The job’s not done ‘til you release a fish that’s fit to fight another day.
All the way to the net, that trout has been your opponent. Him pulling one way, while you pull the other.
Suddenly, he’s in the net and everything changes. You’re both on the same side now. Fish wants to go back and you want to send him back ASAP. None the worse for his experience.
Here’s how you go about it.
As always, your fishing begins before you even leave the house.
The TV weather forecast of cloudless skies and the sun on your back all day might sound grand but your day’s fishing just got tougher, especially if that heatwave is a few days old.
Trout are cold-water fish. They need oxygen from the water more than ever while they recover from being caught and the stuff is in short supply once the water starts heating up.
Assessing optimum temperatures is not an exact science but unless you’re planning to kill what you catch, the rule of thumb says it’s kinder to skip fishing if the weather forecaster is talking 70 degrees-plus.
Barbed hooks might reduce a fish’s chance of escape as it’s played but they can also delay the fish’s release, while the maneuvering required to free the barb can also broaden the puncture hole that the hook made.
No such problems if you use barbless hooks (which may be mandatory, so always check the local rules). With no barb to stop the hook from sliding out should your line go slack, though, you must remember to keep the line taut at all times when playing fish.
In a perfect world, only the fish’s head needs to leave the water when you’re removing the hook. Should you have to lift the fish clear of the water to remove an awkwardly placed hook, though, at least hold the fish above your net, close to the water’s surface, so that if it breaks free, it falls safely into the water and not onto dry land.
Investing in a useful tool like a hemostat can take much of the hassle out of catch and release. These elongated scissors allow you to remove hooks taken deep with as little intrusion as possible.
Not wetting your hands beforehand is one of fishing’s cardinal sins. Dry human hands on fish are like branding irons on cattle, burning through the fish’s slimy coating which protects it from infection.
If the trout is wrapped in your leader or a jammed hook needs extracting, your best bet is to cradle the fish in one hand, having first turned the fish upside down. That leaves the cradling hand pressing against the fish’s spine, which is preferable to cradling it under its belly when your hand is pressing against soft internal organs.
Also, fish lying on their backs are often at their most placid—presumably because they are disoriented—which will assist you considerably.
Resist the temptation to grip fish tightly with your fingers, so as not to cause organ damage, and make sure your fingers don’t accidentally slip into the gills.
Rather than risk discovering the answer to this question, avoid it altogether by putting yourself in the fish’s shoes, so to speak.
Every time its head comes out of the water, so you can grab a photo or remove the hook, hold your breath. Don’t breathe out until the fish is fully submerged once more.
Once you start feeling uncomfortable, chances are the fish is, too.
If you’re still trying to remove an awkward hook, put the fish back in the net and submerge it for a few moments. It gives it a chance to recover before you renew your efforts.
Occasionally, your hook will lodge way down in a fish’s throat, where you can’t reach it. The lesser of two evils at this point is to trim your leader as short as possible and let the fish swim off.
The hook will either erode or work free in time (another argument for barbless catch and release hooks).
Much as we’d like it to, releasing trout doesn’t always end with the fish darting away to freedom the moment we let go.
Possibly dazed after the struggle, a trout sometimes lies there motionless. Now you need to give it a helping hand.
Holding it with one hand under its head (not its belly) and the other holding its tail, gently push it forwards a few inches before bringing it back toward you. Repeating this ‘rocking’ motion a few times eases water through the gills and helps the fish revive. You’ll feel a small surge when it’s ready to go.