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At
JRWfishing.com we
encourage catch and release
fishing. If you want a few
for your table, so be it,
but the information here
will help the ones you don’t
keep survive to fight
another day. The idea of
catching a 20 inch rainbow
trout, and subsequently
releasing it to be caught
another day feels right to
us.
Our research tells us that
anglers keep about 40% of
the fish they catch. The
other 60% are released back
into the water. According to
our research, up to 25% of
the released fish can die
from not being handled
correctly. Proper
handling techniques
are as important as your
fishing gear in our opinion,
which is why we bring this
information to you.
We urge anglers to follow
these simple rules to
increase the survival rate
of released fish.
Especially on “wild” rivers,
such as the Swan River.
Handling Fish
and Trout during a catch and
release:
What to do:
-
If at
all possible, leave the
fish in the water and
unhook it without
touching it (use your
hemostats or pliers).
-
If you
must handle the fish,
make sure that you wet
your hands. This is
especially true with
trout fishing.
-
Gently
hold the fish with two
wet hands and get it
back into the water as
quickly as possible
-
If
you’re river fishing,
point the fish into the
current while it
breathes.
-
Support
it gently into the
current until it swims
out of your hands
What not to do:
-
Squeeze
a fish
-
Throw a
fish back into the water
like an unused piece of
live bait
-
Put your
fingers into the gills
-
Let the
fish flop around on the
ground
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