Handling Stripers to Release

[Gerry Zagorski]

Had a friend who saw my report and made a good suggestion about putting something up about how to properly handle Stripers so they can be safely released. Perfect timing since we have the new regs with a very narrow slot and the water has warmed up and these fish don't revive as well as they do in colder spring months.

First off use single not treble hooks on lures whenever possible since they are much easier get out of the fish.. You can do this easily by taking the treble off the split ring threading a single hook back on it.

Use metal hooks since they will eventually dissolve in the fish if you happen to gut hook one... Just cut your line and leave it in the fish.

Most importantly, once landed you want to get this fish back in ASAP. Get it in, snap of few pictures and send it back... You'll know as soon as you put the fish back in the water if its ready to be released because one swish of those big broom stick tails and it will be on it's way..

In the event that the fish does not swim away and lays on it's side, you'll need to revive it.. A few ways to do this. Get it back in the net, put your boat in gear with the net over the side and fish pointed into the current let the water run into the fishes mouth and past it gills...If that doesn't work, the next step is wash down pump therapy.. Turn on your wash down pump and while in the net stick the hose down the fishes mouth.

This particular method worked for us a while back... I caught a 40 and since it was my personal best and this was back in the day when I wasn't so conservation minded, I thought I might keep it. After some coaxing from my buddy Bill, I decided to release her but she was out of the water for too long and was not doing well... Got her in the net and over the side but she still was not coming around. A quick phone call to Frank and he suggested sticking the wash down hose down her. After 5 mins of wash down pump therapy she came right back and swam away..

Thanks for the suggestion Lenny. Those of us who fished back in the 80s when these fish were practically absent, suffered through the rebuilding and understand we have a finite resource. It needs to be protected and respected and carefully releasing the big female breeders is the best way to do your part.

Wooooooooooooooh fish on!