LIFTING AND HOLD YOUR FISH
By Gordy Johnson March 20, 2000
There are many different theories on how to properly lift fish, and there are several ways to cause injury to a fish. Example: It was once felt that you could grab and lift both Northern Pike and Muskellunge by putting your thumb and a finger in their eye sockets. This was said to numb the fish, and wouldn’t cause it any harm. While I have not done any scientific studies on this lift, I would think it would be pretty much common sense to realize that having somebody exert enough pressure on your eyes to lift you, isn’t conducive to good vision. I sure wouldn’t want somebody doing it to me!
Another lift that is less injurious to the fish is grabbing it by the “shoulders” with your hand. The shoulder area on a fish is immediately behind the head, typically above the gill plate. This maybe a fine technique for smaller fish, but it lacks for three reasons on larger fish: First, I have seen people apply sufficient pressure in the area whereby they literally press the gill covers into the gills, often times damaging the gills. The second reason is that with this hold, normally the person does not support stomach area of the fish with the other hand. The third reason is that a fish (especially a larger fish), can flip out of the grip fairly easily. This results in the fish hitting the bottom of the boat and injuring itself.
The best lift for Musky and Northern Pike is using the jawbone in conjunction with a supporting hand under the belly. This lift is accomplished by placing the fingers under the gill plate with your palm facing toward the top of the fish. Slide your fingers toward the front of the fish keeping them in very close contact with the gill cover. You don’t want them straying into the gills, gill rakers, or mouth of the fish. If you get your fingers into them, especially on larger fish, you will know immediately as bandages will be required. When you reach the top of the gill cover, you will feel what feels like a pocket.
You can literally feel the jawbone in this pocket, and that is what you will lift the fish by. As you start to lift, bring in you other hand to support the center of the fish. Although you have seen pictures and television personalities holding the fish vertically by the jaw, it is not a good hold because the fish’s internal organs are not supported. On bigger fish especially, this can and does cause internal injuries. If this is done, it should be very, very briefly.
It should be noted that most anglers feel that they do a good job on releasing simply because the fish swam away. Disease, bleeding, and trauma can kill fish days, weeks, or even months later, so injuries that maybe unnoticed can ultimately kill the fish.
Lifting by the lip, which is usually synonymous with bass, and often seen on television, is really a very poor way to lift a fish. This lift puts excessive pressure on the fish jaw and head area, often times dislocating or tearing the jaw especially when the fish is held laterally. Again, common sense should tell you that if someone held you by the lower jaw parallel to the floor, your jaw, head and neck are not going appreciate it. This lift does afford good pictures for television, but doesn’t do much for the fish's well-being.
On fish such as bass, a belly lift is probably the best lift that can be employed. The fishes belly is literally cradled in the hand. This not only supports the fish’s organs, but also does not put excessive pressure on the head as with the lip lift.
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