Tip of the Day: Wear a Glove When Releasing Fish

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February 06, 2009

Tip of the Day: Wear a Glove When Releasing Fish

By Jerome B. Robinson

Slip on a cotton glove before handling fish you want to release. The glove lets you grip the fish without having to squeeze it, avoiding damage to its vital organs. Inexpensive cotton gloves available in gardening shops and hardware stores are sufficient. Wrapping your hand in a cotton handkerchief also works in a pinch. Always wet your glove or handkerchief before handling your catch to avoid removing the fish's protective coat of slime. --Jerome B. Robinson

Comments (8)

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from dwaynez wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

Very Good Tip, I practice catch and release most of the time, except for a mess of catfish for a fishfry, I will give this a try from now on.

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from Charley wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

Why release a fish if you don't do it right? Not releasing a fish correctly just voids the reason for releasing it.

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from TheEasternShore... wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

for bass you don't have to because you can grip their mouth but it doesn't hurt.

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from Sportsman Matt wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

If you can, check out On The Water Magazine this month, there is an article about the "fish handlers" disease, and the cause and solutions to it.

I used to handle the fish until a fellow fisherman caught a flesh eating bacteria from handling some fish he caught over the weekend, and ended up dying in the hospital a month later because of it. After hearing that, I use lip grippers for toothy fish, and if I have to handle them, a set of handling gloves are used.

Sounds wimpy, probably, but when I'm still alive to fish another day versus having parts of the body removed due to a bacterial disease, I'll take the wimpy anyday.

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from peter wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

good tip

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from pumakitchen wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

Good tip, bet that glove gets stinky after a while.

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from Jim in Mo wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

When trout fishing I always wear a glove on my left hand, those little devils are slippery!

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from kolbster wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

i always use a cotton towel.

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from Charley wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

Why release a fish if you don't do it right? Not releasing a fish correctly just voids the reason for releasing it.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Sportsman Matt wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

If you can, check out On The Water Magazine this month, there is an article about the "fish handlers" disease, and the cause and solutions to it.

Sounds wimpy, probably, but when I'm still alive to fish another day versus having parts of the body removed due to a bacterial disease, I'll take the wimpy anyday.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from peter wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

good tip

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from kolbster wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

i always use a cotton towel.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from dwaynez wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

Very Good Tip, I practice catch and release most of the time, except for a mess of catfish for a fishfry, I will give this a try from now on.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from TheEasternShore... wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

for bass you don't have to because you can grip their mouth but it doesn't hurt.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from pumakitchen wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

Good tip, bet that glove gets stinky after a while.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Jim in Mo wrote 3 years 15 weeks ago

When trout fishing I always wear a glove on my left hand, those little devils are slippery!

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

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