06-20-2006, 02:40 PM
Nice fish, see the info below on Musky ReleaseTips. Your wife is way to pretty to be missing a finger or 2...
I have seen a large number of musky pictures on this site, that do not conform to general practice of handling musky.
Only trying to help the fish and the fishers.
Everyone deserves a photograph of a prized catch. Just be responsible when you lift the fish out of the net. Before the muskie is lifted, make sure the camera and photographer are ready. Lift the fish while supporting its’ midsection. Hold the muskie in a horizontal position while supporting its belly. DO NOT hold the fish in a vertical position. The weight of a muskie hanging in this position will create a problem with the bone structure behind the head and it may not survive. DO NOT drop the fish onto the floor of the boat, keep a firm grasp and hold on tight. Return the fish into the water and hold it by the tail, move the muskie back and forth allowing water to pass through the gills. A wiggle of the tail will help "jump start" the fish into swimming away.
If your released fish has a problem going deeper or won’t swim away, recapture it by the tail and run your hand from the rear of the fish towards the throat area, while pushing into the fishes belly. This will push any air out of the fish allowing the muskie to dive.
Try to release a muskie into a shallow water area. The deep areas will only hurt the fish as it tries to get away from danger quickly. The shallow areas will let the fish adjust easier to the environment. Safety is the key when handling muskies, watch out for teeth and hooks, and come home with a photo and good memories of a day after the "lunge".
[signature]
I have seen a large number of musky pictures on this site, that do not conform to general practice of handling musky.
Only trying to help the fish and the fishers.
Everyone deserves a photograph of a prized catch. Just be responsible when you lift the fish out of the net. Before the muskie is lifted, make sure the camera and photographer are ready. Lift the fish while supporting its’ midsection. Hold the muskie in a horizontal position while supporting its belly. DO NOT hold the fish in a vertical position. The weight of a muskie hanging in this position will create a problem with the bone structure behind the head and it may not survive. DO NOT drop the fish onto the floor of the boat, keep a firm grasp and hold on tight. Return the fish into the water and hold it by the tail, move the muskie back and forth allowing water to pass through the gills. A wiggle of the tail will help "jump start" the fish into swimming away.
If your released fish has a problem going deeper or won’t swim away, recapture it by the tail and run your hand from the rear of the fish towards the throat area, while pushing into the fishes belly. This will push any air out of the fish allowing the muskie to dive.
Try to release a muskie into a shallow water area. The deep areas will only hurt the fish as it tries to get away from danger quickly. The shallow areas will let the fish adjust easier to the environment. Safety is the key when handling muskies, watch out for teeth and hooks, and come home with a photo and good memories of a day after the "lunge".
[signature]