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CATCH AND RELEASE DONE RIGHT!
By: Greg
Brush
Alaska is commonly recognized as one of the
premier sport fishing destinations in the world.
With huge halibut, gorgeous char, trophy rainbow
trout, and all five species of Pacific salmon
readily available, sport fishing choices abound.
From roadside king salmon fisheries for the
budget-minded fisherman to exotic world-class
fly-in lodges, Alaska has something for everyone.
Throw in numerous line class and all-tackle world
records, and there is little wonder why every
summer anglers from across the globe flock to our
great state.
Resident anglers have enjoyed this resource for
decades, but word is now out: Alaska is the place
for great sport fishing! Major international
airlines provide daily service to Anchorage, the
state's largest city, and several modern highways
put good fishing just a short rent-a-car drive
away. Even small pristine lakes, rivers and streams
deep in the Alaskan "bush", relatively untapped
previously, are now easily accessible with the
recent growth of private air charter services
utilizing small planes.
With an obvious increase in demand and vast
improvements in transportation and access, how can
Alaska continue to provide great fishing to all
those who choose to participate? Regulating harvest
with restrictive limits certainly cuts mortality,
but any conscientious outdoorsman takes only what
he or she truly needs anyway. And every serious
fisherman knows that gear-specific regulations such
as "no bait, artificial only, single hook" can cut
success rates tremendously. So, how does one
maximize opportunity yet still limit harvest? The
obvious answer is catch and release.
At this point, it must be stressed that there is
a huge difference between catch and release and
proper catch and release. Some fisherman may
consider grabbing a small Dolly Varden mid-body,
nearly squeezing the guts out of it, ripping the
hook free, and tossing it back into the water as
catch and release, but the educated angler knows
that the end result of sloppy catch and release is
often the death of the very fish originally
intended to be preserved. The fact of the matter is
that the mortality rate of catch and release can
drop dramatically by following a few simple but
important guidelines.
Proper catch and release starts before the fish
is even landed. A fisherman should know his
intentions and have a game plan ahead of time. A
pre-rehearsed and well-orchestrated procedure,
established prior to the actual hook up, will
ensure that things go smoothly. When fishing with a
friend, talk the plan over with your partner,
discussing roles and responsibilities. If the
health of the fish remains priority one, the fight
and ensuing release often becomes quite routine.
While aggressively battling the fish, the angler
should quickly decide whether to keep or release
it. Any fish intended to be released should be
landed as promptly as possible, avoiding
over-exhaustion and the build-up of lethal levels
of lactic acid in your catch.
The serious catch and release fisherman has the
proper tools readily accessible. A somewhat crude
(but amazingly effective) de-hooking device,
consisting of a blunt wire hook mounted on a
handle, can be invaluable for releasing feisty fish
unharmed. (See "De-Hooker" sidebar) Needle nose
pliers perform a myriad of functions, from pinching
barbs to twisting large hooks free. I have found it
wise to bring at least two sets of pliers or
hemostats with me when I intend to practice catch
and release. Rest assured that one pair will
invariably end up in the water as the combination
of wet hands and a thrashing fish often make the
release more challenging than it appears. Once,
after fighting a large Kenai King for nearly twenty
minutes, I leaned over the gunnel of my sled to
twist the big 7/0 hook from his grizzled maw, only
to have the still ornery buck shake his head and
knock my stainless pliers from my hand. Locating my
split ring pliers, I prepared to try again with the
makeshift implement, only to have the confused fish
repeat the plier removing slash. Fortunately for
me, and the reluctant salmon, one of my clients was
well prepared, loaning me his trusty Leatherman
tool for a third and successful attempt at
releasing the noble fighter. I learned two valuable
lessons that day: always be prepared with back-up
tools and fish just don't understand catch and
release!
Scissors and a quality pair of wire cutters are
also important catch and release tools. Avoid a
full-scale wrestling match with your trophy. If the
hook is difficult to remove simply cut the line at
the hook rather than damage the fish with rough and
unnecessary handling. If the fish is hooked deeply,
the prudent angler will sometimes cut the hook
shank on their favorite spinner, spoon, or plug,
allowing the fish to swim off and eventually work
the remaining hook out on its own.
Consider purchasing a special net designed
specifically for catch and release. Some anglers
advocate never netting a fish intended for release,
but I have found that new and improved net designs
can help secure and control your catch while you
tend to the task at hand, ultimately resulting in a
quicker release and minimal stress on the fish. The
larger hoops make netting a "hot" fish easier, and
the shallow, rubber baskets resist tangling while
insuring that your catch swims off with all of its
protective slime intact.
Everybody enjoys a photo of their catch and
release trophy, but occasionally it is just not
possible. Once again, the welfare of the fish must
be the angler's primary concern, and no ethical
sportsman would attempt a photo in unfavorable
conditions. Remember your initial intentions and
what is most important: the well being of your
catch. Never bring a fish that you intend to
release into the boat, as the fish can seriously
injure itself as it flails around in a state of
panic. Likewise, bank fishermen should never drag a
fish up onto the sand or rocks unless they intend
to retain it. Avoid the gill area entirely; fingers
in the gills are a death sentence to a released
fish. Never hold a live fish vertically from the
tail, as this can pop the vertebrae and disks,
causing spinal cord damage and even internal
bleeding along the spine. Rather, with wet hands or
gloves (again to protect the fish's bacteria-
fighting slime) place one hand around the tail
wrist and the other under its belly, supporting and
controlling the fish until just the right moment.
Only when the photographer is focused and ready
should the fish be lifted, and then only to the
water's edge for a second or two, just long enough
to snap a quality picture. (Be aware that in most
parts of Alaska, regulations state that certain
fish intended to be released cannot be removed from
the water.) Run a common cloth tape along your
prize for a quick length and girth measurement, and
you have gathered enough info to preserve your
catch forever! (See "Weight Calculating Formulas"
sidebar).
Whenever possible, you should revive your fish
before releasing it. Recharging a tired fish is
usually as simple as gently cradling it in the
water, allowing it to get its bearings and catch
its breath. In a river system, it is important to
face the fish into the current. If no running water
is available, gently move the fish back and forth,
thereby forcing fresh, oxygenated water through its
gills. A played-out fish, lying on its side too
exhausted to support its own weight, should be
revived until it is fully able to swim off under
its own power.
Nothing can approach the rewarding feeling of a
properly handled fish released to continue its
journey. Granted, the occasional kept fish makes
excellent table fare enjoyed by all, but genuine
reasons to kill a trophy fish are dwindling fast.
Armed with two simple measurements and a decent
photo of the fish's exact coloration and particular
markings, any skilled taxidermist can create a
fiberglass replica mount worthy of the title "fine
art". And if bragging rights necessitate you
knowing the weight of that lunker fish, rest
assured that refined species-specific formulas are
more accurate than some scales!
As you watch your magnificent trophy swim free,
you will likely be overwhelmed with pride and
emotion, and justly so. Not only did you catch a
trophy fish, but you also had the foresight and
maturity to release it in good shape to fight
another day, and more importantly, to fulfill its
destiny to create more trophies for the future. You
alone made a conscious decision and a genuine
effort to preserve and protect a very big part of
why Alaska is often referred to as "The Great
Land"- trophy fishing beyond compare!
THE INCREDIBLE "DE-HOOKER"!
Many catch and release fishermen consider the
"de-hooker" the best way to remove a hook from any
fish pinned in the lips or jaw. Using the device is
simple, and does not even require touching the
fish. Grab the leader with one hand to apply
tension. Engage the hook with the "de-hooker" and
pull the hands apart. While maintaining constant
tension between both hands, lift the "de-hooker"
while simultaneously dropping the hand holding the
leader. The instant the fish flops, the hook will
pop free. If you are fishing barbless hooks, the
fish will literally fall off the hook before it
flops! A mini version of the "de-hooker" works
especially well for trout and dollies, which are
notorious for doing pirouettes while you are trying
to grab the hook with pliers. With smaller, more
fragile fish, the maxillary plate (long, flat bone
covering the corner of the fish's upper lip) is
often damaged or torn off completely when using
needle-nose pliers or hemostats. In this situation,
the "de-hooker" works much better, nearly
eliminating the risk of serious lip damage.
WEIGHT CALCULATING FORMULAS
The ability to be a bit 'generous' in your
weight approximation is one of the many benefits of
catch and release. After all, once your catch swims
free… it can be as big as you want, right?
Story-tellers beware; the advent of reliable and
accurate weight calculating formulas make the need
to guesstimate the weight of your trophy a thing of
the past.
My good friend Dr. Francis Estalilla (aka the
fishNphysician) is a tireless and outspoken
advocate of catch and release. Over the past ten
years he has spent countless hours at a public boat
launch weighing, measuring and documenting every
dead Kenai River King he could get his tape on,
ultimately arriving at the following recipe: weight
= (length x girth x girth)/ 740. This formula was
developed specifically for Kenai Kings, and has
proven remarkably accurate over the years. Dr.
Estalilla notes "for hens, my formula is bang on,
within one pound or less of the actual weight in
95-plus % of specimens. For bucks, the formula is a
bit divergent. For fresh tide fish (fat chromers
with long spaghetti sea lice) my formula will tend
to slightly under-predict the weight by 1-3%. For
older blush and fire-engine males that have
'slabbed up' with tall ridge backs, the formula
will tend to over predict the weight by 2-5 pounds
depending on the size of the fish and how skinny it
has gotten from side to side."
There are many formulas based on the same basic
equation of length x girth x girth divided by some
constant. The constant will be different for each
species of fish depending on its overall body
shape. Long snaky species such as pike will have a
constant of 800+, while a slightly more full-bodied
fish like a fresh sockeye or silver will have a
constant of approximately 750. A good conservative
formula for trout, dollies and steelhead of average
proportions is L x G x G divided by 775. Several
lodges in the Bristol Bay area advocate the 775
divisor for their catch and release clients.
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