lift up and the fish falls off the barbless hook.

[flocktothewall]

I noted a recent submission with lip holds on tiny fish and twenty foot tosses back into the water.

Would you not recommend a fisherman to take a picture of a fish by holding the line as a few shots in my last report? I have made that my standard practice for 'dinks' (under the 6-7" range) as I feel that the pressure of the hook in relation to the weight of the fish would be relatively the same as when it was being brought in and fighting against the line. The hook is released by grabbing the fly (not the fish) and tipping it up so the barbless hook comes out. As to the 20' toss in the water, thats an obvious one, but I try to handle fish as little as possible. Or is a lip hold like what one would do with a Bass?

For Example:

This fish was 3 or 4 inches, note the size of the #12 streamer in its mouth in relation to its size.

Obviously for a honker, the weight of the hook in the lip while being pulled out of the water would put tremendous amount of pressure on the lip, and it would be best to handle it differently.

[Wildman]

I referred to a lip hold like some do with bass. Grab the lower lip...lift and bend. It was shown a number of times on being done on six inch trout. Even more bonehead was casting into the tiny creek from twenty feet away....yanking the trout across the ground...taking the hook out with dry hands and then throwing it back towards the creek where it bounced back into the water.

[flocktothewall]

Gotcha.

[WanderingBlues]

Would you not recommend a fisherman to take a picture of a fish by holding the line as a few shots in my last report?

Luke, I think you are good. Bass, panfish, carp, etc are far more hearty in regards to handling than trout. I think that's where a disconnect sometime may occur in that trout can handle the same level of contact.

At the one end, it can't really be considered "best practice" if we are pulling a fish out of water for a picture. And, some members no longer post fish pics by practicing that very philosophy. On the other hand, for many, the enjoyment of documenting the catch is a part of the whole experience. I fall into the latter group and am wanting to better my own practices in the process.

[flocktothewall]

At the one end, it can't really be considered "best practice" if we are pulling a fish out of water for a picture. And, some members no longer post fish pics by practicing that very philosophy.

I'm not even going to mention those who pull the fish out of the water... to eat it!

[flocktothewall]

Sorry to hijack, I will add that a good rule of thumb taught in every book, is to make sure your hands are wet before handling the fish, so as to not remove the slime layer on their scales. Which I guess is why its not good to lay it in the dirt and take a pic of it like that...

[hpskiff]

Good points all!!! Also remember as the water warms, dissolved oxygen drops dramatically - to the point that trout simply can not "catch their breath" after an extended fight. So fight them as quickly as possible, don't "play". Keep them under water while you unhook them if possible, and steady them upright until they can swim on their own. A belly up, exhausted fish can drift down stream and die. As far as "best practice" goes - Don't fish warm streams - wait until fall.

Mitchell

[Dry Fly Rie]

Is there a certain temperature that is considered too warm to fish for trout? I know obviously extended periods of high temperatures and low flows may affect the fish as much as the water temp, but I'm just curious if there's a standard number of degrees where it's too dangerous for the fish to be caught and fought.

Thanks.

[darrin terry]

The experts, whoever they may be, usually say that water temps above 70° are make it very difficult for trout to recover. This is mainly due to the lower dissolved oxygen content of warmer water, I believe.

Personally, when the water reaches temps of about 68°, I stop fishing for trout. If I am on a river/stream and I notice such temps (I don't always check), I will either stop fishing all together or go in search of cooler waters. Sometimes you can find a cooler spot simply by moving up or downstream. Just a couple of degrees makes a difference. Also, water in riffled sections or below plunges will have higher oxygen levels as it is the tumbling, splashing water that introduces oxygen.

Ultimately you have have to decide where the line lies for you.

[lucfish]

Is there a certain temperature that is considered too warm to fish for trout? I know obviously extended periods of high temperatures and low flows may affect the fish as much as the water temp, but I'm just curious if there's a standard number of degrees where it's too dangerous for the fish to be caught and fought.

Thanks.

That's a good question. Depends on who you talk to. I myself believe anything over 70 degrees is not conductive for effective and proper catch and release fishing. I know it's
hard sometimes to walk away from a stream that took alot of effort to get to but I try to look at the bigger picture. Been fishing long
enough now I kinda got it figured when and which streams get too warm to safety catch and release.

[Sasha]

Hey didn't I make a motivational poster from that pic back then

[WanderingBlues]

Had to clear out our hijacking of the thread....

So here's a great pic from our friends over at FNN... When the fish you catch is not much bigger than the reel you are using, do you really need to lay it out for a pic? 5 star douchiness.

[briansII]

At the one end, it can't really be considered "best practice" if we are pulling a fish out of water for a picture. And, some members no longer post fish pics by practicing that very philosophy.

I'm not even going to mention those who pull the fish out of the water... to eat it!

I know this was said in jest, but what gets me is not the catch and keep guys legally taking fish home to eat. It's the catch and release guys who don't take minimal care for the fish. The only difference is one fish feeds a person, and the other feeds crayfish.....or rots.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/Fresh ... tions.html
"It's Unlawful To Do The Following" Line 8.

"Cause the deterioration of or waste of fish"

I see this done a lot on the local C&R water. Guys either don't know, or care about proper fish handling. "yeah, but the fish swam away strongly". Delayed mortality. It no doubt swam away from you,.....you dolt!, but that does not mean it survived into next week. Mother Nature has a way of culling out the weak. They/we/I may have just made a dominant specimen, into a weakened and frail specimen. I have seen guys release fish that just floated on it's side, then sank to the bottom. Thank goodness my local tailwater is a hatchery dumping slum, or I would be really ticked off!

Simple C&R info
http://www.trophytroutguide.com/articles/cpr.htm

For guys who like more pictures, and less reading.

briansII