Why Catch and Release Deserves Your Full Attention

Every fish you return to a UK river, stream or lake carries a responsibility with it. Angling is a privilege, and the health of our fisheries depends on how we handle the fish we catch. A barbel that swims away strongly after a careful release will feed and spawn again. A fish that has been squeezed, dropped on gravel or held out of the water for a gallery of photographs may swim off apparently fine, only to die hours later from stress, infection or internal damage. The difference between the two outcomes is almost always in your hands — quite literally.

The good news is that safe catch and release is not complicated. It relies on a handful of habits that quickly become second nature: wet hands, a suitable net, proper support, and keeping the fish out of the water for as short a time as possible.

Prepare Before You Cast

The most important part of releasing fish well happens before a fish is even hooked. Get your kit ready so that when a fish is on, you are not scrabbling around for a disgorger or trying to untangle a net.

• Landing net: Use a large, knotless mesh net, ideally with a soft, fine mesh. Coarse knotless mesh is far kinder to scales, fins and the protective slime layer than old-fashioned knotted nylon. For bigger species, a net with a deep, wide spread makes landing quicker and calmer.
• Unhooking tools: Carry forceps, a disgorger and a pair of fine scissors for cutting hooks if needed. A small hook file is useful if you are crushing barbs in the field.
• Unhooking mat or cradle: For larger fish such as carp, barbel or pike, a padded mat or a weigh sling used as a cradle protects the fish from hard banks, gravel and stones.
• Wet your hands: Always wet your hands before touching a fish. Dry hands strip the slime layer that protects against infection, and they also remove the natural mucus that helps a fish slip through water efficiently.
• Consider barbless or micro-barbed hooks: These are easier to remove quickly and cause less tissue damage, particularly in the mouths of species like chub, roach and trout.

Playing and Landing Fish Sensibly

A fish that is played hard and long builds up lactic acid and exhausts itself. In warm summer water, when oxygen levels are lower, this can be fatal. Use tackle that is balanced to the species you are targeting — heavy enough to land a fish reasonably quickly, but not so heavy that you tear hooks out or damage mouths.

When a fish is ready for the net, keep it in the water. Slide the net under the fish and lift smoothly rather than chasing it around the margins. For larger fish, keep the net in the water and let the fish rest in the mesh while you prepare to unhook it. Never lift a big fish by the line or by a net handle alone — the weight of a barbel or carp out of water can damage internal organs and the jaw.

Handling and Unhooking Without Damage

Once the fish is under control, keep it wet and supported. Work over the water or over an unhooking mat, never over bare gravel or concrete.

• Small fish: Hold gently around the body with wet hands, or cradle the fish in the palm of one hand with the belly supported. Do not grip tightly.
• Larger fish: Support the belly with one hand and hold the wrist of the tail with the other. Keep the fish horizontal — never hold a heavy fish vertically by the jaw or gill cover.
• Pike and other toothy species: Use a proper pike cradle or mat, and support the fish behind the head and under the belly. Never put fingers in the gills or eye sockets.
• Unhooking: Back the hook out the way it went in. If it is deep, use a disgorger or forceps rather than pulling. If a hook cannot be removed safely, cut the line as close to the hook as possible. A hook left in place will often work its way out, and the fish has a better chance than if you tear at its throat.
• Time out of water: Keep it short. Fifteen to twenty seconds is plenty for a quick photograph if you must take one. Have the camera ready before you lift the fish.

Recovery and Release

How you put a fish back matters as much as how you handled it. Never simply toss a fish back into the water. Hold it gently in the water, upright and facing into the current if you are on a river. Support it under the belly and let it breathe and regain its balance. If the fish is exhausted, it may need a minute or two of gentle support before it kicks away strongly.

In stillwaters, move the fish gently backwards and forwards in the water to pass water over the gills — but do not force it. When the fish is ready, it will swim off on its own. If it turns belly-up, continue to support it until it recovers. Do not release a fish that is clearly unable to right itself.

Conditions, Aftercare and a Quick Checklist

Water temperature and oxygen levels drive how much stress a fish can take. In heatwaves, when river flows are low and stillwater margins are warm, fish are at their most vulnerable. Fish early in the morning, avoid keeping fish out of the water for photographs, and consider giving the fish a longer recovery period. In very hot conditions, it is often kinder to stop fishing altogether.

Before every session, run through this simple routine:

• Net and mat ready, wet hands, unhooking tools within reach.
• Play fish quickly; land them calmly.
• Keep them in the water, support them properly, handle them as little as possible.
• Unhook carefully or cut the line if in doubt.
• Hold them upright in the water until they swim away strongly.

Do these things consistently and you will return fish that are fit to fight another day. That is good for the fish, good for the fishery, and good for the future of angling on our rivers, streams and lakes.