How To: PERFECT catch-and-release

There is a certain fallacy to the old adage, “Practice makes perfect.” It was my freshman basketball coach who pointed out this life-lesson just a “few” years back, and reminded each of us on the team that in fact, “PERFECT practice makes perfect.” How exactly does this correspond to fishing? The answer is simple - as the years have progressed and we as anglers have become more and more educated, much has been made in respect to catch and release, especially relating to trophy gamefish; however, catch and release, like basketball practice, is only effective when performed correctly.

There is a vast array of sound scientific reasoning as to why catch and release with trophy gamefish is thankfully more popular today than ever. For example, many top predators such as the muskellunge often experience difficulty reproducing successfully or tend to produce young that are highly vulnerable to natural mortality and predation within their environment. A study and hypothetical musky release/stocking scenario conducted by Muskies Inc. concluded that to grow just one 50” musky in a body of water requires over 500 juvenile muskies to make it to 10”; think about that - over 500 juvenile muskies must survive to hopefully result in just ONE making it to the magic 50” mark!

I thank the Lord that I have been blessed to boat literally hundreds of muskies to date for myself, clients, family, and friends; of ALL those fish, NOT ONE musky has been kept, including the 50” class giants who inadvertently have made their pilgrimage to my waiting Frabill net. Am I looking for praise and accolades – absolutely not; rather, I hope to impress upon you just how vital proper catch and release truly is.

Catch and release of trophies doesn’t just stop with muskies however, as more and more anglers are becoming better educated with the dire importance of releasing the largest specimens of smallmouth bass, northern pike, and walleyes as well to name a few. With the huge advances made in graphite fish mount replicas such as those produced by Conover, Wisconsin’s very own Lax Taxidermy, there is very little if any educationally-sound argument to be made for killing big fish. Releasing fish does however successfully require preparation on behalf of the angler - a surgeon cannot do his or her job without the correct tools and equipment, and neither can a fisherman. It is a good idea to keep on-hand and in good working order: a long-nosed pliers, bolt cutters (for cutting hooks), hook-out, a fish-friendly Tyrant jaw spreaders, large Frabill landing net like the big Kahuna, Musky Armor release gloves, and of course a camera.

When landing a fish, look to lead it head first into the net, leaving the fish in the water so that it is able to breathe and have its body supported. With the specimen still in the net, remove the hooks, using the bolt cutters to cut any hooks too firmly embedded. As a general rule of thumb, the hook extraction process should take no more than 15 seconds if the fish’s gills are to be out of the water. Once the lure has been moved safely out of the way, leave the fish in the net while preparing the camera and addressing any organizational needs in the boat.

When fighting a fish, do not play it to the point of exhaustion as this makes successfully releasing it much more difficult. In summer as the water temperatures reach the upper seventies and even into the eighties in our area and most places down South, this becomes even more crucial; in fact, once water temperatures crest the eighty degree mark, it is in the best interest of the muskies to avoid fishing for them at all as a successful release becomes incredibly difficult. Our guide service will actually re-schedule musky trips once water temperatures exceed 80 degrees as we feel it becomes irresponsible to put undue stress on muskies and northern pike during extreme weather.

When you are ready for your photo opportunity, carefully lift the fish taking care to support the weight of the body with your other hand and take a few quick photographs before getting the fish back in the water. Once you have placed the fish back into its domain, continue to support it so that the body remains upright and do so until the fish swims away under its own power. Some fish will swim away almost immediately; others like musky and northern pike may require more time and attention.

Few moments in nature can be as touching, even spiritual, than watching a trophy fish swim away to fight another day. I have told this story many times prior both in print and during seminars, as I feel it truly illustrates the almost spiritual component to catch and release fishing: I remember to this day an elderly gentleman who was both an accomplished angler and hunter I guided to his first musky several years ago. He knew my boat maintained a strictly catch-and-release policy, and after catching an upper forty inch class musky, begrudgingly let it go after a few brief pictures. Long after the fish had disappeared back to the depths, he remained laying on his belly on the bow of my boat. At that point I asked him if he was all right (my heart has skipped a beat or two fearing a health issue!), to which he slowly sat up and faced me, with tears in his eyes. “Joel”, he said, “You were right – that was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen”. I couldn’t have said it any better – as with Mikey and his Life cereal, try it and I guarantee you’ll like it too!

CPR; catch, photo, and release - catch a big one and let it go, let it grow. I’ll see you on the water…

Tight lines,