Save the rockfish - live release method

[TheBigGuy]

I hate killing small rockfish when I am targeting Halibut or Lingcod. They are a very slow growing species and numbers are severely depressed in many areas. I do my best to avoid them if at all possible by selecting larger lures, or by fishing a little off bottom if targeting Ling. Unfortunately, when fishing deeper waters these fish often suffer decompression when brought up. When I know I've hooked a rockfish I try to bring it up very slowly so that it might not get the bends too badly. Sometimes this works and the fish can still re-submerge on its own. Other times it doesn't, and I end up keeping the rockfish even though I have no desire to. I hate when this happens, as I try to minimize rockfish bye catch as much as possible.

I found a diagram online yesterday of how to tie an effective release rig for re-submerging rockfish. The idea is you re-hook the rockfish with this upside down barbless hook rig. You then lower the rockfish back down a fair ways. Allow the rockfish enough time to adjust back to the pressure change again. Once you figure it's been down long enough give some good pulls on the line. The hook should come out and hopefully the fish can return to bottom.

I haven't tested this rig yet, but I have read that it works quite well. I will be sure to give it a try next time I'm out bottom fishing.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e384/TheBigGuy_01/RockfishDecompression.jpg

 

[spring fever]

I have heard that in California they have some kind of hypodermic rig that inserts a small hole into the bladder and allows the fish to descend with no harm-anyone else heard of this or am I just repeating an urban legend?

 

[cuttlefish]

TBG; Good on ya for considering and making an effort towards better rockfish survival.
You can find some more ideas at this link: http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs/onlinepubs/g05001.pdf. There are some photos and images. One is similar to yours. They don't recommend puncturing.

 

[TheBigGuy]

quote:Originally posted by spring fever

I have heard that in California they have some kind of hypodermic rig that inserts a small hole into the bladder and allows the fish to descend with no harm-anyone else heard of this or am I just repeating an urban legend?

I believe the state of Florida promotes using a hypo as well. That may be alright in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing. Seems as though there's a probability of doing big damage if not done just right. It is done through the body of the fish. Internal organs can be damaged if not inserted properly, plus infection is a concern. I have seen web sites where this method is promoted. I think I'll leave the hypos to the doctors.

 

[kthomas]

Spring Fever, here's a tool that was designed to vent bottom fish to increase survival rates. Suppose to be a lot safer then a needle. http://www.charkbait.com/cs/csd-TeamMarine.htm

 

[spring fever]

Checked out the website and it doesn't seem like rocket science. Might give it a try rather than feeding the eagles all summer.

 

[Tailspin]

That rig might work to slow down some of the out of town rockfish jiggers filling there tubs too[]

I have popped the bladders before, they seem to make it down, not sure if they survive?

www.tailspincharters.com

 

[tubber]

Here's another that may work. How can one know?

http://www.reelfishingadventures.net/the put em back fish release.htm

 

[Termite]

Try this one. It's popular in California.
http://www.sheltonproducts.com/SFD.html

 

[Fishinnut]

The shelton products descender does work. It looks like an upside down fishhook. Take a 4 pound weight to use as it takes some big weight to get a bigger rockfish back down. Oh thats right, you can keep Yelloweye and Canaries in Canada, we can't. There have been tagging studies in California of Baurotrama rockfish (the bends) being tagged and released. They were caught 3-4 years later.

The previous post has the link. You only have to go down one atmosphere-roughly 30-35' before they start decompressing. You can feel them start to come to, swim and then take off to the bottom.

I don't care for the venting method as I am sure that no angler is going to clean the needle with alcohol each time before and after use. It would probably sit in a damp tackle box until used again a long time later. This is not something I would want to put into internal orgnas of a fish.

You can make a make shift one after you review the link.