Fish Handling

Berryessie · Senior Member

Fish Handling

Nohackle2 · Veteran Member

According to a Gary Lafontaine video, if you cup your hand (which prevents touching the fish's lateral line) while holding a fish, the fish will lay there without flopping around. When I have remembered to do this, it does work.

Skol Bandit · Senior Member

There's no scientific evidence that wetting your hands actually accomplishes anything, fyi.

Rossflyguy · Senior Member

I'd suspect if you're picking the fish up out of the river your hands are gonna get wet.

Berryessie · Senior Member

I've seen hand prints and finger marks on fish that have been previously handled by dry hands.

mudhen · Senior Member

Sorry Skol, but it is a well known fact that handling a fish with dry hands removes some of the protective slime from their bodies and increases the chance of fungal, bacterial, or parasitic infection. PERIOD.

Skol Bandit · Senior Member

I recently read an article about fish handling. I can't seem to locate it now. But, they had spoken with a fish biologist who said there is no evidence to support the theory that dry hands hurts the fish more than wet hands - and that it is the handling in general that can be potentially bad. Obviously, I can't imagine wet hands is worse, but it is most likely myth that wet hands is the "cure" to the problems. I think the best practice is to limit your handling, keep the fish wet, and release the fish quickly.

Skol Bandit · Senior Member

"1. Your hands must be wet when you handle a fish. This is one of the first things a trout angler learns, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t believe it. But how do we know this to be true? I put the question to Prof. Gary Grossman—distinguished research professor of animal ecology at the University of Georgia and author of the “Ask Dr. Trout” column in American Angler magazine—and his response blew me away:

"Conceptually, the idea is that dry hands dislodge the protective slime coating on the skin of trout and make it easier for infections to grow and penetrate the skin. Nonetheless, there is little scientific evidence that dry hands alone cause dislodgment of protective slime. It is clear that handling itself, regardless of how damp your hands are, is the major cause of stress for fish."
"

www.orvis.com/news/fly-fishing/repost-why-so-much-criticism-of-grip-and-grin-photos/

mudhen · Senior Member

It's not a "cure", but as they say in my business , it's "best practices".

Skol Bandit · Senior Member

Agreed that it is potentially a "better practice." However, the "best practice" is not to handle or limit the handling of the fish. So, to believe that handling with wet hands is "best practice" is just furthering the idea that it is ok to handle the fish as long as your hands are wet. The reality is that handling the fish with wet hands is still potentially harmful and should still be avoided if possible.

Berryessie · Senior Member

Hmm, there doesn't seem to be scientific evidence that's supports it either way. Maybe it hasn't been studied enough to provide evidence. I doubt that there has been a study to show peeing into the wind is a bad idea too.

Skol Bandit · Senior Member

Actually, I have done a study on that...

mudhen · Senior Member

So how'd that work out for you?