If you want to make sure that the fish you release back into the water remains unharmed, there are a few things to be mindful of. According to Mike Able, owner of Haddrell’s Point Tackle & Supply, and also a member of the State Board, Executive Board and Chairman of the Government Relation for the Coastal Conservation Association, the most important thing is to get the fish back into the water as soon as possible.  

“A fish can’t hold its breath any longer than you can,” he said.  

So if the time it takes you to snap some photos and share the fish with your boat buddies takes longer than you could hold your breath, odds aren’t very good that the fish is going to survive.

Able said he encourages fisherman not to pull the fish out of the water at all. Any time a fish is removed from the water there is a risk that the protective slime the fish is coated in will be wiped off. Landing nets pose similar risks, as the fish are likely to damage their delicate eyes while wriggling around to free themselves.  Try using a device called a “Boga Grip” (available at most tackle/bait shops) designed to hold the fish’s lip while the fish is still in the water. Then use a de-hooker and carefully remove the hook from the fish’s mouth.  Able recommends fishing with a circle-type hook, which decreases the odds that a fish will swallow the hook and end up with it lodged somewhere in its stomach. Otherwise, break the barb off of a standard “J” type hook for less damaging catch and release.

Line that is too weak will cause a fisherman to have to “play” the fish until it is too tired to continue fighting and allows itself to be pulled in. Able said this is “like trying to kill an elephant with a BB gun.” You can do it, but it isn’t pretty. Ensuring that the proper test is used means the fish can be brought in more quickly– this way the fish is not  exhausted, increasing the likelihood that it will make a full recovery.  

A fish that has been brought in after a long fight may require the fisherman to revive the fish before releasing it. Able recommends gently cradling the fish under its belly and moving the fish slowly back and forth in the water to increase oxygen circulation in the fish’s gills.

If the fish is so large that this technique is impractical, have one fisherman hold the fish alongside the boat while another motors the boat along slowly in the water. This will achieve the same thing.

Often, a fisherman finds himself casting into a fishing hole and reeling out the same size fish over and over again.  This is because fish travel in schools and the school is often of similar size.  If you find yourself fishing one of these schools and the fish you're pulling out of that hole are outside of the legal limitations for that species, Able recommends making sure that all of your catch and release gear is on hand so that the fish can be released back into the water as safely and quickly as possible.

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