Put ’em Back Alive!

The Case for Better Catch and Release Methods


By Danny Suggs


Next time you’re on the water, watch a group of anglers, especially the youngsters. Notice their natural impulse when they bring in a fish. They’ll reel it in, hold it aloft, smile and laugh, then almost automatically, toss it back.

That’s amazing when you consider that just 20 to 25 years ago, the concept of “letting them go” at best raised eyebrows, and at worst, prompted a good tongue lashing. Catch and release has come a long way.

I love catch and release. Not being a big fish eater myself, the fun of fishing for me is in the catching, plus there’s the satisfaction in knowing that someone else can tussle with my releases another day.

With added fishing pressure hitting the water every year, lake associations, the general angling public, fisheries departments, and the tournament community all are demanding more respect for conserving our fisheries.

Study conclusions vary dramatically over how many fish die as a result of poor handling and release, but clearly, it’s an area receiving more attention.

As a pro angler, I believe tournaments have done an awesome job of showing the public how to catch fish, but we tournament guys could probably do a better job at demonstrating the best way to release fish.

Even though I’m exclusively a catch and release guy, my live well often contains fish. There are some legitimate reasons for placing fish in a livewell, even if you don’t intend to keep them.

For example, when I find a hot little honey hole, I’ll sometimes place the first couple fish I catch into the live well to avoid educating other fish. No, fish can’t talk, but they somehow communicate that my wacky rig is dangerous.

Think I’m crazy? Watch your electronics next time you’re on a nice school. You’ll catch a couple fish, throw ’em back, then the bite will stop. Yet you’re still marking fish!
That’s happened to you, hasn’t it? Next time, place the first couple in the live well, and see if you can extend that bite. Trust me, it will.

Of course, tournament anglers often keep fish temporarily in their live wells during events. These fish ultimately will be released, but we owe it to our sport, and the fish, to release them as healthful as possible.

Enter the Oxygenator, from Aqua Innovations. This revolutionary piece of equipment helps ensure that fish leaving your live well return to the lake in tip-top condition.

When you haul a bucket mouth, or any species, out of the water, he’s exhausted. Who wouldn’t be after being dragged out of their home by their mouth?

Though I’m confident enough in my handling of fish that the fish survive release, I figure I’ll boost its odds by placing them in a live well containing the Oxygenator. Lake and river water typically ranges about 21 percent dissolved oxygen. With the Oxygenator, your live well can contain between 80 and 98 percent oxygen, regardless of temperature.

The device accomplishes that feat through its remarkable design, which splits the water molecule into its two basic components — hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen harmlessly dissipates into the air, while the nanobubbles of oxygen saturate the surrounding water in your live well.
With that kind of oxygen available, fish revive from their angling struggle in mere seconds. Fish a spot, place a couple of eager biters in your Oxygenator-containing live well, and before you head out, release them. You’ll be amazed at how fresh and lively those fish return to the water.

It works at keeping your live bait healthy, too. Just drop your entire minnow bucket into the live well, and your minnows will benefit from that surplus oxygen. No more dead minnows after 60 minutes on the water, in any weather.

Now let’s talk proper release methods. I hate those TV fishing shows where the host flings the bass, walleye, or whatever back into the water 30 feet from the boat. Belly flops hurt fish, too.

Handle your fish delicately. Instead of throwing them into the water, kneel down and gentle lower them into the water and release.
Bass are a little more resilient than walleyes, but still deserve a little TLC. For instance, when lipping bass, especially big ones, support that belly underneath. When you lip a bigger fish, it places a lot of stress on the jaw.

You know the other basic rules. Keep your hands wet to help protect the slime layer on that fish when you’re handling them. And get them back into the water or your live well as quickly as possible.

I’ll leave you with one final tip. If your game plan begins with working fish in the warm shallows, say bass in the slop, stop first in the deeper, colder main lake water to fill your live well. Then put the live well into recirculate mode when fishing those warmer shallows.

That colder water will retain oxygen better, so — combined with the Aqua Innovations Oxygenator — it ensures a constant environment of cold, well-oxygenated live well water, even when you’re fishing over a warm water area.

That means fish in tip-top shape when you release ’em, and more aggressive bass for your next outing!