Holding a fish

[Solitario Lupo]

So what’s your way of holding a fish for CPR. Anyone else wanna share some bad ways they saw. Maybe like the tail hold upside swinging fish.

7 Wrong Ways to Hold a Fish

It’s that time of year when many people who don’t normally go fishing find themselves on a beach or boat and, often by no fault of their own, end up with a fish in their hands. These folks can to some degree be excused for improper handling. The rest of you should know better. It's important to...

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[Don]

Repeat after me: We are men, not sissies. We'll do our best, then eat the rest. As the top predator on the planet we have certain rights. Freedom from sissy mandates like being limited in how we hold our fish seems like one of them, over the top. I see allot about this on the other forum and none of those members ever seem to realize that if they didn't catch so many a day more would live as well.
Oh well....its the world we live in. Thanks Sol, didn't mean to go off on this, dagnabit.

By the way, for the record, I don't want to know how the rest of you hold your fish!

no no no!

 

[Melvinp]

I try to keep them in the water for the most part doesn’t always work if it’s meat time of course doesn’t matter but if it’s c&r I try the best I can but when you get that monster you gotta take a picture that’s why you should have a fishing buddy along to get jealous when they have to take your picture lol

 

[Solitario Lupo]

Repeat after me: We are men, not sissies. We'll do our best, then eat the rest. As the top predator on the planet we have certain rights. Freedom from sissy mandates like being limited in how we hold our fish seems like one of them, over the top. I see allot about this on the other forum and none of those members ever seem to realize that if they didn't catch so many a day more would live as well.
Oh well....its the world we live in. Thanks Sol, didn't mean to go off on this, dagnabit.

By the way, for the record, I don't want to know how the rest of you hold your fish!

no no no!

I think you referring to the trout nuts on the other forums. With that said I honestly don't care for how you hold a stocked trout since they are going to die in most waters in the summer. Rather have them die quick than suffer. Those that die I do think you should at least do something with them.

Im talking about holding a fish that you really want around. When I want a pic the fish stays in the net in the water until I'm ready for the pic. Even my stock trout I put in a net unhook it and out the net it goes.

 

[Solitario Lupo]

I try to keep them in the water for the most part doesn’t always work if it’s meat time of course doesn’t matter but if it’s c&r I try the best I can but when you get that monster you gotta take a picture that’s why you should have a fishing buddy along to get jealous when they have to take your picture lol

That's why when you don't have a fishing buddy you make a stranger do it.

 

[Don]

I think you referring to the trout nuts on the other forums. With that said I honestly don't care for how you hold a stocked trout since they are going to die in most waters in the summer. Rather have them die quick than suffer. Those that die I do think you should at least do something with them.

Im talking about holding a fish that you really want around. When I want a pic the fish stays in the net in the water until I'm ready for the pic. Even my stock trout I put in a net unhook it and out the net it goes.

Yes, They say that fish in the Esox fam are very susceptible to handling issues. And though I try they seem to resist me worse than most species when I try to remove the hook. I feel like sn abusive sometimes.

 

[truecrimson]

Repeat after me: We are men, not sissies. We'll do our best, then eat the rest. As the top predator on the planet we have certain rights. Freedom from sissy mandates like being limited in how we hold our fish seems like one of them, over the top. I see allot about this on the other forum and none of those members ever seem to realize that if they didn't catch so many a day more would live as well.
Oh well....its the world we live in. Thanks Sol, didn't mean to go off on this, dagnabit.

By the way, for the record, I don't want to know how the rest of you hold your fish!

no no no!

I kind of agree, especially for eaters. But if I am putting it back I'd like to not do any unnecessary damage during the photo op. I'd like it to get bigger and come back to take another picture for me. First do no harm.

I usually hold most things vertically by the mouth. My second choice is to GENTLY hold around the body. The main thing is not to hold the mouth and have the fish horizontal like a flag, and not to squeeze it like a lemon. Trying to keep a fish in the water while taking a picture in a kayak is really hard.

 

[truecrimson]

In fact, as I think about it, I try to take most pics while it is still on the hook, right before I remove it.

 

[Solitario Lupo]

Yes, They say that fish in the Esox fam are very susceptible to handling issues. And though I try they seem to resist me worse than most species when I try to remove the hook. I feel like sn abusive sometimes.

I’ve learned my lesson the first time. It was smaller one so I thought I could just unhook it and let it go. Well the teeth sliced my thumb right open so I used a very long needle nose pliers. Never had a problem since.

 

[Gremcat]

Throw em on bank for pics, then grab the line to get a better look at the gut hook from my PB, finally yank/twist/pull the hook out to not have to retie. Toss back near the waters edge and bend over to wash the blood off,,,,, bears gotta eat too,

 

[Gremcat]

Gamakatsku trout hooks are fine wire trebles though. For those you step on tail while pulling. Only way to get them pricey suckers back. Don’t worry, even if the fish is completely upside down after the fast current helps it recover somewhere down stream.

 

[Gremcat]

Horrible humor aside, I release most in net using hemostats. For early season brutes I’ll hold cradled for a pic. If I get a hard recovery I keep them. I run micro barb wire hooks mostly which helps a bit.

 

[Solitario Lupo]

I’ve done them both grem. That’s what the cool people do. Haha.

The best way I’ve always learned to fish for trout especially stocked trout that gut hook on every cast was a barbless hook. I even tried those circle hooks and those even got swallowed.

 

[Gremcat]

Better or worse with the monster browns at the dock I ended up with size 16-18 wire hooks and with them bottom feeding way out there if they swallowed I clipped. Not very often but happens. I noticed pulling hooks even in colder water we had floaters. Many fish had two to three hooks in their lip I removed. I had heard mixed answers on cutting and seen the aftermath of trebles cut/broken and even barbless flies that broke tippet in dead fish. I’ve always tried removing so big light wire hooks with tiny barb made it easiest I thought. With tiny hooks I saw the same fish feeding and caught again months later. The plus side of a private spot and uniquely marked tigers/browns.

In AK we trolled with huge barbless hooks and any salmon showing any color we unhooked in the water with the gaff. Downside, handoff a rod, let any slack in and your done. In PA when chasing 20”+ trout it’s usually a once every 5-10 outing opportunity unless you have my “Dock”. I have enough going on trying to pull a 20” out of logs, high current, etc. on 4lbs flouro to lose them on a barbless.

I tried the Brook trout barbless and they didn’t come out easier than micro barbs either. Heck yesterday I used size 4-6 Eagle Claws hoping to release easier and it was actually harder so I went back to mosquito light size 6s.

 

[Gremcat]

Pics in net never look right but leaving fish in net until I’m pic ready then just cradling them quick they recover even in warming water at dock. When it got above 72 we couldn’t remove from water even for a second or we had floaters. Even lip hook, quick released struggled.

Probably a waste to release there after midJune honestly. We saw 12+ monsters floating and that was a month or more back. Water was over 80 degrees. The owner also shocked the water for milfoil so the decreased oxygen hurts a well. He did dig out the back inlet channel again. It’d be beautiful if that lake was spring fed. Not tame fish but not impossible to catch making it a fun challenge.

 

[Gremcat]

Guys in Pulaski criticized some using a glove. I mentioned using latex/nitrile to keep hands warm and received the same criticism. Hate to tell people, my skin removes slime coat as well. I’ve raised exotic fish my entire life and any stress seems to hurt their external immune system(slime coat).

 

[truecrimson]

I crush all my barbs. On every kind of hook. Initially it was in self defense as I have twice been hooked badly enough to require professional help. However it has been a lot better for the fish. It's rare now that I can't get a hook out without damage.

Grem, what did you keep? In high school I had just about everything in the fish store and even raised swords to sell back to them for a while. Some years ago I went native and kept a redbreast sunfish. He died a couple of years ago and I haven't replaced him, but I always have the itch.

 

[truecrimson]

oh and I always thought pics in the net looked cool

 

[Solitario Lupo]

I’ve had luck with them not swallowing a size 6 or 4 long shank hooks but I’ve not fully tested that out. That’s usually was by accident and not having a good hook to fish powerbait for.

 

[Solitario Lupo]

As for the heat those trout don’t stand a chance unless it’s a really cold spring running it. Even then they can be overplayed.