More Evolved Ways to Handle Fish

“How we approach, fight and release our fish is in and of itself a conservation issue.” – Kirk Deeter

Kirk Deeter, the editor of TROUT Magazine and a Flylab founder, is fond of saying, “Today, how we approach, fight and release our fish is in and of itself a conservation issue.”

The fly-fishing subtext is obvious: If a significant number of fish die after being caught and released due to poor angling practices, it can have the same effect on fish populations as overharvesting.

So, how can we approach, handle and release the fish we pursue (and catch) with more care?

The Approach

Less is more: The “100 fish day” zeitgeist and guides with fish clickers on their wading belts are long, long gone. More anglers are entering the sport every year, which is generally positioned by industry folks as a good thing, but this also means we need to take care of our increasingly stressed resources, i.e. the watersheds and fish. Anyone who’s stepped foot in a relatively well-known river in the last decade has seen the remarkable drop-off: less fish, beat up fish, fish with altered behavior patterns.

Increased fishing pressure creates impact. Hooking every fish in the run with your Euro-nymph rig creates impact. Harboring a “don’t tell me what to do, I’ll stick as many fish as I want” ethos creates impact. Understand that these resources are limited and shared. Leave a few untouched pools for the next angler. Take a break on the river bank. Sip a beer. Birdwatch. Read a book. Daydream. But let’s collectively find a way to evolve beyond the “I’d Rather Be Rippin’ Lips” bumper sticker.

Mixed up messaging: If your social media feed is plastered with grip-and-grin photos of air-drying fish, you’re part of the problem. This used to be the tasteless domain of the Instagram influencer, but now everyone is getting in on the act: lodges, outfitters, fly shops, even the manufacturers, who should know better. Keep Fish Wet is running a “No Fish Dry July,” which is a good first step, but this challenge probably requires a much broader cultural realignment. Where does the average angler start? Educate yourself, modify the fish porn grip-and-grin impulse, evangelize and syndicate more thoughtful content.

Gearing Up

Some ways to elevate your terminal tackle game that is better and healthier for the resource…

Fish fewer and friendlier hooks: Do you have to fish articulated, multi-hook streamers, when you could be running single hook variations? Does anyone really need to be fishing three-fly rigs or old San Juan Worms on Gamakatsu Trout Worm Hooks, which are known to brain fish or damage their eyes. We’re not here to police your fly choices, but it’s always worth considering how we interact with our quarry, and beating them up less will certainly aid in their long-term survival.

Fish barbless, or flatten your hook barbs: A simple way to get fish unhooked and back in the water quickly is to fish barbless flies, or to press the hook barbs down on your flies. The less time fish spend out of the water (dealing with hook removal) the better. Flat-jawed hemostats or mitten clamps can help and should be a required fishing accessory.

Invest in hook removal tools: As noted above, every angler should carry a pair of hemostats, mitten clamps or the ingenious Ketchum Release Tool (in different sizes) to help quickly and efficiently remove hooks from fish, so you’re not using your fingers or hands. The less you touch a fish the better, and during the winter months, these tools can also help keep your hands warm, dry and out of the water.

Invest in a landing net: A fishing net is an essential way to keep fish calm, controlled and, most importantly, wet after they’ve been landed. It may take 10, 15 seconds to remove the fly from a fish, and it’s much better that this “river surgery” occurs in the water (inside the net), as opposed to the river bank or streamside rocks. It’s also important that the net “bag” is made from rubber–cheaper net bags, made from nylon or other abrasive materials, can be damaging to the fish’s exterior, or remove it altogether.

Fish stout, heavy tippet material: Fishing the heaviest tippet material you can get away with will allow you to fight and control fish with more authority. Part of becoming a great angler is developing the ability to land fish quickly. This can lessen opportunities for bad things to happen (Murphy’s Law), while also contributing to healthier fish releases.

More on proper equipment: Utilize rods, reels and tippet sizes that are appropriate for the fish you are targeting. Undersized equipment that forces anglers to extend fighting times can lead to unnecessary fish stress and mortality. Fish at the upper end of the equipment and tippet size thresholds you can get away with, not the lower.

Other on-water gear and accessories you should carry to help with in the capture and release of happy fish: a thermometer to check water temps, one of the new geo-tracking/water-mapping apps (onWater, TroutRoutes) to plan your trips around up-to-date flow and water temp data. The Cling Thermometer also is a smart, new iteration on an old product concept.

Carry a waterproof camera: If you’re planning to photograph fish, make sure your camera is water-resistant, so you’re not dragging them up to dry areas to document. Shots of fish in the net or swimming away should become the new social media baseline, instead of dry-handed grip-and-grins. (More on photos and social media below.)

Fish Handling

Keep fish wet: Seems simple enough, because they live in the water, but as an angler, it’s your job to keep them in the water where they can breathe comfortably, not gasping for air in the bottom of a boat, or on the rocks. Step one is to have a landing net (with a rubber bag, not mesh), so your flies can be removed quickly and easily and in a controlled environment, after a fish is netted. Step two is to revive them after a stressful fight and release them to swim another day. If a fish is struggling to get going, take some extra time to revive them, holding them by the tail, in the water, until their strength returns. Never release a fish that’s turning its belly up in the water; they will certainly perish. They need more time.

Wet your hands: Fish are covered with a layer of protective mucous (their slime coat), which acts as a barrier against bacteria, fungi and parasites. If you have to touch or handle a fish, always remember to wet your hands beforehand. Dry hands, or any dry surface (rocks, grass banks, even dry net bags), can remove this important fish protection and make them more vulnerable to disease and infections. All it takes is a second or two to get things wet.

Support the fish: When handling, support the fish horizontally with one hand under its belly and the other gently gripping the tail. Avoid squeezing or holding the fish vertically by the jaw or tail, which can damage internal organs or the spinal column.

Avoid touching the gills and eyes: These are extremely sensitive areas. Never put your fingers in the gills or apply pressure to the fish’s eyes. No fish wants that.

Release zones: Find softer areas in the river to release your fish. You don’t want to release a fish in heavier currents, where they can get turned over and disoriented. Ideally, you allow them to swim out of the net on their own.

River Awareness

Monitor water temperatures: Carry a stream thermometer and be aware of the optimal temperature ranges for the species you are targeting. Trout, for example, become highly stressed in water temperatures above 68°F.

More on water temps: We’re not scientists, but it isn’t hard to figure out that fish have ideal water temperatures to feed and be active in. Most anglers will have noticed lethargic, inactive fish during freezing spring temps, happy and active fish during cool early summer temps and sluggish, inactive fish (again) during hot summer temps. Keep Fish Wet does a great job of putting some exact science to this exercise with their science-based angling thresholds. They recommend some important water temps for the summer angler to be aware of (the point at which angling can start harm salmonids): 54℉ bull trout; 61℉ steelhead, rainbow, cutthroat, brook trout; 66℉ brown trout. “In most cases, dissolved oxygen decreases as water temperatures increase, meaning that it can take fish longer to recover from being angled.” – Keep Fish Wet

“Hoot Owl” restrictions: In some areas, during periods of warm water or low flows, fisheries managers may implement “Hoot Owl” restrictions, which prohibit fishing during the hottest parts of the day. Respect these restrictions.

Avoid fishing during stressful conditions: 1. Fish in warm water are under physiological stress due to lower dissolved oxygen levels, although they look and act like normal. It’s good to leave these fish alone. 2. Low water levels concentrate fish in shrinking pools, which not only stresses them, but makes them more vulnerable to predation from birds and animals. 3. During the post- and pre-spawn (their species-specific reproductive cycles), fish are generally overworked and more vulnerable. It’s good to avoid spawning fish, so they can do their thing, as well as the spawning nests they clean out in the river gravel called redds.

Grip-and-grins: Everyone wants a hero shot to post on social media–we get the impulse. Then again, after a long summer of Instagram hero shots, which means a lot of fish are spending a lot of time out of the water, the media form is becoming less and less sustainable as a social proofing model. As more anglers enter the sport, it’s our collective job to handle fish with more than the customary amount of care, as well as educating the newcomers. Get a picture of the fish in the water. Get a picture of the fish swimming away. Hell, take more photos of your friends, scenery or the destinations–it’s more interesting anyway. No one needs the daily deluge of grip-and-grins, and they should be removed from the fly-fishing lexicon, sooner rather than later. Like any great athlete who just scored, act like you’ve been there before…

More on photos: “Let’s get real. People want photos of fish. I’m also not going to stop taking photos of fish. But I’m just not going to take five minutes to stage dopey photos with the rod and reel balanced delicately on my shoulder (logo out!), so I can fawn over the fish, gazing down lovingly at the creature I just beat the tar out of, before I post it on social media. Endeavor to make fish releases more like pit stops than photo ops–this way, catch-and-release works better, and you’re doing your part to sustain a fishery. How you think about and execute your angling approach is as important as handling the fish themselves.” – Kirk Deeter

Floating Anglers

Boating and floating tips: “Keep fish low to the water. As soon as you lift a fish out of the water, start holding your breath–when you need to breathe, time to let them go. Watch for your fingers in their gills. Obviously, wet your hands. Try to de-hook your fish over the water, not in the boat. Give them CPR before they take off. Make sure they don’t float. If the fish is deeply hooked, cut the line.” – Tim Romano

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As anglers, our collective awareness of the fish we pursue is the key to maintaining, or even upgrading, the quality of our fisheries.

Lee Wulff, the iconic writer, angler and conservationist, probably said it best…

“The fish you release is your gift to another angler and remember, it may have been someone’s similar gift to you.”

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