LANDING AND RELEASING
Landing a fish still full of energy requires you to be prepared. Ensure you have a suitable landing place chosen before bringing the fish too close to the edge. If you intend to use any tools, such as a rubber mesh net or a Boga grip, then ensure they are to hand and used in the correct way.
A rubber-meshed landing net can be ideal for landing fish, especially in rough or rocky environments, where getting into the water with the fish is not ideal.
I mentioned the Boga grip and, like any tool, if used properly (the fish is correctly supported) it can be useful. I like using one while wading, when I keep the entire fish in the water during the unhooking process. Ensure you have the Boga attached to you, using a lanyard in order to prevent the bass kicking and taking the grip from your hands.
The use of a pair of gloves is key when landing a bass. This enables a good grip of the leader, and you can grab the fish by the mouth or the tail if necessary. Be sure to wet your gloves before handling the fish.
For me, there are fewer better sights in angling than to watch a solid bar of silver slip back into the surf and swim off.
Areas of well oxygenated water are best for releasing bass. These are often in at the edge, where waves crash into rocks, or along the surf on a beach. If you are lucky to have a strong current, then face the bass into the flow to make it easier for it to process the oxygen from the moving water.
Hold on to the fish until you feel energy is coursing through its body – perhaps even let it kick a few times before pointing it in the right direction and releasing.
The key to treating these fish with maximum respect boils down to preparation, taking some small steps, and adding them together into what should result in a memorable and enjoyable experience for the angler. ■