How to Handle a Trout | Safe Catch and Release -- From Hooking a Trout to Letting It Go

Fish cold water, fight 'em fast, handle gently, release quickly. In this second edition of the Troutbitten podcast, my friends Bill, Austin, Trevor and Josh join me to discuss safe catch and release practices, from hooking a trout to letting it go. Because if the goal of catch and release is to put a trout back and catch it again, then we want to ensure that the health of the fish remains intact.

Some of the catch and release best practices might seem like common sense. But the truth is, handling a trout without harming it isn’t necessarily intuitive. It takes some forethought and preparation. You need the right tools — the right skills. And it takes a good understanding of how trout are built — how they are a little more sensitive than other species. It helps to understand the trout and learn its habits, if you plan to release the fish without harming it.

There’s a lot of nuance in topics like this. And we cover the details around these key principles: Fish cold water, fight 'em fast, handle gently, release quickly.

At every level of experience, we’re always learning and trying to improve or share ideas about the fish we chase. The Troutbitten guys joining me are full of ideas, and they share some great thoughts about how to handle a trout.

Lastly, we discuss how experience is the only teacher. We acknowledge that mistakes inevitably happen. We've all killed trout accidentally, and it's part of the learning process. But education is the best preparation for releasing a trout safely. And hopefully, it's podcasts and shared information, like this, that gives fly anglers the confidence to go fishing and enjoy their time on the water.

Here are a few key supporting articles from Troutbitten:

READ: Troutbitten | How to Hold a Trout
READ: Troutbitten | Their Heart in Your Hands
READ: Troutbitten | Are We Taking the Safety of Trout Too Far?
READ: Troutbitten | If You Have to Revive a Trout, It's Probably Too Late
READ: Troutbitten | Category | Fighting Fish

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