Proper handling of fish to be released

[Theekillerbee]

Lots of people ask me how to prevent scars after I've sewn them up, and the only answer to that question is to not get cut. Once you cut the skin, there will be some form of scar formation, so I guess the only perfect way to release a fish is to never catch them! I've seen people bleed like stuck pigs from a small 22ga needle stick, where larger incisions in the skin only ooze. All you have to do is hit a small artery and you will bleed quite a bit quite quickly. These small vessels will eventually clot off, but they make a mess in a hurry. Same goes with sticking a hook in a fishes mouth. Sometimes they don't bleed much, and others look like you've sliced the jugular! Most will do just fine, the bleeding will stop, and they'll live to fight another day. So don't judge how a fish is handled because you see some blood coming from the fish. Heck I've seen fish nearly having their guts ripped out because someone was trying to save a cheap powerbait laden treble hook. They don't bleed much, but pretty much have a death sentence. So for those of you who like to stir the pot, and never contribute anything worth while, shut the @$*& up and crawl back under the rocks from whence you came, we don't need you here.

As for releasing fish, I like Pat will try to dehook them in the water without touching them at all. If I have to touch them, I handle them as little as possible, then get them back into the water as soon as possible.

Oh yeah, I'd pay money to see you break the neck of a fish by using a lip gripper on the jaw. The jaw will break off long before you injure the spine. The spine is an incredibly tough structure and takes a tremendous force to cause major injury.
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