Catch and Release Done Right: Handling Fish for a Healthy Return

Catch and release only works if the fish survives the release. A fish that swims away looking fine can still die hours later from poor handling. None of this is hard — it's a handful of habits that take seconds and make all the difference, whether you fish UK stillwaters or US lakes.

Before you even cast

• Pinch the barb or use barbless hooks — far easier on the fish and on you.
• Have your tools ready: forceps or pliers, an unhooking mat for bigger fish, and a landing net with soft, knotless mesh.
• Don't fish so light that you have to play fish to total exhaustion to land them.

Handling, in seconds

1. Wet your hands first — dry hands strip the protective slime that guards fish against infection.
2. Keep the fish over a mat or the water, never on dry ground or hard concrete.
3. Unhook quickly with forceps. If it's hooked deep, cut the line close rather than digging around.
4. If you want a photo, have the camera ready first, hold the fish low and horizontal, and keep it out of water no longer than you can hold your own breath.

The release

Hold the fish upright in the water, facing into any current, and let it recover until it kicks away under its own power. Don't just drop it in. A few extra seconds of support dramatically improves survival.

A fast photo is also your record: snap it in CastLog, get the species and an estimated weight and length from the picture alone — no scales, no keepnet, less time out of the water.