Outdoors

Catch and release fishing tips

By Ken Olsen
Illustrations by Robert Prince
From the April 2008 Boys' Life magazine

Releasing the fish you catch can help sustain and build the population of wild fish. Here are a few tips for ensuring fish have the best chance of survival:

• Use barbless hooks or flatten the barb on the hook before using a fly for the first time. This makes the hook much easier to remove and lessens the potential injury to the fish’s mouth.

• Use either needle-nose pliers or forceps to gently remove the hook from the fish’s mouth.

• If the fish has swallowed the hook, or if the hook is set too deeply, cut the line and release the fish. The hook will dissolve over time without harm to the fish.

• If the hook is in the gills, the throat or an artery, the fish’s chances of survival are greatly reduced. If it’s legal, keep the fish. Also, if a fish is bleeding, keep it if it’s legal to do so.

• Minimize the amount of time the fish is out of the water.

• Once the hook is removed or the line is cut, gently hold the fish in the water, pointing upstream, until it can swim away on its own.

Read 37 comments about “Catch and release fishing tips”

Comment page:   [4] 3 2 1 »

1. 37 - fishy says:
   November 4th, 2008 at 8:04 pm

   I have only caught 4 fish but I still like it a lot anway.

2. 36 - swizzy#1 says:
   October 12th, 2008 at 11:42 am

   thats cool……….. i caught a 7 pound fish one time and it loocked like it should of been like 25 pounds….

3. 35 - slifer96 says:
   September 25th, 2008 at 4:04 pm

   THank you for the good tip

4. 34 - bass master4444 says:
   September 25th, 2008 at 2:27 pm

   I love fishing!!!
   I always catsh and release.
   The biggest fish i ever caught was an 18 inch largemouth bass!
   (I’ve also caught some 14-16in. pickerel)

5. 33 - peanut says:
   September 19th, 2008 at 4:53 pm

   awesome! i love thispage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. 32 - dj says:
   September 14th, 2008 at 3:10 pm

   thats nice oh yes

7. 31 - mets says:
   August 29th, 2008 at 9:32 pm

   it kinda hard to get it out of the eye trust me on this one guy
   you’ll have kill the fish

8. 30 - oakway vol.fire dept says:
   August 17th, 2008 at 1:47 pm

   what if you pay 6.50 for your fishing lure nobody would do that.

9. 29 - mustangfisherdog2400 says:
   August 12th, 2008 at 5:13 pm

   fishing is fun. i have never kept a fish that i have caught, but i have only caght seven fish i think and they were all 3 - 4 inch bluegill

10. 28 - ausman08 says:
    July 24th, 2008 at 12:47 pm

    thats cool i just getting into fishing

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