Tag Archives: Fish handling

I noted a week ago that the fish are biting, now.  The reports I am hearing and photos I am seeing have exploded in the past week.  May and June are some of the best open-water fishing months every year.  We are in the middle of that NOW! Have noticed some other things about all of those photos and reports, so I am going to blog about it again:  Best fish handling practices. Now, don’t you dare tune me out …

Seems like mid-summer most years I end up posting a blog about catch & release and proper fish handling.  Going to do it again. . . . First of all, to those of you who think you can ignore this because you “catch all you can, and can all you catch”.  BALONEY.  Either by regulation or by personal choice, you WILL BE releasing at least some fish.  When you do that, you might as well do it right or else …

By Jerry Kane Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Whether you intend to release a fish you catch or you plan to legally keep it, the fish should be handled properly. For the fish’s sake – and yours. Any caught fish that you do not intend to keep should be returned to the water immediately with as little stress to the fish as possible. That means minimal handling of the fish. One thing can make handling fish challenging: Fish are slimy, …

Have not blogged about this for a while.  I usually “stir” a few folks when I do.  I grin maniacally when that happens; it means some have had to stop and think for a minute. It is mid-summer, it is hot, time to do it again. . . blog about catch & release and proper fish handling. Now, understand where I come from on this subject.  I AM ALWAYS GOING TO COME DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE FISH, THE …

My buddy Greg Wagner blogged last week about taking good deer photos after a successful deer hunt.  That got me thinking:  Most of Greg’s tips are excellent for taking good fish photos too! You know the shots I am talking about, the “hero” shots.  You caught a big fish and want a good picture of it.  Many of us have albums full of such photos.  So, take the time to read Greg’s blog, and then you know I have another …

Water temperatures are at or near their peak in many Nebraska waters right now, and they are going to stay that way for the next several weeks.  That means your fish handling skills have to be at their best right now–a released fish does no one any good if it perishes.  I have blogged extensively about fish handling and catch & release in the past; the July 2018 NEBRASKAland uses some of that material and is a nice reminder! My …

Some days I am not sure what to blog about.  Some days I have something in mind. . . . Then my phone starts ringing; the internet starts “chattering”.  A couple of things have been hot topics at my desk this morning. . . . Know the Regs!!!!! I can think of at least one news release we published already this open-water season reminding anglers to know the fishing regulations.  I can also tell you that not a day goes …

I have been hearing some “chatter” in a variety of places about the handling of black bass, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, especially concerning the way they are held.  I want to chime in with some comments: First of all, black bass conveniently have relatively large mouths, large enough that an angler can grip those fish by the bottom lip.  Yes, they have teeth, but those teeth are nothing more than very rough abrasive paper.  You know the grip I …

You would think as long as I have been ice-fishing, some lessons would have been learned a long time ago.  Yes, that should be true, but sometimes I am a little dense.  How many fish have you lost at the hole?  If you have been on the ice for awhile, I am betting more than one. It happened to me already this ice season; hooked a nice largemouth bass, I am guessing 18-inches plus, spent some time playing it, finally got …

I am a huge fan of selective harvest and catch & release fishing.  Of course releasing a fish does no good if that fish does not survive.  So, one “soap box” I often crawl up on is the one about proper fish handling. One debate when it comes to proper handling of released fish, is what chances a deeply-hooked fish has to survive.  Now, I do not have the publication on this research that is being done on Northern Pike …