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| Far prettier than a grip n' grin. |
Saturday, January 17, 2015
How to Handle FIsh in the Winter
Fish, particularly trout, are very delicate beings. It is generally a good idea to handle them with care no matter when you catch them, but winter is a particularly important time to exercise care. It is not the time of year to be wetting your hands, so if possible keep the fish in the water. If you are going to photograph it, it's far more aesthetic that way anyway. Now you may have read my post yesterday, and saw the photo of a small Native Brooky in my hand, and you may be thinking "HYPOCRITE!". This little jewel had popped off my hook just after setting, and you may know that when this happens with a small fish it goes flying. This one landed on the ice shelf in front of me and I quickly grabbed him. Next to me was a little enclosed pool and I set him in there to grab my camera. This guy was out of the water for no more than five seconds. When the temperature is bellow freeing exposure to air is a fish killer, more so than the summer because ice crystal will form rapidly on the fishes body and that is obviously no bueno.
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Great post because many do not handle brook trout correctly, and it's a big problem. Wetting you hand, keeping the trout in the water as long as possible, and not putting them on the ground are all basic safety methods that many anglers do not practice. Fishing with barbless hooks doesn't hurt either. As you already know, these practices are essential to reducing stress on fish especially during the summer and spawn when they are already highly stressed. Keep up the good work!
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