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Posts: 929
Location: Rhinelander. | Just curious as to what percentage of fish you feel really make it that you release. I know we are all not 100%, thats too much of a dream of all of ours.
Last year I had two fish that I was really worried about and about 3 more that swam away but slowly and On the surface awhile befor going down.
The two were gill hooke not much I could do about them.
Don Pfeiffer
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Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Don....
% is tough to guess over the years but every year there are one or two that I seem to worry a little about. One thing for sure...if they are in my livewell destined for the smoker their chance of survival is 0 so I would have to have one go belly up on me before I would keep it.
There are things that happen out of our control like when a fish inhales a bait and you know there is some damage done by the hooks or when they thrash and they fowl hook themselves. This bothers me even more when it's a smaller fish...but that's the chances we take when we participate in this sport.
Many of us take great care to help ensure a quick and safe release...it's the best we can do. They all will not make it but with continual education of anglers on proper C&R methods and with quality products like Frabill nets and Knipex hook cutters the overall percentages have to be respectable.
Just my thougts...
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Posts: 4266
| I do all that I can to ensure the survival of every fish that I catch and release. %? I don't know. All I know is it's better that the rate of any speared or kept fish.
Beaver |
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Posts: 1430
Location: Eastern Ontario | I can't tell as there is no way I can follow them around but I believe it to be closer to 100% then 95% that's for sure. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I agree with Mark, Beav, and Richard. I tagged fish on Pelican for a number of years, and later recaptured fish released with what looked like life threatening injuries. They can be pretty tough if the water temps aren't too awful high. |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | I think if you do everything properly, they will survive. Not everything is a guarentee but the better we are at releasing fish, the better their chances.
I had something interesting happen a couple weeks ago. I caught a 42"er, put it back in the water, it stayed upright and then sank tail first. The fish seemed fine when I put it in the water, I could not see if it swam away as the water was murky. Anybody ever see this? |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | There's a whole myriad of variables that can alter a particular fish's chances of survival. Not the least of which has already been pointed out - giving the fish a chance by actually releasing it instead of harvesting it. But given the fact that it hits the water again is certainly no guarantee of survival. The fact of the matter is, anglers vary greatly in their proficiency not only in angling, but probably more so in their ability to safely and effectively release a caught fish. I think that preparation is one of the most important steps in insuring a successful release; unfortunately it is also one of the most overlooked. I have on more than one occasion winessed anglers literally fighting the fish more after it has been landed than while it was still in the water! How long the fish was played, water temperature, depth from which the fish came, terminal tackle, artificials or naturals, age of the fish, orientation of the body while being held (photos, etc.), duration of it's stay out of the water...I think you get the idea - all play roles in affecting their post-release survival. Heck, relative humidity and UV index may have a role (I don't think continental drift plays a big part though - what do you think, Sponge? LOL). The better we are at minimizing any potential adverse effect we may have on the survival of the fish, the greater it's chances of survival become. I do believe that most of the readers on this board happen to be quite proficient in these areas and wouldn't be surprised if survival rates were over 90% in many instances. I applaud your efforts and thank you for giving me (and others) the 'second shot' at a fish you already enjoyed.
As for me, I only use artificials (not preaching here - personal choice; well, that and we can't use any natural bait over 1" square on muskie waters in Utah!) and what I feel is heavy enough gear to get the fight over before any significant amounts of lactic acid build up in the fish's muscle. I try not to even take most fish out of the water, but the occasional photo is too much of a temptation sometimes. I hold the fish as close to horizontal as practical (supporting the rather fragile internal organs), keep it out of the water for the least amount of time and slide them back in. My percentage of successful releases? My guess (admittedly a biologist's pessimistic point of view) - somewhere between 80 to 90%.
Sorry for the windy post - I guess you could have just skipped to the last few lines!
K. |
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Posts: 4266
| Ditto with the preperation aspect. My hook removal bag is like a first aid kit. Since I fish alone, before I make a cast I make sure that the net is accessible and all of the tools are ready. Knipex and big, needlenose Visegrips are my tools of choice. Once I net a fish, I start cutting every hook that I can see, even if they're not in the fish. I've seen more fish injured after being netted that before. One flop, one roll and wham! a hook in the eyeball. I cut every hook that I can, then if I must, I'll use jaw spreaders and get the deep ones through the back of the gill plate. Once the hooks are cut, I pull out the lure and get the rod and reel out of the way and get the fish untangled. If I'm gonna take pictures, I have no problem with putting the fish in the livewell and leaving the aerator running for 15 minutes or more. Actually I think it helps calm them down.
If I'm alone, I set up the camera and set the timer, grab the fish, press the button .....10 seconds later-"Click"- and the fish is gone.
The last 2 fish that I caught this year were ready to go as soon as I put them back in the water. The 46.5" came back to the surface 10 yards away, so I chased her down again and grabbed her by the tail and held on to her for 20 minutes before she took off strongly. So, watch for them to surface and then stick with them so the don't get puree'd
Make sure you point the fish into the current or into the direction that you are drifting. Water coming in through the back of the gills does no good, if fact I've read that it does harm. You can tell by a couple of my pics, that I have no problem getting undressed and walking around in shallow water with them until they are ready to go....depending on the time of year.
Another thing that I checked in to is a product at my local pet store. It removes chlorine from water, but the other thing that it does is help to replace the protective slime on the fish. My pet store guy is checking with the manufacturer about adding it to livewell water and how long the fish needs to be exposed to it for it to do any good.
Be a Boy Scout- Be prepared and you'll be doing the fish and yourself a great service.
Beaver |
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Edited by Sponge 8/23/2006 10:26 AM
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