Fish-handling etiquette

I think with so many people combing the waters for salmon these days, a shout out regarding fish-handling is warranted. I've been seeing kayakers hauling little salmon into their laps only to let them flop around on the deck before measuring them on their hog trough to confirm the fish is short and then chucking it back. That is a dead salmon.

Leave the little fish in the water. Don't net or touch them. If it's so close that you have to stretch it out on a measuring board, then unhook it without handling it, and go catch a bigger one.

I saw this just today at Pacifica, but I know it happens all the time. The YouTubers all do this and I think newbies learn from their videos.
Let's invest in the future of our fishery by taking care of the fish we put back. They only live to be caught again if we release them properly.

Thanks for listening.
Andrew

Good post. And it's not just salmon. If you don't plan on keeping a fish, release it without touching it or bringing it on board. Well, unless it's a kingfish, in which case you can do whatever you want with it...

Great post for all new to the sport. So many youtubers with out the experience to know better. It really is up to the experienced fisherman to enlighten the newcomers. 

I'm a newbie and I've watched a lot of the YouTube videos you're probably talking about. How exactly do I release a fish without touching it?

I'm a newbie and I've watched a lot of the YouTube videos you're probably talking about. How exactly do I release a fish without touching it?

https://anglingunlimited.com/fishing/catch-release-properly/
After reading the above
Tire it out properly, raise its head to the waterline, control the mainline or leader with one hand, use the other hand to grab the hook with whichever tool you prefer. I like surgical grips and one of those pliers with an extension and small articulating teeth (specifically designed to remove a hook). If the fish doesn’t shake itself off, change the angle so the weight of the fish backs the hook out and give it a little shake.

If it’s gut hooked, it’s probably toast, but you could always snip the line as close to the hook as possible and pray that it somehow survives the ordeal and recovers.

There are ways to get a hook out of its guts without just tearing them out, but you generally have to control the fish, which requires a lot of handling, which is likely going to kill it if the hook doesn’t.

One more thought, if the water you are fishing is warm, let’s say above 65 degrees, tiring the fish can lead to mortality as well due to a lack of oxygen in the water. Try to avoid this if possible when fishing some bodies of water in the summertime. Almanor in late summer for example, isn’t really a CnR option during hot spells.

Good post. And it's not just salmon. If you don't plan on keeping a fish, release it without touching it or bringing it on board. Well, unless it's a kingfish, in which case you can do whatever you want with it...

Exactly, I just mentioned salmon because it's the main target species these days. Halibut, too. It's frustrating to watch these guys (they know who they are) beat up baby fish. I think barbless hooks on all species should be the norm. It would make releases much easier and better for the fish.

I'm a newbie and I've watched a lot of the YouTube videos you're probably talking about. How exactly do I release a fish without touching it?

It's easy with salmon. You grab the hook and turn it upwards and it slides right out of the fish.
With halibut, maybe lip grip them in the water with one hand and remove the hook with the other?

Just to add some additional explanation to those new to fishing (I'm only a less-than-newb to kayak fishing, not a newb to fishing, lol), one of the reasons to try and avoid manhandling a fish isn't just about eliminating/limiting the time the fish can't breath, it's also about trying to avoid removing or damaging their protective "slime" coating (not the scientific word!).

Removing that coating makes the fish much more susceptible to infections once it's back in the water, so even if it survives the initial encounter with you, it might die weeks later from a bacterial infection. That slime coating gets removed as it's flopping around on the ground and/or when you grab it.

I was taught that when it's unavoidable to grab the fish, you should always use a soft and very wet cloth to do so.

Edit: I guess that was a waste of my keystrokes, lol. The same information is contained in the link provided by Mother lode. Sorry for the redundancy!