Holding a Fish Correctly

Yes, it's been almost 2 months when I posted last. I've had very little adventures in the past few months but with spring around the corner, I did do some kayaking and fishing! Now that I'm back in blogging mode, I decided to start out with a post on how to hold fish! This is overlooked. A lot. It's really sad, actually. So, let's look at how to hold a fish the wrong way.

 The picture on the left shows the fish being held improperly because there is no support on the front or back part of spine. The fish is also being squeezed. Not good! Don't be stupid and squeeze a fish no matter how small. That small fish will grow up!






The picture below shows yet another improper way of holding a fish! Ugh....By the gills! Imagine you were being held by your neck. That's it. All your body weight was being held by your neck vertebrae. OUCH! Yes, that's how the fish feels. Uncool! It also hurts the fish's gills themselves which is what they use to breathe. Duh. : )

 

 Another common misconception is that a fish, more specifically, a bass, can be held by it's lower jaw. Yes, it can be done but it could potentially break the fish's jaw. Not fun!

Here we see a man holding the smallmouth by its lower jaw. Don't do this please. That bass may have been fine but it may have bruised the fish and could potentially have problems with its jaw for the rest of its life. The far right picture is of crappie. The picture displayed on the far right shows a professional fisherman holding up
some nice crappie. Now, I found this picture on a professional website that is known for it's great fishing articles, tournament info, and fishing tips and tricks and yet this guy didn't get the memo to NOT follow those tips. Hmm...

We've viewed several examples of bad fish handling. Let's look at some good ones! Below is an excellent shot of a gorgeous brookie. And, yes, he's holding it correctly as he let it sit in the net first, then briefly took it out of the net for a shot, and I imagine, let it go with no harm done. Look at the net closely and you can see it is a rubber net. That's what you want to use all the time. The nylon nets are VERY hard on the fish. Throw that kind of net away. They keep the slime of the fish on the netting and that slime keeps the fish alive! It's a protective barrier for the fish just like our skin!

 Here's a great picture of how to hold a toothy fish. This picture was entitled how to hold a muskie correctly. I think it speaks for itself.

There you have it folks! I hope you've learned a lot from this post. It's good to get a refresher course on the subject from time to time. Check out these wonderful articles on the same subject! Like really....you should.

How to Break a Fish's Jaw Quickly

Please Hold Fish Properly!

TIGHT LINES EVERYONE!