How To Handle & Safely Release Trout In South Africa So They Survive!
Trout are well know for not doing very well after
a fight on fly tackle. The larger Trout in South Africa are especially
difficult to release... A lot of anglers who practice the art of
Fly Fishing prefer to release their prized Trout, especially the
larger species. However not many anglers know how to release these Trout
properly, although they have an idea. This page will show you and tell
you exactly how to handle and safely revive and release South African
Trout.
First
of all it is important to fight the fish properly on fly tackle,
read more here. Once the fight is over then the difficult part
starts.
Landing Trout
When
you are getting ready to land a Trout it is important to have a net if
you are planning on releasing the fish. Guide the trout into the open
net while it is in the water, rather than scooping it up or trying to
net it, this minimises any damage to the fish and also minimises the
chance of the leader snapping or the Trout shaking the fly.
Handling Trout
Once
the Trout is in the net, wet your hands thoroughly and try not to touch
the fish. I, however, like to get a photo of the fish so I wet my hands
and hold it gently underneath, supporting its wait but not squeezing it
to hard, just hard enough to ensure the fish does not jump out of my
hands. I normally will hold the fish a few centimeters above the water
in case it does slip out. Remove the hook, not by force, but by pulling
the hook out the exact direction it went in. Barbless hooks are a lot
easier to remove and more Trout friendly.
Reviving & Releasing Trout
There
is a lot of confusion about this, but many people revive Trout in the
wrong way, by pulling it back and forth through the water, yes this does
supply oxygen to the gills but will often drown the fish as the water
goes into the gills, so it might swim off strongly but the chances are
that it might 'drown'
a
bit later on. The best way to revive a Trout is to place it in the water
and gently rub both your fingers down the side of the fish over its
gills. This gets the gills moving and allows the fish to get oxygen,
they swim off strongly after this. Make sure the Trout pushes its way
out of your hands, often they move
off
slowly and then end up upside down.
