Save a Lake Trout for the Future

Have you ever struggled to unhook a small trout and then watched him lie exhausted or swim feebly away? Perhaps you wondered if he would make it and live to strike and fight another day or, even better, another year when he was bigger and stronger- a more worthy antagonist against whom to pit your skill. If you have you may have wished there had been a better way to turn him loose unharmed. Or, if you have developed a skill for unhooking as well as hooking fish, you may have enjoyed a feeling of satisfaction as he darted away to safety and a longer life.

As people become increasingly aware of the natural environment and develop a feeling for maintaining its quality and the quality of one of its most enjoyable byproducts, trout fishing, the question is asked more and more often, "How can I release a fish without hurting him?" Well, there is no perfect answer to this question, but with a little thought and effort on your part you can do a lot.

The Conservationist provides this guide for the care of sub-legal lake trout. Fewer sub-legal lake trout will be killed if certain catch and release procedures are followed. Please be advised that a lack of understanding or failure to implement these procedures may result in an increased kill. If possible, talk to other sportsmen who have utilized these procedures successfully. Many sportsmen catch a substantial number of sub-legal trout, but very few are killed due to excellent catch and release techniques.

(These tips by Paul Kelsey with illustrations by Martin Pfeiffer, generally apply to both summer and winter angling)

Sportsman's Tip #1
Trout are hard to return uninjured to the water and will be a problem just as long as these fish take a lure. Part of this problem may not be with the fish as much as it is with the method by which they are released.

Being brought up from the depths of a lake can be a traumatic experience to a fish. As any swimmer who has gone 10 or a dozen feet below the surface knows, even at that depth one can feel the change in pressure in the ears. During summer trout stay in the deep cold water and may be brought up from 60 to 100 feet. Pressure increases about 15 pounds every 33 feet as you descend in water. A fish that is brought up from 100 feet experiences changes from about 60 pounds pressure to 15 pounds pressure causing its swim bladder to expand greatly.

Change in temperature is another problem. Though not as serious as the change in pressure, temperature change can be a real shock, particularly during the warmer summer months. Anyone who has helped stock fish knows that every attempt is made to keep the water the fish are carried in as close as possible to the temperature of the water in which they are to be stocked.

The first step in releasing a small fish so it will have a good chance of survival is to take your time when you are hauling it up from the depths. If you suspect that it may be too small, give it plenty of time to adjust, to throw the hook on its own and not become too exhausted.

Sportsman's Tip #2
Once your fish is in the boat or on the ice, removal of the hook is important. Most trout hooked on natural bait can survive when hooked and released. Even deeply hooked fish have an excellent chance of survival when the angler clips the leader, rather than attempting to dislodge the hook. The mortality associated with unhooking bait-caught trout is severe when fish are deeply hooked. To decrease the risk of mortality for deeply hooked fish, cut your line near the mouth of the fish. If your fish is caught on a lure, a pair of needlenose pliers will permit you to grasp the hook and remove it much better than any other dehooking tool available.

Sportsman's Tip #3
Before the fish is returned to the water it should be "burped", especially if the fish was caught while fishing in deep water. In salmonids there is an opening between the swim bladder and the esophagus, which makes it possible to expel the air, which bloats the swim bladder. Hold the fish on its side and rub it firmly from vent to head until some of the air is expelled. You can actually hear it come out. Be careful not to grasp the fish near the head or gills. One can do a lot of damage to a fish if grasped firmly in this area where vital organs are located.

Sportsman's Tip #4
Finally, don't release the fish too gently, but vigorously thrust it, head first into the water. The initial plunge downward usually stimulates the trout so that it swims quickly down and out of sight. It has a long way to go to get down to its normal habitat, so give it a good start.