What am I gonna do now??

Hey there fellows!

I'm sure all of you have had much fun in planning and going out on trips! That sheer thrill of that bite on the end of your line. When you fight him, and yank him out, and finally.. There it is in all its glory! A fish on shore, gloriously hooked up by you! Now as you stand there with that fish flopping on the floor... you realize.... What next?? What am I gonna do now??

This is what this entry is all about!
I know that feel.. I'm squeamish when handling my fish at times.. sometimes i really wish that i didn't have to deal with it... so scary....

But here, now and today.. WE are gonna teach you how to unhook your fish!

Couple of equipment that you should have that will help you.
Long nose pliers, Gloves, Rag.

So first of all, we need to understand that the fish already is under alot of stress from being hooked up, and we should release it ASAP. All of this in the name of Sustainable Fishing.
So when practicing Catch & Release {CnR} we need to do it quickly, without causing extra harm onto the fish.. Releasing a dead fish back into the water isn't really helping.

The easiest way to handle a fish, is to wear gloves or have a rag on hand. Wet it, (i'll explain why below) and put firm steady pressure on its body, minding the fins on top and the fins on the side. Often times they are sharp! After getting a firm hold on it, (it helps calm the fish and not let it jump too much) use your pliers to handle the hook!

Ok so why wet your gloves? That slime on its body? It protects the body, and can be easily removed when handling it with dry hands/pavement... So use wet gloves/rag to  1) prevents the slime from coming off all over your hands. 2) protects the fish!
Super tip here, holding onto a fish with gloves/rags makes you feel less weirded out by the fish! Making unhooking a more comfortable experience for you and the fish!

When you bring up the fish, there are 3 scenarios of where the hook will be.
1] Foul Hook. I.e. hooked anyway along/around the body. This is easy to remove, just grabbing hold of the fish and use your hand/pliers to pluck the hook off!
2] Mouth Hook. I.e. hooked on the mouth, in the corner of its mouth, or anywhere around the mouth/lips. This signifys a good hook set, and its the most ideal scenario for any fisherman. Simply reverse the hook out the way it went in, minimising any damage done to its lips. If not it cannot eat properly! 

"Grasp the hook by the stem and, while holding the fish in the water, twist and pull gently, backing the hook out the way it came in. Don't ever wiggle the hook or pull with too much force"

3] Gut Hook. I.e. the hook is lodged deep in the body. Hooking onto the stomach, gills, or basically too deep to take out easily. This is potentially bad news for the fish, and if you really cannot take it out easily, don't! forcing the hook out can easily puncture any organs or rip lining. All of which are bad news for the fish! Luckily theres an  easy solution that nature has provided! Simply cut your line as close as possible to the fish, and let that baby go! Its stomach acid [nature's solution] will dissolve the hook enough for it to spit it out!

"If the fish is gut-hooked or the hook is too deep into the throat, it's best to cut the hook as close to the body as possible and leave it in there. Many times the hook will simply dissolve and get spit out."

Now that you're done taking the hook out, don't just throw the fish back into the water! Often the fish is dog tired, and needs a little help getting some oxygen circulating within its body. To do so, hold on to the fish's mouth and push it back and forth in the water. This is to run water into its body so that it can take in oxygen from the water! After it gains some energy push it along and watch it swim gracefully out of your hands!

And thats it! Hopfully this explains the easiest less gross way of handling a fish out of water, and some of the tips you need to use when trying to release the fish!

Cheers and Fish On!
Ghetto Fisherman Ong

Ghetto Pro tip #13: Bring along a rag! Wipe your hands and handle fish!