Catch and release done right: how to handle and unhook fish so they survive

TUREFF• •0

Releasing a fish is only worth doing if the fish swims away healthy. A few careless minutes, such as dry hands, a long photo session or a fish flapping on hot stones, can do enough damage that a released fish dies later. Good catch and release is mostly about speed, wet hands and keeping the fish in the water.

Set up before you catch anything

Use barbless hooks or squash the barb flat with pliers. Unhooking is much faster and causes less damage, and with tight line during the fight you lose surprisingly few fish. Many fisheries require them.
Keep unhooking tools to hand: a disgorger for small hooks, long-nose pliers or forceps for bigger ones.
Use a soft, knotless landing net that is large enough for the fish you might catch.
Have an unhooking mat if you fish for larger freshwater species on hard banks.
Choose tackle strong enough to land fish quickly. A long fight on line that is too light exhausts the fish.

Landing and handling

Play the fish firmly and bring it in without unnecessary delay.
Net it rather than lifting it by the line.
Wet your hands before touching it. Fish are covered in a protective slime layer, and dry hands, gloves and towels rub it off and leave them open to infection.
Keep the fish over the water, the wet net or a wet mat, low down, so a slip does not mean a fall on to hard ground.
Support its weight with both hands under the belly. Do not squeeze, and keep fingers away from the gills.

Unhooking

If you can, unhook the fish while it is still in the water or in the net in the water.
Grip the hook shank and back it out along the way it went in.
If the hook is deep in the throat or gut, cutting the line close to the hook is often kinder than digging for it. Striking promptly reduces deep hooking in the first place.
Do not hold a fish up by the jaw or gill cover to unhook it, especially a large or heavy one.

Minimise time out of the water

Every second in the air matters, so keep it short. If you want a photo, have the camera ready before you lift the fish, take a quick picture with the fish held low over the water, and put it back. Hold your own breath while it is out; if you need to breathe, so does the fish.

The release

Hold the fish upright in the water, facing gently into any current, until it can hold itself steady and swims off under its own power.
Do not throw it back or drop it from a height.
In warm weather fish tire more easily, so be especially quick. Some anglers choose not to fish for certain species during very hot spells.

Rules still apply

Whether you release or keep fish, size limits, bag limits, closed seasons and protected species vary by country, region and even individual water. Some waters are catch-and-release only; others have specific rules on which fish may be taken. Check the local regulations and the fishery's own rules before you go, and learn to identify the species you are likely to catch. Have a tip for a quick, clean release, or a question about handling a particular species? Share it in the comments below.