Tips on Landing & Releasing Striped Bass

Making Waves Winter 2020 Tips for Landing & Releasing Stripers

By Captain Barry Gibson

Anglers are releasing more striped bass than ever before. Here’s a guide to fish-friendly tactics for safely landing and getting them back in the water to grow and fight again.

In light of 2019’s “slot limit” on striped bass, which in most states is between 28” and 35”, many anglers are now releasing more stripers than they have in years past. So, it might be useful to review some effective techniques for safely landing a bass and getting it back into the water unharmed. In my opinion, a landing net is the best tool for capturing a hooked striper and lifting it into a boat. I use an inexpensive aluminum model with a hoop measuring 18” by 24” that sports a 36” handle and a twine mesh bag that’s 24” deep. It works fine for bass up to about 40 inches or so. For truly huge stripers, the kind Making Waves publisher Gary Caputi routinely catches, heavyduty nets such as the new carbon fiber models offered by Bubba Fishing Tackle, cost a little more but will handle fish up to 75 pounds. Some manufacturers offer “release” nets made with smooth, knotless rubber mesh that’s less likely to scrape off the fish’s protective slime as it flops around. In addition, many release nets feature bags with flat bottoms that help support the fish horizontally while the hook is removed. Release nets are very fish-friendly. However,

where it could also become impaled in your thumb. I also like to wear one of those non-skid, rubber-palm gloves on my left hand to help grip the fish’s jaw and to save my thumb from the sandpaperlike teeth. Get a Grip

A lot of folks use those mechanical lip-grippers such as the Boga Grip and its clones, to hold the fish up for photos or measuring. But I don’t like them, for two reasons. First, the stainless steel pincers can tear the lower jaw membrane as you lift the fish. Second, the models that feature a scale and/or measuring tape encourage anglers to hold the fish up vertically for too long, hanging by its jaw to be measured or weighed, or while a photo is taken or the hook is removed. This is tough on the fish. Its entire body is designed to be supported by the liquid in which it swims. However, smaller bass can be removed when purchasing one, be sure to look at the from the net by gripping depth of the bag. Some are too shallow, allowing them by the lower jaw with your thumb and forethe rubber mesh to actually act like a trampoline finger for a quick de-hooking and immediate reso that the fish can bounce itself out as its being lease, with little adverse effect. lifted from the water. If the bag is 24” or more When holding a larger striper, though, for measdeep you should be all set. uring or a photo, it’s better to cradle the fish horiYour own hands are actually an effective tool for zontally, with the lower jaw between your thumb landing stripers. I’ll often squat down on the and forefinger, and your other hand under its boat’s engine bracket and grab the fish’s lower belly to support the internal organs. Have your jaw with my left thumb and forefinger. Then I’ll buddy remove the hook. If you’re alone, carefully cradle the fish’s underside with my right hand, place the bass on a wet towel on deck and deand lift it into the boat. hook it there, as mentioned above. The only thing you need to watch out for is the One thing you don’t want to do is drop the fish, hook, especially if it’s imbedded in the lower jaw and I see it happen all the time. That can cause all

remove the hook, then carefully guide it to deeper water where it can swim off by itself. Quick is Key The key to a striper’s survival is to get it back into the water as soon as possible. Every second that goes by as someone fumbles with the camera phone controls or waits for the sun to come out from behind a cloud, reduces the fish’s chances. The rule on my charter boat is if the photo isn’t snapped within about 20 seconds, the fish goes back over the side reFor a quick picture, hold the bass by the jaw and support gardless. A good rule of the body horizontally. Then back in the water. thumb is to keep the fish out of water no longer than you can hold your kinds of unseen yet serious injuries. If you’re lip- breath. If you can’t breathe, the fish can’t gripping a fish that is to be de-hooked and re- breathe. leased, have a buddy hold the net underneath it Large stripers, especially those in the 40-inch-plus in case it flops out of your fingers. A small bass range, sometimes become exhausted from the can be held over the side of the boat to be de- fight and may need some extra help upon re-hooked, so if it wrestles itself from your grasp it lease. I’ll often lean over the side and grab the will fall harmlessly into the water. fish by the lower jaw with my left thumb and Watch Those Spines! forefinger, and grasp it just ahead of the tail with Very small striper under 18 inches or so can be a challenge to lip-grip. They have smaller mouths my right hand. Then I’ll slowly move it back and forth to get water moving through its gills. so inserting your thumb is trickier, plus they If the bass still appears sluggish, I’ll have my mate thrash around to beat the band. In many cases I’ll put the boat in gear at idle speed and I’ll hold the simply grab the fish behind the head and work fish just under the surface to force water into its my hand back, smoothing down the sharp dorsal mouth and out through its gills as the boat spines, until I get a good grip. moves slowly along. Speaking of sharp dorsal spines, never, ever, kick When I feel the fish clamp its jaws on my thumb, I a striper back into the water when fishing the know it ready to go. Sometimes I can spur this on beach or shoreline. The spines can easily punc- by squeezing the tail section, as bass seem to exture a wader boot and be driven into your toe or hibit a natural reaction to escape whatever is trytoes. The usual result is a trip to the emergency ing to prevent it from swimming forward. room. Watching a big striper swim back down into the When landing a bass from a beach or shallow depths after a hard-fought battle sure is a satisfyshoreline, leave it in a few inches of water as you ing sight!