Post by Fishooked on Apr 20, 2009 21:15:55 GMT -4
HANDLING YOUR CATCH: KEEP OR RELEASE? By: Jan Eggers
When a fisherman catches a predator, no matter small or big, with a Rapala lure, he is faced with a number of important decisions he can or even has to make. First of all, there are the local fishing laws that direct if the fish has to be killed or released. These laws can vary a lot country by country. Some examples: in Germany most of the legal sized fishes have to be killed at once after being caught. In Holland and England one has to release the pikes. In Germany one has to kill the wels catfish, in Holland it is a protected species that should be released immediately after being caught. So the first thing I'll advice the fishermen is: know the national or even local fishing laws!
In many countries there is a minimum size for certain sport fishes, especially members of the salmonoid family, and when you catch such a small example, you have to unhook it and put it back at once in the same water as where you caught it. But also minimum sizes vary country by country. I think there is no size limit for perch in Skandinavian countries but in Holland it is 22 cm. It is also possible that there is an official national minimum size for a certain predator but that the regional federation or local fishing club has established and even higher minimum size to protect this species even more. Again, know the local rules and you'll have less problems when fishing.
There is also the possibility you catch a legal sized predator in the so-called closed season. If this happens, most fishing laws say that you have to release the fish at once in the same water where you took it from. It is a problem that predators can't read and that a pike takes a lure intended for a zander in the closed season for pike but open season for zander... In general we can say there are two options when you have caught a predator: Kill it or release it. Let's have a closer look at how to handle these two possibilities in a modern way.
Killing yor fish and keeping it for the table
When you have caught a legal size predator and have decided to take it home for the table, the first thing you should do, so even before unhooking it, is to kill it. The best way is to knock it on the head with a so called priest, stab a knife in the heart area and cut some gills so that it looses blood - this sounds very brutal, but is necessary. Afterwards you should remove the hook(s) and clean the fish. The longer you keep the guts in a dead fish, the worse they taste, especially in summertime and warm conditions. This cleaned fish should then be stored in a cool place and a cooler with ice is an excellent place. So If intend to bring home some fish, the number often depends on allowed bag limits per day per angler, but make sure you have the right tools to kill and clean the fish plus a cooler or plastic bag with you. Avoid exposing dead fish to the sun for especially fat-containing fishes like mackerel, herring, salmon and trout can be ruined in a short time.
To let the fish you've just caught die by just leaving it on the bank or in a corner of your boat is unsportsmanlike and in more and more countries against the fishing laws. One final recommendation for those who take their catch home: "Don't kill your limit, limit your kill!" Overharvesting a good fishing water, even if you think it is impossible to catch all the fishes in this lake or river, and creating an unbalanced ecological situation, has happened already too often in too many now destroyed fishing spots in our world. As good fishermen we have to know our responsibility to Mother Nature and future generations of fishermen.
Release the fish you've caught
More and more fishermen and fishing organisations realise that practising " Catch & Release" is a very effective way in keeping populations of sport fishes at a desire high level. One can easily say that this more modern way of managing the fish populations preserves much more good fishing waters for the anglers than killing every fish caught.
Between killing fish or releasing them there is also a kind of compromise called 'Selective Harvest'. That means that only a certain number of not too big fishes is harvested thus keeping the original stock, including trophy fishes, which attract serious fishermen, in good shape.
When you decide to release the fishes you catch, you have to keep in mind that you have to treat them well from the moment you hook them until the moment you put them back into the water. Some waters are exclusively designed for catch and release and the fishing rules in these waters show it. In many trout streams for instance it is only allowed to fish with artificial baits with barbless hooks. So no longer with natural baits which can be swallowed easily, causing more damage and giving a lot of unhooking problems. Whenever you fish, try to avoid the fish swallowing the hook by keeping the line tight during the play.
When you have hooked a fish you have intend to release, don't play it too long on for distance a too light rod and line combination. A short hard drill is often better for a fish that has to be released than an exhausting long drill which often causes the so called 'delayed mortality'. So it is not so sporting as some people think, to fish with extra light tackle for big fishes. Probably it is even more sporting to fish with the strongest tanckle possible, thus avoiding long times playing the hooked fish and loosing them with a lure in their mouth on too light tanckle when you make a tiny mistake.
One can take the fish from the water with bare hands, landing nets, a special way of gaffing them from under their lower jaws or with a so called tailor which is often used for landing salmon. There are even special techniques of lifting big predators with your hands out of the water. Wels catfish and largemouth bass become quite quiet when you grab their lower jaw. Locking their lower jaws from under the gill cover with some fingers inside the mouth can help in landing big pikes and muskies. If you use a landing net, buy one that is at least big enough and has a texture that doesn't damage the slime skin of the fish too much. Also be careful that a Rapala caught predator doesn't damage itself more on the free trebles of the lure when you finally have it in the landing net.
Never put a caught fish, you intend to release, on a dry surface like rocks, sand, wooden docks and dry carpet in your boat. Especially in summertime the removal if the slime makes it very easy for bacteria and fungi to attack this weak spot of the fish, often resulting in skin diseases, a worsening condition and finally a terrible death. That's why unhooking should preferably be done by the least amount of touching the delicate fish skin and whenever possible, keeping the fish underwater to avoid loss of oxygen. A good pair of pliers is a handy helper to save the fish's future life. If you catch a fish that is seriously damaged, in very bad condition or hooked so bad that it has lost a lot of blood and is going to die soon, just kill these fishes and don't put them back. This is an example of selective harvesting, too.
Sometimes people keep a big fish for a while in a keep net or a so called keep sack which is used often by carp fishermen. If you only use these for showing att the end of the day what a good fishermen you are, it is better to get rid of them for they can cause damage to the fishes kept there a longer time. If you want a good souvenir of the intresting fishes you've caught, you should bring a camera with you. Really, the nicest trophy is a good picture of a nice fish you've caught and released afterwards.
Releasing the fish should be done carefully, too. If you just drop a big pike, trout or giant a catfish that have given you a hard time for a while into the water, there is the risk that they loose their balance, don't get enough oxygen and die on the bottom of the water where you want them to swim again. Help them a little bit by holding them in a horizontal way at the tail and under their belly, move a little forwards and backwards so that oxygen rich water is runnig through their gills. When you feel that the fish gets power in it's tail and wants to swim away, just let her go and feel happy.
Every fisherman using Rapala lures should know he has certain responsibility to Mother Nature, the future fishermen and all the predators that give him so much pleasure, excitement and even good food. Be a part of Nature and please remember: "Don't kill your limit, limit your kill". Only then there is a kind of guerantee that even our grandchildren will be able to enjoy the same good fishing as in these good old days of their grandfathers and grandmothers.
When a fisherman catches a predator, no matter small or big, with a Rapala lure, he is faced with a number of important decisions he can or even has to make. First of all, there are the local fishing laws that direct if the fish has to be killed or released. These laws can vary a lot country by country. Some examples: in Germany most of the legal sized fishes have to be killed at once after being caught. In Holland and England one has to release the pikes. In Germany one has to kill the wels catfish, in Holland it is a protected species that should be released immediately after being caught. So the first thing I'll advice the fishermen is: know the national or even local fishing laws!
In many countries there is a minimum size for certain sport fishes, especially members of the salmonoid family, and when you catch such a small example, you have to unhook it and put it back at once in the same water as where you caught it. But also minimum sizes vary country by country. I think there is no size limit for perch in Skandinavian countries but in Holland it is 22 cm. It is also possible that there is an official national minimum size for a certain predator but that the regional federation or local fishing club has established and even higher minimum size to protect this species even more. Again, know the local rules and you'll have less problems when fishing.
There is also the possibility you catch a legal sized predator in the so-called closed season. If this happens, most fishing laws say that you have to release the fish at once in the same water where you took it from. It is a problem that predators can't read and that a pike takes a lure intended for a zander in the closed season for pike but open season for zander... In general we can say there are two options when you have caught a predator: Kill it or release it. Let's have a closer look at how to handle these two possibilities in a modern way.
Killing yor fish and keeping it for the table
When you have caught a legal size predator and have decided to take it home for the table, the first thing you should do, so even before unhooking it, is to kill it. The best way is to knock it on the head with a so called priest, stab a knife in the heart area and cut some gills so that it looses blood - this sounds very brutal, but is necessary. Afterwards you should remove the hook(s) and clean the fish. The longer you keep the guts in a dead fish, the worse they taste, especially in summertime and warm conditions. This cleaned fish should then be stored in a cool place and a cooler with ice is an excellent place. So If intend to bring home some fish, the number often depends on allowed bag limits per day per angler, but make sure you have the right tools to kill and clean the fish plus a cooler or plastic bag with you. Avoid exposing dead fish to the sun for especially fat-containing fishes like mackerel, herring, salmon and trout can be ruined in a short time.
To let the fish you've just caught die by just leaving it on the bank or in a corner of your boat is unsportsmanlike and in more and more countries against the fishing laws. One final recommendation for those who take their catch home: "Don't kill your limit, limit your kill!" Overharvesting a good fishing water, even if you think it is impossible to catch all the fishes in this lake or river, and creating an unbalanced ecological situation, has happened already too often in too many now destroyed fishing spots in our world. As good fishermen we have to know our responsibility to Mother Nature and future generations of fishermen.
Release the fish you've caught
More and more fishermen and fishing organisations realise that practising " Catch & Release" is a very effective way in keeping populations of sport fishes at a desire high level. One can easily say that this more modern way of managing the fish populations preserves much more good fishing waters for the anglers than killing every fish caught.
Between killing fish or releasing them there is also a kind of compromise called 'Selective Harvest'. That means that only a certain number of not too big fishes is harvested thus keeping the original stock, including trophy fishes, which attract serious fishermen, in good shape.
When you decide to release the fishes you catch, you have to keep in mind that you have to treat them well from the moment you hook them until the moment you put them back into the water. Some waters are exclusively designed for catch and release and the fishing rules in these waters show it. In many trout streams for instance it is only allowed to fish with artificial baits with barbless hooks. So no longer with natural baits which can be swallowed easily, causing more damage and giving a lot of unhooking problems. Whenever you fish, try to avoid the fish swallowing the hook by keeping the line tight during the play.
When you have hooked a fish you have intend to release, don't play it too long on for distance a too light rod and line combination. A short hard drill is often better for a fish that has to be released than an exhausting long drill which often causes the so called 'delayed mortality'. So it is not so sporting as some people think, to fish with extra light tackle for big fishes. Probably it is even more sporting to fish with the strongest tanckle possible, thus avoiding long times playing the hooked fish and loosing them with a lure in their mouth on too light tanckle when you make a tiny mistake.
One can take the fish from the water with bare hands, landing nets, a special way of gaffing them from under their lower jaws or with a so called tailor which is often used for landing salmon. There are even special techniques of lifting big predators with your hands out of the water. Wels catfish and largemouth bass become quite quiet when you grab their lower jaw. Locking their lower jaws from under the gill cover with some fingers inside the mouth can help in landing big pikes and muskies. If you use a landing net, buy one that is at least big enough and has a texture that doesn't damage the slime skin of the fish too much. Also be careful that a Rapala caught predator doesn't damage itself more on the free trebles of the lure when you finally have it in the landing net.
Never put a caught fish, you intend to release, on a dry surface like rocks, sand, wooden docks and dry carpet in your boat. Especially in summertime the removal if the slime makes it very easy for bacteria and fungi to attack this weak spot of the fish, often resulting in skin diseases, a worsening condition and finally a terrible death. That's why unhooking should preferably be done by the least amount of touching the delicate fish skin and whenever possible, keeping the fish underwater to avoid loss of oxygen. A good pair of pliers is a handy helper to save the fish's future life. If you catch a fish that is seriously damaged, in very bad condition or hooked so bad that it has lost a lot of blood and is going to die soon, just kill these fishes and don't put them back. This is an example of selective harvesting, too.
Sometimes people keep a big fish for a while in a keep net or a so called keep sack which is used often by carp fishermen. If you only use these for showing att the end of the day what a good fishermen you are, it is better to get rid of them for they can cause damage to the fishes kept there a longer time. If you want a good souvenir of the intresting fishes you've caught, you should bring a camera with you. Really, the nicest trophy is a good picture of a nice fish you've caught and released afterwards.
Releasing the fish should be done carefully, too. If you just drop a big pike, trout or giant a catfish that have given you a hard time for a while into the water, there is the risk that they loose their balance, don't get enough oxygen and die on the bottom of the water where you want them to swim again. Help them a little bit by holding them in a horizontal way at the tail and under their belly, move a little forwards and backwards so that oxygen rich water is runnig through their gills. When you feel that the fish gets power in it's tail and wants to swim away, just let her go and feel happy.
Every fisherman using Rapala lures should know he has certain responsibility to Mother Nature, the future fishermen and all the predators that give him so much pleasure, excitement and even good food. Be a part of Nature and please remember: "Don't kill your limit, limit your kill". Only then there is a kind of guerantee that even our grandchildren will be able to enjoy the same good fishing as in these good old days of their grandfathers and grandmothers.
