Catch-and-release tips

Last weekend, a friend told me about a nice trout he caught in an area lake the previous evening. He said the fish was about 16 inches long, and despite his best efforts to bring the trout to the boat quickly, the feisty rainbow jumped and dove and tugged hard against the rod.

The water was August-warm, and my friend knew it was important to net the fish quickly if it were to survive when released. After he carefully removed the hook, he held the fish upright in the water and wiggled it gently hoping the trout would regain strength.

When he felt the trout had regained enough balance to swim away, he let go and the trout spiraled to the bottom of the lake, resting upside down. So my friend took off his shirt, jumped out of the boat and swam down to retrieve the fish. The fish was dead, so he took it home and ate it.

Releasing a fish certainly doesn't ensure its survival "to fight again," in the words of legendary angler Lee Wulff. Here's three tips for effectively releasing trout:

• Don't exhaust the trout. Some authorities cite lactic acid build-up in fish muscles for reduced survival after release, and other sources discount the idea. Regardless, if you intend to release a fish, don't "fight ‘em fair" to exhaustion. Retrieve the fish as quickly as possible.

• Try not to touch the fish. Steer the fish into a knot-less net and remove the hook with forceps. Or slip an unhooking tool, like a Ketchum Release, down the line to remove the hook. If you don't have a landing net, try to steer the fish onto soft wet grass. If the hook is deep in the throat, cut the line close to the hook and take the chance the hook will corrode.

• Believe the fish will survive before releasing it. Never dump a fish from a net; let it swim away. Never release a bleeding fish. The fish may stop bleeding in the net. If bleeding continues, bonk it and keep it, if legal. Holding the fish upright, facing into current if in a river, may hasten recovery.

Photographing fish is a topic for a future column.