How to Catch & Release?

Fishing Tips and Info, , ,

As the word is spreading about the benefits of C & R, it has become the “in” thing to do. You can see increasing number of posts on social media showing happy fly fishermen releasing their hard earned trophy catch. However, anyone stop to think what happens to the fish after the photo is taken and the video is shot? Does the fish swim away, living happily ever after in the waters of far far away? What are the chances of survival for the released fish? It can be very high or very low depending on many factors, but one thing is for sure, we can definitely increase the survival rate if we do C & R properly. C & R doesn’t mean throwing the fish back into the water after unhooking it. Let’s look at the 3 phases of C & R.   Catching and Playing the fish A good C & R starts with the catching the fish. Use proper equipment for the job. It may look cool and might earn you more bragging rights if you catch a huge fish on flimsy line. The prolonged fight might cause the fish to tire beyond recovery. Fish caught and fought to exhaustion will not live to fight another day. Use also barbless hooks, barbless hooks may be hard to come by in this part of the world, but we can all make do. Just use a strong pair of pliers and crimped the barb. This makes unhooking the fish easier and most of the time, the fish doesn’t need to leave the water. Barbless hooks also make cause less damage to the fish’s delicate mouth and won’t tear the mouth when it is removed. Use heavier tippet. Fish may have good eyesight and some fish are line shy, but if you use fluorocarbon lines, it is practically invisible in the water. Using heavier tippet will give you the confidence to land the fish quicker. A tired fish may take longer to recover and while it is resting, it may be attacked by other predators.   Landing the fish Landing the fish is the most harmful part of the process for the fish. It is quite common to see the fish being pulled onto the grass, rock and even the sandy bank. This will rub off the slime coating on the fish. This slime protects the fish from infections and diseases. Also, wet your hands before you hold the fish. A dry hand is more likely to remove this layer of slime. Put the fish on a wet towel or a mat. Use a landing net if the fish is still very green or is too large to be handled by hand. Use a large rubber net as the string nets have knots which can hurt the fish. As much as possible keep the net in the water and remove the hook. If you need to lift the fish out of the water, use on hand to hold its tail and the other to support its belly. Have a firm grip to ensure that the fish doesn’t fall when it struggles. A fall to the rocks can be fatal to the fish. Remember a fish can’t breathe out of the water. Imagine holding your breath the entire duration you have the fish out of the water.   Releasing the fish When holding the fish, do not squeeze it. The fish depends on water buoyancy to support its weight. When it is out of the water, the internal organ will be compressed by its own weight. It makes sense to keep the fish in the water. Remove the hook quickly by reversing the direction of the hook entry. If the fish is hooked deep in the throat, cut the line as close to the hook as possible. The hook will fall out on its own. If your fish is too exhausted, revive the fish by allowing the water to gently flow over over its gill. Position the head of the fish in the direction of the flowing water. When the fish tries to swim away, just release your grip and let it swim on its own. This might take a few seconds to a few minutes.   Photographing your catch It is understandable that you will want to photograph your prize catch. Choose the fish that you want to photograph. If will be silly to photograph every single fish that you catch. The best way to photograph your fish is to leave your fish in the net and get your camera ready. Set the timer and lift the fish out of the water only when you are ready to shot. Tis makes for a more dramatic photo that one of a fish drying out in the sun. Have a shot of you releasing a fish. This will make it more meaningful

Catching to RELEASE?

Fishing Tips and Info, , ,

Why do people go fly fishing? Is it for the joy and pride of telling the world what a skilled fisherman they are? Or is it to be out in nature, enjoying the beauty of nature either alone or in the company of close friends? Whatever the reasons, it makes sense to practice catch and release. Catch and what? Catch and release. The act of catching the fish, unhooking it and then gently releasing it back to its natural habitat. Isn’t it counter productive to release a fish that you have tried so hard to catch? Why release when you wanted to catch in the first place? For a start, Catch & Release ensures that the fish numbers don’t get depleted and there is always a chance for others or maybe even yourself to enjoy catching the same fish time and time again. A live fish in the water is worth much more than one on the dinner table. C & R also allows the fish to maintain its number and reproduce to ensure the sustainability of the species. Time and time again, we have heard of rivers, lakes and even parts of the seas being depleted of fish. This is bad news for fishermen and anglers, but there is also a hidden side not many are aware of. The balance of the ecosystem will be negatively affected too. Every species in the ecosystem has a role to play, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. The world is about balance and nothing upsets this balance when a secondary and tertiary consumer is removed from the food web. Fish biologist will tell you that the longer the fish live and the bigger they grow, they will have more time to collect pollutants, toxins and harmful chemicals from their surroundings. A big fish may look good for the table, but we may unsuspectingly be poisoning ourselves. When we release the bigger fish, we are releasing mature fish that are ready to spawn and ensure the continuation of the fish that we love to catch. It also makes economic sense to practice C & R. Anglers spend good money to travel to fishing location. Imagine the amount of money spent on gear, transport, accommodation… If the area is depleted of fish, it will no longer attract angles and the local economy will be affected. All of the above have been said and discussed many times over. Some might argue that C & R is is cruel and cause unnecessary suffering to the fish. And some say that it is not right for us to cause harm to our fellow creatures. My take on this is; before we truly understand the beauty of nature, we will not have a personal agenda to save it. I have been fishing for many years and have gone through the various stages of fishing; catching and bringing home everything to selective C & R and now to mostly C & R. As a casting instructor, I actively promote fly fishing and I see this as a great platform to educate anglers on the importance to practice conservation and preservation of our nature. A small price to be paid for the bigger good to the environment. Education is the tool that we must have to start creating change.      

Fly Fishing vs Normal Fishing

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Let’s start with the similarities. Both are effective ways of catching fish. If the intention is to catch fish, why is there a need to use different methods to do the same thing? My opinion on this is; how much fun do you want in the process of catching fish?   Equipment Normal fishing requires the use of a spinning rod, reel, fishing line (either monofilament or braided line), hooks, sinker, bait or lure. Fly fishing uses a fly rod, reel, backing, fly line, tippet, leader and flies.   Presentation Normal fishing depends on the heavy lure or sinker as a weight to be cast out towards the fish. Fly fishing uses the fly line as the weight to cast the light fly out towards the fish.   Cost It takes very little to start fishing and for normal fishing, anywhere below RM 150 can get you a decent set up. On the other hand, fly fishing equipment tend to be a little pricier. You can get a fly fishing combo for around RM 600.   Effectiveness in catching fish Both are effective ways of catching fish and certain skills are required to master both methods of fishing. The learning curve for fly fishing is undeniably steeper but the satisfaction is much more compared to normal fishing.   Final thoughts Normal fishing with bait or lures are more result oriented and at times can out fish fly fishing. However, fly fishing is considered by many as the purist’s way of catching fish. The core idea is to challenge the fly fisher to be a better angler. It allows you to be more observant of your surroundings as the flies are imitation of the natural diet the fish consume. You become a learning angler and pay attention to your surrounding, enjoying nature as it is intended to be. To understand nature is the first step to loving nature and it will go a long way in the conservation and preservation of our fragile environment.