Everything you read in fishing articles these days seems to suggest that “catch and release” is the way to go. After you get your trophy fish to the boat, you remove the hook after a bit of a struggle. Then you photograph it from every conceivable angle. The slippery fish is hard to control as it struggles and maybe you drop the fish in the boat. You retrieve it and slide the barely alive carcass into the water. The fish gives a desperation kick of the tail and disappears into the depth. You think you have done a perfect job releasing that fish. Not so.

Properly releasing a fish is perhaps the most important part in the odyssey of catching a fine fish. The release is the “dessert,” the finale of a perfect encounter that completes your fishing experience. The angler, as described above, made a number of mistakes. The first one was not having a proper tool for releasing or extracting the hook. If you are fishing a single hook, there are devices for catch and release. They slide down the line and, with a gentle lift, the hook comes out of the lip. Forceps are also a great tool and necessary when you are using multiple hooks, such as treble hooks. Forceps or needle-nose pliers are invaluable when dealing with a toothy critter like a pickerel. Secondly, even taking the fish out of the water should be avoided when possible. If a fish is played gently by using the fish’s own momentum to guide it, you will have more success than by trying to overpower it. Once landed, handle your fish gently and the fish will sometimes respond by calming.

If you want to take a photo, the protocol would be to get your camera gear and your shot lined up before you remove the fish from the water or the net. Instead of using a mesh net, use rubber or soft plastic nets which are less abrasive and will not get caught in a fish’s gills. When ready, the angler poses with the fish for a few quick photos. Return the fish to the net held in the current if it looks like the fish needs some reviving. If the fish is in good shape, release it directly into the water head first into the current. It will slide gently from your wetted hands and you will see that it is not panicked and on its way to full recovery.

There’s another even more important matter where attention to detail is essential, affecting the lives of all river users. This past spring we ran a column about the importance of wearing life jackets. Sadly, the Delaware River community just experienced its first drowning of the year. Without even hearing the details, I surmised it was a visitor who thought he could swim across the Delaware with no problem. The victim was in fact an 18-year-old not wearing a life jacket. It’s the same sad scenario we’ve seen many times. The Delaware is deceptive, and it is always farther across the big eddies than it seems. There are currents and drop-offs, and the return crossing can be fatal, as it was the last weekend in August.

The attention to detail is this: Always wear a life jacket. On our river there are no recorded instances of a fatality when the river user was wearing a properly fitted and fastened life vest. How simple is that? Yet, how often is that cardinal ruled ignored? The slogan is “SWIMMING, BOATING, FISHING, FLOATING – WEAR IT!” These are not empty words. Trust me, it’s a matter of life or death, and if you plan on catching and releasing fish for years to come, it would behoove you to obey the first cardinal rule of river use: life jackets, wear them!