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Do you net them and tie them off to boat or net and bring in boat and risk total destruction of property?
I net them and bring them in the boat!Do you net them and tie them off to boat or net and bring in boat and risk total destruction of property?
nice catfish:big_smile:I net them and bring them in the boat!
what are you doingI don't have to worry about it.
nice flathead:wink:I try to keep my handling of a flathead to a minimum.
If it is a small fish that I don't want to bother snapping a picture of, I will try to lip him and remove the hook and let him go without bringing him into the boat. If it is a situation where I cannot lip him, too much current or something like that, I will net him but leave the net in the water, remove the hook, and let him go directly into the river.
If it is a fish that I want a photo of, I will net him and remove the hook and leave the net in the water until I am ready to photo - when ready the fish comes out of the net - smiles pretty for a picture - and right back into the water with as little handling as possible.
If it is a really big fish or I am alone trying to handle a big fish - I will net him and lift him carefully into the boat. I have found that taking a very soaking, wet rag and placing it on their head to cover their eyes will sometimes keep them calm and prevent them from thrashing around. I try to get them back in the water as quickly as possible.
I have never tied off a fish. I'm not sure how you would do that. I would hate to see someone running a rope through their gills or cutting a hole in their jaw for a rope. I do have a very large, soft duck decoy bag on my boat just in case I want to try to keep a large fish alive for longer than a quick photo. It will hold a very large flathead with no problem and wouldn't hurt the fish that much. I've never used it yet but I am prepared just in case I need a large "Keep" bag.