Handling fish is so important
The Water of Leith and Harlaw Reservoir re-open for the season on Monday, April 1 and Alastair Lyndon, a senior lecturer in the Life Sciences Department of Heriot-Watt University, explains why it is so important to handle fish properly. Lyndon said that mishandling a fish causes problems for their internal organs. He suggested: “Anglers need to be firm and positive but not forceful and fishermen need to avoid any pressure, particularly on the soft underbelly. “You are best to hold the fish across the back where there is muscle. Another tip that works well is to cover their eyes. They calm down then and tend not to flap.” There are other issues to consider when hooking and playing a fish and Lyndon said: “Ideally, you want to play the fish as rapidly as you can so they are not completely exhausted. “Do not lift them out of the water if you can avoid it and keep them in the net to unhook them. “You need to make sure they are upright and can swim away on their own before release and, any time you handle any fish, you should wet your hands. As the fish is coming into the edge what I would do is to play the fish with one hand and wet my other hand in the water. “Remember, your hand is around 37°C and the water temperature, even on a hot summer day, is unlikely to be 20°C so there is a big difference between your hand and the fish. Burns can be caused. “Also, a wet hand stops you removing the mucus on the surface of the fish. Removing that mucus leaves the fish exposed and open to infection.” He also addressed the issue of how to remove a hook, by hand or by forceps, and said: “It depends on where the fish is hooked. If they are hooked on the edge of the mouth then I would say using your hands is better. “Forceps may be needed when they are more deeply hooked but you want to avoid putting any metal inside the fish if possible. The inside of the mouth is pretty tough, but the gills are sensitive. “The skin and scales can be damaged by metal and that can lead to infection however the biggest problem is taking a fish out of the water, particularly in the height of summer. He added: “Fish receive oxygen from the water. We as humans are lucky because we get most of our oxygen from the air around us. “In the water, oxygen is much more scarce since dissolved gas is only a small part of the water volume. When water warms up it holds even less oxygen and that oxygen deficiency is especially a problem if you are playing a fish out. “The fish won’t be able to recover as quickly and they are likely to be under the weather afterwards which makes them more vulnerable to predators and can cause problems and diseases.” So, if a fish keels over as you release it what do you do? The lecturer said: “Keep the fish supported in the water, hands either side, until the fish is able to keep itself upright and swim away. That is particularly important when the water is warm. “If the gills are not moving you can gently pass the fish forwards through the water but, again, you have to be careful. This passes water over the gills to help them revive. “Any sign of blood inside the fish is normally not good so you should usually consider killing a bleeding fish as a last resort.” The simple rules to fish handling are have a knotless landing net, play the fish as quickly as you can, especially when it is warm, keep the fish in the water and, if you are planning to take a fish home, kill it as soon as you can in the net before you do anything else. Meanwhile, Mike Kyle from Easthouses won the Edinburgh New Year Shore Angling League with 40 points, three points ahead of organiser Ian Campbell from Falkirk with Gordon Lyall (Edinburgh) third on 34 points. Lyall won the final leg with nine fish for 215 points and it was fished in “horrible” conditions at Newhaven with a strong wind but 54 fish were landed including codling, coalfish, whiting, dabs and flounder. Campbell was second also with nine fish for 210 points and Chris Cooper (Edinburgh) third with seven fish for 200 points. The longest fish, a 32cm codling, was landed by Stewart Falconer from Arbroath. Kyle won a £100 voucher for The Edinburgh Angling Centre and Fishing Megastore and a £50 voucher from Cox and Rawle. Campbell and Lyall are both employees of the Edinburgh Angling Centre so vouchers were awarded to Cooper who finished fourth and Stevie Souter (Edinburgh) who was fifth. Other placings (Edinburgh unless stated): 6, Lindsay Bell; 7, Michael Gilbertson; 8, Kevin McNish; 9, Steve Potts (Tyneside); 10, Barry McEwan (Port Seton); 11, Kyle Taylor; 12, Chris Anderson; 13, Neil Cutler (Tyneside); 14, Thomas Slow; `15, Gavin Owen (Tyneside). Elsewhere, the second Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers pegged match at Riverside Drive in Dundee is on Sunday, April 7, registration 8am to 8.45am and fishing from 10am to 3pm. Only 50 pegs are available and there is a reserve list. https://www.dailymotion. com/video/x8t0k8c