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Releasing salmon


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We have released them during the summer when they're still in their temp range. Once they start staging and move out of temp it is our opinion that the fight takes whatever they had left out of them and they won't make it.

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18 minutes ago, hookedupf7 said:

Have any of you guys had luck releasing after catching. I tried last fall and only had a couple take. Any hints? I like to release most fish I catch

A lot of guys are using a Boga Grip on a rope and dragging them behind the boat until they are ready. 

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I troll kings till they are 5 minutes from running up the creek  . I release almost all of them . They all ,with the exception of a very few, swim away . A lot of them strong . 

I fish a small boat and on the release I clear my other rod first , put the boat in neutral , and reel the fish in . I try to take the hook out while they are still in the water in the net . Or use my net to hook the other treble points  and rip the hook out  while we the fish is in the water 

 

If you drag them around behind  the boat for 1/2 an hour and keep them in the boat to unhook them , then the chances of them making it are slim . 

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95% of mine get released. Maybe 3-4-5 haven't swam back. Always strive for a fast unhook, pic, release. Bleeders go right in the box. Green fish get torpedo'd face first, non floppers get the bogo grip off the transom till they start splashing around.


After I lost the first floater that i searched for after pulling 6 lines, I started the bogo grip off the transom. It's such a waste when that happens and I'm not in the business of feeding the gulls.

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The key to releasing these fish is get the hooks out quickly and get them back in the water. Once back in the water, give them the opportunity to revive themselves for as long as they need before releasing them from the boat. If you need a picture take it after they are revived instead of before to eliminate that extra stress on them. I use my bog grip to handle them and get the hooks out. I have a rope , lanyard and Fish Grip set up on both sides of my boat. I then use the Fish Grip, release my Boga (too expensive to loose) and get them immediately in the water on the side of my boat out of the way. I can then get back to fishing quickly (the priority because I have active fish) without hanging over the side trying to revive the fish. When the fish is swimming good and fishing activity allows, it gets released.

 

For all of the time and money we spend with Pen Rearing to improve our Fishing, successfully releasing a fish (that has made it to become a catchable fish) is the single largest thing any of us can do to support the Fishery.  

 

Here is a short video from my boat last August on staging kings.

 

Edited by salmonella
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I've been using a Boga for years but when the surface temp is warm during the summer it still doesn't work all that well

 

I'm going to try a SeaQualizer Release this year to release them at 50-100 foot deep depending on temp:

http://seaqualizer.com/products/the-standard-seaqualizer-50-100-150ft.html#product-reviews

 

I'll hook it to my 4th rigger and slowly drop them back down.  Hopefully the colder water will help revive them quicker.

 

 

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