In a different post you mentioned that you release all the fish you catch nowadays. That’s cool. I release most of the fish I catch, but keep a few for food sometimes.
Anyway, I’m wondering are panfish are among the fish you release? The reason I’m asking is because you might have a better technique than mine. If so, I’d like to try it.
What I do is I dunk my hand into the water just before grabbing the fish. This on the belief that my wet hand will strip off less of the fish’s protective slime. Then as fast as possible I unhook the fish and lower it back into the water.
Panfish are so energetic that I’ve never tried grabbing the hook with forceps while the fish is still thrashing in the water next to my canoe. I sometimes carry a landing net, but I’ve wondered if the netting actually strips off more of a fish’s slime than a hand grip does.
What’s your thinking on this?
My deal is, I like to release all dinky fish AND all the really big ones. But not release them to suffer a lingering death by infection. Maybe panfish aren’t as susceptible to skin infections as the smooth-skinned fish like trout, but I wonder.
I saw a picture of a fly that was tied on the back half of a long shank hook. The author stated that this fly made it easier to release bluegill and that the bare front half of the hook did not seem to spook the fish. I have tied up a few gill flies using this approach and will give it a try when the weather permits. I flattened the barb and on a couple of them I wrapped the front of the hook with silver tinsel. You might want to give it a try.
I don’t catch pan fish very often but they are good sport and may go for them more often in the future. Like you I just dip my hand in water and then grab them to remove the hook. I suspect that large scaled fish are less prone to skin desease but i have no scientific evidence to back this up. Hopefully someone else will have a better idea on how best to remove panfish from your hook.
Panman: I’m not a tyer, and don’t plan on becoming one for a while yet. (I have probably 200 store-bought files I need to lose first!)
jsmartt: A few weeks ago I mentioned to Ladyfisher that evaporation from wet skin was making my hands painfully cold when fly fishing in wintertime. She suggested I try wearing latex surgical gloves.
Interesting idea. And the more I think about it, surgical gloves do have a totally smooth surface, plus that thin latex layer would keep the grippy fingerprint area from touching the fish. Maybe if I wear a surgical glove on just the left hand (my fish-grabbing hand) it would protect those pannies from slime loss.
My only complaint with non-breathing gloves is that after about 10 minutes you pull 'em off and your hands smell like the Russian Army marched over them barefoot.
Joe - I’m not sure of the Russian Army Foot Smell thing [I’ve never actually SMELLED a Russian Army Foot ] but with a non breath glove hands will sweat [I’m sorta assuming that’s the Russian Foot thing] and WILL get cold - very cold. I’ve not tried latex gloves but I have tried to wear neoprene gloves in 20d and under weather. Best thing I found was to dry your hands at once and carry the “chemical handwarmer things” that they make for deer hunting or ice fishing. Keep in a pocket that you can reach with your hands and remember that it’s the chemical reaction to oxygen that makes the heat ie. - they must have access to air. One of my layers is always fleece and that’s where I keep them. However, I have found that the best way to keep your hands warm in those temps is to stay inside!
Well, I think what Ladyfisher was telling me is that wearing surgical gloves will not make my hands feel warm during winter fishing. BUT…surgical gloves might keep my hands from getting as cold as they do when the skin itself gets wet (due to evaporative cooling).
Of course, when the surgical gloves are wet on the outside then evaporative cooling will happen there just like it does on bare skin. The question then becomes how much of that evaporative cooling transmits through the glove to your skin?
And I’m certain you’re right: hands continue to sweat inside non-breathing gloves even in winter temperatures. But if that perspiration is not evaporating and the fluid accumulates until there’s a thin layer between the glove and the (warmer) skin, perhaps surgical gloves begin functioning like a “sheer wet suit” and you get a certain insulating benefit? I need to try it and see.
Hi, Joe. I do three things with an eye toward the fish’s survival: smash the barb, get my hands wet first, and use a net with a finer mesh that is supposed to be better for the fish.
Yeah, I should get one of those fine-mesh landing nets, too. The net I have now works good; I use it primarily to land keeper crappies and other larger type fish. But it does have the larger gap weave. I need to upgrade.
Almost all my flies have hooks with micro-barbs. I’m sure many of yours do, too. Do you also mash down micro-barbs?
If we are releasing we go “barbless” and use a hook made of heavy electrical wire. The wire hook is used to slide down the tippet to the hook. Lifting the fish hook will invert it and the fish drops off…untouched.
…lee s.
We do pinch down all barbs - including the micro-barbs. When we purchase flies which are barbed those are smashed down - even 'tho they may be legal in some places.
All of the salmon fishing here is mandated a single, barbless hook.
Well Okay, thanks everybody; I’ll do some adapting of my methods and equipment.
The more I think about it, with a fragile paper-mouth fish like the crappie I doubt I’ll lose any more fish using barbless hooks than I’ve already lost using barbed and micro-barbed hooks.
] but with a non breath glove hands will sweat [I’m sorta assuming that’s the Russian Foot thing] and WILL get cold - very cold. I’ve not tried latex gloves but I have tried to wear neoprene gloves in 20d and under weather. Best thing I found was to dry your hands at once and carry the “chemical handwarmer things” that they make for deer hunting or ice fishing. Keep in a pocket that you can reach with your hands and remember that it’s the chemical reaction to oxygen that makes the heat ie. - they must have access to air. One of my layers is always fleece and that’s where I keep them. However, I have found that the best way to keep your hands warm in those temps is to stay inside!