by Washington’s Anglers, January 02, 2015

Wild fish handling - ITS A HUGE DEAL! Probably the most important thing an angler needs to know.

Wild steelhead being held out of the water.....It is illegal in Washington State.... Here's why- Dr. Bruce Tufts is a professor of biology at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He has studied the physiological effects of catch and release fishing since the late 1980’s. The findings from his research have helped shape catch and release regulations throughout North America.

According to Tufts, factors such as time out of water and length of fight combine to determine a released fish’s chance of survival. In his study, “Physiological Effect of Brief Air Exposure in Exhaustively Exercised Rainbow Trout: Implications for “Catch and Release” Fisheries”, Tufts studied the effect of time out of water periods of zero, 30 and 60 seconds for rainbow trout after exhaustive exercise. In 57-degree water, after 12 hours of recovery time, the control group-- fish that were held in captivity but not exercised--experienced no mortality. The group not exposed to air immediately after exercise experienced 12% mortality. The group exposed to air for 30 seconds after exercise experienced 38% mortality, and the group exposed to air for 60 seconds after exercise experience 72% mortality. 7 out of 10 trout died after 12 hours when exposed to air for 60 seconds.
Tufts concluded, “…the brief period of air exposure which occurs in many “catch and release” fisheries is a significant additional stress which may ultimately influence whether a released fish survives”. According to Tufts’ study, any exposure to air significantly decreases a salmon, trout, or steelhead’s chance for survival. Keep them in the water.

How to handle & release WILD STEELHEAD

Any fish intended for release. Sport fishermen are the last hurdle in the gauntlet for wild steelhead. For that reason it's our duty to be stewards to their environment & their well-being. For every 10 fish caught & released in the best conditions 2 die. Bottom line no matter what we do fish will die.

Here's how we can make a positive impact!

First off steelhead are notorious for swallowing baits. If you are fishing an area where wild fish are present but not being sought after, make sure you fish artificial gear. Yarn ,Corkies, jigs, spinners & spoons , rubber worms etc.. Steelhead are good biters and will respond to these methods just as well if not better than eggs or shrimp etc. lots of fish are killed by being hooked too deep.

Netting Fish

Many would say that banking fish or "tailing" a fish are some of the safest methods for landing wild fish. It's my opinion that fish are more likely to smack rocks or fight longer than necessary. I would say the safest way to land wild fish is to use a high quality knot less net. Typically fish can be landed "green" rather than fully exhausted and for that reason have increased survivability.

Keeping fish in the water… I'm not going to sit here and tell you I don't have a few pictures floating around with me hoisting wild fish out of the water. I can tell you this, I used to think it was ok, what's the worry it's just a few seconds ... My opinion on this changed when a good friend presented me with DATA.

Fish that were held out of water showed decreased survivability. If you truly care why wouldn't you take every precaution to help the fish survive the encounter? If you fish wild steelhead or catch one leave it in the water - period.

Targeting streams for meat or sport.

If you want some fish for the BBQ there are plenty of spots to go get your meat! There are lots of opportunity for hatchery steelhead in Washington. Many of those streams hold populations of wild steelhead. Keep these methods in mind even though they aren't your target species. If the sport aspect suits your fancy here's a couple things to keep in mind.

Limit your catch, if you catch one ... That's good enough for the day.
Don't fish spawning water and harass fish that have made it back home.
Fishing late in the season almost guarantees the catch of spawning fish or post spawn fish. Knowing the facts behind run times & where the fish will spawn makes all the difference in the world.

We don't want to lose the opportunity to catch these amazing fish, let's make a change here!

In closing here are a few things you can do to help them swim away strong.

If possible land them quickly; a tired fish is more likely to die than a strong fresh fish. Once landed move quickly, have pliers handy, get the hooks out. Have a camera ready & hold the fish in the water get your shot, hold the fish up stream to the current, DO NOT flush fish back and forth. Make sure the fish is good and ready before you let go. The fish will let you know when it's time.

Make fish handling your top priority. Every type fish is very important to their environment treat every fish intended for release like it's the last one you'll ever catch... It just could be!

ALWAYS RELEASE WILD STEELHEAD!

With the few fish we have left it's our duty to not diminish our populations.

Tight lines & good luck! Be safe out there!

Used with permission of Stephan Pittman , Washington’s Anglers. Visit them on Facebook.