I have been fortunate to have caught musky, pike, sharks and
barracuda. It’s rare to keep this type of fish for table fare. There are ways
to release fish without hurting them or yourself. I speak from experience when
I tell you that without a doubt these fish have one thing in common, they want
to hurt you bad! They have a very
aggressive attitude about being hooked and coming into the boat. You have to
forgive them for having such a bad attitude because that’s precisely why we
like to catch them so much. Fish, especially predators do not like to be drug
around by a hook caught in their mouth and they absolutely intend to fight back
in any way they can. They would truly love an opportunity chew up your hand or
shove a treble hook into you. So here lies the conundrum, how to get this crazy
critter off the hook without injuring it and keeping yourself from needing a
trip to the emergency room.
Respect the fish, especially their big gnarly teeth, but
don’t fear them. Danger zones on fish
vary but if you avoid the head and tips of the fins you’ll be ok. Fish are in a
weakened state right after you catch them. Predator fish really fight hard so
its best let them rest for a couple of minutes before removal from the water. If
you bring fish into the boat too soon they’ll still be oxygen starved. They
must to be revived for a few minutes before bringing them in. If you do it
wrong, some could die, especially the older ones. While they’re recovering is
the best time to remove the hooks, more about this later in the article. Get
familiar with techniques for reviving and releasing fish. There are “how to”
videos and books available on the internet. In a nutshell, to get oxygen they
have to have water moving across their gill plates. A good policy is if you
don’t need to bring fish into the boat, then don’t. For instance, if you
already have pictures of similar fish or aren’t interested in the exact length,
don’t take it out of the water at all. Release them outside the boat whenever
possible. The less you handle them the happier you’ll both be.
There are several ways to unhook the big one but it depends
on the situation. I have been fishing on a couple of occasions when we weren’t
expecting to catch any big fish and only brought a small net. Well, sure enough
that’s when I caught a great big predator. Then what do you do? Try this, bring
them in the normal swimming position, parallel and close to the side of the
boat. Don’t let them touch the boat or they’ll go tearing off again. Reach in
from behind the eyes of the fish, sort of sneak up behind it. From above the
top side of the fish. Thumb on one side and all the other fingers on the other
side of the fish and grab it just behind where the gills end. Don’t hesitate
you just gotta go for it. As soon as you get a hold of the top of it reach
under the belly with your other hand and lift. If all goes well you will have a
good grip and be ready to bring it into the boat. Once you lift it in the boat
most of time you can release the hand underneath it. You’re going to need that
hand free to get the hook out.
A couple of helpful tools for handling and controlling fish are jaw spreaders
and game grabbers. Open it in or attach one to the fish’s mouth before lifting it
into the boat. These tools make great handles. Using tools makes the job easier
and hurts the fish less in the long run.
Be careful not to drop the fish in the boat. If that
happens, all sorts of mayhem will ensue. It’s going to go flopping all over the
place, causing all kinds of trouble. If you’re not careful this might be the occasion
with the trip to the ER.
For fish you don’t or can’t bring it into the boat, just
lift the head up a little and take out the hooks. If you’re using a leader you
may not need to grab the fish at all. Control the fish with the leader and use
the other hand to get the hooks out. When I say the other hand I mean to use a
hook remover of some sort, not your fingers. I’ve watched many people, even
professional fisherman, try to get hooks out with just their fingers. As my
grandpa would say, “What, are ya’, stupid?”
There are all sorts of hook removing tools available. Needle
nose pliers, forceps and hook disgorgers are most common. None of them are
particularly expensive, five to ten dollars will get what you need. Even a
small stick with a V cut in the end will work.
The big picture here is that the less time spent releasing,
the less chance there will be of hurting the fish and yourself.
