Posts: 767
Threads: 12
Joined: Apr 2017
Reputation:
8
I sometimes so dislike magazine writers. So much misinformation or partial truths are given in a form that we assume is accurate simply because they must "be experts" or they would not be writing.
NOT TRUE, not true at all.
I won't quote my credentials, or past accomplishments, but I will get a discussion started by at least posting the truth. If I did not respond to a specific item in the article, either it was not worthy of a response, or I agree with the basic premise. Otherwise, my response is as follows.
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Use Crimped or Barbless Hooks
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Many studies have shown no increase in mortality in using barbed hooks, but I do prefer to simply because they are easier to take out of me, or my co-fisherman.
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You're No Surgeon
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If your fish takes a hook deep and it can't easily be removed, just cut the leader/tippet as close as you safely can and leave the hook in.
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Almost good advice, ALMOST! The hook can rotate and close off the throat of the fish, negating all that you are attempting to do. Better yet is to leave a tag end of line on the hook long enough to extend at least 6” out of the mouth. The tag end will drag to the side of the fish, keeping the hook to the side of the throat allowing all the proposed advantages of leaving it in but not allowing it to plug off the throat.
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5 Second Rule
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I love it when someone claims that something is based on science, then offers no scientific evidence or credentials. The basis behind the claim is sound, but 5 seconds is not only ridicules, it means that no fish will ever be released unless it is hooked by a single barbless fly, which is the point behind this snob’s article.
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My experience, and the experiences of several well noted fishermen I know that are in the IFGA Hall of Fame, is that one and a half minutes is the magic number. Still, if you have a way of keeping the gills constantly wetted, and can keep the fish wet, then do it. Just don’t let an overly restrictive 5 second rule lead you astray.
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Revive it Properly
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If you've been taught by someone in the past to drag your catch back and forth in the water in order to help it revive, stop. This sort of action actually impedes the fish's ability to move water through the mouth and across the gills to obtain oxygen.
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Again, well-meaning advice, but lacking any substance or evidence. The power of the pen should not allow you to spread misinformation in the name of clearing up misinformation. I will agree that if the fish is breathing on its own, then you should not drag or push it back and forth, but if the fish is past that point, it is the closest thing to CPR we have. Yes, I have revived fish that should have been dead, and may have still died later, but at least they had a chance. Pushing or dragging a fish back and forth to open the gills and get water into an otherwise non breathing fish is not a bad thing, it may be the only thing left.
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