Tips for Unhooking Fish During Catch and Release

Drawing on over 15 years of sales experience, Phillip Kwilose joined Five Star Home Improvement as a general manager in 2014. There, he is responsible for growing sales numbers and managing the department. When he’s not occupied by his work at Five Star Home Improvement, Phillip Kwilose enjoys golfing and fishing.

Those who enjoy fishing may prefer to engage in catch and release, especially if the angler thinks of the practice as a past time. Recreational catch and release ensure the fish stocks are preserved for the future; however, many anglers have a poor fish handling technique, which leads to fish deaths following the release.

Unhooking must be done quickly but very carefully to not rip the fish and cause trauma. If the hook rips the cheek’s flesh or inside the mouth, bleeding and infection from the hook are likely to occur.

If the hook is deeply impaled on the fish’s mouth, its survival rates are higher if the line or leader is cut off and the hook is left inside before release. Even though the hooks corrode, especially in salt water, the fish has a better chance to live than by removing it.

Moreover, anglers must prevent hooking themselves or being cut by the fish’s teeth, gill covers, and fin spines during the process of unhooking. A tip to avoid that is always to carry a hook removal tool and jaw spreaders, which may also help the fish to survive in more laborious unhooking events.