How to be Fish-Friendly: Tips and Tricks for Responsible Recreational Fishing

For many, casting a line out on a calm lake sounds like the perfect way to spend a late summer’s evening. Avid anglers are no strangers to waking at the crack of dawn to hop in a boat with a rod and tackle box in hand (and maybe a morning coffee too!). Despite the early mornings,  there is no doubt that recreational fishing can be an extremely relaxing, enjoyable and oftentimes addicting hobby – it is so easy to get lost in time and think about nothing else in the moment aside from that next bite! However, to enjoy recreational fishing to its fullest and ensure that it is enjoyed by those after us, it is important to think about how to fish responsibly. This is particularly important during Ontario’s Family Fishing Week (occurring June 29th to July 7th this year) since many newcomers to the hobby will be participating without having to own a fishing license. Indeed, there is no better time than now to learn about how to become a more fish-friendly (and environmentally friendly) angler! Here are just a few tips and tricks to help:

1. Read up on the regulations

Of course, the first step is to familiarize ourselves with the rules. Keep in mind that you may not need a fishing license during Family Fishing Week, but you still need to follow the Conservation fishing license limits. You can find information regarding the use of live bait, catch limits, size restrictions, and open seasons for different species of fish within your area or zone (there are 20 in total) on the Ontario Fishing Regulations website. Pay close attention to which specific water body you will be fishing on because there may be exceptions for that lake. It is also a good idea to think about what you will be fishing for prior to heading out onto the lake, keeping in mind the target species, catch limit for that species, size limits, time of year, and any exceptions. If playing for keeps, aim to keep smaller or damaged fish while leaving the larger, healthier ones to spawn and allow the population to grow. Even if you are just planning to catch and release, becoming familiar with the rules beforehand will ensure you are making the correct decisions in a quick manner to not only be compliant with the regulations, but also the most considerate of the fish’s life. 

   2.   Be gentle

Fish may be strong and powerful when you feel them fighting back on your line, but they are actually relatively fragile creatures outside of the water and thus need to be handled with considerable care. 

Some general tips to help you be more gentle when handling fish include: 

• Lower the fish gently into the water instead of tossing it – this may shock or hurt it
• Use rubber coated or knot-less nets and damp hands to handle fish – they are gentler on fish scales and their protective slime
• Avoid placing fish on dry or rough surfaces – a fish flopping around on a surface like this can damage their skin and scales
• Avoid holding fish by their gill plates – the gills are delicate and prone to hemorrhaging and infection; they should be treated as vital internal organs since fish would not be able to live without them! 
• Use barbless hooks if catching and releasing – these hooks can be released easier and do less damage to the fish
• Minimize the fight time for the fish (which can produce fatal amounts of lactic acid within the fish’s body) – ensure your drag is not set too loose so you do not let out excess line 
• Pay close attention to avoid feeding the line to a fish once it is biting (i.e. set the hook early) – this will often avoid gut-hooking a fish which can be very difficult and damaging to remove 
• Use circle hooks – they avoid gut-hooking and also tend to prevent snags (bonus!)
• Use a dehooking tool to remove embedded hooks – they are often fairly effective and do much less damage to the fish
• Minimize the time out of water – even just one minute spent out of water can decrease the fish’s chance of survival by 6x, so it is best to have all your equipment and action plan ready
• Properly prepare for photos by making sure you are situated, ready and comfortable, and try to avoid taking photos if you are uncomfortable handling a fish (some fish have very sharp fins that may prick and cut you!) 

It is also extremely important to remember that just because a fish is released (and swims away) does not mean that it will survive. In fact, only 11.5% of deeply hooked fish will survive upon release once the hook has been removed, and two-thirds of deeply hooked fish will survive if the hook has not been removed (Casselman, 2005). This is because removing a deeply embedded hook often results in lethal hemorrhaging or invites infection. Therefore, cutting the line (the further down the better) and leaving the hook in if you cannot get it out gently with pliers or a dehooking tool is typically less damaging to the fish than doing all you can to pull it out. This may seem counterintuitive, but most fish can shed the embedded hooks by themselves within a matter of days. Nonetheless, getting a hook stuck should still be avoided by not feeding a fish line after it bites, as well as using circle hooks. This will reduce the chance of hooks ending up in the lake for humans or other animals to catch on while swimming. 

3. Set your snags free

Ah, the dreaded snag. Losing a lure is not only disappointing for the angler but also poses a serious threat to other wildlife who may ingest the lures or get tangled in fishing line. In fact, many studies have found fish with soft bait plastics and lures in their stomachs, including one study that reported soft plastic lures in 17.9% of lake trout in Charleston Lake, Ontario (Raison et al., 2014). This is unsurprising, as around 80% of anglers have reported losing tackle and copious amounts of toxic lead-based items in a lake (Radomski et al., 2006). Unfortunately, many birds ingest toxic lead-based sinkers and jigs thinking they are food and die as a result. That is a lot of plastic, lead and hooks polluting our lakes from snags, not to mention the amount of discarded soft baits that many people toss in the water once they are done with them. Other litter can also include packages from bait and tackle items, as well as food and drink packages; all of which pollute the water, and can harm many birds, fish, turtles and other wildlife who can choke or get caught in them. As such, try your best not to litter or leave lost lures and soft baits in the water once they get snagged – it is better to boat or wade out to unsnag the line and lure. The best angling practice is to use weedless lures in heavily vegetated areas, thus saving yourself the effort, and the environment from plastic!

4. Go green

While removing snags is a good habit to establish regardless, using eco-friendly, biodegradable tackle instead of plastic ensures that the consequences for lost or forgotten gear is reduced. There are many options for non-toxic sinkers and jigs made from tin, bismuth, antimony, steel, brass, tungsten, terpene resin putty, clay or polypropylene, as well as biodegradable monofilament fishing line, lures and soft baits made from fish food or other non-PVC, non- plastisol and non-phthalates material. If you like DIY projects, you can even try to make your own from home!

5. Avert the aliens  

Avert the alien species, that is! Invasive fish, plants and aquatic organisms tend to disrupt natural food webs by outcompeting native species for food and habitat; because they don’t have natural predators, they can multiply and spread unchecked. Taking reasonable measures to remove any aquatic plants, animals, or algae from the watercraft (including washing your boat and gear, and draining excess water) before leaving the site is critical in the fight to reduce the spread of invasive species; in fact it is illegal to transport watercraft without doing so. A familiarity with the prohibited invasive fish, aquatic invertebrates and plant species in Ontario is highly recommended in order to avoid releasing them while fishing, thus allowing them to spread more. In fact, the Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations stipulate that if a prohibited fish, invertebrate or plant happens to be caught, the angler must immediately destroy it in a way that ensures it cannot reproduce or grow. Additionally, check for regulations on which live bait can be used in certain areas, and never release bait fish as they can outcompete native fish for food and habitat in the lake ecosystem. 

6. Better your boat

Compared to shore-fishing, fishing from watercraft provides access to deeper waters, a greater range of locations, and an associated increase in the variety of fish species. However, boating can be destructive to aquatic life, including those prized fish that you are hoping to catch! Fortunately, there are certain practices that everyone can follow to better their boating behaviour. 

• Firstly, lift your prop or trim your motor up as best you can in shallow areas, and reduce your speed to under 10 km/h within 30 m of a shoreline. Boat propellers tend to rip up aquatic vegetation which provide shelter and food for many fish and aquatic organisms. Props can also stir up sediment and create wakes which contribute to shoreline erosion and decreased water quality due to turbidity (cloudiness), making it difficult for sunlight to penetrate plants and allow them to grow. 
• In addition, try not to drag anchors along the bottom of the lake as this disturbs sediment and vegetation, thereby damaging habitat for fish and aquatic life.

Keeping all of these things in mind for the next fishing season will help keep your favourite fishing hole healthy and ensure there are enough fish for future generations to enjoy!

 

Image #1 courtesy of Jed Owen

Image #2 courtesy of Hunter Brumels

Image #3 courtesy of Joseph Simonds