Fishing class reels in success, tips for catch and release

The community fishing class went well. Thanks to all who participated. I appreciate the positive feedback, especially the texts and emails from those that are catching more fish! The class would not have been possible without the help of the Daniel Island Inshore Fishing Club and Providence Church. I appreciate their thoughtfulness and support. 

While reading the texts and emails, it occurred to me that I should have covered fish release best practices in the class. This is particularly important now that more people are consistently catching fish. Here are a couple things you can do to decrease released fish mortality. 

Fish with barbless hooks. I use my needle-nose pliers to smash down the hook barbs on my lures. This makes it much easier to release a fish. A barbless hook also limits damage to a fish’s mouth. The hook just pops right out. In my experience, fishing with a barbless hook does not significantly impact my catch numbers. If you keep the line tight when fighting the fish, they rarely get away. 

If at all possible, keep fish you intend to release in the water. When using barbless hooks, releasing fish is quick and easy. A slight push towards the bend of the hook released the fish nearly every time. This is good for the fish. It is also good for the angler because it saves time so they can catch more fish. 

I hope these tips help. Please give them a try. You will be pleasantly surprised with the results. 

Now that warm weather is upon us, our rivers and creeks are becoming more crowded. To avoid the crowds, Brody (the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog) and I fish early in the morning or late in the afternoon. This aligns with the low-light fish feeding periods, and we typically have the water all to ourselves. 

Brody says to bring bug spray. The fish are not the only things that are biting.