DON'T Rip Some Lips
By Mike Conner, editor-in-chief
Last week during a quick afternoon fly fishing trip to a local beach, I was passed two young fishermen, with spinning rods rigged with swimming plugs in hand. They asked about my fly rod and asked if I had caught a snook yet. I replied that I had just started casting, and one of them said "Should be snook along here in these bait schools. I'm ready to "rip some lips!"
By now, you may have noticed that Rip Some Lips has become a favorite cliche if not a "battle cry" for some anglers. I think it is macho B.S. most of the time.
Well, in the case of snook, it is closed season now through the summer in Florida, and catch-and-release should be practiced with every effort to not rip some lips. A good start would be to avoid using treble hooks for fish you plan to, or must, release. You can still use that favorite lure that comes stock with trebles. I would suggest: replacing the trebles with single hooks. Or, at the least clip off one of the three "legs" of that treble, and then crimp down the barbs on the remaining hooks. Leave a bump; you will be surprised to see how well the hooks will hold in a fish's mouth (see photo for examples). Or you might just fish a single hook lure, like a soft plastic or spoon. These measures will not only save on wear and tear on that fish. It will also allow you to remove hooks more quickly to get that fish on its way--a good idea especially in hot summer water.
I prefer single hook jigs anyway! Nothing worse than hooking a fish and bringing it in with one hook in the top lip, two in the bottom and his mouth clamped shut.
ReplyDelete-Sam
Mike, I concur with your suggestion and I have been educating my clients to fish smarter on out-of-season species. My clients still and the thrill of the hunt and knowing that a quick release from a single hook lure will enable our stocks to stay health.
ReplyDeleteCapt Rob
Somethin Fishy Charters