“Keep ‘Em Wet!”

Wendy Brainard, Rod & Gun Club Communications

With the great fishing and fishing tournaments in full gear, comes a reminder for best practices. Sailfish, Tarpon, Bonefish and Permit need to stay wet so they can survive after being released. In the photo below, Rod and Gun board member Jack Salisbury shows the proper release of a Permit caught here in our waters.

Catch and Release only works if the fish are spared from coming out of the water. Sailfish, a favorite sport fish, should never come out of the water for a photo! Bonefish and Tarpon Trust have the following recommendations for catch and release.

Best practices include:

• Always use barbless hooks.
• When fishing with bait, use circle hooks.
• Minimize handling all fish; slime and scales can be easily damaged and removed with excessive handling, thereby greatly increasing risks of infection.
• If a bonefish loses equilibrium after you land it, revive it until it can swim upright, then shorten the fight time on future fish.

More on proper catch and release can be found at bonefishtarpontrust.org.