Fish Handling

[fiveyardcast]

I often see comments about pictures on catch reports where the handling of a fish is criticised. I've never quite known what to avoid, but assumed that being generally 'soft handed' with a fish i want to return is good enough.
So what is it? Dont put a thumb in it's mouth for a pic? Dont hold it vertical? How does it vary for different fish?

I'm not a raving advocate for C&R but sadly dont catch enough fish that are right for the table. I can't see me keeping a ray or conger, and sometimes catch more bass than the law allows me to keep..

 

[Mukiwa]

Fish handling and welfare is something I have become more accustomed to practice,

Everyone has their way but maybe the principles are the same.

So for bass ect , never drag them up the beach or hold by the snood with them dangling, always land them and pick them up by the tail and under the front fins, thumb in the mouth is ok if your holding the tail, but never suspend them with all the weight on their jaws, some bass anglers have a thumb in the mouth while taking a photo, horizontal , this can damage the spine when the body is bending down more than 30 degrees,

never put you fingers inside the Gill plate, that can cause damage to the gills and dease, wet you hands, the less scales lost and slim removed the better. Coz the scales and slim protect the fish not only from dease but the salt water will burn their skin if it was removed

Hounds and Ray's here is a picture which explains.

Small fish whiting and pout ect, there are many ideas why they don't swim off well after release, one is thermo shock, so I always have my t bar with me, and release them over the water, and not touching them.

If the water is rough then a bucket of sea water will do, but change regular as the fish recovering will be depleting the oxygen levels in the water.

I see so much bad handling in picture , hounds and Ray's especially , I have seen pictures of 14 lb hounds held by the back of the head to to get a selfie. They don have a rib cage to support the organs and dangling them will damage them, they swim off ok but can die later. Also never hold or drag by the tail? This can damage the spine

Remember that if your having trouble unhooking , forfeit the photo, the fish had just done a marathon and fought for its life and is very short of oxygen , so soon you get it back to the water the better, normally I like to get them in under a minute , but some say less at 40 second s

In some in well known mags, the pictures are bad and would have thought that they would have edited it, so that people can se how to handle fish, but there is not enough info on the subject.

Hope that help and sure other will add to it .

Tight lines mate

 

[fiveyardcast]

Thanks for that..
Very detailed answer ?

 

[Where’s Wally]

As I only use lures and mainly singles, I rarely have hook related issues anymore.
My only real concern this year was a longer than acceptable walk carrying a bass to take a photo on dry land whilst wading. The fish went back ok, but I wasn’t happy about the length of time out of the water whilst faffing about with a tape, camera etc.
I’m much happier just landing and maybe a quick weigh on the bogas for a second or two.

 

[Mukiwa]

As I only use lures and mainly singles, I rarely have hook related issues anymore.
My only real concern this year was a longer than acceptable walk carrying a bass to take a photo on dry land whilst wading. The fish went back ok, but I wasn’t happy about the length of time out of the water whilst faffing about with a tape, camera etc.
I’m much happier just landing and maybe a quick weigh on the bogas for a second or two.

Totally agree with you mate, wading I had the same issue, so I have a landing net on me, once it's in the net, I let it recover before the photo, but also have taken to measure and photo if its bigger than usual, other wise I release there and then.

 

[Shirleycodlin]

Dont think I have ever been criticised over how I hold a fish, but then anyone who knows me knows the first thing I do with a sizeable fish is stun it and bleed it. After that I dont suppose it much matters how it is held!

 

[Mukiwa]

Dont think I have ever been criticised over how I hold a fish, but then anyone who knows me knows the first thing I do with a sizeable fish is stun it and bleed it. After that I dont suppose it much matters how it is held!

That is fair enough, and sorting it quickly is the best.

But is there anything you do if you are returning fish, say bass, with the catch limit, is there anything that you do, that I have not metioned to help the poster

 

[Ianpick]

Also consider flattening the barb a little.
The hook will be much easier to remove and cause less damage.
If, like me, you spend a lot of time catching small whiting, you can often shake them off the hook at the water without touching them.
I use this tool, a mini T bar. I hold the hook at the bend with the hook and pull the hook length down.
The fish will fall off most of the time.

 

[Mukiwa]

Also consider flattening the barb a little.
The hook will be much easier to remove and cause less damage.
If, like me, you spend a lot of time catching small whiting, you can often shake them off the hook at the water without touching them.
I use this tool, a mini T bar. I hold the hook at the bend with the hook and pull the hook length down.
The fish will fall off most of the time.View attachment 342

That's a handy tool, really like that, better than the big Gemni t bar in the pocket all the time

 

[Valleyboy]

Most of my fishing now is for the pot. Don't really go out targeting hounds or huss and stuff anymore, but anything I do catch and return is handled with care and put back gently

 

[Mukiwa]

Most of my fishing now is for the pot. Don't really go out targeting hounds or huss and stuff anymore, but anything I do catch and return is handled with care and put back gently

I used to take a lot of fish got the pot, back home. Here not so much, mainly the ones that are damaged and can't go back

 

[Trampster]

I keep thinking about getting one of those T-bars, but meanwhile, I find it fairly easy, if a fish is undersize, to carefully grab the shank of the hook with long nose pliers and rotate the hook to shake the fish off. Never so easy if the fish is deep hooked. Always have long locking forceps with me too.

 

[Mukiwa]

I keep thinking about getting one of those T-bars, but meanwhile, I find it fairly easy, if a fish is undersize, to carefully grab the shank of the hook with long nose pliers and rotate the hook to shake the fish off. Never so easy if the fish is deep hooked. Always have long locking forceps with me too.

Forceps are great, espcailly when catch flounder ect, reach though the gills and unhook, no bleeding and clean

 

[Trampster]

Yep, Fisho on youtube is the King of how to unhook Flatties through the Gills!

 

[Mukiwa]

Yep, Fisho on youtube is the King of how to unhook Flatties through the Gills!

That's who I watch on how to do it. I always battled with flounder, got to a stage I new I hated catching them as either I left a hook in it, or made it bleed., until I watch him, so easy

 

[Plaicehunter]

I often see comments about pictures on catch reports where the handling of a fish is criticised. I've never quite known what to avoid, but assumed that being generally 'soft handed' with a fish i want to return is good enough.
So what is it? Dont put a thumb in it's mouth for a pic? Dont hold it vertical? How does it vary for different fish?

I'm not a raving advocate for C&R but sadly dont catch enough fish that are right for the table. I can't see me keeping a ray or conger, and sometimes catch more bass than the law allows me to keep..

I carry a big tub of water on my boat. If I am going to weigh, measure or photograph a fish, I unhook it and pop it in the tub while I sort myself out.
I learned my lesson while fishing for gilts with two rods. I had just landed a schoolie which was deeply hooked when my other rod went off. I grabbed it and hooked what felt like a good gilt. But I couldn't leave the bass lying on a hot deck in the sun, so I put the gilt rod down with the clutch backed off, unhooked the bass and returned it. By then, the gilt had got off....
Here's a 46cm bass from today, resting in the tub.

 

[Rog14]

Common sense handling. Just do as little as possible if I want the fish to live and if I’m keeping then just dispatch it as quickly and as humanely as possible.