Catch And Release Survival Rate

[Catch and Grease]

When our pond at our house first got dug we wanted it stocked with bass, so at the lake we would catch bass and put them in a cooler full of cool water and they would stay in there for a couple of hours then be driven back to our house and be put in our pond. Just thought I'd share that...

[RoLo]

Rolo, you made an assumption, you have few if any facts! Dottie was caught and released a number of times over years of successful living. Dottie was also toward the end of her life cycle. Size alone would be an indicator of that. To get that big she was not a youngster. Dottie if anything, is an example of successful catch and release since it happened many times to her, and DOCUMENTED. There are few facts in your last statement, but a lot of unsubstantiated assumptions.

 

You misinterpreted what I wrote.

Dottie was only mentioned as an example of a fish with a conspicuous field mark which served to identify her the same as a fish tag.

Dottie got her name from a conspicuous 'dot' on her tail, but I never stated that Dottie herself was a victim of delayed mortality.

As most anglers know, Dottie was an unusually robust bass that was caught and released by 3 different anglers:

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2009/Feb/01/1s1outdoors214857-tv-looks-bass-legend-dottie/

 

Roger

[WRB]

Correction, The dot was on her gill cover.

Tom

[Dinky]

So in the major league fishing tournaments y'all are saying the fish can't touch the angler during landing so does that mean you have to net them? Like is there a no lipping rule?

No. They cannot use a net and they cannot let the fish touch the boat deck or any other part of their body-other than their hands of course.

[Dinky]

I am actually doing a "teach the club" this month on this topic. Bass mortality increases greatly from stress. Stress can be caused during the fight/landing the fish - by this I mean taking too long to land the fish. Improper handling by removing slime coat or by holding the fish from the jaw incorrectly will increase mortality. You can break a bass' jaw (and not even know it) by holding them from the jaw without supporting them from their belly/tail causing them to not be able to feed. Stress within the livewell also increase mortality. Low oxygen levels is the biggest contributor. Saturated oxygen levels in water drop considerably as the water warms. Dropping livewell temps 10 degree's increase oxygen levels. That's why ice is recommended once surface water temps reach 75 degrees.Other tricks include installing an aerator, adding hydrogen peroxide, and there are oxygen pellets you can buy to drop in your tank that will release oxygen into the water for up to 9 hours. Studies show highly stressed fish may live 6 days or more before finally perishing. Amonia levels within the livewell also contribute. I learned water should be changed 2-3 during an 8 hour tourney. University of WI did a study following six bass tournaments and saw mortlaity after 6 days of up to 35% on poorly treated fish that were caught, kept in a livewell, and eventlaully released.

 

There is some GREAT reading throughout Bass Resource on this subject!

These are all great tips.

I installed an oxygenator in my live well-- it had an aerator in it already and a recirculator as well. It may not be easy to install in all livewells, but it is well (no pun intended) worth it.

 

In addition, I mash down all my barbs on my hooks when I fish for small mouth bass in Canada. It makes removing a deep hook bloodless and quick. Very seldom lose a fish because of it.

 

I also believe that those who use extremely light line and thus often break it off may be causing increased mortality also.

[geo g]

In post #73 you stated Dottie substantiated delayed mortality. There is still no evidence of that, and she could be a victim of simple old age. I respect your opinion, but it is only an opinion, just as death by old age is only an opinion. We must separate opinion from fact, there is a big difference.

[FishChaser1]

Very high; you don't see dead bass floating around

[RoLo]

In post #73 you stated Dottie substantiated delayed mortality. There is still no evidence of that, and she could be a victim of simple old age. I respect your opinion, but it is only an opinion, just as death by old age is only an opinion. We must separate opinion from fact, there is a big difference.

 

How can you respect an opinion that you don't understand?

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

 

Roger

[Lund Explorer]

How can you respect an opinion that you don't understand?

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

 

Roger

 

Perhaps the best reply to this often repeated question is the same one I was taught when getting my degree in accounting.  When asked for the answer to what one plus one was, the only real answer becomes "What do you want it to be!". 

 

It doesn't matter how many universities or fisheries departments have found in their science based studies.  Too many people need the answer to be that no fish die because of their actions.  I guess that if it makes them sleep better at night, then they should be happy knowing that no fish has ever ended up as turtle food.  It's rather like saying no horse has ever broken a leg on the track.

[WRB]

Bass anglers like to think there bass are tough fish, like junk yard dogs. Bass are tough compared to trout for example that are fine scaled fish subject to stress easily. Bass are fragile compared to catfish or carp, those fish are junk yard dogs and can take a beating and keep ticking.

The bigger a bass is the older it is and with age comes weakness to the adverse stress of being caught. Very difficult to keep big bass alive in a livewell for hours and it takes time for recovery, some don't survive.the odds go way up when a bass is released immediately.

Tom

[frantzracing0]

I thought I read a few years back that the survival rate for released bass was about 50% on average.  Professionals and tourneys have better equipment and means to be better at catch and release so I'm sure it's higher in a tournament or professional setting. 

 

Personally, I think the survival rate is more like 80% or else we would be seeing dead bass all over the place.  If handled properly and released quickly, I would think most fish would survive without issue.

 

Of course, just because one thinks the survival rate is high, one should not be lazy when releasing or handling fish.  It's up to each angler to help keep the bass population healthy.

 

Honestly, I think your assumption is bass akwards. Tourney fish are kept in livewells for hours, transfered to bags, flashed to the crowd. In and out of water how many times? Our fish are looked at for 20 seconds and set free. In my views, tourney fish stand a much higher chance of death