River pike release

Last week up by some random dam I witnessed a nice pike get landed on lite gear. It was a longer fight with no net but these guys were Pike fishing with sucker minnows. After a sloppy hand land of about a 40inch fish the 1guy throws it in the floor of the boat. It didn’t seem they had the right equipment ie. needlenose, jaw spreader,or cutters. After some time they finally BOTH PASSED THE FISH AROUND FOR PICTURES .

But then the worst part was in the strong current the release did not go so well…..and this fish did not live to see another day. I did not want to tell the guy how to do it or intrude on his fish but he did not release it right.

The proper method on releasing pike in current is to get them out of the current as much as possible. This is on the downside of the boat where it is more protected. And also you don’t want to rush water into their gills or they can drown. Put their face into the current and just hold them still and upright until they gain strength.

I am not hating at all….just educating for future reference. With proper gear,release tools,and the right method these fish have better chance to swim another day.

i must admit that i’m not experienced at needing to take pictures of hte fish i’ve caught. tell me more, i.e. how long can the fish be out of water, what’s the best way to hold it, etc.

you are able to hold the fish out of the water for about 1-2mins. approximately. I am not an expert just trying to give tips on release techniques.

the proper way to hold a large fish like this is to support the weight with both hands and NOT to hang it vertical by one hand.

Hope these tips help when it comes time to release your trophy fish

1-2 min is a crazy long time for a fish to be out of water after a intense battle try to keep it to 30-45seconds and unhook the fish in the water in your net not the bottom of the boat.
On really big fish the vertical hold is terrible putting all the fishes weight on theyre jaw and in extream instances when a fish shakes tearing it’s gills and causing damage to it’s vertebrae.

Thanks for the input Tim…..i knew 1min. could even be too long. When I unhook a fish that is always the number1 thing on my mind of getting her back into the water and being as efficient as possible with the photo session.

What Tim Said! ^^

…and this applies to all big fish.

The ski guy I went out with (notice guy is not plural) held the fish in the net over the side of the boat and in the water until the hooks were taken out and we were ready for two photos.

Flatheads can be held out of the water a bit longer, but I’ve learned (the hard way)that a walleye 5 lb and over need to be handled gently and quickly. I’m guessing ski’s are the same.

Just as important as the proper handling of a fish is the release as A. J. mentioned.
Keep the fish faced into the current and try to stay away from a strong current. Do not release until the fish is ready to go, you will know when a big fish is revived. For me this is the fun part, when a fish is ready to get the heck out of there, you will most likely be getting wet

I have found the bigger the fish the more time you will spend holding on hanging over the boat. Make sure you get into a comfortable position so you don’t rush the release. While the fish is in the water is the time to admire the finned critter.

Good post

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i must admit that i’m not experienced at needing to take pictures of hte fish i’ve caught. tell me more, i.e. how long can the fish be out of water, what’s the best way to hold it, etc.

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Stu, your going to find different right ways to do this, I’ve found moving the fish slowly forward in a no current situation and even slower back helps get water over the gills, versus the just holding them still.

I also would rather net the fish and do my unhooking out of the water, I’ve seen to many fish hurt by the net webbing and I think I have more control over the fish in the boat.
Personal choice.

I’ll wet the carpet down and have my measuring stick and camera ready, a little forethought goes a long ways in trying to be as gentle as possible and getting the fish back into the water asap.

I also have all the northern/musky lure hooks with the barbs bent down, safer for people and easier on the fish.

I also agree with what some have said, lifting a big fish up using just the gill plate shows poor fish handling skills imho.

Different ways to do it, find the way that works best for you….and the fish.

Al

Great post! There is nothing more frustrating to me then watching guy’s fishing from shore get into a nice fish and then they drag them up over rocks, and into a pile of sand where they proceed to take about 5 minutes of pictures, then lob it back out about 5 feet from shore to watch it float bck up in the banana position…

When watching some of the “experts” do it, time-wise they try to keep the fish out of the water only as long as you can hold your own breath. I carry a cradle in my boat to use after I get the fish unhooked. I feel I can keep the fish in the appropriate position until I am ready to release it.

Mark