17 replies to this topic

[w_ boughner]

You May Be Killing Steelhead And Not Even Know It
31 COMMENTS / POSTED ON NOVEMBER 18, 2013 / BY LOUIS CAHILL


Photo by Louis Cahill

STEELHEADERS ARE GENERALLY PRETTY SERIOUS ABOUT CATCH-AND-RELEASE, BUT IT’S LIKELY THAT MANY ARE MORTALLY WOUNDING FISH WITHOUT EVER KNOWING IT.

There are few species of fish as vulnerable as wild steelhead. These fish are beset on all sides by threats both natural and man-made. With their numbers dwindling, it’s safe to say, every steelhead counts. It’s vital that those of us who fish for them practice the best catch-and-release practices.

However, common landing practices can kill fish without the angler ever knowing. A team of biologists studying steelhead in British Columbia discovered this problem, quite by accident. These scientists were tagging steelhead with GPS trackers. They determined that the least intrusive way to capture the fish was, well, the same way we do it. With a fly rod. They landed the fish, tagged them with the GPS device and released them. When they went to their computer to track the fish’s progress they discovered something alarming.

Within two hours many of the fish they had tagged, and released in good health, were dead. They collected the fish and performed autopsies to determine what had gone wrong. In every case the cause of death was head trauma. It turns out that ‘steelhead’ is a misnomer. The fish’s head is, in fact, its most vulnerable spot.

When landing the fish the researchers had played them into shallow water where they would be easy to tail. As the fish came into the shallows they were on longer, fully submerged. Without the resistance of the water surrounding them, their powerful thrashing was able to generate momentum that is not possible underwater. The flopping fish simply hit their heads on a rock.

The fish appeared fine when released, but their injured brains began to swell and soon they were dead. It makes perfect sense if you think about it. Fish have evolved in an environment where hitting their head on anything with enough force to cause damage is almost impossible. Their brains lack the natural protection enjoyed by terrestrial species.

Luckily, this unfortunate outcome is easily avoided. The angler has a couple of good options. Landing fish by hand in knee deep water is a little tougher but much safer for the fish. You can grab the leader to control the fish long enough to tail it. After a fish or two it will feel very natural. When possible, it’s best to use a good catch-and-release net. This is safest for the fish and easiest for the angler. A net helps you seal the deal while the fish is still fresh and requires little reviving.

Always control your fish once he’s landed. Keep his gills wet and support his head in case he makes a sudden attempt to escape. Keeping him, dorsal fin up, will keep his range of motion side-to-side, making it harder for him to injure himself. When possible keep him in deeper water. Never beach a fish when landing him and never lay him on the bank for a photo. It’s just not worth it.

Wild steelhead are a precious resource. Those of us who come to the river looking for them must lead by example and do our best to to be good stewards of these remarkable fish. Their future is, literally in our hands.

Come fish with us in the Bahamas!

Louis Cahill
Gink & Gasoline
www.ginkandgasoline.com
hookups@ginkandgasoline.com

Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!

Share this:
Facebook1K+
Twitter26
Print
Pinterest
Email

[IR4J]

Good read for most people on the forum, take care of our resource

[AKnook]

Gink and Gasoline is a great blog to read.  A great read during those "rare" work days.  

[BackwoodsBassr]

Great post. I know I never stop learning when it comes to CnR; there's always a way to improve our handling practices.

I think that boat anglers could learn from the above as well as waders. While it may not always be practical to keep the fish in the water while releasing it from a boat, keeping a net handy eliminates the risk of a fish slipping out of your grip and flopping around the deck.

I know many on this forum are against the use of landing nets and I mean no disrespect towards their opinion but I personally have found that a good rubber net let's me land fish quicker and more carefully.

[gnat]

That's a great read and good pointers. Thanks for posting that wb. The last thing I want to do is unknowingly harm the fish I've just caught.

[FISHCHRIS]

thanks for sharing wb some good info and tips as mentioned above.

[hammercarp]

Hmm I put this very same article in a post in the Steelhead and Salmon section a few days ago. http://www.ontariofi...3084-fyi-on-cr/ . The response was a little different to say the least.Two posts were actually deleted. 

[troutddicted]

There is something wrong here?  Researchers need to brush up on their handling skills?  Are the westcoast steelhead broheims more fragile than our freshwater bows here and more susceptible to die because of mishandling?  AKNook - can you chime in about how fragile the west coasters are?  Do you typically see many dead steelhead ( even outside of spawning time ) lining the banks in your area?

[JustOneMoreTime]

The BC Steelhead are way more resilient than they have portrayed.

 

Not to knock the "moral" of the article, but making the fish out like they were "wimps" - incapable of anything but the most "Perfect" of Catch & Release is total BS!

 

Consider this:

 

the "tribs" are cold water, more pollution free than Ontario tribs,  and have less pressure from fisherman.

So ...  how would it be possible for the westcoast fish to be that fragile?

 

IT"S NOT!

 

TOTAL BS on this ARTICLE (not the poster)

[AKnook]

I haven't personally seen any dead steelhead lining banks when I fished for them in Yakutat.  The Situk river holds AK's largest run of steelhead and gets fished pretty hard for them.  These fish take a beating going up river and I think they are hardy.  Same as salmon.  I have seen fish with bite marks on them where a HUGE chunk of the head is missing and they still made it to spawn.  Now I am not saying that some fish do not die if not properly handled but I think they can handle being handled properly, not dropped on rocks or anything but handled for a quick photo and released without trauma.  I fish a lot for resident rainbows and have caught the same fish numerouse times.  If not beat up on the rocks they will be fine.  I use a net for rainbows (the rubber net) and think it is excellent because you can control the fish in deeper water and not have them flop around in the shallows on the rocks.  I remove the hook, hoist for a quick photo and the fish is released.  Again, I haven't seen any resident rainbows lining banks dead.  The Kenai comes to mind for rainbows....it gets fished HARD in the fall.  The fish do fine if taken care of.

[Jan]

BS or not the future lies with in our hands and anything to improve the chances of survival for our beloved finned friends is welcome by me

[AKnook]

My big thing is keeping the fish in the water.  Keep it in the net to remove the hook, a quick photo and thats it.  It really bums me out seeing people drag rainbows/steelhead on the gravel, grass etc.  That is not proper C&R at all.  If you are keeping it and you are within the regs then fine.  But please refrain from that practice if your intentions is to release the fish. 

[ChasinTails]

My big thing is keeping the fish in the water.  Keep it in the net to remove the hook, a quick photo and thats it.  It really bums me out seeing people drag rainbows/steelhead on the gravel, grass etc.  That is not proper C&R at all.  If you are keeping it and you are within the regs then fine.  But please refrain from that practice if your intentions is to release the fish. 

what gets me is when guys use 4lb line take an hour to bring the fish in, keep it out for as long for pics and random garbage then toss it back 

[w_ boughner]

I use 4 when it's low and crystal clear and I'm keeping my catch but I up it for c&r

[troutddicted]

However, common landing practices can kill fish without the angler ever knowing. A team of biologists studying steelhead in British Columbia discovered this problem, quite by accident. These scientists were tagging steelhead with GPS trackers. They determined that the least intrusive way to capture the fish was, well, the same way we do it. With a fly rod. They landed the fish, tagged them with the GPS device and released them. When they went to their computer to track the fish’s progress they discovered something alarming.
 

Sorry doctor but tagging steelhead with GPS tracking devices isn't a common landing practice.  What they discovered is how not to install GPS tracking devices on steelhead.  Practice safe C&R, safe GPS installation on steelhead and protect yourself by wearing a glove

[salmotrutta]

The flopping fish simply hit their heads on a rock.

 

One does not simply allow steelhead to hit their heads on a rock and expect them to survive. 

[GoodenTight]

Hey - good on them for coming out with a positive message. but that was a BS read. I read what you did D. I think what they learned was how to not fire GPS tags into the fish. All I could think about was this:

 

 

This article read as though steelhead are more valuable than our children.

[Shmogley]

 

steelhead are more valuable than our children.

 

Sounds about right