Wondering

[Musky Mauler]

A recent posting brought to mind the question: What is the “correct” way to resuscitate (“revive”) a tired musky? I’ll admit that I’ve always used the “technique” of placing it in the water; holding it by its tail; moving it back and forth; and maybe even rubbing its belly. I’ve done it this way for a long time, and I’ve seen other fishermen do it this way (even licensed guides). It’s never failed to result in a frisky musky swimming away with a flick of its tail. However, after reading a response where a fellow fisherman found fault with this method, I now wonder if there’s a “right way” or a “wrong way” to go about this process. Perhaps we can all learn from a more-favorable technique. Hopefully, we can do this without making denigrating comments regarding methods others might or might not have used. Thanks in advance for any enlightenment.

[the other andy]

You shouldn't ever pull the fish backwards, I keep them upright and hold them till they swim away. If they have trouble then I turn on the trolling motor and face them in the direction I'm moving. If there's current face them into the current.

[msklng10]

My buddy landed one this summer off his dock. While getting ready to pull it out of the net to take a picture, his 3 year old ran down the dock and Karate kicked it, while still in the net. He tried reviving it from the dock, but it turned upside down. He jumped in fully clothed, spent 15 minutes reviving it, and it swam off fine.

[BlueRanger]

Andy's advice is correct - the fatigue and disorientation (often manifested as the inability to remain upright) is caused by what's usually referred to as lactic acidosis - there's some dispute regarging that term, and you can read http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0102/rar.htm#_Toc524443737 if you find arguments over biochemical processes interesting. The same thing can happen to you if you go to the gym after a long layoff and lift too much heavy weight without adequate rest between sets. Regardless, oxygen is necessary for recovery, and the gills are much more efficient at removing oxygen from water that's flowing over them in the proper direction because they take advantage of a principle called countercurrent exchange - here's a link with a quick explanation of the concept: http://163.16.28.248/bio/activelearner/44/ch44c6.html. As for rubbing its belly, that isn't going to do anything beneficial, and might remove some of the slime coat that helps protect the fish from infection.

[john brennan]

Some tips I saw or read on releasing muskies.

1st never move it backward in the water..you can drown the fish by forcing water thru its gills
2nd hold it by the tail and keep it upright (maybe where the rubbing the belly came from) when
it is ready, it will simply swim away. Usually very slowly if it's a little larger and tired out.
And don't hold the tail very firm or it may not try to swim away. Just try to support it.
It's actually harder than it sounds. If it slips out of your hands and it is not upright..go get it.
3rd if you can release it in shallow water, the better. Sometimes they can't get their bearings
and then they go belly up. In shallow water, they can drop to the bottom and lay there resting
If you can, troll the fish or drift into the shallow area...especially better if in heavy weeds to go
shallow. They will get disoriented in the weeds.
4th you have a much better time releasing if the water is colder.

Also, I watched a guy cut a treble hook in a musky's mouth. He left the entire treble in the mouth when he cut the hook away from the bait, and when I suggested he clip the hook as to remove most of the hook from the mouth, he was surprised. He said that he never thought of that and had read to just cut the hook and leave it, it will disolve. To leave a piece in the mouth is better than leaving the entire hook. A musky can shake a small part of a hook out, but not an entire treble hook impaled in it's mouth. Just some tips to pass along.

I learn something new each year, as I too used to move it back and forth in the water.

[mkoeh475]

If I'm in a friendly mood I'll hold them in the water til they get back to normal and can swim off on their own.

Good tip on the hook removal, but for quickness I would rather get them in the water as soon as possible.

Left a treble in a walleye's mouth this spring and it was gone in less than a day. I wouldn't worry much about leaving a treble in a musky.


If none of the above work I crack 'em in the head with a club and eat 'em.
Anybody got ideas on stuffing guts back in them after hooking them while sucker fishing? Still haven't found a remedy for that

[BretRobert1]

Thought this thread was worth a bump. A lot of good stuff written so far, just wanted to mention a couple other release techniques that may help save a ski or two.

-First, be prepared for when you do land a musky, b/c when you're fishing the pristine N. Wisco waters, it's not a matter of if, it's when. Always have your net free and clear of clutter, and have your release tools and bumpboard consistently in the same place, so you know where to find them.

-If you're specifically fishing for muskies, make sure you have appropriate tools for a healthy release. Obviously a net, pliers (I prefer long handled), jaw spreader (not completely necessary), and hook cutters.

-It's not a necessity, but using a large net that allows a musky to stay in the water helps a ton. Both Frabill and Beckman (sp?) make good nets, and there may be others. I always try to minimize time out of the water, especially with the bigger girls. I don't think this has been mentioned yet, but the slime coating on a musky protects it against various diseases, so try and keep the musky in the water when you can.

-If you're going to measure the fish, the two preferred methods are an in-water measurement, or a quick bumpboard measurement. If using the latter, make sure to wet the bumpboard down before measuring the fish. I see a lot of pictures of muskies on the carpet of a boat. If you can, try not to do that, once again to try and keep as much slime on the fish as possible.

-If you want to take pictures, try and have your camera or phone ready. So you can go right from the bumpboard to the photos, then straight back into the water. Also, research has shown that vertical holds can be detrimental to a musky's health (mainly the organs and vertebrate), once again, especially with bigger fish. Instead, try to take pictures with horizontal holds. Again, everyone used to take vertical pictures, but with most, that has become a thing of the past.

-As others have mentioned, research shows that it isn't beneficial to move a fish back and forth before releasing it back into the water. 10-15 years ago, everyone I knew, including myself, released muskies this way, however. Personally, I hold the fish still and let it try to regain it's strength. You can feel when the fish is ready to go. Oftentimes the big heavies will waive goodbye to you as they kick away with their caudal skimming on top of the water.

-Like anything, you'll get better and better as you have more experience handling fish. I typically try to have the fish out of the water no more than 45 seconds, and often times will water-release the shorties.

Just to be clear, I practice C&R with all muskies that make way to my boat. I know the whole harvesting issue can make way for some heated debates, especially on the message boards. I don't have a problem if someone decides to keep a trophy. It's their right to do so. I'm just trying to provide some tips to those that may not be as familiar with what's thought of as proper musky handling techniques (currently).

Here's a clip to a good, effective release. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4MKCKuysGg