article on releasing fish - excellent read!!!
A couple of comments
I found the section on "help I can't breathe" particularly interesting.
The delayed mortality syndrome is definitely one of note as most feel that just because the fish swims away it lives.
The importance of not fighting a fish to exhaustion if it can be prevented along with overhandling are also key.
I found the section on "help I can't breathe" particularly interesting.
The delayed mortality syndrome is definitely one of note as most feel that just because the fish swims away it lives.
The importance of not fighting a fish to exhaustion if it can be prevented along with overhandling are also key.
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the one thing i dont understand is how can you land a fish and not over exhaust it, we are fighting fish with the lightest gear possible the only way to land it is for it to be near dead when it gets to the boat, and when your bringing these fish up from such deep depths the chance that they survive is like less than 10% they usually float back up around the boat. You might as well toss it in your cooler now instead of scooping the floater up a few minutes later.
Yes, the depth that the fish is caught from can have a very detrimental effect but there are always things we can do to improve their chance of survival and by reading this and/or similar articles we can all benefit and learn improved live release methods.Hoover wrote:the one thing i dont understand is how can you land a fish and not over exhaust it, we are fighting fish with the lightest gear possible the only way to land it is for it to be near dead when it gets to the boat, and when your bringing these fish up from such deep depths the chance that they survive is like less than 10% they usually float back up around the boat. You might as well toss it in your cooler now instead of scooping the floater up a few minutes later.
Re light tackle- many fishermen are now more aware of the problem of exhausting a fish so many ,especially for certain species, are now using heavier lines and tackle to help improve not only their catch rate but also lessen the exhaustion of the fish and increase it's survival rate. It also helps prevent as many break-offs where a fish is left with line, lure and/or a hook in it's mouth.
Everyone has a choice and can make their own decision as to what's most important to themselves. It's the sharing of the knowledge that helps people make an informed decision and understand the potential implications of their choice. Obviously, it's completely up to the individual what their final decision is.Hoover wrote:but its not really fun or exciting to drag a fish in with heavy gear, like whats the challenge?
One prime example where I feel it is very important to use heavier line and gear would be Muskie.
Last edited by spinner on Tue Feb 22, 2005 1:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.