Prepare the Hook
When you're practicing catch and release, you'll need to think about your hooks. Before heading to the water, you should remove the barbs from your current hooks, or purchase barbless hooks. To remove barbs from the hooks you already have, use pliers to pinch the barb flush with the hook. While it may be a bit more difficult for beginners to hook a fish without barbs, with enough practice it will become a more natural, easier experience.
Land the Fish Quickly
When fish are in warmer water, which would be …show more content…
When this happens, you'll have to cut the line and leave the hook inside the fish. Surprisingly, fish can live with a deeply-embedded hook, and after time, it will actually disolve due to the strength of their saliva.
Safe Fish Handling
Along with keeping your hands wet, there are a few more ways to handle the fish to ensure that when you release it the fish will survive. Never handle the fish's gills by holding your fingers inside them. The gills are extremely sensitive. You should hold the fish by the mouth or tail. Holding the fish upside down while removing the hook can actually pacify the fish making it easier to remove the hook.
Reintroduce the Fish to Water
Never toss the fish back into the water. That can be one of the most traumatizing parts of catching the fish. After removing the hook, place the fish underwater while still holding it, so the fish can be acclimated. You might have to hold it for a few minutes before it takes off on its own steam. In other cases, it might buck out of your hands immediately. It depends on how shocked and stressed the fish is.
Bleeding