Wait, you're going to catch a fish and throw it back? For non-fishermen, it's counterintuitive.
Fishermen love to catch fish. But not every fish that takes a hook is going to end up on the home grill - not by a long shot. For anglers, it's important to ensure that a fish being returned to the water has the best chance of survival.
The reasons for knowing how to best catch-and-release are many. For starters, most fish have a minimum size limit; if your scup, or black sea bass, or striper is too small, back it goes. Similarly, many fish have daily possession limits - so you've already caught your limit, but you want to keep on fishing. Some fishermen simply enjoy the sport and don't want the hassle and mess of cleaning and fileting. And for many fishermen, catch-and-release is a conservation practice, an acknowledgment of the preciousness of fish as a resource.
So here are some best practices for catch-and-release. Do the fish a favor as you enjoy your time on the water.
Minimize the stress on the fish. You can do this in many ways, but one important factor is not to "play" the fish too long. Using the proper size equipment for the fish you're targeting means you can get them to the boat or shore and release them again relatively quickly.
Single hooks cause less trauma than treble hooks. Treble hooks tend to get caught in so many secondary (and unnecessary) places, like the fish's eye, gills, and body. Crimping the barbs on your hooks with a pliers is also a good practice, since it makes them so much easier to remove - and there's evidence to show that, depending on how you fish, barbless hooks don't have to reduce your catch (try it for a week and decide for yourself).
Leave the fish in the water. If the fish doesn't have to come out of the water (and flop on the boat bottom or the dock), it will be much less stressed.
Get it back to the water quickly. Fish that do get landed need care in handling. Bigger fish without sharp teeth (no bluefish!) can be held by the mouth with the other hand supporting the belly. Return the fish to the water and hold it facing into the current or waves. Just let it "catch its breath." It'll let you know when it's ready to go, slipping out of your hands. Enjoy that. It's always a magical moment, as in the next instant it's gone.
This week's Fishing Roundup, courtesy of On The Water magazine.
- Bigger striped bass have been scarcer in numbers this season in Woods Hole, Buzzards Bay, and through the Cape Cod Canal, but there are reports of good-sized bass being taken recently at the east end of the Canal.
- Large numbers of bass seem to have migrated northward on the "outer route" around the Cape, and the bite in Provincetown vicinity is good.
- Bottom fishing continues to be excellent, for scup and black sea bass.
