Land fish quickly. "Lip" or net big fish. Lift small fish by the line then grasp their lower jaw. Don't flip or swing them into the boat and onto the carpet or deck.
To minimize deep hooking, set the hook as quickly as possible. Allowing fish to run with the bait only encourages them to swallow it deeper, resulting in a higher probability of injury.
Hook type or shape also influences hooking injury. Circle hooks have recently gained favor with live-bait anglers because they rarely hook fish deep in the throat — as do conventional styles. Circle hooks also work with Carolina-rigged soft plastics. Anglers must learn to modify their hook-setting technique, however. These hooks require a slower, sweeping set rather than a quick, hard jerk.
Hooks in or out?
For years it was assumed that it was best to leave the hook in a deeply hooked fish because the metal would rust away, would be dissolved by gastric acids, or would be passed through the digestive tract. Even biologists had recommended cutting the line close to the hook and releasing the fish. Recent studies, however, have confirmed that this may not always be the case.
With the increased use of corrosion-resistant metals and special coatings, hooks do not quickly rust away, even in saltwater. Every effort should be made to remove hooks as quickly and with as little tissue damage as possible. If the hook has entered the mouth, jaw, throat or tongue, use long-nosed pliers, hemostat or hook removing tool to get a firm grip on the hook while removing it. Carry a set of strong cutting pliers that are capable of cutting through your stoutest hooks. These can be used to cut the point and barb off of a deeply imbedded hook that has penetrated completely through the throat or gill arch. Once the barb is cut off, the hook can easily be backed out. It is much better to sacrifice a hook than to try to back the hook out, barb intact, and cause more damage.
Playing your catch
Land fish quickly. "Lip" or net big fish. Lift small fish by the line then grasp their lower jaw. Don't flip or swing them into the boat and onto the carpet or deck. |
Once the fish is hooked, anglers must consider tactics to get the fish to the boat or bank. Studies have shown that fish that are played to exhaustion, then released, recover more slowly and are less likely to return to and defend nests during spawning periods compared to fish that were landed quickly. On the other hand, playing fish quickly and landing them "green" may result in increased handling while trying to secure the squirming fish to remove the hook. A shorter fight, speedy hook removal and quick return to the water or livewell is probably better and is the technique most often used by tournament professionals.
Landing and handling
With bass, the old standby of grasping the lower jaw, or "lipping" the fish, is still the preferred method. This usually immobilizes the fish, provides a good, firm hold and allows the angler to remove the hook(s) without touching the fish's body. Avoid handling the fish any more than is absolutely necessary, to minimize damage to the protective mucus.
Swinging or flipping fish into the boat and onto the floor is a poor technique! "Rugburn" can cause extensive damage to the mucus coat. Pulling small fish out of the water by the line allows the angler to get a grasp on the lower jaw without having to grasp the fish's body. However, for larger fish, lipping or using a landing net may be preferred.
New-generation landing nets made of soft, woven, knotless nylon do much less damage to the fish than older nets made of hard, knotted nylon twine. Stretchy rubber landing nets are even less abrasive and hooks do not foul in the mesh as easily, making removal from the net easier and faster.
Once the fish is in the boat, hold it vertically, touching it elsewhere as little as possible. Never bend the fish's head down or try to hold the fish horizontally by the lower jaw. At weigh-in, minimize the time fish are out of the water. Simply lift them up and out of the livewell. For photographic purposes, if a fish must be held horizontally, support the body with a wet hand under the belly, near the anal fin.
Air exposure
Unhook fish quickly and measure them on a wet measuring board or rule. Place them in the already filled livewell. When placing them in your weigh-in bag, if possible, place the bag in the livewell to fill it with water. Direct the fish into the bag rather than pulling the fish out of the livewell one at a time.
Keep fish submerged while cameras are being readied for photos, pulling the fish up just before the photographer is ready to take the shot. Get the photo, then get the fish back into the water or into your water-filled bag as quickly as possible. Remember, each air exposure adds more stress — during landing, hook removal, while measuring and culling, when pulled from the livewell and placed in a bag, during weigh-in, while being photographed, and when released.