| First, use a net often. I will usually net any fish over 35 inches and hand land those under 35 that are hooked in a way that is easy to remove. If they are hooked badly for a hand hold, I will net them.
I will try to unhook the fish first, but if I have any sort of trouble at all, I will cut the hooks. Then, I remove any left over hook parts from the fish and release.
With a good net, you can do all of this with the fish still in the water. The net works as a big live-well that contains the fish while you work on it.
Another safety issue is to consider using hand protection. I have used leather gloves in the past, and those have saved me from cuts often, but I have now switched to rubber plumbers gloves (the heavier kind) to remove less slime. The only problem is the lack of "feel" from using gloves.
Steve |
