Daryl Bauer, Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
Looks like we are going to get a brief reprieve from our mid-summer heat wave. However, we still have a week of July and all of August ahead of us. Water temps. are near their peak right now and are going to stay that way for at least another month.
Have often blogged about mid-summer fish handling. It is time for another reminder.
I would not even think about targeting northern pike and muskies right now in hardly any Nebraska waters. Those coolwater fish may be stressed during the peak of summer in many waters and any additional stress will likely put them over the edge.
Wipers, especially large wipers, are also coolwater fish. In addition, when hooked wipers fight hard, all the time. They may literally fight themselves to exhaustion, and subsequently death, during the heat of summer. Use discretion as there may be some waters and situations where catching and releasing wipers can be done right now. There are a lot of others where I would wait until September. If you choose to pursue wipers during the heat of summer, make sure you tackle up so you can quickly land them.
Likewise, depending on the water, water temperature and situation, trout can be very susceptible to perish if caught and released during summer heat. Fortunately, some of our year-around trout waters have relatively cold water temps. even during the summer. Again use discretion when and how you pursue coldwater trout during the heat of summer.
When releasing fish right now, you have to be at the top of your fish-handling game. Any unnecessary handling and a released fish might be toast. Simply put, with every fish you hook, fight and land, the clock is ticking. The longer it ticks the more likely the fish will perish. Land every fish as quickly as possible, handle them as little as possible, and get them back in the water from which they came as soon as possible.
Seconds count. Have all landing and hook removal tools at hand for immediate use. There is no time to fumble around looking for pliers or the camera.
Keep the fish in the water! One of the best ways to handle them would be to put them in a large landing net and leave the net in the water. Do not flop them on the ground or in the bottom of the boat!
Lastly, let me say this: I am all about catch and release, especially catch and release of large fish of all species. Pretty near all the fish I catch are released. However, if you want to harvest some fish now for a meal of fresh fish, you still owe it to the fish, and yourselves, to handle them in the best way possible. They will flat out taste better if you do.
If you are harvesting any fish, especially during the summer, the very best way to handle them would be to put ’em on ice! Stringers are a joke. Livewells might be a little better, but even then I would tell you that putting a fish on ice would be best.